website maintenance

I think this question has been asked ever since the dawn of Google. Website owner after website owner have pondered over this question, while SEO after SEO have tried to give a definitive answer.

Recently, the good folks over at Search Engine Roundtable released the results to their April 1st poll: “How Long Should it Take to Rank Well on Google?” Out of the over two-hundred respondents, the largest response was 3-6 months (35%), followed by 6-9 months (19%). In my experience, a well-optimized website will take approximately 3-6 months to rank well. A website that has not been optimized at all….never!

Three to six months for a site to rank well on Google may seem like a long time to the anxious website owner who really wants to prove their site a success. However, with millions upon millions of websites trying to rank on the first page of the SERPs (search engine results pages), it takes that amount of time for Google to revisit your web pages enough times to build up the trust factor. Also, Google looks at many different factors of a web page in order to give it high rankings in SERPs. And, those factors change all the time – which can seem to be a bit unfair to even the most diligent of webmasters.

Such factors that Google takes into account include:

• Age of the domain
• Use of keywords in the Title tag
• Relevancy of keywords in the body text
• Link popularity of the site (or web page in question)
• Anchor text used in inbound link
• Relevance of inbound links
• Quality of content & freshness of content

Google also looks at factors that may negatively affect a website. These factors include:

• Duplicate title/meta description tags
• Errors in site code which distracts search engine spiders
• Duplicate content of any kind
• Participation in link farms or link schemes
• Keyword stuffing (basically overusing keyword phrases)
• Keywords in Title do not match content
• Hidden keywords
• Disobeying any of Google rules (see Google’s webmaster guidelines)

One thing that I have learned in my many years of optimizing websites. A website is only as good as those who maintain it. I’ve also learned that once you get the hang of what Google likes, they change the rules. However, with all this said, it doesn’t matter how well a website ranks on Google. What matters is the visitor.

As a professional SEO who has done optimized a ton of websites for various industries – this is what I suggest.

• Have a plan – what do you want visitors to do when they land on your site
• Know your audience and produce well-written, useful content for them
• Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for – don’t hide important information
• Make your calls-to-action prominent and consistent
• Maintain your content – if a product or service changes, update your site accordingly

So instead of worrying how long it takes to rank well on Google. Start thinking about your visitor and what is important to them. Afterall, your in business to get business from humans, not search engines.

Not sure if your site meets Google’s (or Patti’s) guidelines. Contact us for a complimentary website review.

Over the years we’ve all heard the over-used saying coined by the SEO industry: “content is King”. Well, it’s true. Search engines LOVE fresh content. However, I’m going to take this concept one step further by saying “beneficial content is King of the jungle” in 2009.

In today’s tough economic times it’s more important than ever to have a strong web presence. Why? Well, businesses and consumers spend more time researching a product or service before making that crucial buying decision. Consumers today choose to do business with, or buy a product from, companies they trust, and those that offer value.

Fresh website content helps increase keyword rankings on the SERPS (search engine results pages) and builds inbound links. However, beneficial fresh content will also build targeted traffic and customer acquisition too.

Here are 5 simple tips for adding fresh, and beneficial, content to your website.

1. Start a useful blog. It’s a well-known fact that blogs attract links and traffic, but a useful blog will also attract customers. Write value-added posts that give potential clients a reason to choose you over your competitors.
2. Create social responsible news. Many businesses have a News section of their site where they post their latest press releases – which is great. However, take it one step further by posting your “social responsible” news to your site as well. Has your company donated money to a charity, or organized a volunteer effort? Has your company joined the “green” revolution? Put it on your site.
3. Add tip lists or how-to articles. Whether your company offers dog sweaters or project collaboration software, there is always a helpful tip or a useful how-to to share. Free advice is not only valuable; it will be remembered by your audience as well. If your visitors find your tips helpful, they’ll be sure to share it with their friends or business associates. Make it easy for them by adding an “email this article” link.
4. Solicit customer testimonials, reviews or case studies. Your customers are your most important asset. Ask for testimonials or reviews and post them on your site. Better yet, if your product or service helped a client solve a problem, write a case study. People like to do business with companies that have happy clients.
5. Interview an expert in your field (even if it’s a competitor). With the birth of social media, collaboration has become part of the norm. Interviewing an expert in your niche not only gives your clients useful information, but also boosts your credibility as well.

Give visitors a reason to come back to your website over and over. Afterall, beneficial content sells in tough times, and in good.

Tell us what you think. Leave a comment.

Recently I participated in a marketing seminar sponsored by the Greater Somersworth Chamber of Commerce. The topic of the seminar was how to use marketing as a way to survive a downward economy.

During the seminar Kathleen Soldati, Director of Marketing at The Music Hall (also a co-presenter), brought up a great point. Companies that continued to advertise and market themselves during the Great Depression still strive today. Examples include Proctor and Gamble, Chevrolet, and Camel Cigarettes.

What does this mean for your business? Keep marketing!

When times get rough, the first impulse is to cut the marketing budget. Not only must companies, large and small, not cut their marketing budget, but they need to invest more effort and budget into marketing in order to get past tough times.

My portion of the presentation included a segment on Website Marketing. Highlights from the presentation include:

• 70% of internet users search online to find a local service
• 39% of internet users only click on the results found on the first page
• Your target market no longer uses the Yellow Pages or newspapers to find you
• Your website is a vital marketing tool
• Local businesses – even brick-and-mortar establishments – need an online presence
• Have 5 Seconds to make a positive first impression
• Could lose business if not found high on search results pages

What else did we talk about?

• It’s important to know your audience. In order to succeed in any marketing campaign, you must first know who your audience is and what they want and need
• Choose your keywords wisely. Avoid company jargon or very broad terms
• Create useful, well-written content on your website. Give visitors a reason to visit
• Focus on the visitor and not on search engines

To learn more about how you can use online marketing to survive a tough economy, contact Patti Fousek for a free, non-obligation, consultation.

You’re a business owner who has spent thousands of dollars on a new website. You can’t wait for all of the response and customers you’ll receive from said website. Months pass and …. nothing happens. Your website can’t be found on the internet; customers aren’t flooding your in box with inquiries; and the only people who have commented on your website so far are your employees, and your relatives.

Why does this happen? Most times it’s either A. your website is not optimized so it’s virtually invisible on the internet; or, B. there are no calls-to-action on the site. We’ll talk about SEO another time, today, let’s explore the almighty “call-to-action”.

What is a Call-to-Action?

Simply put, a call-to-action is the end result you want from your visitor. Many business owners don’t clearly define their website goals before the design process begins. This is a huge mistake that can cost even more of your already stretched budget to fix after the fact.

Before jumping into the design, ask yourself “what do I want my visitors to do when they land on my website?”

Some examples of a call-to-action are:

• Fill out a contact form
• Subscribe to a newsletter
• Register for an event
• Download a white paper
• Subscribe to your blog

Whatever the action is, the steps leading to that action also need to be very clear. Wording and color of a call-to-action are just as important as the placement. Make the action clear, visible, and enticing. Avoid phrases like: “click here”, “read more”, and “more”. Think about how many websites you have visited that have such lame action phrases. Do you ever click on them? Probably not.

Messaging Your Call-to-Action

The message in the call-to-action needs to be clear and simple, but not boring. Some examples of this include:

• Buy Now, Save 50%
• Receive SEO Tips Weekly
• Read Our Gardening Articles
• Download Software Whitepapers
• Get Started Now
• Free Instant Quote

Grab your audiences attention. Make the action appealing. The visitor has landed on your site for a  reason, make it easy for them to make the desired action.

Conclusion

A website needs to be more than just a pretty picture. Think about what you want your visitors to do on your webiste. Then, make it easy for them to do so. You’ll be happy you did.

Small business owners approach me every day regarding their website performance. They have a website, which they feel is great, and are confused as to why the general the public aren’t swarming the site. There may be many reasons why websites doesn’t receive visitors. Small businesses can increase the amount of website traffic by avoiding these five most common website mistakes.

1. Search Engine “Unfriendly” Design

When a small business makes the decision to get a website, they must be aware of the different ways a website can be designed. There are web designs that are search engine friendly and a whole lot that are “unfriendly” to search engines. Flash websites may be pretty, but they have a very tough time getting indexed by search engines. Websites designed using Frames may be inexpensive, but your site will virtually be invisible.

2. No Website Plan

Every website must have a plan and goals. The largest mistake small businesses can make with their website is not defining their website goals. Ask yourself “what do we want the visitor to do when they land on our site?” If you’re not sure, then your website goals are not clear. Clear goals help convert visitors into customers.

3. Lack of Calls to Action

There is nothing worse than landing on a webpage and having to search for the information that you’re looking for. By placing clear calls to action on your website, your visitors will be more likely to make an action instead of hitting the back button.

4. Poorly Written Copy

Small business website owners typically work within a tight budget when launching their website. Hence, they tend to write the website copy themselves. If you do write your own website copy, make sure you have other business professionals proof your website before it goes live. Grammatical errors or typos will cause the website visitor to immediately leave your website.

5. Ignoring Search Engine Optimization

Websites do not attract visitors by themselves. Your website needs to be positioned high on search engines in order to reach your target visitor. Search engine optimization is the process of improving a website’s online visibility by researching keywords your target visitor uses to search, implementing these keywords in specific areas of the content and code, and building links to the website. This process takes time and energy. When in doubt, it’s best to consult with an SEO professional.

Websites, like cars, need periodic maintenance. Maybe not after every 100,000 miles (or visitors), but definitely regular updates are required. Like your car, when cared for properly, your website will run smoothly and without a glitch. If neglected, the repairs needed may cost far more than it’s worth.

Unlike cars, there is no handbook to refer to that tells us what to do when. The type of maintenance needed and the time frame it should be completed within is all up to us. However, there are certain things to look for (and maintenance to perform) on your website to keep search engines indexing your site and to keep the “search engine” light from coming on.

How to tell if your site’s “search engine” light is on?

• Your Site Has Not Been Updated Since It Was Created
• Your Site Does Not Have a Search Engine Friendly Design
• The site is not easily navigated
• New Products/Services Are Not on the Website
• No Keyphrases in the Title & Description Tags
• Missing Keyword Phrases in Body Copy
• Lack of Calls to Action on the Website
• Website is not ranking on search engines
• Lack of Website traffic

How to turn the “search engine” light off.

• Redesign your website for visitors

o If your site has not been updated since it was created, the easiest way to solve this problem is to redesign the website. Yes, redesigns are time consuming and costly, however, with Web 2.0 technologies in place, you may not have any other choice.

• Add regular content to the website

o Whether you have new products or services or not, regular content additions are needed on your website to keep search engines coming back. Adding new pages with quality content or revising current pages are an easy fix. Also consider adding an FAQ section, press releases or news items, a blog, podcasts, .pdf files.

• Conduct keyword research and add relevant keyphrases to the Title and Description tag on each page. Also be sure that your body copy includes keyphrases as well.

• Add “Calls to Action” on your website

o First you must determine what you want visitors to do on your site, and then make it easy for them to do so. Whether you want your visitors to download a newsletter, fill out a form, buy a product, or contact the sales department – each call to action should be easy to find and prominent within the site design.

Still not sure if your website’s “search engine light” is on? Contact CreativeMind Search Marketing for a FREE website evaluation.