3 of the Simplest Tips to Keep You from Dumping Your Lifeless Website
I've listened and read a lot of less-then-great news over the last 12 months. Subprime, bank bail outs, plant closures... These phrases are now daily written in our newspaper. No wonder business leaders are pessimistic!
I would encourage you though that there is always opportunities. Especially in uncertain times. Opportunities for those who refuse to lie down and die.
One way to keep fighting for your share of the market is to actually be found on the Internet. Many businesses have created websites only to let it languish in obscurity, not knowing how to draw Search Engines like Google to display it in search results. It's like building a store in a back alley and being frustrated that no one has dropped in.
Through simple website marketing you CAN be found and create new business. Here are some common reasons I hear astute business people are shying away from web marketing and some thoughts...
"I don't want to ship to Timbuktu."
I've listened and read a lot of less-then-great news over the last 12 months. Subprime, bank bail outs, plant closures... These phrases are now daily written in our newspaper. No wonder business leaders are pessimistic!
I would encourage you though that there is always opportunities. Especially in uncertain times. Opportunities for those who refuse to lie down and die.
One way to keep fighting for your share of the market is to actually be found on the Internet. Many businesses have created websites only to let it languish in obscurity, not knowing how to draw Search Engines like Google to display it in search results. It's like building a store in a back alley and being frustrated that no one has dropped in.
Through simple website marketing you CAN be found and create new business. Here are some common reasons I hear astute business people are shying away from web marketing and some thoughts...
"I don't want to ship to Timbuktu."
Actually, Canadians are adept at "localizing" their searches, adding for instance "London Ontario" to their searches for localized results. Local searchers are trying to find local providers. That said, in a slower economy you may need any order you can get!
"My expensive website hasn't worked."
"My expensive website hasn't worked."
If you spent months training a salesperson then stuffed him in a closet, he wouldn't sell much either. If you don't have quality, targetted traffic to your website it won't work as a sales tool.
"I can't compete with national and/or US sites."
"I can't compete with national and/or US sites."
Running and hiding is a great way to decrease business if that is what you are hoping to do. Otherwise, being found by local and regional web searchers can be an excellent competitive advantage and an opportunity to deal with cutomers looking for - and willing to pay more for - good, local customer service.
"Internet marketing is just a bunch of crappy spam."
"Internet marketing is just a bunch of crappy spam."
Who are you kidding?! Yes, there is a lot of junk on the web but there are a lot of trashy magazines on the shelf beside your favourites and you don't stop reading them! Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Ok. So if you are still with me you are interested in growing your business through being found on the Internet. Maybe you've been frustrated that your website hasn't shown up on Google. You know that potential customers are searching for your offerings and want your website
to be visited.
So here are 3 ultra simple tips to help your business be found on the Internet. Tips 1 and 2 are items that you or your webmaster can do with little effort to help searchers be enticed by your listing. There are a number more of these simple tips but it would make for a long article... and this is supposed to be simple!
And by the way, Number 3 is a simple, painless way you can be on the top of searches regularly even in competitive markets but it is not for everyone because it costs marketing dollars.
Arrowfinger's top 3 ultra simple tips to help your business website to be found on Google
1) Title Tags
A Title Tag is the title you give your webpage in the website code. It appears in the browser bar at the top of a user's screen when they are on your site. Importantly, this title is also the name Google (or other search engine's) show as the title of your site when your page comes up in a
search. This is a marketing item you have control over so I suggest using it to your advantage. Include in your Title, important words your customers use when thinking about your product, even your city if that is relevant.
So then originally you may have titled your main home page
"Bill's Copy World - Home"
Change it into a marketing tool... like...
"Photocopiers & Fax Machines Ontario - Bill's Copy World - Tinsletown Ontario".
Google shows up to 65 characters of your Title so use up to 65.
Bill's Copy World - Home
Photocopiers, fax machines, wide selection. Showroom open to public, serving corporate and small business technology needs...
www.billscopy.com
vs.
Photocopiers & Fax Machines - Bill's Copy World - Tinsletown Ontario
Photocopiers, fax machines, wide selection. Showroom open to public, serving corporate and small business technology needs...
www.billscopy.com
Last thought on Title Tags, you can actually title each page on your site differently to reflect the information on that page. This encourages search engines to show the most relevant page on your site to searchers.
2) Meta Description
Meta Description is the description you give your site again in your website code. Google usually uses this on their search results page as a describing paragraph of your site but sometimes change it to make it more objective. This is an item you can control so use it to entice searchers to click on your site.
Google will show up to 160 character spaces of your description. Use everyone of these to create an apetizing explanation of what you do. Use commonly-used terms for your products. Don't include hyperbole like "best" and "greatest" as Google may penalize you or change the description.
Here is an example of a basic search result with Title and Meta Description just under it...
XYZ Limited Tent Rentals - Party - Awnings - Weddings
Joe and Casey Smith, owners of XYZ Limited, are proud of their 30 year old business as one of Mainburg's oldest manufacturing...
www.xyz.com
Marketing is connecting with customers and making it all about their needs. This description is more about the company. Plus it was so long, Google cut them off! Let's focus on the cusomter's needs in a change... Here is how it could be changed to increase visitor interest...
XYZ Limited Tent Rentals - Party - Awnings - Weddings
Specializing in sales and rentals of awnings, tents, hideaway screens. Wide selection of custom fabrics. Buy direct from manufacturer. Large Mainburg showroom.
www.xyz.com
3) Google Paid Advertising
"I didn't know I could pay to be found on Google."
When I tell business people they can pay to be on top of Google, I might as well be saying to Virginia "Yes, there is a Santa Claus."
We hear Google is making boat loads of cash but do you know how they do it? By enabling businesses like yours to connect with customers searching for products and services.
Google Paid Advertising or "Adwords" enables businesses to pay a small fee to have their advertisement show up when a searcher types a relevant word into the search engine. For a detailed explanation go to What is Search Engine Marketing anyway?
Don't give up on a good website. The Interent IS here to stay so do your business some good and make it work for you.
Rodney Lover
www.Arrowfinger.ca
519-937-1431
London Ontario Google Ads Consultant