Think Big Blog

It may be mid-summer but most companies are already looking toward the fall in terms of setting their budget for marketing and making plans for controlled spending. Marketing dollars do not come easily – especially in this economy – and making a very specific budget is paramount for achieving marketing goals while still being mindful of the bottom line. Web sites are no different in this capacity than traditional businesses; the budget of a web site must be minded in order that owners do not put too much money towards something they are not absolutely sure will give them a return on their investment. This is especially critical during these rocky financial times.

Web site marketing, luckily, isn’t all about expenditures. It is also about hard work and good old fashioned elbow grease. It is just as important for web site owners to put the time and effort into optimizing their site for the search engines as it is to actually advertise that site through the myriad of opportunities in this regard.

First and foremost in any web marketing plan is search engine optimization. A web site must be found by the search engines in order to ultimately be found by potential customers. This may require on-site content – as well as content on third-party sites – that encompasses the use of specific keywords or keyword phrases that have been identified as being specific to the site itself. In other words, those search engine users that are in search of the products and services offered by the site in question may use particular keywords to find them; smart web site owners make sure those keywords are included on their site or in third-party locations that lead to the site.

Many web site owners find that a web site optimization firm is crucial in the role of search engine optimization and can help them put their marketing dollars to work in the most efficient way and ultimately increase web traffic considerably.

In the last post we discussed the importance of a business remaining viable and newsworthy as a part of their effort to achieve a high enough level of success. The second that people stop talking is often when any momentum begins to decline as well. This same philosophy applies to a great number of businesses including web sites. With web sites, remaining viable and newsworthy comes down to working a comprehensive marketing program inclusive of a number of elements. As we discussed, the first element included in this comprehensive plan is search engine optimization as this is essentially what will get visitors in the door. Following is:

• Substance. Search engine optimization does a web site no good if it attracts web traffic only to let them down once they get there. A web site – if it goes to the trouble of marketing itself aggressively through SEO – essentially owes their visitors the payoff of finding the products, services, and information they were promised. Those web sites that are not able to deliver will not find themselves in the game for very long.

• Marketing above and beyond. Networking is key to survival in a number of industries and the online arena is no exception. In order to keep the buzz alive, web sites must be committed to engaging in the networking practices that are effective online including reciprocal linking, posting on social and business networking sites, and promoting themselves in whatever marketing vehicle that presents itself.

Online marketing can be ambiguous and it is up to the web site owner to be creative and aggressive in their efforts. Often a web site optimization firm can be quite helpful on this front – helping web sites to think outside of the box and expand their ideas of marketing in order to be most successful.

There is a saying that people in public relations know well that essentially says that even bad press is good press. What this means is that the minute that people stop talking about you, you cease to be viable. While it doesn’t have to be to this extreme, this philosophy can easily be applied to all industries and nearly all situations in life where we are laboring to be successful. After all, when we are able to make a name for ourselves people will talk and this word of mouth – this buzz – is what will ultimately propel us forward and allow us to achieve the success we seek. When this buzz dies down, and people stop talking – stop sharing information about us – we can just as easily lose momentum and begin to slip in our quest for success.

This is a philosophy that even holds true online where web sites vie for the attention of their target audience by initially capturing the attention of the search engines and then capturing the loyalty of the visitors to the site. That’s why the marketing of a web site should be a comprehensive undertaking, inclusive of:

• SEO efforts. Search engine optimization is the key to ensuring that your target audience even finds you at all. Often with the help of a web site optimization firm, web sites are able to make sure that their site has the components that are necessary to spark the attention of the search engines and be delivered with the first one or two pages of search engine results. This high page ranking is one of the elements that allow web sites to achieve the web traffic that they need. It is the foundation of their marketing effort.

In the next post we’ll discuss the other elements that should be a part of a comprehensive marketing campaign for a web site – the purpose of which is to increase web traffic and create a buzz.

The term “old-fashioned” is hard pressed to be one that can be easily assigned to anything Internet related; after all, we haven’t been online for that long a period of time. Certainly not long enough that anything we can did in the past is something that we can refer to as old-fashioned. In truth, better terminology in this regard would be “antiquated.” Because technology is moving so fast, just as soon as we get accustomed to something it becomes out-of-date and out of touch. And so in order to survive in the most effective way possible we have to not only keep up but stay ahead of the pack. This is the rule for survival for those who are attempting to run a web site.

Search engine optimization has become the catch phrase for all efforts related to garnering web site traffic, when in reality this is only partially true. Of course, any successful web site owner knows that in order to be successful in attracting enough web traffic to stay viable they must make enough of a name for themselves on the search engines to garner a first or second page ranking within search engine results. Any page higher than that and we are essentially dead in the water as search engine users are highly unlikely to go beyond the first two pages in seeking out a web site address.

But in addition to search engine optimization – which is essentially the most important first step in gathering initial and ongoing web traffic – we should also be focused on corralling steady web traffic the “old-fashioned” way – word of mouth. What this ultimately means is that if you don’t have something worthy of looking at, worthy of sharing, and worthy of coming back to look at again, then all the search engine optimization in the world isn’t going to get you very far. To enjoy long term web traffic, get them in the door through SEO and give them something great when they get there!

In the last post we discussed cookie cutter SEO efforts and how offering a variety of web site clients the same methods for achieving search engine optimization success could be selling them significantly short.

Like all business plans, search engine optimization works best when it is customized to meet the needs of the business in question. While one plan of attack may be perfectly acceptable for one business it may be largely inadequate for another; finding their happy place when it comes to search engine optimization is what will allow a web site to achieve the most comprehensive results.

To that end it pays to work with a web site optimization firm that is dedicated to providing their clients customized solutions to meet their search engine optimization needs. This will begin with a thorough examination of where the web site currently exists on the search engines. A web site must already have certain things in place to be on the radar of the search engines; that is they must have an attractive design and a highly functioning site that will appeal to its visitors. In other words, a web site must start with some kind of respectable ranking on the search engines.

It will be the role of the web site optimization firm to attempt to raise the page rankings of the web site systematically –working with them to include keyword rich content that will appeal to visitors as well as spark the interests of the search engines. Not all use of content will work for all sites; it is the job of the web site optimization firm to determine how best to utilize content and how best to establish reciprocal links to elevate the standing of the web site.

A web site optimization firm should come to prospective clients eager to do whatever it takes to create a customized solution for achieving success on the search engines.

There is a trend that happens in the beginning of every season and it can be seen in the windows of the most popular retail clothing stores. A parade of fashion comes streaming in front of the glass, showcased by lithe manikins on which even the most garish of outfits will look surprisingly good. The fashions of the season come early to tempt us with their trendy hemlines and sparkling accessories and we fall for it every time – especially women (it’s in our genetic code). And what we learn each and every year – time and time again – in the same disappointing lesson that is continually repeated - is that not every piece of clothing, no matter how trendy, no matter how popular, no matter how GREAT it looks on everyone else (everyone in the whole world besides you is what you have convinced yourself) will look best and most appealing on your particular body.

You can scream ‘not fair’ you can jump up and down but the fact remains that cookie cutter doesn’t always cut it. Cookie cutter clothes will go out of style, cookie cutter houses tend to be in tree barren neighborhoods, shrubbery ripped down so that the builders could fit more houses closer together, and in truth, cookie cutter just doesn’t work in most capacities – especially in business.

The most popular business of the day – the one in which business owners are striving to learn all they can in order to make their efforts successful – is the operation of a web site. It has been shown – and is invariably known by web site owners near and far - that without comprehensive search engine optimization efforts a web site is destined to fall short of its ability to increase web site traffic and achieve success.

But not all search engine optimization is the same and any web site optimization firm that offers a one size fits all approach to its clients is selling them short.

In the next post, we’ll continue to examine customized SEO efforts.

In the last post we discussed the importance of consistency when it comes to search engine optimization and how it behooves a web site to perhaps work toward their SEO goals this summer in preparation for the coming fall. Working with a web site optimization firm will allow a web site to put particular plans in place that will help them achieve higher page rankings and increase web site traffic.

As we said before, a web site optimization firm will undoubtedly examine the web site as it exists so that it can make recommendations regarding those elements that should be kept and those that should be overhauled towards their SEO goal. This initial stage will surely examine the functionality and design of the site itself; something that should be appealing to visitors and allow them to navigate easily and freely throughout the site. Any roadblocks in this particular area would thwart visitors from a return visit.

A web site optimization firm will then likely implement particular search engine optimization efforts for their client so that the site is in the best position possible to achieve high page rankings and continually increase web traffic. This may include the inclusion of keyword rich content on the site – continually changing content that will spark the interest of the search engines as well as act as a resource for visitors to the site.

Additionally a web site optimization firm will help a site establish linking that will draw additional visitors to the site and establish a customized marketing plan that will help a site achieve success.

The summer is here, but unfortunately (as all school aged children will tell you) it will be over as fast as it has arrived. Come the fall, the pace of most of our lives will speed up considerably; we get back into a routine that has little to do with vacations and trips to the beach and everything to do with school, activities, meetings, and appointments. Business speeds up as well in the fall when employees are back from their trips and are more focused on the business at hand. Decision makers are back at their desks and suddenly things are back in the swing.

Web sites don’t typically follow this same curve of activity, but the summer is still a time when web site owners can set a course for the coming year. One of the biggest considerations for a web site’s success is its search engine optimization efforts. And may now be the time – when business is slower and there is time in the crazy pace of life to take a break – to re-examine their current search engine optimization efforts and make a plan that will help them increase web site traffic by fall.

To this end, many web sites choose to work with a web site optimization firm that can lead them in the right direction and help them make decisions regarding their future SEO path. What any reputable and successful web site optimization firm will suggest – from their own experience with similar clients – is a consistent effort; effective SEO is about never taking your foot off the ignition pedal towards the goal at hand.

First and foremost, a web site optimization firm will examine the web site as it currently exists to determine what works and what should be adjusted to meet the SEO goals set forth.

In the next post, we’ll outline some of the steps a web site optimization firm will take in helping a web site meet its goals for the fall.

Working online – for those who have web sites – is about working smart; if you are to earn money, that is. Just like with any business, web site ownership requires strident practices in order to best reconcile the effort you are putting in with the benefits you are getting out of it. Traditional businesses see this every day; if they are not working at their most efficient, they will soon find that they are putting far too much effort into the process and not getting nearly enough out of it in order to make it worth all the effort. After all, every hour that a person spends working (even if it’s their own business) is worth a certain amount of money; the longer the hours you work the less you are making an hour – it’s a simple economic truth. That’s why business consultants help traditional businesses learn how to work smarter; teaching them how to best to balance their time and work efficiently so they can maximize their earnings.

In the virtual world, these business consultants often equate to a web site optimization firm. The way in which a web site optimization helps a web site owner work smarter is by giving them the tools and resources to optimize their site so that it is on the radar of the search engines, which in turn makes the web site accessible by their target audience, which subsequently works to increase web site traffic that can be converted to business, thereby making the web site owner more money.

If a web site owner were to spend all of their time working to increase web site traffic through search engine optimization efforts they would quickly find that it is the only thing they have any time to do, thus having the opposite effect of what they wanted to achieve.

In the next post, we’ll uncover some of the specific ways in which a web site optimization firm can help a web site work smarter.

Historical timelines online are very different from that of the traditional world of business. While a bricks and mortar company that has been in existence for thirty plus years may be considered an “old” company, a web site that is just a few years old may be considered an “old” web site. This is not to say that the site should be put out to pasture; only that, in the scheme of things, the site has been around a substantial period of time considering that the Internet itself hasn’t been around that long.

Search engine optimization efforts are generally focused on very new web sites; helping them to put themselves in the best position possible to be noticed by the search engines and subsequently increase web traffic. And while it’s true that search engine optimization is important for new sites – in helping them get off the ground – it is just as important for established sites as they continue to move on and serve their customers.

In truth search engine optimization serves these two groups equally well:

New Sites – New web sites are challenged with actually building their customer base from scratch through web traffic. While word of mouth is certainly critical in this respect – and is generally forthcoming for those new web sites for which there is a general buzz – it will only take a web site so far. Search engine optimization allows the site to be at its best in terms of attracting the attention of the search engines; so that when prospective customers input particular search criteria, they are likely to receive the address for the web site in the first one or two pages of results.

Existing Sites – It is not enough for existing web sites to rest on their laurels – even if they have been successful in attracting web traffic. A web site optimization firm can help an existing web site ensure that they are continuing to take the right steps in keeping their site fresh, functional, and in the sights of the search engines.