Think Big Blog

Try as they might, there are many people who simply cannot get the idea of launching and running a web site out of their heads; they look at the launch of a web site as a way to launch themselves into a new career, explore a different world of technology, and have fun providing information, entertainment, products, and services. Of course, if it was as simple as that then everyone would be doing it; the fact of the matter is that running a web site – just like the operation of any business – takes hard work on a daily basis. For many, this commitment comes as a bit of a shock and they are left to wonder how they will do what they need to do to make the web site not just a viable online portal but a successful one at that.

Getting a web site off the ground involves a lot of up front work that involves dealing with designers and hosts and those who are responsible for making sure that the site is technically functional when it goes online. But this in no way ensures that the site is functional in all the ways that will matter to its long term success; namely its ability to attract web site traffic and grow the business.

To this end, many web site owners call upon a professional web site optimization firm to introduce them to the basics of search engine optimization and how the impact of good SEO will inevitably be reflected in their ability to not only maintain but increase web site traffic.

SEO measures, as provided by the professionals, in fact, can have the biggest bearing on the ability of a web site to move up the rankings on the search engines and build an audience that will remain loyal.

Sometimes when a company looks at their marketing campaign in the big picture it is likely to be overwhelmed with the amount of things there are to do in the days and weeks ahead. This is especially true right now when budget is of the utmost concern and companies large and small are fighting the crippling effects of the economy. We want to know that our money will give us a return on our investment, that our time will not be wasted, that our detailed plans will pay off with increased interest, an expanded customer base, and bolstered sales. But the big picture can be tough to swallow all at once, especially when you consider a web site must be worked on a daily basis in order for search engine optimization efforts to pay off and maintain a steady increase in web site traffic.

Search engine optimization, despite many thoughts to the contrary, is not an activity; it is a process. It is not something that you can hit a switch and it is done; not a print ad that is published in a magazine, a radio or television spot that hits the air, or an event that has a beginning and an end. Search engine optimization is a daily process in which web sites must engage in order to realize their full online potential. This is something that is addressed on a daily basis and for many web site owners and operators the time commitments involved in SEO are – in their mind – much better left to the professionals.

In fact, the web site optimization firm is a good choice for those web sites that understand the focused commitment required for good SEO and don’t have the time or the inclination to sign on to that daily – yet necessary – task.

There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute to call in the troops for help. So many businesses set off on their path to self-discovery, opening their doors with the burden of success of every minute detail resting squarely on the shoulders of the business owner. What so many of these entrepreneurs don’t understand is that by shouldering the responsibility they are simply sinking under the weight; too much on them does not allow for them to work effectively toward success. Consider, for example all the many web sites that have launched throughout the years – first trying to take advantage of the dot com surge that made many people rich beyond their wildest dreams and then trying to settle into the steady groove of commerce and information that the Internet became after the dot com bubble burst. These web sites, often launched on a wing and a prayer and with major money thrown at them, were shouldered by their owners who felt within their entrepreneurial right to take the ball and run with it; not for a second believing that there were just as many details to consider online as there was running a traditional bricks and mortar business.

The operational details of running a web site are different but they obviously do exist. And one of the elements that so many web site owners forget when they are putting together an operational team is who will be responsible for web site marketing; for making sure that the site can realize steady web traffic?

This important component is often pushed to the wayside until somewhere down the line the web site owner realizes that they might have created a phenomenal site but no one can find it. So, in a final ditch to increase web site traffic, the site owner may call in a web site optimization firm. Too little, too late? Maybe. But by bringing in professionals from the start, a web site has the resources on their side to find success right out of the gate; something we’ll discuss in the next post.

No matter what your line of work you have surely gone through many periods of time that were considered slow. The economy is not always steady (as evidenced by the current climate), industries experience changes, the clientele of business fluctuates, and changes inherent in day to day life can have very real impact on how a company fares year to year. You cannot be in business without experiencing a slow time; the long term success of the company often rests with how successfully you are able to weather these storms and come out the other side.

For web sites, the downturns may be represented by a decline in web site traffic. After all, web sites need to continually generate web site traffic in order to successfully convert at least a percentage of these visitors into customers. This quest for web site traffic needs to continue through good times and bad if a web site is to hold its own and continue to attract enough of an audience to survive.

Successful web sites understand the importance of comprehensive search engine optimization efforts as part of the process to increase web site traffic. The search engines are what ultimately connect visitors and potential customers to a particular web site; if a web site is able to stay on the radar of the search engines then they have a much better chance of reaching their intended audience.

To that end, a professional web site optimization firm can be instrumental in crafting a strong search engine optimization plan that will work wonders to gain a site a higher profile – and therefore a higher page ranking – with the search engines, increase web site traffic, and ultimately grow the business in good times and bad. With knowledge and experience on their side, web sites don’t have to let slow periods halt their web traffic in its place.

When we travel by car we certainly hope that the road between our destinations is a smooth one and free of any possible hindrances in our journey. But a pothole or damage to the road can impede otherwise uneventful travel. In fact, the obstacle along our road may be so great that we may decide to turn around and go another way.

If we think of web site traffic in much the same way we can better understand how important it is to provide our potential visitors smooth and unhindered access to our web site. And the way to do this is through comprehensive search engine optimization.

Normally SEO is only attributed to a web site’s effort to increase their page rankings through the search engines. When done correctly, the use of content containing specifically chosen keywords will work to propel the site organically to the top of the search engines’ results. Keyword infused content along with a strategic linking campaign can help keep a web site at the top of its game.

But – like those potholes in the middle of the road that we travel – the errors that are on a web site can put up a road block against good search engine optimization. Such errors may include:

* Broken pages on web sites as well as broken links. Such broken pages or links stop users in their tracks and do much damage to web sites in their efforts to high page rankings on the search engines.

* Duplicate Meta data. Nothing does harm to a web site in its search engine optimization efforts than duplicate data.

* Missing information. Titles and Meta data should be in place utilizing chosen keywords to help in the SEO process.

Any SEO specialist that a web site uses should be able to offer assistance in putting these important components in place for proper SEO.

It’s been said that it’s not what you know but who you know. What this means, of course, is that often people are propelled to success because those who they know – who believe in them and what they have to offer – are able to open doors along the way. There’s no shame in taking this kind of help; it’s the way that the world works and the reason that networking in business is so effective.

When it comes to promoting web sites, the goal of any web site owner is to propel their site to the front of the line in terms of search engine rankings. This is the objective of search engine optimization – to optimize a site so that it naturally moves up in search engine results.

In order to make this happen, web sites engage in a number of things to optimize their site including the use of keyword rich content on their site; something that can be very effective if targeted keywords are chosen that are in line with what the site has to offer in terms of products and services.

But – like the traditional world of business – networking is still a huge part of the puzzle and a way that web sites can climb to the top of the search engine rankings. In the virtual world networking is accomplished through reciprocal linking. Each link counts as a vote for a web site; and the more links they have, the more votes are counted by the search engines which subsequently move the site up in its page ranking so that they can enjoy increased web traffic.

Most importantly, it is crucial for web sites to link with other sites that enjoy a high page ranking of their own. This alignment with already highly ranked sites will help a web site find its own success.

In the last post we gave some reasons why visitors to a web site may be “turned off” and choose not to logon to a site or choose not to return again once they have left. This relates to the importance of a web site offering value for its visitors. Web site traffic is not authentic if a web site can’t sustain this traffic because it can’t offer visitors anything once they get inside.

One of the turnoffs that we already discussed was a site that is slow to load. Some of the additional things that may cause a visitor to log off as soon as they logon include:

* A site that is not user friendly. Having to jump through hoops to find what you want does not make for a good experience on a web site. It is a good rule of thumb that a web site visitor should be able to get to what they need within one or two clicks of their mouse.

* A site does not deliver on what it has promised. If you promote a site through search engine optimization – and this is the way to go if you want to increase web site traffic initially – you are including keywords or keyword phrases on your site that relate to the products, services, or information that you profess to offer. If a visitor finds your site through the search engines and logs on expecting one thing and finds another you are not likely to retain that person as a regular customer.

* A site that is stagnant. If you don’t change out merchandise in a store then you are not staying engaged with what your customers want; today’s hot ticket items quickly become yesterday’s news. The same stands for web sites. In order to continually increase web traffic you need to continually update your site with fresh material.

The goal to increase web site traffic should not be short sighted. While it’s important to have visitors logon, ultimately we want them to stay for the duration.

In the last post, we talked about the current state of the economy and how during such times the competition between businesses explodes. With few customers to fight over, one business has to be many steps ahead of their competition in order to continue to remain a viable force in the marketplace; and web sites are no exception.

In order to ensure that they at least weather this current economic storm, web sites must employ all of their options in terms of reaching their target audience, increasing web site traffic, converting visitors into customers, and developing long term relationships that will see them through to a better economic climate.

To this end, web sites can do the following to ensure that they are not only being found but they are giving users what they want once they get there, including:

* Working with a web site optimization firm to increase search engine page rankings. You can have the greatest web site in the world but if no one can find you then your efforts have essentially been wasted. Search engine optimization is a tricky game; there are many methods employed to naturally raise a site’s rankings on the search engines. Some web site owners choose to go pay per click in order to achieve fast results but overall, search engine users are much more inclined to visit those web sites that are delivered through organic results. In order to achieve these rankings, web sites often work hand in hand with a web site optimization firm in order to best market their site and make use of such methods as the inclusion of keyword rich content and reciprocal linking.

* Providing the user a well rounded experience. Once the user finds your site through the search engines you need to be able to deliver on the back end. Don’t just give them the products and services that they want – make them easy to find; don’t just give them a litany of information about your business – provide them with industry-related information in the form of blogs, thereby elevating the value of their experience; don’t just talk at them – talk with them through the use of forums.

* Giving them something to come back to. A one and done web site doesn’t give the web site owner anything in terms of long term relationships. And long term relationships are what build long term success. Change out your content, update your information, give visitors something fun and interesting to read each and every time they logon, and make use of giveaways and contests to engage participation.

Businesses of all kinds go through transitory periods and web sites are no exception. These transitions can be difficult for all involved; the web site owner and the staff associated with its operation, as well as the clients and visitors which the web site serves. In updating a web site – adding products, services, and site features – there is always the possibility that web traffic will suffer as a result; at least in the short term. But as the saying goes, you need to crack some eggs to make an omelet and taking a few steps back – in order to increase their functionality – can ultimately help a web site remain viable in the long run.

Helping to smooth this transition phase and retain web traffic, a web site optimization firm can be most helpful to a web site in holding up the marketing end while the web site does what it needs to do in terms of functionality and product and service offerings. A web site optimization firm can work closely with a web site ownership team to identify priorities in terms of what they want to communicate to possible users and how best they can continue to serve their clients will still doing what they need to do through their transition.

Most importantly, a web site optimization firm will remain engaged in ensuring that the web site in question remains high in the page rankings as provided through search engines and that the site receives the web traffic that it needs to stay viable in the marketplace. This kind of focus can be priceless to a web site team that is focused on its own goals; knowing that they have professional leadership in maintaining SEO efforts can take the pressure off during an already stressful and chaotic transition time.

There is much talk about the economy these days in terms of how it is impacting the average American household. We – the average American household – are here to tell you, it’s not going well. The gas prices are enough to put us off driving for good and the food prices aren’t that much better. Not to mention the fact that the housing market is stagnant and property taxes are staggering. It is tough times all around for most of us; and this, of course, includes the average American business.

Sure, times are tough for us as individuals but businesses are suffering as well. One look at the news will tell you that doors are closing and layoffs are happening every day (and if Starbucks can close stores then where does this leave the rest of us?). These are shaky economic times to be sure but this doesn’t mean – nor should it – that business has come to a grinding halt.

In fact, business continues to happen on a day to day basis and – online – where no daily commute is necessary, business is as usual. Web sites that sell particular products and services may have seen a decrease in web traffic due to a decrease in disposable income, but this should not mean that they have to close up shop. In fact, now is the time to give visitors something else to come back to so when they do have the money to spend again you will be the first place that they go.

Web sites that provide products and services have a commitment to their customers to provide high quality merchandise and topnotch customer service (not to mention good prices) if they are to survive. But survival right now is about more than making that sale. To increase web site traffic today we need to be able to give consumers something else to logon for – blogs, forums, or a resource for information.

In the next post, we’ll discuss some of the ways in which to offer customers something above and beyond in order to increase web traffic regardless of the economy.