I have a website - why isn’t anyone visiting?
Most of my clients believe that if you build a website then people will naturally visit and then buy stuff or call or come into their store. The fact is there are over 17 million websites on the internet and the number grows each day. Only the serious Internet companies will rise to the top of the search results. Unlike having people just stop by your brick and mortar store, consumers on the internet have to know that you exist, they must like you and they must trust you in order to take any action.
How does a website get found by potential customers?
First of all you should have a marketing plan (and budget) that outlines how you will communicate with your customers and what that message will be. Only when that process is complete should you design your site.
Traditional marketing for your product or service consists of print, tv and radio. You would create an advertising campaign to extol the benefits of your product or service. Those that did not have a budget for advertising would count on word of mouth to get the message out or, if they were in a high traffic area, they would rely on a large sign to draw in customers.
Internet marketing is like that process in many ways. You can have an advertising campaign, count on word of mouth, or put out a big sign on the internet, or a combination of all three. The difference is that there is only one medium, the Internet which has many subparts.
Unlike print, tv and radio marketing, which are served up to the consumer without their request, Internet marketing relies on the consumer to take some action to find you. This is done through search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.
How does a consumer find a product or service in a search engine? They enter words or phrases into the search box and press the search button. Searching the Internet is free to the searcher and they can search for as many words and phrases that they want to until they find what they are looking for. The results are displayed in a list format with the top result being the one that most matched the search request. Note, there are other results on the page as well, these are called sponsored or placed ads (remember the ad campaign).
Search engines make their money from paid advertising and other services that they provide. They want the searchers to find what they are looking for the first time around without a lot of hassle, in fact if you have used Google lately then you have noticed that they even try to guess what you are looking for so you don’t have to work hard at all.
So, the relationship between the consumer and your website are those words or phrases that they type into the search box.
You need to know which words and phrases (keywords) that the consumer is using to find a particular product or service so that you can make your website show up on the top of the list, or at least on the first page of results.
Organic search results
Step one is to do a keyword research for your product or service to determine which words and phrases consumers are using to find your type of product or service.
Step two is to incorporate those keywords into your website content and the coding (meta tags) of your website. (see our article on how to make your content work for you)
This will get you recognized by the search engines, but not even close to the first page. The search engines want to know that you are real (not a spam website) and they want to know that you are recognized by other internet sites as reputable and that you can be trusted.
Step three is getting links from other reputable websites to your website with those keywords in the link text. This is known as link building.
Organic search engine optimization is also known as SEO. It is equivalent to being on a busy street and putting out a big sign for passer bys to see and check you out. It requires some funding but not as much as an advertising campaign. The drawback is that it takes a fair amount of time to get to page one and once you are there you must fend off the other sites that are trying to make page one and even the ones that you bumped off.
Paid search results
Step one is to do a keyword research for your product or service to determine which words and phrases consumers are using to find your type of product or service.
Step two is to create a short and concise advertisement and bid against your competitors for those keywords that you obtained from your keyword research. The highest bid gets to highest spot in the search results. When a customer clicks on your ad you pay the search engine the amount that you bid on for those keywords. This is called PayPerClick aka PPC. This is referred to as search engine marketing aka SEM. The advantage is that you get immediate results and don’t have to wait for your site to reach the first page for organic search results. The drawback is that it can be expensive and may not yield the high results that you may expect.
Website Traffic Resources
Other things that you can do to increase traffic to your website are: have a blog, create a video, submit articles, create an Internet press release, and have banner ads and pop under ads on other websites.
Take your website to the next level – call Sierra Pacific Marketing for a free website analysis. 559-298-1101
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Are the fish biting?
Recently I went fishing at a lake in the nearby mountains. Before I even began my fishing trip I had to make sure that I had all the equipment that I needed including the right bait. Then I had to determine which part of the lake was best for fishing and what time of day would they most likely be biting. Once I arrived I realized that all the other fishermen had done the same thing and were ready to go. I could have put my hook in the water without any bait and then wonder why I never got a bite. I could have stood in the middle of the other fishermen and tried to beat them to the fish. Or I could move down the lake a bit and use the best bait around and keep my line moving to attract the fish.
What does this have to do with websites? If you are using your website as a marketing tool then the comparison is very similar. Advanced planning is critical to be successful, using the right tools and the correct bait can make or break a sale, understanding that the competition is trying to beat you to the customers and that some knowledge what the customer is looking for will greatly enhance your ability to draw them into your marketing funnel. Also realizing that there are customers in more places than just the 'hot spot' could lead you to some good quality leads.
Now, if your website is not a marketing tool then it is just an empty hook lying on the bottom of the lake and not attracting any attention at all. If this is the case then it is time to call the professionals at Sierra Pacific Marketing. http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
What does this have to do with websites? If you are using your website as a marketing tool then the comparison is very similar. Advanced planning is critical to be successful, using the right tools and the correct bait can make or break a sale, understanding that the competition is trying to beat you to the customers and that some knowledge what the customer is looking for will greatly enhance your ability to draw them into your marketing funnel. Also realizing that there are customers in more places than just the 'hot spot' could lead you to some good quality leads.
Now, if your website is not a marketing tool then it is just an empty hook lying on the bottom of the lake and not attracting any attention at all. If this is the case then it is time to call the professionals at Sierra Pacific Marketing. http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
Saturday, May 29, 2010
What is a mobile website?
The Mobile Web is Everywhere
More people every day are using their iPhones, BlackBerries, smartphones, and cell phones to find companies, research products, and contact businesses. According to a 2009 comScore study, the mobile user base is over one third of desktop web users. Mobilizing your web site can:
Attract new clients
Extend your existing services and information to new markets
Connect with existing customers
Assist your staff while out in the field
Boost your sales if you rely on regional, local, or foot traffic
If you don't have a mobile presence you risk losing ground to your competition, failing to connect with users, and missing out on opportunities to extend and strengthen your services. We can help.
What is a mobile website design?
It is a website designed for mobile devices like smart phones and cell phones.
Most cell phones don't process flash or java script and take lot of time to download large images.
A traditional or 'desktop' website (ones that are viewed on desktop and laptop computers) uses one type of design language while mobile phones use a modified version of that design language.
Obviously, cell phones screens are very small.
While most smart phones like the iPhone and Blackberry can view content from desktop websites, it is extremely small and difficult to navigate.
Cell phones don't have a mouse so moving around the screen and navigating from pages to page is some what limited.
Mobile websites are designed with different standards than desktop website so that the customer has a fast an simple experience in finding the information that they need.
Mobile websites are designed with smaller and fewer images and cleaner formatting. They use simple links and have a 'home' link on each page so that users don't find them selves in a dead end. The content is very condensed
Mobile websites can send sms text messages to clients that have signed up for that service.
Mobile websites can allow your customers to call your phone number right from your site.
Mobile websites have the '.mobi' extent ion or are a sub domain of the main website (http://m.yourcompany.com).
Desktop websites can install a script that detects when a mobile user is trying to access the website and then redirect it to the mobile website. They can also put a link on their main website that redirects to the mobile website, however the link must be at the top so that the visitor will see it right away.
As a Fresno mobile website design company we can get you up and running in a couple of days.
More people every day are using their iPhones, BlackBerries, smartphones, and cell phones to find companies, research products, and contact businesses. According to a 2009 comScore study, the mobile user base is over one third of desktop web users. Mobilizing your web site can:
Attract new clients
Extend your existing services and information to new markets
Connect with existing customers
Assist your staff while out in the field
Boost your sales if you rely on regional, local, or foot traffic
If you don't have a mobile presence you risk losing ground to your competition, failing to connect with users, and missing out on opportunities to extend and strengthen your services. We can help.
What is a mobile website design?
It is a website designed for mobile devices like smart phones and cell phones.
Most cell phones don't process flash or java script and take lot of time to download large images.
A traditional or 'desktop' website (ones that are viewed on desktop and laptop computers) uses one type of design language while mobile phones use a modified version of that design language.
Obviously, cell phones screens are very small.
While most smart phones like the iPhone and Blackberry can view content from desktop websites, it is extremely small and difficult to navigate.
Cell phones don't have a mouse so moving around the screen and navigating from pages to page is some what limited.
Mobile websites are designed with different standards than desktop website so that the customer has a fast an simple experience in finding the information that they need.
Mobile websites are designed with smaller and fewer images and cleaner formatting. They use simple links and have a 'home' link on each page so that users don't find them selves in a dead end. The content is very condensed
Mobile websites can send sms text messages to clients that have signed up for that service.
Mobile websites can allow your customers to call your phone number right from your site.
Mobile websites have the '.mobi' extent ion or are a sub domain of the main website (http://m.yourcompany.com).
Desktop websites can install a script that detects when a mobile user is trying to access the website and then redirect it to the mobile website. They can also put a link on their main website that redirects to the mobile website, however the link must be at the top so that the visitor will see it right away.
As a Fresno mobile website design company we can get you up and running in a couple of days.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Key SEO Strategies
1. Set goals.
Identify what you want your SEO campaign to accomplish. While any SEO-conscious writing and page design can contribute to a site’s search engine rankings, an unfocused effort will simply waste time and money. After all, a business promoting athletic clothing and footwear may not benefit too much from showing up in searches for evening wear. Is your goal simply to increase your site’s visitor traffic? Do you want to generate more sales of a product? Is it part of an effort to promote your digital brand? Each of these goals benefits from different aspects of SEO technique.
2. Link up.
Link building is one of the cornerstones of any SEO effort. Many search engines are spider-based, meaning they use automated processes to collect and categorize information on various websites. When a large number of websites provide links back to your business, or when a particularly high-traffic site does so, the spiders take notice of it and increase the relevance of that link in searches related to those sites.
3. Get the keys.
Keyword writing is consistently stressed as a requirement when websites look for content writers. Keywords are just that, words and phrases chosen for their popularity and relevance to key searches.
There are dozens of theories about keyword writing. In the earlier days of SEO writing, it wasn’t uncommon to see pages that were nothing but long strings of repeated variations on a few keywords. This has evolved into more organic writing that fits in keywords with the article as a whole.
Whichever strategy is chosen, care must be taken to avoid the temptation to abuse keyword searches. Yes, a proper keyword density will bring up your search rankings over time. However, Google can and does ban pages from its index when they determine it to be a keyword-abusing effort. So consider your keyword choices carefully, and seamlessly integrate them into your entire strategy.
4. Be on the right page.
One aspect occasionally neglected in SEO is the architecture and design of the webpage itself. Search engines and their ranking systems (be they spider or human based) are growing more sophisticated all the time, and look at many different factors in their decisions. A site that buries its keyword-rich articles on interior pages behind dozens of subsidiary links will not perform as well as one with strategic keyword-oriented material right on the front page. Have an SEO-conscious designer look over your page, as well as your articles.
Sierra Pacific Marketing is a Fresno Website Design and SEO company.
Identify what you want your SEO campaign to accomplish. While any SEO-conscious writing and page design can contribute to a site’s search engine rankings, an unfocused effort will simply waste time and money. After all, a business promoting athletic clothing and footwear may not benefit too much from showing up in searches for evening wear. Is your goal simply to increase your site’s visitor traffic? Do you want to generate more sales of a product? Is it part of an effort to promote your digital brand? Each of these goals benefits from different aspects of SEO technique.
2. Link up.
Link building is one of the cornerstones of any SEO effort. Many search engines are spider-based, meaning they use automated processes to collect and categorize information on various websites. When a large number of websites provide links back to your business, or when a particularly high-traffic site does so, the spiders take notice of it and increase the relevance of that link in searches related to those sites.
3. Get the keys.
Keyword writing is consistently stressed as a requirement when websites look for content writers. Keywords are just that, words and phrases chosen for their popularity and relevance to key searches.
There are dozens of theories about keyword writing. In the earlier days of SEO writing, it wasn’t uncommon to see pages that were nothing but long strings of repeated variations on a few keywords. This has evolved into more organic writing that fits in keywords with the article as a whole.
Whichever strategy is chosen, care must be taken to avoid the temptation to abuse keyword searches. Yes, a proper keyword density will bring up your search rankings over time. However, Google can and does ban pages from its index when they determine it to be a keyword-abusing effort. So consider your keyword choices carefully, and seamlessly integrate them into your entire strategy.
4. Be on the right page.
One aspect occasionally neglected in SEO is the architecture and design of the webpage itself. Search engines and their ranking systems (be they spider or human based) are growing more sophisticated all the time, and look at many different factors in their decisions. A site that buries its keyword-rich articles on interior pages behind dozens of subsidiary links will not perform as well as one with strategic keyword-oriented material right on the front page. Have an SEO-conscious designer look over your page, as well as your articles.
Sierra Pacific Marketing is a Fresno Website Design and SEO company.
Monday, May 17, 2010
How to tell if your website is working for you - Par II
6. Is your Web-presentation integrated into your overall marketing plan?
Too many websites bear no relation to the rest of their business' marketing strategy. Everything your company does should reflect your brand and personality. If your marketing presentation does not match your website presentation, you are confusing your audience. Is your Web-presentation integrated into your overall marketing plan?
7. Is content king on your website?
We've all heard the saying 'content is king'. Is content king on your website? Does your website adequately display and explain what you do, what products you sell, and what services you provide? Are there examples of your work? Are there testimonials from your customers? Have you provided information on how to order, how to use, and how to resolve problems? Is content really king on your website?
8. Is your website an experience?
Unlike other marketing vehicles, websites provide you the opportunity to deliver your marketing message with the full complement of multimedia tools. Websites can stimulate all the senses, sight, sound, and interactive touch in order to communicate and connect with your audience. Websites are not brochures. Visitors shouldn't just see your website, they should experience it. Is your website an experience?
9. Does your website have a distinctive look?
Your site should display a clarity of vision; it should provide functional page layout; its use of colors, type, and visuals should be distinctive and purposeful. Your website should provide a defining "Look" that enhances your business personality. Does your website display a distinctive look that represents your business personality?
10. Do you list appropriate contact information on your website?
Websites are all about connecting you to your clients, not hiding from them. If you think you can put your website on autopilot and that a FAQ and Q&A are going to cut-it, you better think again. Does your website have adequate contact information on each page of your website? Do you list appropriate email addresses and phone numbers for the people responsible for various aspects of your business?
Sierra Pacific Marketing is a Fresno website design company that takes the time and effort to insure that your website is working for you.
You can find us on the web at http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
Too many websites bear no relation to the rest of their business' marketing strategy. Everything your company does should reflect your brand and personality. If your marketing presentation does not match your website presentation, you are confusing your audience. Is your Web-presentation integrated into your overall marketing plan?
7. Is content king on your website?
We've all heard the saying 'content is king'. Is content king on your website? Does your website adequately display and explain what you do, what products you sell, and what services you provide? Are there examples of your work? Are there testimonials from your customers? Have you provided information on how to order, how to use, and how to resolve problems? Is content really king on your website?
8. Is your website an experience?
Unlike other marketing vehicles, websites provide you the opportunity to deliver your marketing message with the full complement of multimedia tools. Websites can stimulate all the senses, sight, sound, and interactive touch in order to communicate and connect with your audience. Websites are not brochures. Visitors shouldn't just see your website, they should experience it. Is your website an experience?
9. Does your website have a distinctive look?
Your site should display a clarity of vision; it should provide functional page layout; its use of colors, type, and visuals should be distinctive and purposeful. Your website should provide a defining "Look" that enhances your business personality. Does your website display a distinctive look that represents your business personality?
10. Do you list appropriate contact information on your website?
Websites are all about connecting you to your clients, not hiding from them. If you think you can put your website on autopilot and that a FAQ and Q&A are going to cut-it, you better think again. Does your website have adequate contact information on each page of your website? Do you list appropriate email addresses and phone numbers for the people responsible for various aspects of your business?
Sierra Pacific Marketing is a Fresno website design company that takes the time and effort to insure that your website is working for you.
You can find us on the web at http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
Saturday, May 15, 2010
How to tell if your website is working for you - Part I
1. Does Your Website Have A Purpose?
Every website should have a clearly defined purpose. Having a website just because everyone else has one is not an acceptable strategy. What is your website's purpose? Informational, sales, customer serivce, blog and so on.
2. Is Your Website Focused?
Too many businesses both large and small use their website as an information junkyard, a dumping ground for everything you do, everything you've done, and everything you ever thought of doing. This won't work. Your website should be focused on a singular function. How focused is your website?
3. How Functional Is Your Website?
Everybody knows that websites should be easy to use, that you shouldn't have to drill-down too deep to find what you're looking for, and of course everything should work. Your website is a communication tool. How functional is your website?
4. Does Your Website's Construction Balance Competing Concerns?
Websites by their very nature are a compromise of competing issues. Aesthetics, multimedia, frame construction, HTML, Flash, data bases, SEO tactics, information architecture, marketing communication, all compete for precedence in the design of a site. Are you sacrificing clarity, focus, and communication for SEO tricks and unattainable traffic numbers? Does your website's design reflect your sites' defined business purpose or is it a result of secondary technical concerns?
5. Does your website honestly reflect your business personality?
Does your website represent and promote your marketing objectives? Okay, this is a trick question for many small owner-managed businesses. Marketing is not sales. Marketing is about communicating who you are, what you do, and why you do it better than the other guy. Marketing is about image building, branding, and positioning, in other words, enhancing your business personality. Does your website honestly reflect your business personality?
At Sierra Pacific Marketing - a Fresno website design company, we walk you through all these steps to insure that your website is working for you.
Every website should have a clearly defined purpose. Having a website just because everyone else has one is not an acceptable strategy. What is your website's purpose? Informational, sales, customer serivce, blog and so on.
2. Is Your Website Focused?
Too many businesses both large and small use their website as an information junkyard, a dumping ground for everything you do, everything you've done, and everything you ever thought of doing. This won't work. Your website should be focused on a singular function. How focused is your website?
3. How Functional Is Your Website?
Everybody knows that websites should be easy to use, that you shouldn't have to drill-down too deep to find what you're looking for, and of course everything should work. Your website is a communication tool. How functional is your website?
4. Does Your Website's Construction Balance Competing Concerns?
Websites by their very nature are a compromise of competing issues. Aesthetics, multimedia, frame construction, HTML, Flash, data bases, SEO tactics, information architecture, marketing communication, all compete for precedence in the design of a site. Are you sacrificing clarity, focus, and communication for SEO tricks and unattainable traffic numbers? Does your website's design reflect your sites' defined business purpose or is it a result of secondary technical concerns?
5. Does your website honestly reflect your business personality?
Does your website represent and promote your marketing objectives? Okay, this is a trick question for many small owner-managed businesses. Marketing is not sales. Marketing is about communicating who you are, what you do, and why you do it better than the other guy. Marketing is about image building, branding, and positioning, in other words, enhancing your business personality. Does your website honestly reflect your business personality?
At Sierra Pacific Marketing - a Fresno website design company, we walk you through all these steps to insure that your website is working for you.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
How to tweak your website for better results
5 Steps to tweak your website for better results
In the current economic climate, more business owners need to evaluate their website and revamp it to turn it into a presales tool, lead-generation machine, or even a revenue-producing cash cow.
The following steps will help you tweak your website:
1. Determine the goal of each web page
If you want visitors to take an action, then each portion of the page should be a process to move them toward that action.
Feature benefits that your customer finds important. A lot of businesses fail at this step because they spend too much time promoting features and what they consider important about their product.
Here's the secret: Your customers care only about what you can do for them. So tell them. Be specific, and limit the page to one or two salient points.
2. Remove everything that doesn't matter
You need short testimonials that speak to the specific benefit but that don't feature the whole story. Pick an awesome customer story, pull the pertinent quote, and feature it with a link so customers can click and read the rest of the story if they want to.
Remember that white space is your friend, and action verbs move the pace forward, toward the goal. Be simple and direct. Remove the rest.
3. Use landing pages that are targeted to your niche market
The landing page has a specific goal that is unique to your niche and may involve a free premium, such as a video course, an e-book, or a newsletter to give away.
Each landing page can be customized to the niche you serve. Change it around, and test which layout draws the best response in accomplishing your goal for that page.
4. Always have a giveaway
Your giveaway should be remarkable, worth talking about, and something visitors will want to forward to their friends and families.
5. Add a blog to your site and fill it with valuable information every day
Become a resource your clients can rely on for truth, honesty, and information they can use to build profit or create a better life. A blog is a way to start conversations with your clients; it can help you develop new product lines or introduce new ways to monetize current products that you may not have considered.
Visit us online at http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
Feedbase
In the current economic climate, more business owners need to evaluate their website and revamp it to turn it into a presales tool, lead-generation machine, or even a revenue-producing cash cow.
The following steps will help you tweak your website:
1. Determine the goal of each web page
If you want visitors to take an action, then each portion of the page should be a process to move them toward that action.
Feature benefits that your customer finds important. A lot of businesses fail at this step because they spend too much time promoting features and what they consider important about their product.
Here's the secret: Your customers care only about what you can do for them. So tell them. Be specific, and limit the page to one or two salient points.
2. Remove everything that doesn't matter
You need short testimonials that speak to the specific benefit but that don't feature the whole story. Pick an awesome customer story, pull the pertinent quote, and feature it with a link so customers can click and read the rest of the story if they want to.
Remember that white space is your friend, and action verbs move the pace forward, toward the goal. Be simple and direct. Remove the rest.
3. Use landing pages that are targeted to your niche market
The landing page has a specific goal that is unique to your niche and may involve a free premium, such as a video course, an e-book, or a newsletter to give away.
Each landing page can be customized to the niche you serve. Change it around, and test which layout draws the best response in accomplishing your goal for that page.
4. Always have a giveaway
Your giveaway should be remarkable, worth talking about, and something visitors will want to forward to their friends and families.
5. Add a blog to your site and fill it with valuable information every day
Become a resource your clients can rely on for truth, honesty, and information they can use to build profit or create a better life. A blog is a way to start conversations with your clients; it can help you develop new product lines or introduce new ways to monetize current products that you may not have considered.
Visit us online at http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/
Feedbase
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
6 Keys to Effective Website Design
6 Keys to effective website design:
1. Plan out the keywords and structure before building
2. Reflect your brand
3. Deliver your message to your target market
4. Design your content and images around your customers needs while optimizing for search engines.
5. Use on-page and off-page search engine optimization techniques
6. Use clean and easy to use site architecture
Visit http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/, a Clovis California website design company for all your website design and development needs.
1. Plan out the keywords and structure before building
2. Reflect your brand
3. Deliver your message to your target market
4. Design your content and images around your customers needs while optimizing for search engines.
5. Use on-page and off-page search engine optimization techniques
6. Use clean and easy to use site architecture
Visit http://www.sierrapacificmarketing.com/, a Clovis California website design company for all your website design and development needs.
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