How Web Design Can Affect Search Engine Rankings
By John Metzler

Uniquely built web sites can create unique issues when being promoted on the search engines. From a basic 3 page brochure site to a corporate site with hundreds of dynamically generated pages, every web site needs to have certain design aspects in order to achieve the full effects of an SEO campaign. Below are a few points to take into consideration when building or updating your web site.

1. Size Matters. The size of a web site can have a huge impact on search engine rankings. Search engines love content, so if you have only a few pages to your site and your competitors have dozens, it's difficult to see a top page ranking for your site. In some cases it may be difficult to present several pages of information about your business or products, so you may need to think about adding frëe resources for visitors. It will help in broadening the scope of your web site (which search engines like) as well as keep visitors on your site longer, possibly resulting in more sales.

2. Graphics-Based Web Sites. While web sites that offer the visitor a more esthetically-pleasing experience may seem like the best choice for someone searching for your product, they are the most difficult to optimize. Since search engine robots cannot read text within graphics or animation, what they see may be just a small amount of text. And if we learned anything from point #-1, small amounts of content will not result in top rankings. If you really must offer the visitor a graphics-heavy or Flash web site, consider creating an html-based side of your site that is also available to visitors. This site will be much easier to promote on the search engines and your new found visitors will also have the option to jump over to the nicer looking part of your site.

3. Dynamic Web Pages. If most of your web site is generated by a large database (such as a large book dealer with inventory that is changing by the minute) you may find that some of your pages do not get indexed by major search engines. If you look at the URL of these pages they can be extremely long and have characters such as ?, #, &, %, or = along with huge amounts of seemingly random numbers or letters. Since these pages are automatically generated by the database as needed, the search engines have a tough time keeping them up to date and relevant for search engine users.

One way to combat this problem is to offer a search engine friendly site map listing all your static pages just to let them know that you do have permanent content on your site. If search engines see links going to and from these dynamic pages within a good internal linking system, this may also lead to the pages getting indexed. The link popularity of your site may carry more weïght in this case as well, so if you can't offer as much static content as your competition, make sure you have an aggressive link campaign on the go.

4. Proper Use of Html. There is quite a bit of sub-par web design software out there. Word processors usually have a way to create html documents which can be easily uploaded to a site via ftp. However, in many cases the code that the search engine robots see is mostly lines and lines of font and position formatting, not relevant content. The more efficiently written web sites usually achieve higher rankings. Our choice for web design software is Macromedia Dreamweaver, as it is an industry standard. It also makes using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) a breeze, which can drastically cut down on the amount of text formatting in html code. Hand-coding html to design sites is also a good method if you are proficient enough.

There are some no brainers too: Web sites with abnormal amounts of hyperlinks, bold or italicized text, improper use of heading, alt, or comment tags can also expect to see low rankings.

5. Choosing a Domain Name. The golden rule to web development of any kind is to keep your visitors in mind above all else - even search engine optimization. When choosing a domain name, one should pick either your business name (if you have a high-profile business name such as Chapters or Coca-Cola) or a brief description of your products. Domain names can always help with search engine optimization, since it is another area of your web site in which important keywords can appear. Forget about long-winded domains such as www.number-one-best-books-on-earth.com. No one will ever remember it and it will be hard to print on business cards or in ads.

If you need to change your domain name for any reason you obviously don't want to losë existing rankings. An easy way to do this, and one that is currently supported by most search engines, is the 301 redirect. It allows you to keep your existing rankings for your old domain name, while forwarding visitors to your new web site instantly.

6. Using Frames. Don't use frames. Frames are a thing of the 90's (and in the Internet world that is eons ago) and are not even supported by some search engines. The search engines that are able to index your site through frames will most likely frown upon them. Whatever you are trying to accomplish by using frames can usually be done with the help of PHP includes or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Some browsers are not frames-compatible, so there is the danger of some visitors not being able to see your site at all. Bookmarking of individual pages within a frame becomes difficult without lengthly scripts being written.

7. Update Your Information. Not only does information printed two or three years ago reflect badly on your organization when it is read by a visitor, it is also looked down upon by search engines. Web sites that continuously update and grow their web sites usually experience higher rankings than stagnant sites. When the trick to SEO is offering visitors the most relevant information, you can bet that the age of web pages is taken into consideration by search engines. Consider creating a section of your site devoted to news within your organization, or have a constantly updated resources area.

Many shortfalls of web sites can easily be attributed to designers who just don't keep the user or search engines in mind. Search engine algorithms are quickly improving to try and list the most user-friendly sites higher, given that the content and link popularity are there to back it up. So first and foremost, know your target market and make your web site work for them before focusing on search engine optimization. If you build it (properly), they will come.

Article by By John Metzler of Abalone Designs, November 2004.

13 Ways To Destroy Your Website
By Scott J. Patterson

With all the talk of how to make a great website and ways to keep visitors, it is important to also understand the other side of designing an Internet business.

Every day, thousands of websites are finding unique ways to turn away visitors and potential customers. Although many webmasters know about the obvious "turn-offs", there are many little details that "tick-off" visitors and make them leave.

In fact, I have found that there are 13 "small" items that can make or break a website. To avoid having your visitors "click-away" from your site make sure that you include the following things:

1) A Professional Appearance: Most websites don't need flash effects or dazzling visuals. But, your Internet business should be perceived as a legitïmate site, built by someone who cares about the content and appearance. In other words, the colors and graphics should blend well with one another. In addition, all web-copy should be dynamic and devoid of grammar or spelling mistakes. Finally, any images on the page should enhance the experience for your visitors without distracting them.

2) Proper Navigation: The pages on your website should be easily connected. To do this, every section should connect to the main page, with a clear and concise menu. Don't make your visitors spend a lot of time looking for different sections. Help them by ensuring that the navigation of your site remains constant throughout all pages.

3) An Obvious Theme: Your index page should immediately let the visitor know what you are selling or promoting. Usually the best way to do this is by briefly describing the purpose of your website and include product photos that can help people understand your purpose.

4) A Logo: One of the best ways to "brand" your site and remain unique is to have a logo for your Internet business. By having a logo, your website is more likely to make an "impression" with your visitors and develop a following. Any logo used needs to be consistent with the theme and color scheme of your site.

5) FAQs: There will be times when your visitors have a question that is not covered by the standard descriptions or salës pages. To help them out, it is important to have a section that is devoted to answering common questïons. By creating a FAQ page, your prospects can easily find the answers to their questïons and will be more likely to order from your site.

6) What's New Section: With repeat visitors, there will be times when you want to update them with current news or promotions. The best way to do this is to create a "What's New" section. That way, you can inform old visitors, while making sure that they know about all current marketing campaigns.

7) Contact Information: Eventually, your website visitor will have a question for you. Because of this, it is vital that you list all possible ways that they can reach you. By creating a contact page, you will be able to answer enquiries and reinforce the fact that there is an actual person behind the website

8) Feedback Forms: The best websites always change, catering to the needs of the visitor. In order to find out what your customers need, it is important to solicit feedback from them. A common way to do this is by creating a feedback-form on the site, which includes questïons that will help improve the overall quality of the Internet business.

9) Privacy Policy: With the problem of sp@m, many people are afraid to give out personal information such as their email address and credït card numbers. To help alleviate this fear, you need to include a "Privacy Policy" section. Basically, this page will let them know how all information is used and if they will be contacted in the future. It is better to be upfront about your practices than to be accused of mishandling information.

10) Email List: Top websites work on developing an email list of prospects that can be contacted in the future. This should go without saying, but your email list subscription area should have a prominent position on your web page. In addition, include a quick blurb about any incentive that you offer to visitors for joining the list.

11) About Us: Most website visitors appreciate knowing that a business is run by an actual human being. To help personalize your website, you need to include a little information about both you and your online business.

12) Sales Page: Even with the best product descriptions, it is important to create a dedicated page that describes how your products are superior to your competitors. This section should be a summary of all your key features written in a dynamic tone. Basically, you want your visitors to read this page and immediately buy from you. An example of a salës page, can be seen from my own site: /Mizambar.com.

13) Refund/Return Policy On the other side, there will be times when a customer is not happy. To help alleviate any fears that they might have about purchasing online, there needs to be a section where potential customers can read your rules on accepting returns and refunds. Carefully list how and if you accept refunds. If you do not, then be upfront about it.

Because there are millïons of websites on the Internet, it is vital that you give your visitors what they need. Unfortunately, they will not tell you what is necessary. But, by including these 13 items in the design of your website, you can assured that you will have a distinct advantage over your competitor's Internet business.

Article by By Scott J. Patterson, Featured in SitePro News October 2004.
Scott offers a free ebook.

10 Tips for
Planning an Outstanding Website
By Ivana Katz (c) 2004 Websites 4 Small Business

When faced with the daunting task of planning what to include on your website and how to write the copy, here are a few tips that will make the task easier for you.

1)Visitor Friendly
The main thing to keep in mind is that your website needs to be visitor friendly. What this means is that your customer must be able to find what they are looking for easily and quickly. And that means a great navigational system. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it's best to stick with it. It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

2. Search Engine Friendly
Search engines try to list sites that contain good content, so you need keywords and phrases on your pages that best describe your service and products. For example, if you are a florist, use words such as florist, online florist, virtual florist, wedding florist, florist in Sydney, florist on line, flowers, floral, bouquets, floral arrangements etc. as many times as possible to ensure high search engine ranking. To find out what keywords your customers may be searching on ask your family and friends or go to:

Wordtracker.com
Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool

Once you decide on the keywords, use them in:

(a) Your website's domain name.
(b) The title of your page - This is displayed in the top bar of your browser window.
(c) The heading of your home page.
(d) The first paragraph of your home page.
(e) Meta tags - Keywords, page title, description.
(f) Titles of your graphics.

Whilst it is important to use keywords as much as possible, it is also important you use them only if they are relevant and do not sound awkward. If you sp@m your keywords you may be penalized or even banned by some search engines.

3. Informational vs On-line Store
One of the first decisions you need to make is what type of website to have. Will it be informational only or will it be an on-line store or a combination of both? An informational website is like having an online brochure. It does not sell products directly to customers, but rather provides details of your business, its products and services and occasionally features a printable order-form.

The other type of website is an online store. It is a virtual salesperson who potentially nëver stops providing presales information to your prospects - and then making salës to them.

4. Create a Plan
Before you start thinking about what to write on each page of your website, it is important that you create a plan, which lists all the pages you wish to include. Below is a list of the most commonly used pages:

(a) Home Page (First Page)
(b) Products / Services
(c) Contact Us
(d) Pricing
(e) Testïmonials / Product Reviews / Before & After
(f) Frequently Asked Questïons
(g) Response-form such as "Subscribe" or "Enquiry" form
(h) Online Magazine or Newsletter
(i) Resources/Articles
(j) About Us
(k) Guarantëe
(l) Survey
(m) Events Calendar
(n) Search My Website Feature
(o) Return/Refund Policy
(p) Privacy Policy
(q) Site Map
(r) Copyright Information
(s) Links
(t) Media Information
(u) News
(v) Online store

5. Cross-sell / Up-sell as Part of Your Content
If a customer is looking for a particular product, offer them details of related products. By recommending other products, your customers will learn what else is available and in many cases it will translate to additional salës for you.

A company that does this exceptionally well is Amazon. Search for a particular book and you will find information on what other people who ordered this book also bought.

Make it as easy as possible for customers to complete an order by providing clear instructions. Ensure delivery costs are outlined before a customer begins the ordering process.

6. Focus on the Customer and their Needs
Rather than trying to "sell your business", let your prospects know how your product/service is going to benefit them. Emphasize the benefits and solve problems. Make this the focus of everything you write on every page of your site. Don't try to sell visitors your products or service, help them.

7. Remind Your Visitors
Remind your visitors they can print out your content. They may browse around your website while it's printing.

8. Use Headlines and Sub-Headlines to Grab Visitors Attention

9. Offer Value
Offer bonuses, frëe trials, discounts and prizes. List the dollar value beside each bonus. People will feel they're getting a good deal and it will increase the value of your product.

10. Spell-Check and Grammar-Check Your Website
Ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Chëck that all links are working and graphics displaying correctly.

If you are still struggling with where to start, visit your supplier's or competitor's websites. Be careful that if you use copy from their site that you do not infringe copyright laws. If in doubt, contact the author or copyright owner and ask for permission.

Your ultimate goal is to turn a visitor into a customer. On your website, this is done by providing premium content. Each page should be its own mini site. Since you have no control over how visitors enter your website, it is important they are able to easily work out what your business offers and navigate to other pages within your site.

Article by Ivana Katz, Featured in AllBusinessNews.com 2004.

About The Author
Ivana Katz is the owner of Websites 4 Small Business, a company specializing in the design and promotion of small and home-based business websites. She believes that every business deserves to have a successful website, no matter what its budget is. For more information visit Websites 4 Small Business or email info@web4business.com.au.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Define The Design of Your Website
By Steven Boaze

The single most important step before you begin designing your website is defining the structure and purpose of your site. Once you have your structure planned out, you can unleash your creative genius.

What kind of navigation buttons do you want? Would animations, photos or diagrams help get your message across? What sort of layout do you prefer? How will customers navigate through your site? While keeping in mind a few basic guidelines for attractive design, feel frëe to experiment and be creative with the look and feel of your site. It may help to draw your ideas on paper first. Decide which colors you want to use. Do you already have an attractive logo on your advertising, letterhead or business cards? Use it. Try to visualize any graphics you want to liven up your content. You may be able to find suitable images in an off-the-shelf clip art collection or on the web at one of the clip art repositories. Depending on the size of your company or business and your priorities, you may also want to consider paying a design professional to create the graphics for your site. Alternatively, you could invest some time and money buying and learning to use one of the many commercially available image editing programs.

Most websites utilize some variations of the same two or three layouts. The most common is a left navigation setup, in which you place logos and graphics along the top of the page, include links and navigation buttons along the left hand side, and place content below to the right. This layout draws attention to your logo while keeping navigation in a set position. Another common layout places both graphics and navigation links along the top of the page. Focusing activity and attention at the top and creating more room for content below.

Before you get carried away with your newly found design freedom, however, remember that there are a few widely accepted design rules to keep in mind.

:: Make your site easy on the eyes.
Use high contrast colors, dark text on a light background is easier to read. Patterned background designs, though an old popular one, are usually more distracting than appealing. You don't want your customers to skip reading about your big sale just because they can't stomach the dancing teddy bears behind the text.

:: Make your site easy to navigate.
Place your links or buttons in a prominent place and keep them in the same place on every page. Your design should help users access the information you want them to see. To this end, keep your colors, layout and buttons consistent. Label every page so customers always know where they are. Every page should provide links back to the homepage.

:: Make your site professional and appropriate for your company or business.
Your design, no less than your content, should support, complement and promote your business and it's products or services. Keep the design clean and simple. Remember, when it comes to design, white space is beautiful and less is more, unless you have a very unique product or service that is well served by something more avant-garde.

:: Chëck out the other guys.
When it comes to design, you'll find that a little time spent looking at what other companies are doing will pay off handsomely. You'll discover for yourself what works and what doesn't. There are, unfortunately millïons of poorly designed web sites on the internet - look for them and learn from their mistakes.

:: Write your content.
Only after you've defined your goals and fully planned out your site should you actually begin to create your content. Avoid the temptation to just sit down and start creating web pages. If you hold off until you've got a good plan in place, you'll save yourself a huge amount of time and effort in the long run.

Use your site plan or diagram to identify every page that will be on your website. You can number them, name them or find another way of listing them that works for you. You should already know generally what each page will contain (contact information, list of services, FAQ, products, photos, etc...). You need to decide exactly what you want on each page. Write all the text that should go on each page. Indicate where you want graphics or photos located. Create captions and sidebars. Organize each page around your navigation scheme, and plug in content where it fits.

:: Make it short and sweet.
Studies have repeatedly shown that internet users have a short attention span for text on the web. Few things on the internet are more intimidating and less inviting than a long page of text scrolling down into the distance. With few exceptions (articles, white papers or other publications), avoid long, uninterrupted word masses. Break up your content with visuals and decorations. Better yet, be concise. Customers aren't looking for dissertations on your products and services, they just need enough information to make an intelligent decision.

:: Avoid scrollbars.
Sometimes you'll need to make your visitors scroll down the page a bit in order to see all your content. But, if you have to scroll down more than an extra page height, it's a good indication that you have enough to split between several pages. This will give your visitors manageable chunks of text and keep them interacting with your site.

:: Chëck, double and triple chëck.
Few things are more unprofessional than poorly written or misspelled text on your business website. And, inaccurate information is even worse. Nothing will destroy your credibility more quickly than misstating the facts. Read through everything you create, have someone else proofread, and run the text through a spell checker. Because not every web editing program includes one, you might want to create your content in a word processor and then copy your finished text into your web pages.

:: Gather the site's components.
After creating your content, gather all of your site's files together. If you've identified logos, buttons, photos or other graphics that you want to include, either create or collect the specific files you want to use and store them in a folder on your PC. Save the text you've written in the same folder. Keeping your content in one place will save you time and frustration when you are actually building your site.

Article by By Steven Boaze, Featured in SiteProNews 2004.

About The Author
Steven Boaze, Chairman, is The Owner of Boaze.com Corporate Web Solutions which houses Web Development services. Steven is also the author of two successful Books along with numerous articles on Marketing and Advertising published by Boaze Publishing. Copyright (c) 1998-2004 Boaze.com

Choosing an Effective Domain Name
By Leva Duell (c) 2004

Choosing an effective domain name is important to increase visibility, attract buyers, and inspire trust.

What Is A Domain Name?

Your domain name or web address is a unique name, identifying a specific web site such as www.yourname.com.

For visitors to see your web pages on the Internet when typing in your web address, your domain name and web pages must reside on a server or host computer. Small businesses usually pay a hostïng company to take care of that.

Why Do You Need A Domain Name?

Having your own domain name is a must for a business web site. Here's why:

• Your domain name allows customers to find you on the Internet.
• Having an address that represents your business conveys a professional image and stability.
• A domain name helps you market and advertise your unique company name.
• A domain name increases credibility. Without a domain name, you will have a longer address that starts with the provider's name, e.g., www.yourprovider.com/yourname. This looks unprofessional and is difficult to type.
• You can use your unique domain name in your email address, e.g., info@yourname.com or sales@yourname.com. You can keep the same domain name and email address when changing hostïng companies.

Follow these tips when selecting a domain name:

• Choose a descriptive domain name that conveys professionalism and is easy to remember and type.
• Consider a domain name that represents your business name, product names, or type of business.

More Tips About Domain Names

• A domain name can include up to 63 characters, not including the .com, .net, .org or other extensions.
• Domain names are NOT case sensitive, so you can spell your domain in uppercase, lower case, or a combination of both, e.g., http://www.yourname.com or http://www.YourName.com.
• Domains cannot contain spaces.
• You can use numbers, letters, and hyphens (dashes) in your domain name.
• Domains must begin and end with a letter or number.
• Special characters such as ? ! @ # $ % ^ & * and ( ) are not permitted in web addresses. Neither are underscores or commas.
• Avoid confusing characters like 0 (zero), l (one), 2, s, and z to minimize the risk of typos. The number zero (0) can be confused with the letter O, and the number "1" with the letter "l."
• Include relevant keywords in your domain name to boost search-engine ranking, e.g., secretarialservices.com, secretarialbusiness.com.

Domain Name Variations

You can register your domain name with .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .edu, or other extensions. Always register the .com name since most people are familiar with it. In addition, consider registering your domain name with .net to prevent competitors or speculators from registering a similar name. You can also register variations of your domain name like making it plural, adding hyphens, or underscores, e.g., www.yourname.com, www.your-name.com, or www.your_name.com.

Checking Availability

You can chëck the availability of a domain name at Internic.com.

Registering a Domain Name

You can register your domain name yourself through domain name registration services, known as registrars. Internic provides a list of ICANN-accredited registrars (the organization governing domain names). When submitting a registration or transfer, the registrar will ask for the name of two domain name servers that contain your IP address. Your hostïng company will give you that information. Once your domain name has been registered or transferred, it takes approximately 72 hours to become active.

Parking A Domain Name

If you want to reserve a domain name but don't have a hostïng company yet, you may have to pay a fee to a hostïng company or registration service to hold or park your name. Some registrars charge $40 and others offer parking for frëe.

Fees For Domain Name Registration

Each registrar sets its own price for registering domain names. The fees to register a domain name for one year range from $8 to $35 a year. It's a small price to pay to gain your prospects' trust. You can register a domain name for one or more years. Some registrars offer frëe or discounted registration services in connection with other offers, such as web hostïng. Make sure they are reliable. Receiving a $10 discount is not worth the delays and hassles you may encounter. Ask your professional web designer for a referral.

To keep your domain name, you need to renew the registration and pay a renewal fee each year. If you let it expire, someone else can take your name.

Protect your business and product names by registering them as a domain name before someone else does.

Article by By Leva Duell (c) 2004, Featured in All Business News 2004.

About The Author
Looking for typing work*at*home? Start a secretarial business. The Secretarial-Business-in-a-Box provides 'instant' tools to start and run a successful secretarial service. F*ree articles and business start-up newsletter at StartASecretarialBusiness.com.

Why Search Engine Traffic Should Be Your Top Priority
By Richard Zwicky (c) 2003

Most Internet marketing methods are risky and many will not have any affect on traffic to a web site. Some online marketers will sell you anything from banner impressions, to mass email campaigns (spam), to popup ads. All these marketing tools can work, but they are also extremely risky. Some people I know find pop-ups and spam so annoying that they will never purchase anything from a business that uses them. These plans are probably not the best customer acquisition strategies, and more likely they are a total waste of money. So why would anyone bother risking money on marketing strategies that probably will not increase traffic to your website? Why not concentrate on what does work? - The search engines.

Have you ever been contacted by online marketers who promise to deliver a "ton of traffic" to your website" ? I get these emails every day. Here's a quote from one I used to get 10 times a day (until I automatically filtered it to trash):

"Hi I visited www.metamend.com, and noticed that you're not listed on some search engines! I think we can offer you a service which can help you increase traffic and the number of visitors to your website.

I would like to introduce you to thispromotioncompany.com. We offer a unique technology that will submit your website to over 300,000 search engines and directories every month.

You'll be surprised by the low cost, and by how effective this website promotion method can be.

To find out more about thispromotioncompany and the cost for submitting your website to over 300,000 search engines and directories, visit www.thispromotioncompany.com. (...)"

Have you ever received one, and wondered why they were contacting you? First off, how did they find your web site? What search engines are they referring to? If they really could deliver on their promise, then they would have so much repeat, and word of mouth business, that they wouldn't have time to be calling or emailing you. Lastly, how many people actually believe that there are 300,000 search engines?

While it's true you need traffic from the search engines, you don't need to use spam techniques to get it. You need real results, and not false hope.

Increase Web Site Traffic,.. Naturally

It is true that the best way to obtain lots of targeted traffic (customers) is to acquire it based on relevance, via the search engines. Various studies show that anywhere from 83% to 92% of first time visitors to a web site find it through the search engines. That's an incredible statistic. If you are not acquiring those customers as a result of a relevant query, then they will be disappointed. They may be disappointed with the search result, but more likely, they will be disappointed with your web site.

In the online world that's your first impression. We all know how important a first impression is. You can never get a bad one back, and a good one will carry you a long way. You have to make sure that the search engines are sending you visitors that are looking for your products or services. If your web site matches their interests, they will remember it, and come back, even if they do not make a purchase on that visit. If they find it irrelevant, they may have subconsciously formed a negative opinion of your online business, through no fault of your own.

Search engines provide a continuous stream of targeted visitors to your website, and for the most part, it's free of charge. Some engines do charge a listing fee, but most do not. The only thing the search engine asks is that each web site operator makes an effort to provide relevant and good information to web surfers for a particular search phrase. If a web site does so, the search engines will reward the site with increased good quality traffic.

Search engine traffic is a win-win situation for any online business. It doesn't take much to improve on most web site's search engine traffic - it just takes optimization. Did you know that as of January 1 2002, there were 160,000,000 domain hosts in use worldwide? Did you know that 88% of the web pages worldwide are not indexed by the largest search engines? 88% of web pages are not optimized. How can any business survive on the Internet if it is not optimized for the search engines, and thus can never be found? How can they exist if over 83% of first time visitors never find their web site? How much more money could a web site operator earn if they ensured their web site was even partially visible?

If you have an informative web site, the search engines want to send you lots of customers. That's because the more web surfers find what they want, the more they'll use a particular search engine and recommend it to their friends. The search engine also benefits, as it becomes known as a resource that gets its clients - the searchers - to their destinations quickly and efficiently. The more people recognize how well the engine works as a resource, the more it gets recommended, and used. As the popularity increases, so do the engine's revenues from advertising.

What Does Your Web Site Need To Receive Traffic From The Search Engines?

Small web sites with only 1 or 2 pages set themselves up for failure, simply because they usually don't have enough content of interest. There are of course exceptions, where the 1 or 2 pages are each as long as a book. But these are awfully frustrating to read, and no one will be satisfied with them. Most often 1 or 2 page sites are simply too short to provide any useful information, so the search engines don't take them seriously. Among other factors, the search engines examine how deep a site is. The more meaningful content present, the more weighty the site is viewed as, and the more importance it is given.

If you are wondering about whether to bother, ask yourself this: Why does your company have a web site? What does the company do with it? Think about it. Most companies today have web sites, and most market the web sites to facilitate customer acquisition, to increase their customer base, and to improve customer retention rates.

There are a number of reasons for having web sites. Many companies use theirs to enhance their customer service. Using a web site as a marketing vehicle is a great way for a company "to put the word out" about products, services, or offerings.

Most importantly, remember that your web site is an online resource that your clients can use to find answers to frequently asked questions, "how to" tips, and to educate themselves. When including content on a web site, always remember that the knowledge shared may be common to you, but it's likely that you are an expert in the eyes of your clients. People visit your web site for your product or service, but also for information. If they find useful, relevant, information, they will keep coming back, and will likely make purchases. People like to buy from experts.

Instead of thinking of your web site as nothing more than an online billboard or business card, think of it as an online menu, that lets people get an idea of what it is you do, and how you do it. Develop a content rich website, optimize it, and let the search engines increase your website traffic, naturally. If you optimize each major web page within your site, you will increase the rankings in the search engine results and therefore receive targeted traffic for each of those pages.

Doing each of the above - ensuring relevant content is present, and optimizing the pages - will ensure that the search engines have what they need so they can do their work. It will also ensure that they can send you targeted traffic (customers), so that you can get that 83% of first time visitors your online business needs to survive.

Article by By Leva Duell (c) 2004, Featured in Site Pro News.

About The Author
Richard Zwicky is a founder and the CEO of Metamend Software, a Victoria B.C. based firm whose cutting edge Search Engine Optimization software has been recognized around the world as a leader in its field. Employing a staff of 10, the firm's business comes from around the world, with clients from every continent. Most recently the company was recognized for their geo-locational, or LBS technology, which correlates online businesses with their physical locations.

Improve Search Engine Ranking with Correct Keyword Density
By Herman Drost (c) 2003

If you are serious about improving search engine rankings, you need to check the keyword density of your web site. In order to do this you must integrate proper keyword phrases within your meta tags and web copy.

What is Keyword Density?

This is the ratio of a keyword or keyphrase to the total words (depth) on a page. It is one of the most critical aspects of search engine optimization. To improve search engine ranking, your keyword density must not be too high or too low.

Try to aim for a keyword density of 1% to 7%. To achieve 1% you would need to insert your keyword or keyword phrase once for every hundred words. If you only used your keyword once in one thousand words, this would result in diluting your keyword density.

Don't try to stuff all your keywords together, separated by commas. Search engines may see this as spam, penalizing your rankings.

How To Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

The best way to achieve good rankings, is to research the appropriate keywords or keyword phrases related to your web copy before you even begin building your site.

If your site is already built and on the Internet, you may want to consider reviewing the keywords and making the necessary changes to your meta tags and web copy. Don't expect a high search engine ranking if your site is not targeted to the right audience.

If your site has a lot of graphics or flash and is short on content, you should consider redesigning it. Search engines love content rich pages so use images and flash sparingly

1. Use Wordtracker or the Overture suggestion tool to research your keywords. These tools will show you how many times a particular keyword was searched for each month. Using keywords in your web pages that nobody searches is pointless.
2. The best keywords to insert into your web pages are those that are very popular (high number of searches when using the tools above) but that are used by a low number of competing websites.
3. Select two or three of your most important keywords related to your business and try to use them 3-7 times for every 100 words in your web copy.
4. Incorporate these keywords or keyword phrases in your title, description meta tag, keyword meta tag, alt tags (words that describe your images) comment tags, heading tags and the main text of your web copy. Search engines will spider the heading tags in your web copy first (H1, H2, H3) because these stand out from your main text.
5. Write your web copy so that it not only satisfies the search engines but also is compelling enough for your web site visitors to read (don't make it sound weird to read or obvious you are just writing for the search engines). Repeat your keyword phrase or combinations of them every few sentences.
6. Write at least 250 words (or longer) for each of your web pages. Search engines will spider the text near the top of the page, rather than at the bottom. Therefore, include your keywords in the first 250 words on your page.
7. To avoid making your text hard to read, split your paragraphs into 2 or 3 sentences or make use of bullets.
8. Avoid using words that may be popular but that are not related to your site (i.e. sex). This will not improve your search engine ranking and will only frustrate your visitors who are searching for relevant content.
9. Keyword density analysis - use a keyword density analyzer to check the keyword density of your web pages. This will tell you if you have used too many or too few words in your web copy.
   KeyWordDensity.com
10. Realize that not all search engines treat keyword density the same. Some will only place significance on keywords in your title, meta tags and web copy. Google (the most important search engine) places the most significance on keywords in your web page text.

Conclusion:
Achieving optimal keyword density throughout your web pages will dramatically improve search engine rankings and consequently boost your web site traffic. Try it..you will be pleasantly surprised!

Article by By By Herman Drost (c) 2003, Featured in Site Pro News.

About The Author
Herman Drost is the author of the NEW ebook 101 Highly Effective Strategies to Promote Your Web Site a powerful guide for attracting 1000s of visitors to your web site.

Subscribe to his "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original articles. subscribe@isitebuild.com. You can read more of his in-depth articles at: isitebuild.com.

20 Successful Tips for Creating a Powerful Web Site
By Steven Boaze (c) 2005

Design is a crucial element of any web page. This is truly where the little things mean a lot. Hits are not enough, although driving traffïc to your site is very important. Good web page design turns a browser into a customer, a business prospect into a client, and a proposal into a deal.

Stick to the Basics- Always keep your pages simple and to the point. This does not mean boring. Incredïble graphics and introductions, and poorly designed graphics can cause long load times. The 8-second rule works great. If a visitor to your site cannot load your page in this time they will move on. At the most, a page should nevër take more than 20 seconds to load. Using all connection speeds to chëck it will help determine the load process.

Have a Well Designed Page Layout- Do not cram too much on a page. All the pages should be neat, organized and easy to navigate. Like a regular paper document, there should be enough "white space" so that a browser can properly read the content and locate navigation buttons and menus. When a visitor searches for a specific topic to find you, and they arrive at your page to find that topic, they will leave if there are no means to navigate.

Incorporate a Theme- Settle on a visual theme and stick to it. Graphics, fonts, content, colors, and borders should all be within a theme that provides an identifier for your business. If your company's logo incorporates a flag and the colors are red, white and blue, your web page should not have graphics that use orange, green or black.

The 3 Clicks Rule- If you incorporate navigation buttons into your page design, a visitor should nevër be more than 3 clicks away from his/her goal. When designing a web page, always keep the visitor's needs a priority and your goals second. Although you would like to lead the visitor through several different web pages while taking them to their navigation result, more than 3 clicks will cause frustation, and the visitor will go elsewhere. By keeping this priority structure in mind, you can incorporate your goals while providing for the needs of your visitor.

Take the easy Road Home- Every web page should have a button or link to take your visitor to the home page while visiting other pages throughout the entire site.

Content Publishing Know How- Remember that all content on your pages must fit within the popular internet medium. Something on a paper document must be edited and formatted for publishing on the web. Web pages must be condensed and to the point. Web site visitors do not want to scroll endlessly to read a rambling editorial or sales presentation.

Go Professional- If you are designing a web site for your business and can afford it, hire or contract Professional writers, editors and a page designer. Professional editors will ensure that your information is timely, correct and appropriate for your audience. Professional writers will provide reader friendly content, industry contacts and will keep your pages up to date on the latest trends with news. Professional web page designers are worth every penny spent and more importantly worth the investment.

Your World Wide Audience- If your business has global dealings, shoudn't you have your content in several languages? This will allow all of your prospects to feel confortable. Your audience may be disabled. This is why it is important to incorporate audio, visual and video options so that a variety of people can access your content. People who are color blind have a particularly rough time with web pages, and this condition is more prevalent than many realize.

Be careful not to Offend- Color is important in the success of any web page. However, colors mean different things to different cultures. If your business deals with several different cultures, be sure to research the importance of colors and their meanings. This includes the colors of fonts, graphics and borders.

Give the page a Sting Affect- A web page that has nothing of value for frëe. Example; content, resources or expert opinion is nothing more than a sales flyer. Most of these type are discarded without a second glance. A good rule for layout and design is that 50 percent of your content should only offer frëe news, resources, or opinion in your business industry. This can give a stingy teaser affect causing your visitors into becoming clients and later buying from you.

The Domain Name Game- Spend the monëy to register your own domain name. To do otherwise is like answering the telephone in your office by another business's name. Identify your business by registering your own domain name.

Only One Choice of Purchasing- If your web page offers products or services, always offer secure credït card ordering using more than one method to purchase. If your visitor finds only one way to purchase, there's a 50% chance he/she will leave without clicking further. Supplying this option makes your visitor feel comfortable and most importantly secure when performing monëy transactions.

Old News, No Changes- It is amazing how many web sites do not update their information regularly. Why should a customer return to your page to find no change or an update has been made? Smart designers provide content areas that visitors know will be updated regularly for news and information. Some designers place rotating content code so when the page is re-loaded there will be new content displayed keeping regular customers coming back.

Being Unavailable- Many web pages forget to include something as simple as contact information. Visitors should always be able to easily find the same information that would be on your business card for following up with you. Contact forms work the best along with contact name, mailing address and telephone numbers. This will also gain the visitors trust in your site.

Ignoring Marketing Opportunities- Not offering a frëe email newsletter with news and updates is a huge mistake. Putting a simple subscription form on your pages can build a database of prospective business clients and contacts. This allows you to build a relationship with your subscribers and include specials or latest product or service information.

Not Doing Research- Before you design your pages you should research your prospective clients. Know their needs, wants and what would attract them to your page over and over again. If you have a page dedicated to automobiles, offer links to other sites, videos and profiles of various automobile classics, editorial featuring the larger or more sophisticated models etc.. Offer links to anyone you partner with, updates on the latest trends and news, magazines, content from relevant associations.

Spelling and Grammar mistakes- Presentation is the key. And, nothing is more unprofessional than finding a page with these errors.

Incorrect Information- This is why there are so many disclaimers found on the web. It is higly recommended not to publish information on your site that is not positive. Doing so could result in creating a lack of trust from visitors or a lawsuit from a company or person that feels maligned.

Technical Difficulties- Make sure every link you design actually takes you where it says it will. Also ensure that all of your navigation links and buttons work correctly. Visitors can become lost and frustrated with a web page that doesn't keep it's promises.

Being Too Creative- There is a fine line between creativity and chaos. Personal web page design can incorporate the fun to the funky colors, graphics and special images. However, businesses must remember that perception is everything. Graphics should be appropriate and in moderation. Stick to no more than three colors; your best bet is those identified with your business.

Following these tips, your web pages will be informative, professional and well organized. Not only will you and your business have a web presence in the marketplace, you will be represented in a manner that will attract and retain your target audience.

Article by By By Herman Drost (c) 2005, Featured in All Business News.

About The Author
Steven Boaze, Chairman, is The Owner of Boaze.com Corporate Web Solutions. Steven is the Author of two successful Books, thousands of articles featured in radio, magazines newspapers and trade journals. Steven has 25 years experience in journalism, copywriting, certified Web Developer. CopywritePlus.com Boaze.com Copyright (c) 1998-2005 Boaze.com

FEATURED ARTICLE

How to Write Effective Web Copy
By Herman Drost

Writing effective web copy begins with an understanding of what the goals of your web site are. Are you trying to get your visitors to purchase something or have them sign up for your newsletter? Remember you are trying to get someone you can't see and have never met take a step towards building a relationship with you or your company.

1. Create a customer profile – try to find out what are the needs and desires of your visitors. Below are some examples of questïons you could ask:

Are they young, middle aged or senior?
Are they primarily male or female?
Are they financially secure or budget-minded?
What gets him or her excited?
What are his or her most pressing concerns?

Try to brainstorm a list of topics that might interest your target audience.

2. Create a Unique Selling Position (USP) – This is a statement of 2-3 sentences that explains why you are different from everybody else. This is the unique factor that sets you apart from your competition. Make this the first thing your visitor sees when they arrive on your home page.

3. Focus on benefits – most web users want to find the information about the product or service they need as fast as possible. If they land on your site, they want to know how they will benefit from buying your product or subscribing to your ezine. You will need to answer that question as clearly and concisely as possible or you will lose that visitor.

4. Use the inverted pyramid style – provide a summary of your information by clearly communicating the direction of your discussion. Use informative headings and subheadings with a paragraph of 4 to 5 lines that supports them. You only have a few seconds to grab your visitors attention. Most will simply scan for the information they are seeking.

Use bulleted or numbered lists, boldface or colored font to emphasize the points you wish to make. Include links at the end of your paragraph (or within the text) to direct visitors to other pages of your site for more in-depth information.

5. Write in an informal or personal style – write in a unique way that differentiates you from other small businesses in a similar business or niche. It doesn't have to be elaborate or super-creative. You simply provide a style that gets the attention of your visitors.

6. Keep your sentences simple – you are not writing to impress. You are writing to communicate. You want to pre-sell your product or service, therefore write as if you are talking to a 13 year old.

Don't use large words but opt for strong verbs over weak ones. Use the active voice instead of a passive one. i.e. Instead of "a good score was achieved by the team"...say "the team scored a season high". Speak "to" but not "at" your visitor. Keep your sentences short and snappy.

7. Include searchable keywords – use targeted keywords in your web copy that will allow the search engines to find your site. Include these keywords in your meta tags, links and file names also.

8. Eliminate the fluff - don't waffle on in your writing. You will only bore your visitors and they will clïck elsewhere. Try to remove filler sentences that contain phrases like "for those of you" and "all of you".

9. Proof read your web copy – errors in your web copy give the impression of being unprofessional or sloppy. Read the copy aloud to yourself or get someone else to proof read it. Often they will find more errors because they are more objective.

Use the spell checker but don't rely on it. Often it doesn't pick up all incorrectly spelled words. Print a copy of your content. It's easier to find grammatical or spelling errors on a hard copy.

10. Take a break – revise your web copy after taking a break from it for several hours or a few days. This allows you to see it from a different viewpoint. You may find a better way to say something to further improve your copy.

11. Use images sparingly – images should only be used if they relate and support your web content. If not, they will only distract the visitor from reading your web copy. Too many images will slow down the time it takes for your visitor to load your site in their browser.

12. Use effective navigation – your navigation bar should help visitors easily find the main sections of your site. Read: How to Create an Effective Web Site Navigation Structure.

Writing effective web copy is the key to converting visitors into buyers. Getting 1000s of visitors to your web site doesn't guarantee sales. Reading your web copy should pre-sell your product with the words you use. Once you achieve this, your web site will become very profitable.

Article by By Herman Drost, Featured in SitProNews. 2/25/2005

About The Author
Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of iSiteBuild.com. Affordable Web Site Design and Web Hostïng. Pick up your copy of the 159 page ebook TODAY titled: Make Your Content Pre Sell:

Online Advertising for the Perplexed
By Dave Collins (c) 2005

Editorial Note: The following article was written specifically with shareware authors in mind but is equally helpful to anyone interested in web advertising.

One of the more frightening realities of business is that in order to make money, you often have to spend it first. For independent software developers, the costs of doing business are usually very low. There are often no expensive offices to purchase or lease, a limited amount of hardware to buy and maintain, and for most, no stock to tie-up precious capital.

For many developers, the first and most obvious option for productive spending is advertising. And for the online business, there is no shortage of options to choose from.

Most websites offer some kind of graphic or text advertising, and there is a bewildering variety of mailing lists, newsletters, and regular mailings. And that's before you even begin to consider the printed media.

However, before you even start to think about where you want to advertise, you need to consider why you're advertising in the first place.

For many companies, the aim of an advert will simply be to increase sales and make more monëy. Other legitïmate reasons for wanting to advertise can include raising the profile of your company or product, increasing brand awareness, and testing new pricing strategies or new markets.

>From the outset, it's important that you are clear about exactly what it is that you want to achieve. From there, you'll be able to choose where to advertise.

When selecting a venue, an important factor will be how targeted the audience is, as this will have a major bearing on the price that you should be prepared to pay for the ad. In general, the less targeted the audience, the less monëy you should part with. And even though it's not always the case, you might want to consider spending a little bit extra for a highly targeted advert.

The next obvious factor is the price.

First of all you need to know how much you will be paying, and whether this is a flat fee, a cost-per-click, pay per exposure, or some arrangement.

You also need to consider the costs involved in preparation. If you're using artwork, you may wish to use a professional designer to create it, and don't overlook that the graphic might have to be in a specific format. More importantly, you have to take into account the amount of time that you will have to spend on arranging this.

You also need to consider the time period that you're hoping your advert will cover. If the ad will be on a website, then you'll probably be looking at days, weeks or even longer. If so, then you should find out whether you can change the content of the ads as you go. If this is what you want to do, all the ads should be prepared well in advance, and the total costs of these should also be factored into the budget.

A good starting point in finding a suitable place to advertise is to learn from the experiences of others. As an ASP member, you have access to the private newsgroups, where other members will often be considerably more open, detailed and revealing than they might in public.

When you think you've found the right venue, read through whatever information you can find on their website or in their publications, and only then contact the person who handles these matters.

Present them with a general introduction to yourself, your products and your needs, and don't be afraid to ask questïons right from the start. Ask about their terms, payment terms, conditions, and whether they offer any form of guarantëe or minimum response levels. A little bit of optimism never did any harm!

You'll also want to find out if there are any deadlines or timescales to consider, and whether they will publish your ad "as is", or reserve the right to edit it to suit their content.

Bear in mind that whoever you contact is likely to know their audience very well, so make sure that you ask for any guidance, tips or pointers that they can offer. Find out who will see the ads, what behavioural patterns you might expect, what outcome or response rate you might get, and whether they can offer any helpful suggestions.

Also find out who else has advertised with them in recent months, and ask if you can have their contact details. Make sure that you chase these up, and ask them outright about their experiences.

Leave nothing to chance, and find out whether there will be a contract to sign, and any commitments that may be involved throughout and beyond the advertising period. It's also a good idea to find out how flexible they may be. For example, if the ad will run for a number of days or longer, can you change the content of the ads with little or no notice?

At this point, it's very important to keep in mind that you are the customer. Don't be afraid to ask questïons, don't be worried about bargaining, and make very sure that you're getting all the information and answers that you need. If not, move on. There are many other places to advertise.

Assuming that their answers meet your satisfaction, you are then in a good position to negotiate. The web is full of advertising, but even the more popular websites and newsletters often find it difficult to sell all their advertising space nowadays.

You might also want to ask them whether some kind of trial period may be possible. If they're very confident of a high clïck and success rate, then they shouldn't object to an ad going out to a smaller test group, or perhaps a normal ad running for a number of hours.

When it comes to the actual payment basis, the ideal scenario would be a vendor offering high-quality, targeted advertising, with payment based solely on a commission basis, with no sign-up fee or base rate.

This is, however, a little on the unlikely side. A more realistic option will be advertising that is based on a flat fee, most (or all) of which will be paid for in advance.

When the terms, price and payment conditions have been dealt with, you're then ready for the content of the ad itself.

Part 2 of this article looks at the importance of knowing your target audience, what to include in the ad, and how to know when to call in the professionals. We'll also look at the importance of implementing a good tracking system, and how to follow up an advertising campaign to gain from your experiences. In short, we'll look at everything else you need to help make your ad campaign a successful one. Until then, be seen, be sold.

Article by Dave Collins, Featured in All Business News. 3/2005

Dave Collins is the CEO of SharewarePromotions Ltd., a well established UK-based company working with software and shareware marketing activities, utilising all aspects of the internet. SharewarePromotions.com and DaveTalks.com.

Design Your Site for Traffïc in 2005
By Elizabeth McGee

What better way to start the new year than with more traffïc to your web site. Web traffïc is a critical part of your internet business and it is imperative that you design it to bring you the most amount of traffïc possible.

Designing your site for traffïc includes offering good content, easy navigation and a logical flow. Additionally you must also build your site to draw traffïc from the search engines because if you can obtain high search engine ranking, you can enjoy free traffïc.

It's important to note, however that good ranking won't do you much good without a well designed site and a well designed site can't bring you visitors if no one knows it's there. Both high ranking and good design need to work together.

How do we pull all this together? Let's take a look.

-A Word About Design-

A huge mistake I see many website owners make is that they get caught up in making their site cute. They love the little animations, buttons and dramatic backgrounds. What they fail to consider is that these things are worthless if you don't offer good content, easy navigation and a logical flow.

First of all don't try to be everything to everyone. Design your site around a theme, preferably a niche theme. Don't confuse your readers with links all over the page. Design a logical flow. Lead your viewers to where you would like them to go. Leave plenty of white space and keep your pages organized. Clearly state at the top of your pages what you are about and what you would like your viewers to do.

Secondly, I don't recommend pop-ups. I find that the majority of internet users find them annoying. The demand for pop-up blockers is a good indication that viewers don't want to see them.

Thirdly, offer good content. Provide information on your site that will help viewers solve a problem. Offer information that they might not get elsewhere. Write reviews regarding your products. Write newsletters and articles and most importantly offer something of value for frëe. Give your viewers a reason to come back. It will also build trust in you.

-Traffïc Builders-

Good search engine ranking can bring lots of visitors to your site. It often takes a few months to rank well but the payoff is lots of qualified traffïc. While it's not practical to depend solely on search engines for traffïc it can complement your other advertising campaigns nicely. Aiming for high search engine placement is always a plus.

Keep these in mind when developing your site for the search engines:

- Domain Names
Choose a domain name that has your site keywords in it. For example, if you're a site about pet care, try to include the words "pet care" or words related to pet care in your domain name if you can.

- Keywords
Keywords require research and there are several tools to help you out in this area. These are my favorites:

http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

I suggest focusing on only one keyword or keyword phrase per page of your website. This may not seem like a lot but if your site has 20 pages you can focus on 20 keywords. Each page should be considered a landing page for your site. If you have proper navigation on your pages, it will easily allow viewers to see everything you have to offer.

Include your keyword or keyword phrase at the top of your page as well as in at least one header phrase. Also work the keywords into the body of your text as often as you can without sounding redundant.

Your keywords should be in the Title tag as well as in your page description tag. Many search engines no longer look at the keyword tags, but I recommend using them and including the plural forms as well.

- Alt Tags
Search engines don't index images, therefore any text on your site that is presented in image format won't get indexed. To solve this problem, you can enter the image description in the ALT tag. To be sure that the search engines recognize all the content on your site, fill in your ALT tags with your keywords. This will boost your keyword frequency and help your site achieve better ranking.

- Linking
Search engines will rate your site by who is linking to your site, so it's important to establish quality, related links. This can be accomplished in a few ways. One way is to establish reciprocal links with other like sites. When exchanging links be sure to include your keywords in your site title.

Review the page you are exchanging links with. Be sure it is a site that you find easy to navigate and informative. I also recommend that the site's index page have a Google PR rating of at least one. This ensures that the site is not being penalized by Google. If it is a penalized site then you could be penalized as well for linking to it.

- Include a 'tell a friend' and 'bookmark' scrïpt on your site.
This gives viewers an easy way to bookmark you and most of all return to your site.

- Include a Site Map
Site Maps let visitors know what information you have, how it's organized, where it is located with respect to other information, and how to get to that information with the least amount of clicks possible.

Site maps also provide spider food for search engine robots. This can increase your chances of becoming indexed because a site map allows the search engines to easily visit every page of your site.

A site map works best if you include a link to your site map in the navigation of every page on your site.

Finally, don't let your site become stale. I have found that my search engine rankings improve when I periodically add new pages to my site and keep the content new and fresh. Follow these tips and 2005 may be your year for traffïc.

ArticleBy Elizabeth McGee, Featured in SiteProNews. 3/2005

About The Author
Elizabeth McGee has spent 20 years in the service and support industry. She has moved her expertise to the world wide web helping businesses find trusted tools, enhance customer service, build confidence and increase salës. You can visit Elizabeth's sites at: HomeNotion.com Pro-Marketing-Online.com

How To Get More Visitors To Your Web Site
By Charlie Cook

When you were five or ten years old you may have played the game of hide and seek where the object was to avoid being found. The longer you could stay hidden and the harder it was to be discovered the better.

As a business owner or someone responsible for marketing a business you want to do the opposite. Instead of remaining hidden from view, you want to make it as easy as possible for members of your target market to find you again and again.

You may have a PhD, worked for big name clients, provide outstanding service or have a new ground breaking product but if people can't find you it is tough to build revenue. What you want is to be found so prospects contact you and you can convert them to client status.

What happens when someone is looking for a new product or service? More and more customers and consumers use the internet to search for the goods and services they need, to the point that 'google' has become a verb. They may also use the search engines provided by Yahoo, AOL and MSN.

A prospect types in a set of keywords, your name or your company name into a search engine, with Google being used by far the most frequently. Can they find your website? Go to Google.com and try the following three tests:

1. If a prospect hasn't heard of your company they won't be searching for your firm by name. Instead they will be searching using keywords that describe the problem they want solved or the type of information they are looking for. If they are looking for ways to motivate employees, that's what they will type in the search box. If they are looking for adventure vacation ideas for Costa Rica, they'll enter that in the search box.

   My prospects might enter, 'attract more clients', 'marketing coach', 'web marketing plan' or 'web lead generation' in Google. When they do, they'll find my site at the top or at least in the first 10-15 listings.

   Type the problem you solve or the solutions you offer into Google's search box. Is your site listed at or near the top of the listings? Is it even in the top 100?

2. 2. Type your own name in the search box. Does your web site come up at the top of the page or in the first 20 listings? 3. Type your name and/or your company name in the search box, for example, "Charlie Cook" or "Marketing For Success". Did Google find your site in or near the top spot?

   If you aren't happy with the results of these tests, your website needs work.

How to Avoid Playing Hide and Seek With Your Business

A Smart Domain Name
Choose a domain name that is simple and obvious or simple and memorable. If your company is called Bollard and Jones Realty (or whatever) try to obtain bollardandjones.com as your domain name. That way, a prospect who knows your company name can type it into their browser and easily find your site.

The simple and memorable strategy is to use your domain name to describe what you do. Once prospects have found your site through a search engine, typing in the domain name will reinforce the ways you can help them. For example www.marketingforsuccess.com or www.printondemand.com.

Keywords That Work
While they are many ways to improve your use of keywords on your web pages, you can boost your ranking in the search engines simply by using your keywords in your page title tag, your metatags and 4 to 6 times in the text on your page. Make sure to use them in normal, well-written sentences.

Flash and Splash
When you submit your site to the search engines, they are looking for text. Pages full of pictures or with just your company logo (splash pages) or mini-movies (flash animations) may look pretty, but they won't help the search engines judge what your site is about. In addition, research shows that 90% of visitors find these entrance Flash and Splash pages annoying. Rather than move further into your site, most visitors will leave. Avoid home pages full of pictures, movies or with minimal text. They may look nice, but they won't help people find you.

Build Links
One of the best ways to boost your site's rankings and thus get more visitors is to get other sites to add links from their site to yours. An extremely effective way to do this is to write articles and distribute them to sites visited by your target market. Most site managers and 'webmasters' are hungry for relevant content. Provide these sites content they want and they'll be happy to use it and link back to your site.

Stay in Touch
Offer an incentive to get site visitors to give you their contact information, and join your e-mail list. You can also follow up with a call or a mailing. Once a prospect has been to your web site, you want to regularly remind them of the problems you solve and the services you provide. Don't let your prospects forget you when they are ready to make a purchase.

Avoid playing hide and seek with your target market. Help more people find you and you'll grow your business. Tune up your web marketing strategy and your web site and you'll have more site visitors, more prospects and more business.

Article By Charlie Cook, Featured in AllBusinessNews.com. 3/2005

About The Author
2005 (c) In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small business owners attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up for the F.ree Marketing Plan eBook, for small business owners and people responsible for marketing, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at MarketingForSuccess.com.