Many business, especially small business, make the mistake of only having ONE website. They put all their eggs in that one basket. And I don’t have to tell you about putting all your eggs in one basket, do I?
Search engines LIKE niche websites. So, if you happen to be a “keynote speaker”, “business consultant”, “author” and “mediator”, don’t try to cram all that information into one website, instead, make several. Each one dedicated to the individual service you provide.
I know, I know, it’s more expensive to have several websites. Yes, that’s true. But the price of a website, when compared to the price of an office or a storefront is minimal. If you spend $2000.00 creating a website and then $3000.00 per year hosting, marketing and maintaining that website, that’s only $5000.00. Where can you spend $5000.00 for opening an office AND marketing your business? One ad in your local Yellow Pages can cost $5000.00!!
So, if you’re truly serious about your business, get some other domains and expand your website empire!!
Tags: internet marketing strategy, multiple websites
One of the most frustrating aspects of my SEO business is working with web designers. Not because they’re difficult to work with, to the contrary! The most difficult aspect is over-riding each other’s work. I’ve tried using the Dreamweaver check in/ check out system and in all the years that I’ve been using Dreamweaver, every time I set up that check in/check out program my computer ends up crashing. I’ve tried this with several versions of Dreamweaver on several different computers so it must just be me!!!
But, I also don’t like to use Dreamweaver’s FTP program because it’s simply not reliable. When I upload a page I expect it to be uploaded. I don’t expect to have to go back and do it again. But with Dreamweaver’s FTP program, that is simply not the case. I rely more on WSFTP to do my downloading and uploading and it’s always been reliable.
But, I’m wandering. Back to the frustration of how to avoid over-riding each other’s work? I don’t blame the frustrations designers feel when they go into their clients’ websites and make changes only to see that be written over by my work. At the same token, I’m extremely frustrated when I spend hours optimizing a page only to review it later and find all my changes written over.
Too Many Hands In The Pot!!!!!
So, for any SEO marketers out there, how do you handle this frustration?
Tags: seo marketing, web designers and seo
Since I specialize in small and home based businesses it’s only natural that I have a certain percentage of clients who come on board all hot and heavy only to drop out 3-6 months later.
The number 1 reason they drop out? - “Not enough business.”
Is this frustrating for me? You bet it is. But, no matter what I say at the beginning or how much I emphasize the fact that SEO / Internet marketing takes time, it just doesn’t seem to get through. Some entrepreneurs just are convinced that their “widget” is the best widget and everyone will want to buy it. It’s a rude awakening when they find out how wrong they were.
But, for the realistic entrepreneurs. For those of you who KNOW what you’re getting into and have true expectations, here’s how you can get the most from your SEO dollars.
1) If your SEO consultation says you need more pages on your website, add those pages!
2) If you want to be found on the Internet for specific keyword phrases then take the recommendation from your SEO consultant on how to do that. Don’t just expect your website to come up for phrases your SEO consultant has not optimized your site for.
3) Take the time to look at your reports. Don’t ignore them. They hold the answer to everything you need to know about your website.
4) Listen to your customers. If they tell you they can’t maneuver through your website, fix it! Don’t be so concerned about the aesthetics of your website that you ignore the pragmatic function of your website.
5) Your SEO consultant should give you suggestions on what you can do for your site, free or paid, you should get this every month. Do them!!!
The number one stumbling block in SEO is the website owner. The limitations they place on the SEO consultant can be overwhelming. Everything from “don’t change the text” to “I’m not paying for writers” to “But I have to have flash”. It’s a constant struggle trying to get website owners to step away from their “baby” and allow them to grow.
Tags: price for seo, search engine optimization, seo, seo pricing
I just received an email from a company who purchases SEO services from me and then re-sells them to their own clients. The email was not a very good one.
Basically, my client’s client was upset that the results of his SEO marketing were not very good. I returned the email saying I was sorry that the results were not to their satisfaction but…
1) They never once took any of my recommendations to make the site better for the search engines.
2) They never attempted to add pages to the website based on new keyword phrases.
3) They never attempted to write press releases for online distribution.
4) They continuously re-wrote over the changes that I made to improve their site.
The realities of SEO are that it takes anywhere from 3-8 months for a website to begin gaining ground in the search engines. The realities of SEO are also that changes must be made to the website, there’s no way around it. If you think that you can market your website as is, you’re in for a very long and disappointing marketing campaign.
I have gone as far as adding a “reality check” on my contract for my clients and have continuously stressed the importance for my outsource clients to do the same. I guess I’ll have to do it for them. Otherwise, I fear, their clients are just getting a raw deal. If they don’t know what they’re getting in to then they shouldn’t be playing the game.
Tags: search engine optimization, small business marketing
