Tag: marketing

Successful Keyword Research and Selection

I come across a lot of people who are under the assumption that a website must be optimised for their one main keyword phrase only. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Your website should contain hundreds of keyword phrases all targeting variations of the sorts of words people would use to find the products and services you are offering. As a rough guide focus on one or two phrases per page.

You can also use this approach to target both competitive and not so competitive terms. For example the keyword phrase “blue widgets” may be extremely competitive whereas “buy genuine blue widgets” is far easier to rank well for. By combining both on a page you can effectively target both competitive and non-competitive keyword phrases. You may rank quite quickly for the non competitive phrase, whilst ranking well for the more competitive phrase might take more time and effort.

So now you know how to approach distributing your keyword phrases but how do you know what the right phrases are? This is where keyword research come in.

Start with reviewing your marketing materials and talking to staff to get an initial list of phrases used to describe your products and services. You should also look at what industry jargon is used and what words your clients and customers use to describe your offerings. Use these words to form a seed list.

You now need to research those phrases. There are a number of keyword research tools out there that can help you do this. This research can help you determine how popular and competitive a keyword phrase is and help you choose the best ones for your website. Here are some great keyword research tools you may want to try:

  • Word Tracker – offers a free trial as well as paid subscription options.
  • Keyword Discovery – also offers a free trial and monthly subscriptions.
  • Google also have a great free keyword tool to help you find relevant phrases for your website.

These tools will help you come up with a comprehensive list of appropriate keyword phrases for your website.

Finally nothing beats testing. Analyse your website’s visitors and work out which keywords are performing for you. Ongoing tweaking and adjustments will help ensure you are targeting the right keyword phrases and getting targeted traffic to your website.

Writing Well

I’ve always wanted to write – but never felt I was any good. Yesterday, after penning two blog posts I had a moment when I realised hey maybe my writing’s ok these days. I’m finally able to put across what I want to say using my own “voice”. Well I hope I do anyway. 😉

I got thinking about how I came to that point and what tips I could give to others wanting to write better but aren’t sure how to go about it. If you’re working online being able to write well in your own voice is vital. You’ll spend countless hours emailing anyone from clients and prospective clients to suppliers and contractors. You’ll also need to look at writing your marketing materials such as websites, blogs, newsletters etc. In many instances your main form of communication will be the written word – so make sure you get it right!

So here’s my suggestions for becoming a better writer:

  • Join a forum (related to your industry) and actively participate. You’ll learn how to write clearly and articulately. I’ve been a part of Cre8asite for years and having to put explanations, examples and the like into words has been a great way to develop my writing skills.
  • Strike up email “conversations” with colleagues and friends. Focus on making sure your personality comes through – who wants to talk with a robot?
  • Blog – there’s not better way to refine your style.
  • Learn to speak in a human voice.
  • Practice, practice, practice.

It may take some time but my experience has taught me not only does it become easier it becomes fun. And what’s life without a bit of fun. 🙂

Are You Hiring a Professional Web Designer?

I came across a person this week who was offering web design services whilst asking how to build a website. Yup, seriously. While most cases aren’t that blatant it does happen far more often than it should.

A professional web designer is your partner in online success. They can help make or break your online venture. So with that in mind it’s vital you hire a professional that, as well as understanding web design, has knowledge about selling online, internet marketing and building brand and business credibility.

One of the hardest parts of selecting a professional web designer is knowing what to look for. So whilst this list is not exhaustive it should help arm you with the knowledge you need to make a wise choice.

As a starting point you want to make sure your potential website designer:

  • Provides examples of previous sites they’ve designed.
  • Offers testimonials from real people.
  • Has an understanding not only of web design but usability, search engine optimisation, search friendly design, marketing, blogs etc, etc. They don’t have to be experts in each of these fields but some knowledge and the ability to partner with people who can offer these services is vital.
  • Understands that a website not only has to look good but achieve your goals – such as lead generation, subscriptions, sign ups or sales.

The internet is a fast paced medium and keeping up to date with technology and trends is also important. You’re web designer should also:

  • Keep up to date with design trends – as long as they fit a site’s goals.
  • Move with technology – are they still designing using tables or CSS/XHTML?
  • Follow online marketing trends.

Taking into account the tips above, spend some time researching potential web designers and either talk to them on the phone or in person. This will help you get a feel for them, their knowledge and how it would be to work with them. It should also help you determine whether you’re dealing with a professional or not.

Good luck!

What Can a Website Do For Me?

Invariably when I tell someone I’m a website designer I’m asked what a website could do for their business. Of course my answer varies depending on the type of business they have but in most cases I say a lot!

Whether you’re a small, local business or a huge multi-national, a website can be used to provide information, sell products, gather leads, sign up subscribers or promote your services.

Just as there’s many types of businesses there’s many types of website – from a small, few page site, to a huge, e-commerce shopping website. It can be geared towards an international market or a local market – or both! Whatever your goals and demographic, a website can help you further your business.

Here are some examples:

A Website For a Local Business

Whether you’re the local dentist or landscape gardener, a website is a way to provide information about you and your business to your prospective customers. It can be used to support other forms of advertising, such as the Yellow Pages or local newspaper, where you generally don’t have a lot of space to sell your message. Simply include your website address and your prospects can go online and read the rest of your message.

You can also use your site for local promotions, networking with other businesses or offer additional information not available elsewhere.

A Website for a Country Specific Audience

Expand your audience by selling to a wider range of people. Your site could also be a cost effective way of providing support – such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) and accept payments online.

Depending on your offering you could also hook up with people offering a similar product/service in other states and service a larger area.

A Website for an International Audience

The big one – an international audience. With an international audience you are able to target a much wider market, perhaps even a market you never considered before.

Whatever your business a website enables you to be open 24×7, 364 days a year. It helps you connect with your prospects and customers and promote your business in a timely manner. All in all a website is a fantastic marketing and selling tool for anyone serious about their business.

The Art of the Business Card

Business cards are an overlooked marketing tool. As well as providing your business details they can be used to promote what you do. In fact I often like to suggest to clients that adding information about their business and/or products and services can be a great way to remind prospects who you are 6 months after they got your card.

One of our members at Cre8asite, Patricia, has taken this one step further and asked whether a business card is an appropriate place to add a promotion. Liz, one of our mods, has grabbed this idea and run with it questioning the benefits of adding your URL (website address) and a reason to visit the site.

It’s an interesting discussion so feel free to drop in and add your thoughts.

No Sales? Increase Conversions not Traffic

In the last week or two I’ve chatted to a number of website owners about the lack of sales on their website. In each instance their first thought was to get more traffic.

I explained to them that just throwing more traffic at the site would not necessarily increase the amount of sales, at least not significantly. If you’re already getting traffic and no sales I’d be looking at why your prospects aren’t buying. Some issues to consider:

  • Your traffic isn’t targeted
  • There’s problems with your website

Targeted Traffic

Is what you’re selling what you’re visitors are after? This is a good time to review your search engine optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and other marketing initiatives to make sure you’re targeting the right people. Perhaps your visitors are expecting “genuine widgets” and you’re offering “generic widgets”.

Website Issues

Is your website compelling? Does it provide your users with a reason to buy from you? Are your product/service descriptions informative? Are your product photographs of high quality? How does your site compare to your competitors?

Take the time to really review your website. Focus on the design, usability, your unique selling proposition (USP) and your copy.

Merely throwing more traffic at your site does not necessarily mean more sales. And let’s face it, if you’re getting 5 sales for every 1000 visitors wouldn’t you rather get 50 sales for every 1000 visitors. Then an increase in traffic will bring an even larger increase in sales.