I apologize that this is a bit longer than usual. In fact, there is so much to talk about that there will be a bonus one next week so stay tuned.
I said at the very beginning that this series wasn't going to be a techno or geek discussion about websites. However there is one techno geek topic you need to get familiar with if you want to find your website and generate leads.
Search Engine Optimization. (SEO)
The concept is simple enough for us mortals to grasp. When people are looking for your services they type in "key words" like painter or landscaper or remodel my kitchen. If you have those key words and they are "optimized" then your page comes up near the top of the results page (Page ranking).
These are the listings on the LEFT side of the page - called organic rankings, and not the paid ads on the right.
The higher a site is on the page, the more likely it is that the site has information relevant to your search words. (How this is done is a mega super geek discussion).
Those sites listed toward the top, get clicked on more than those below it. I do that. you do that. we all do that. The best place to be is on page one or at worst page two. If you are on page 3 or farther back - it is like printing a brochure and never handing it out. People just aren't going to keep searching for a company when there are plenty on the first page or two.
So the goal is to get your site "optimized" to the key words prospects are searching for, with the result being your site achieves a high ranking.
Here are some general guidelines I've used when determining what those key words should be:
Think like a prospect, not like a business owner. Remember from past articles it has everything to do with what the prospect wants to buy.
What words & phrases would a prospect use to find your service on Google?
There are dozens of online tools and software that claim to help with this BUT in a most searches there are about 5 ways that people will use (painter, house painter, painting, painting services etc.).
Let me give an example of what not to do - paperhanging is a term that is often used by one painting contractor talking to another painting contractor. Most homeowner will say "I want new wallpaper". They aren't going to say "I want a paperhanger to put up new wallpaper". So if you optimize paperhanging instead of wallpaper that would be a mistake.
Another example would be "plantings". This is a term used in the landscaping trades but most people are going to type in "install new plants" or "new landscaping" not "new plantings".
Be specific. If you're a house painter in Madison Wisconsin, and you use that as a key word phrase, you're just one of 127,000 in the search results. But if you also specialize in faux painting in Madison Wisconsin, and you optimize a page on your site to that phrase, you're now one of just 8,000, and the odds of getting a higher ranking go way up.
Use the towns/cities you service in your key words. I've discovered, working with my client's sites that prospects almost always type in their town or city when searching for a home improvement company. They want to deal with someone in their area. Like "landscaping Summit New Jersey".
WARNING: Don't sacrifice the content and copy of your site - as covered in Part 2 & 3 - for Keyword Optimization. ALWAYS write your site with the reader as your first priority and not the search engines. Yes. It's a balancing act.
Honestly, SEO is a maze, puzzle and a moving target all rolled into one. I really don't advise my clients to try and do it on your own. If I'm redoing a site for a client, I have a guy who really knows how this game is played, while at the same time; understands the purpose of our client's sites.
You can have the highest ranked site, but if a prospect clicks on to it and there's nothing there but the same ol' same ol', their gone forever.
If you decide to look for an SEO company, I've put together a questionnaire you can use to "interview" SEO providers.
Click Here To Download.
Until Next Time,
Mike Jeffries
866-926-5100
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