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The one assumption you need to make to follow along with me in this article is “People Buy People.” It can be a hard concept for many people to understand and agree with. However, millions of spent dollars have proven this premise to me, so I consider it more of a law than a theory.
If you understand the rule that people buy people, then your website MUST have a pleasant atmosphere that allows the visitor to connect with you, your company and your products.
By now, you've heard me talk about our Celebrity Branding™ philosophies, and the fact that you need your picture on your website goes without saying. But, there are some smaller, often overlooked, areas that shouldn't be forgotten.
Here are three simple tip to make your website user-friendly:
1. Navigation
The navigation on your site is probably its most important element. If visitors find your site confusing or cannot successfully navigate through it, they will leave. Make your navigation bar as simple as possible. One of the worst mistakes is using an expanding navigation bar that makes the visitor scroll over it in order for the menu to reveal their options. Most often, this type of navigation bar has too many choices; your visitor doesn't know where to go, so they get flustered and leave.
Navigation on your site is an art, and you should direct your visitors through a logical path to where YOU want them to go (not to where they think they want to go). One way to do this is through call to action buttons or CTAs. We use these buttons on all of our sites; a visitor will go to a main page, and then we can direct them to the parts of that site that we want them to be aware of. We use this method instead of an expanding menu, because we find that it is more logical for visitors. With this method, you can direct visitors to where you want them to go, allowing you to control the buying process.
Quick Tip: most “expanding menus” are created in Macromedia Flash. Search engines cannot read Flash, and therefore they will not pick up these links on your website. If the search engines do not pick up the links on the navigation bar and these links are nowhere else on your site, they cannot accurately crawl or index your site. This is search engine suicide, because without even knowing it, you are stopping search engines from understanding what your site has to offer and from driving traffic to you.
A good rule of thumb is that a visitor should be able to get to every page on your site with two clicks from your home page. Now, this is not realistic for very complex sites. If your website is complex, you can have a sitemap to help visitors navigate. Some sort of search function may also be a good idea for your site.
2. Page Load Speed
It's hard to believe that some people are still stuck using dial up. Even if you have entered the world of high-speed Internet, no matter what you do, some websites will load slowly. (If you're frustrated using high-speed Internet, imagine the frustration of those on good ‘ol dial up!)
Page load speed is VERY important. I know that when I am surfing the Internet and I stumble upon a site that loads slowly, I get annoyed, frustrated, and don't browse the site for very long. If your website is loading slowly, you are probably losing out on valuable customers, no matter what business you are in.
In today's web world, we are seeing more and more images, audio files and videos. These things are useful, but you have to be careful that they do not affect the inner workings of your site (in this case, the time it takes for a web page to load). You want to be careful about the size of the images on your website. Both large-sized images and using too many images can cause your website to take too long to load, resulting in visitors leaving. Another tip is to convert videos into a jpeg (image) that only loads and plays the video when a visitor clicks on it. Yes, you may be adding more images to your website, but these are usually small image files; in the hierarchy of the web, a video will slow down your website much more than a small image.
Another factor that can influence the load time of your website is the amount of excess code you have on your site (that is a topic for another day - but ask your webmaster, and they will know what I am talking about).
3. Information
The number one thing that visitors look for is information. They are coming to your site to be educated about your products and/or services and, most of all, how THEY can benefit. With this in mind, it is critical for the information on your website to be accurate, complete and up-to-date. Visitors will leave your site in a split second if the information you are providing is old news.
What's that best way to provide up-to-date information on your website? The best way we suggest is through blogs and articles. By having a section on your website for blogs and articles, you can provide new, relevant and educational information to your visitors. Adding them is not only simple, but it is fast too!
So there are my three simple tips for the month on how to make your website user-friendly. Although this covered just the beginning of what your website should contain, don't worry, I won't leave you stranded– I'll reveal even more tips in next month's article!
The main reason why website owners love article marketing is because it's an effective way to build long term traffic to a website.
Here's how that works:
When you do article marketing, you're writing articles on the general topic of your website, and then submitting the articles to article directories and other online publishers.
When website owners need content they will look at article directories and select articles that they'd like to re-publish on their website. Each time your article is picked up for re-publication, your resource box (including a link back to your website) is also published.
So, as more and more publishers pick up your article, you build more and more links.
Pretty much every person who's doing article marketing knows the power of building links and also that the links contribute to an elevated search engine ranking, but a question that I get repeatedly is this:
“What would be the benefit of having my article published on smaller websites? I mean, those websites don't have authority in Google's eyes–why bother with them?”
I would answer that there is definitely benefit to having your article published on websites of all sizes–big, medium and small websites.
The big websites are the ones that attract the most attention–everyone wants a link from a website that is seen as an authority in Google's eyes. But there are a few reasons why you should solicit publication on lesser known websites too:
1) Yes, one way that article marketing builds traffic is by increasing your search engine ranking for your keyword terms, but don't forget that traffic is also driven to a website through your articles themselves.
For example, a potential customer might find your website in one of the following ways:
*By doing a Google search for your keyword terms, and then finding your article or your website listed in the results.
*By stumbling across your article and then clicking the link in your resource box that leads to your website.
The first way is indirect traffic–a potential customer has to do a search for your keyword terms, and then your article or your website appears high up in the search engine rankings.
The second way is direct traffic–the person visits a favorite directory or otherwise stumbles upon your article, and then just clicks from your article through to your website.
A link from the bigger websites will aid your cause if you're trying to rise up in the search engine rankings. A link from an authority site can help boost Google's estimation of your article and in turn help your website jump up in the rankings.
But a link from any size website (even small ones) can help you build direct traffic. Direct traffic is independent of Google and search engine rankings–if a reader happens to see your article on a website, they can go directly to your website from your resource box.
For this reason, it is a good idea to have your article published on as many sites as possible. The more website's that pick up your article for publication, the more opportunities for your potential customers to see your article (and then click through to your website).
2) Imagine this–even a newbie website that has only 50 visitors a day creates 50 chances for your article to come before the eyes of potential customers.
Would you turn down the opportunity to speak to 50 potential customers if you had the chance?
I think not.
Then why pass up the opportunity to have your article published on as many websites as possible–small, medium and mega-sized sites?
3) What is a small site today is not necessarily a small site tomorrow.
Websites grow and change in their authority and ranking (thankfully!). Instead of discarding the idea of getting a link from a lesser known site, why not go for that link now, when the site is still in its infancy, and then ride the escalator up with their increasing success?
There is merit to receiving backlinks from online publishers regardless of size. Yes, the mega size sites offer more benefits, but that doesn't mean that links from other sites are worthless.
If you think about it, it's kind of like comparing mega bookstores with independent bookstores–this is Amazon vs The Corner Bookstore. When an author has a book that she wants people to buy, she will make certain that her book is available on Amazon, but she will also take an interest in the smaller bookstores.
As an article marketer, your article is your book, and it's your job to market it. Don't you want it appearing in as many “bookstores” as possible?
I got into SEO back in 1998. Back in the day, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was much simpler than it is today. Most tricks like blatant keyword spamming and hidden key phrases worked like a champ. Even better, little tricks like these were usually OK to use. Not anymore.
In fact, most old-school tricks don't work today and many can get your pages banned. This is great news for you. Over the next few minutes I'll show you how to make Google absolutely LOVE your web pages and help you jump to the top!
Here is what you need to know… Google places about 90% of its ranking priorities on content and links. Keywords are still important, but only in your pages' content (not the META Tags.)
Sounds simple, right? Definitely! And it really is. First you find the best keywords and place them just right in your web page text. Next you get great inbound links. Then finally, you monitor your progress closely (and competition's progress.)
Step 1: Find the Best Keywords
Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in any keyword or phrase you think your target audience is looking for.
Tip: Use specific keyword phrases whenever possible. If you have a Web page dealing with floral delivery, think beyond just the word “flowers”, with its 257,000,000 competing pages on Google and try “sending flowers”, which has fewer than one percent the number of competing pages (at 1,940,000 pages) but plenty of people searching for it each month (”flowers” = 24,900,000 searches last month while “sending flowers” had 9,400,000.) Think about it for a minute… You can compete against less than less than 1% of the pages for about 40% of the possible targeted visitors. Now that's impressive! You have a huge advantage over 99.5% of your competition with just that single tip.
Now list the top three keywords and keyword phases in order from best to second best and so on. You'll need this for your content.
Step 2: Develop Killer Content
Content is your most important on page optimization resource. Don't ever forget that. It is what Google bases your ranking on, AFTER linking that is. Developing search engine friendly, “people optimized” content is vital to your success. Google can read a Web page just like a person does, thanks to natural text algorithms. And they can tell if you are writing your pages for real people or just trying to get higher ranking. Relax. With this tip, you will do both!
First, grab a pen and pad and call a friend. Tell him all about your product or service. You're talking to a friend so be natural and let it flow. Forget grammar.
Now end the call and write it all down. Write it word for word, as close as you can remember it. If you can record the call, that's even better.
Next, go through your newly developed page content and fit your top keyword somewhere near the beginning of the first sentence. Now try to find a natural place to insert your number two keyword; hopefully also in the first paragraph. If possible, try to get your third keyword somewhere in the second paragraph.
Now place each of your three keywords in the next three paragraphs; one keyword per paragraph. Just work it in naturally. If it doesn't fit, don't force it.
Avoid repeating any given keyword more than four times per page and mix it up a little. Use one of the keywords a little more or less than the others so it does not create a visible pattern.
When you get to your final paragraph at the bottom of the page, be sure to use your most important keyword in the latter half.
Step 3: Get Great Links and Monitor Your Progress
Today, quality inbound links typically account for more than 85% of your Google ranking success. Getting the best possible links is the critical step that will put your Web pages over the top. But don't stop there! Finding and landing these links is an ongoing task that needs to happen every couple weeks, at the least. Once you are on the right track you need to monitor your progress and your site's status (how any given search engine actually sees it). This will tell you not just where you are, but also where you are most likely to be. Years ago we had to do all link work and monitoring by hand, and it took a long time. I averaged about 16 hours per week for each site! My advice is to find a good SEO tool and let it do that work for you. If you get hold of the right product, it's the best money you'll ever spend.
I used WebPosition for almost three years but switched to another with automated linking, which I personally find the most time consuming part of any SEO project. Both are excellent products for tracking and reporting however (Please note that Google has since banned Web Position due to abuse but it still works great on other search engines and has very nice reporting features and worth considering if you own an SEO company with many clients.)
#1 Pick: http://www.SeoEliteWeb.com
Cost = $167 (actual cost: lifetime free upgrades and no annual fees)
Personal Results: 121 top 5 rankings on Google in 3 weeks; Mostly 1's and 2's.
Top Features: Finds best link partners; Automates the link building process; Provides great Site Monitoring on the major search engines including Google.
Comments: The linking alone was enough reason for me to buy it but I have since learned it does a whole lot more. I'm on version 4 after purchasing version 2 in 2005 and getting the free updates since.
#2 Pick: http://www.webposition.com
Cost = $389 WebPosition Pro or $149 Standard (actual cost: add $99 per year subscription fees for either)
Personal Results: 44 top 5 rankings in Google in 8 weeks; Mostly 3's and 4's.
Top Features: Site Monitoring; Excellent reporting (but now banned on Google); Site Critic
Comments: I stopped using this one because there were no automated linking capabilities. I did however enjoy the reporting. If you own an SEO company the reporting is great to have but be advised that Google has banned the use of this product against their site and blocks it.
Now you are ready to take on the best of Google and win. Good luck!
With the economic downturn as of late, businesses are forced to be more careful with their marketing budget. The dichotomy however, is that small businesses need SEO more than any other type of marketing platform to keep afloat, reach a more targeted type of consumer and achieve a healthy ROI on dwindling margins due to inflation.
Not having deep pockets to throw away on ineffectual websites that exist soley for branding like the colossal corporate counterparts (the big brands that are publicly traded) means being more adept to identify advantage and moving quicker to secure a niche.
Most enterprise clients have a plethora of red tape and legality that even if they could make a push for specific keywords or market segments , the bureaucracy alone would slow the process to a crawl vs. their nimble and fleet footed small business who are competing for same market share.
So, what can a small business do to turn the tables on the competition large or small?
1) Tone down the PPC Spend Per Month - and focus on creating organic rankings.
Sounds simple enough, as you know PPC (pay per click advertising) is addictive and can be like crack in the sense that once you start using it, your hooked.
Why pay for 100% of the traffic when only 2 out of 10 people executing a broad match search actually click PPC links anyway? Just do the math and invest a few months in the less competitive phrases to wein yourself away from the clutches of PPC.
Most keywords can be acquired for $500-1,500 organically, unless they are competitive, which takes more time to chip away and produce the same results.
It is the same traffic/visitors clicking your link ultimately with organic rankings, the advantage is, that you do not have to pay every time they do, so it is an aggregate value amortized over time.
2) Specialize instead of brand - instead of thinking broad and attempting to optimize a series of competitive keywords.
Focus on ROI and target dozens of topical long tail keywords instead.
By targeting less competitive terms, you establish a foothold and can start building an organic link profile that indicates that your website is a go to source for related products, services and information. Granted it is an investment in time (to build authority) but the takeaway produces long-term effects that put money back in your pocket 10 fold over time.
3) Plan for the future - Start putting future tense landing pages with supporting content in the index so that when they mature, your website hedges itself as a result of diversity.
This tutorial on how to create a ranking juggernaut will provide a great overview on the process as well as how to develop website authority.
The competition is not going to decrease, so thinking about it will only let them dig in further, you need to take action and take action now to secure your place in search engines tomorrow. Whoever says rankings and SEO are dead are failing to grasp the adage of supply and demand. Consumers will always have a need to consume and as the methodology shifts (yellow pages to search engines, traditional search to personalized or mobile platforms), positioning is imperative across a variety of sectors which have the potential for conversion.
The lines of marketing and SEO are becoming mere facets of the other. To embrace one without the other is pointless. The conversion medium has evolved and necessity dictates that all businesses interested in achieving a higher / more efficient return on investment should also.
SEO is a great alternative to simply broadcasting your message through traditional (muted) channels . Just consider it a cost-effective opt-in method for consumers already searching for your targeted keywords and long-tail key phrases. It all boils down to exposure and opportunity, both are prevalent with SEO.
If you're like me, then you've probably heard all about article marketing, SEO, video marketing, social bookmarking, press releases, blogging, etc…
They are the cornerstones of Internet Marketing. And they work. But sometimes don't you just want to read about something new. I know I do. In fact, every time I discover a new traffic technique, it's like opening a shiny new present on Christmas morning.
And I'm hoping I can give you that feeling with this article, because I'm about to reveal 3 traffic methods that you may not have heard of yet.
1. Download Sites
You can get thousands of visitors with download sites, even if you've never programmed a day in your life.
Here's what I do. I take my articles and turn them into EXE files. This allows me to submit my article to hundreds of software directories, sending me hundreds of one-way links and visitors.
Now, here's a quick tip on how you can use this technique to build your subscriber list quickly. Require people to register for your software (in this case your ebook is considered software) before they are able to read your ebook. This allows you to grow your list quickly simply by recycling your articles and turning them into EXE files.
You can turn your articles into EXE files using some free software called WebSiteZip Packer. This software will allow you to turn an HTML page into a solid executable file (.exe) with an integreated HTML browser.
Quick Tip: This is an excellent way to get hundreds of one-way backlinks by using those PLR articles you have laying around.
Since you're converting the articles into software, you don't have to worry about duplicate content. Just one of your plr articles can now generate you 100's of one-way backlinks by converting it into software and submitting it to all the different software directories.
Here's a list of some of the top download sites you can submit to…
Download.com
Tucows.com
Versiontracker.com
Jumbo.com
freedownloadcenter.com
regnow.com
regsoft.com
5star-shareware.com
shareit.com
topshareware.com
passtheshareware.com
sharewarejunkies.com
softpedia.com
shareware.com
Plus, Google loves these authority sites, especially Download.com. I've found many of my software titles ranking on the front page of Google with these high-authority download sites.
2. Get your articles into Google News.
Google News has become very popular in the past couple years and can send you a ton of traffic. To get your article into Google news, all you have to do is get published on one of the many sites that is syndicated by Google News.
I personally use the American Chronicle.
You can sign up for an author's account and start submitting articles. Once your article is published, it will be listed on 20 sites owned by the American Chronicle as well as Google News.
This strategy can send you a lot of traffic, especially if you use the right keywords.
3. Webwire.com.
I have saved the best for last…
Webwire.com is a hidden gem that I have been using to rank on the front page of Google within 24 hours.
Here's a quick overview of how I am able to capture front page rankings…
First, I title my press release with the keyword phrase that I want to rank for. I have found that keyword phrases with a competition of less than 30,000 (in quotes) in Google rank really well.
I then make sure to include the phrase and variations in the first and last paragraph. Sprinkle it in but don't go hog wild.
This simple formula has landed me multiple front page rankings and thousands of visitors.
