Unless we know exactly what we are looking for before we set out, our initial search will be a broad brush. Before we arrive at Dr. X's Quickie Gallbladder Clinic in our town, our search may start with “burping after eating”. What this means is you have to think like your potential client. In the book Made to Stick, authors Chip and Dan Heath refer to the 'curse of knowledge'. We assume our potential clients know a great deal about us and our business and often approach our communication in that way. Before a bride finds the couturier gown of her dreams, she may be merely searching “pink chiffon”. “Burping after eating” and “pink chiffon” are keyword phrases.
Meta tags are descriptors incorporated into the code of your website and include your business name and description. Keywords - words relevent to your business like gallbladder, doctor, surgery should also be listed in the code of your website, but keyword phrases can continue to build breadth in your site to cast a wider net and increase traffic. Keyword phrases can be rated for optimum draw and blog posts or pages including these phrases add to the interest and information aspect of your site – ultimately attracting traffic and increasing rank.
The Store with a Thousand Doors
Our metaphor of a storefront is a misnomer in that a website has as many doors as there are pages. You never know which door a potential customer might wander in. Adding pages or posts regularly to your website not only captures the search engine 'bot' (short for algorithm assessor or robot) but adds to the many ways a client might find you.
Your keyword phrases and topics must be consistent with your industry to be most valued by the search algorithm but their diversity can bring in potential clients long before they are ready to buy your product. You can establish a relationship for future business by helping clients with present queries. A wedding gown designer might blog about seasonal fabric choices for consumer clients or about European style trends for the retail distributer in order to capture the broadest market. The more help you can offer your potential clients, the more likely they will turn to you when purchasing. It takes seven contacts to establish trust. How many questions can you answer?
Article comments
1 - Sean D
Please take a look at the very top left of Marilyn Harding's website and see her google analytics code sitting right there: UA-10119037-2. Marilyn you need to check your website in multiple browsers. I bet you won't be able to fix it though since you are not a website designer! This is exactly why the wordpress theme route doesn't work. You actually need to know what you are doing.. It's like doing surgery yourself... It may seem really easy... but if there are complications and if you have no idea about css, you cannot fix it when you have a problem. Then you call up a professional!
GL
2 - Colin Dawson
I completely condone point number 4.
Creating a website is just the starting point, it is no use having a website if you are not going to use some techniques to generate traffic towards the site and once you receive that traffic, to be compelling to the viewer. (As I learnt the hard way in the past)!
Not many people know of the wide range of techniques that you can use to generate traffic to your site and in turn achieve a higher search engine ranking and secure leads.
Coincidentally, I have just received a mailing from a company called Intellimon, which specialize in website design software and traffic generation services. And in this mailing, they are offering a module from their Complete Guide To Traffic training course completely free for Thanksgiving. I redeemed my free module last night from a choice of 30, and have learnt so much, and am already applying these techniques to my site. The link they provided was to their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CompleteGuideTo , I totally recommend you check it out, as you can never have too much knowledge on this subject area.
3 - Marilyn Harding
Hi Sean,
I'm not hiring out as a web designer - good thing! My frustrations and limitations with aspects of templates and plugins make me very respectful of code writers. My ultimate goal is not to be a website developer or to trash website designers.
I do know that many people looking to hook up with a good designer can save themselves money and frustration by asking some relevant questions of those they might hire. This was my intent based on my own experience and the experience of many I know. Personally I think a more informed consumer makes a better client.
And Colin,
Thanks for your comment. There are constantly changing options for traffic generation - organic and purchased. Judging from the majority of websites - if you just glimpse the source code - you will see that many do not comply with the basic Google criteria. Just doing that will set your website above the rest.
When I discovered this on my own professionally designed site written in ColdFusion and costing over $30,000.00 my question to my design company was "Pick your poison - you know this and you did not include it in the source code of my site or you do not know this and you charge me as expert web designers - which is it?". ~ mh
4 - Marilyn Harding
Just a follow up for Sean,
That error with the Google analytics number showing bothered me but I hadn't taken the time to figure it out. After it was pointed out, I contacted the designer of the WordPress "Adaptive" template and within five minutes had the code for the correction.
Tip of the hat to WordPress template designer Jeff Raines
5 - Marilyn Harding
Forgive me - Jeff Rainey - of ThemeSpectrum
6 - Magda
Link exchange is nothing else except it is only placing the other person's webpage link on your page at proper place and other person will also do similar in favor of you.