Make Your Website a Business Profit Center
Make Your Website a Business Profit Center
The problem is that they had no idea how they would get traffic to their site before they built it. Lots of people figure if they build they, “they” will come. Perhaps they hired an inexpensive web designer who didn’t have any knowledge of web marketing, strategy, traffic building or search engine optimization. For me, it’s like when my car breaks down. I know nothing about cars and I go to a mechanic that’s been recommended with the hope that they know what they’re doing.
A web designer designs websites. Some offer a more comprehensive service, but most don’t. You need to educate yourself a bit about building a profitable website before you even begin and it’s not always the best idea to use the cheapest designer.
Here are some basic ideas I’d like to share with you from my www.smartrack.net/global-web-tactics1.htm program.
First of all, it’s important to pick the right domain name. Sometimes you need several domain names besides your actual company name. Having a domain name that is based on the most popular keyword phrase that people use to find your type of services is just a small step toward making your website attractive to the search engines. You can buy domain names for as little as $2.95 a year.
Research keywords and keyword phrases that you think would be used to find each page on your site, and compare how many searches are done monthly and how many websites come up in a Google search for that keyword. Tools such as www.nichebot.com allow you to do this easily. Keywords are extremely important on every page and are best determined before you build your website. However, you can always edit your website content and metatags anytime after your website is live.
Learn how to write web content that’s customer focused and search engine friendly. Always make visitors understand right up front that you understand their challenges or wants, since that’s why they’re there. Then show them what the results or benefits would be if they used your service. There is a system that’s fairly simple to follow which will allow you to do this. Search engines today are looking for websites rich in content on a specific topic with keyword-focused pages. Remember that your job is to engage each visitor, so they want to come back again and again.
Make sure you have a data capture form on your home page that encourages visitors to join your mailing list. Offer them something of value in exchange. Once you have that information, you can contact them regularly so they get to know your business. By sharing valuable knowledge, tools, resources and special offers, you will engage them and keep your business top of mind.
Is your website user friendly and easy to navigate? Can a visitor find what they need in with one or two clicks of the mouse? Ask a middle school child to find specific information on your website and time how long it takes. Many online sales are abandoned because too many steps are involved or the process is too complicated.
Pepper your pages with testimonials. It’s important to establish your credibility and expertise at every opportunity. Toot your own horn and don’t save it just for a testimonials page. It shows visitors that it’s worth doing business with you.
Provide valuable information on your website. So many small business websites list products and services and talk about how wonderful the company is. Visitors want answers to questions. Simple surveys can let you know what visitors are looking for so you can give them a free taste of it, which will gather interest. Give them a reason to come back by providing fresh information, resources and tools regularly.
Your website is always a work in progress. If you want your website to be a prospect and profit magnet, it must continually be updated and improved. Think of it as a real profit center in your business and spend the time that you would spend on any profit generating part of your business. You will receive a substantial return on investment from your efforts.
Have access to the control panel of your website and check your visitor statistics regularly. Many of the hundreds of small business owners I’ve worked with didn’t even know they could do this or how to do it. You need to know if the changes you make to your website are making a difference in traffic and how many of those visitors are signing up for your mailing list. Having access to your hosting account and statistics will put you back in control of your website.
I admit this is a very general overview of what you can do to begin to make your website a profit center in your business, but hopefully it will help you take a good, hard look at the money you may be throwing away and it will motivate you to make some positive changes that will produce powerful results.
Make Your Website a Business Profit Center - To learn more about this author, visit Janis Pettit's Website.
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You probably spend lots of time and money building your small business website. Are you getting the results from it that you hoped for? Even if you don’t actually sell products and services from your website, you can make it a traffic magnet. Many small business owners have websites that are simply glorified brochures. They get little traffic and are simply suspended in cyberspace collecting cyberdust. I’ve seen this happen too many times. Clients have come to me perplexed as to why they are not getting new clients from their website. After all, they’re not internet marketers. They’re busy running their business.
The problem is that they had no idea how they would get traffic to their site before they built it. Lots of people figure if they build they, “they” will come. Perhaps they hired an inexpensive web designer who didn’t have any knowledge of web marketing, strategy, traffic building or search engine optimization. For me, it’s like when my car breaks down. I know nothing about cars and I go to a mechanic that’s been recommended with the hope that they know what they’re doing.
A web designer designs websites. Some offer a more comprehensive service, but most don’t. You need to educate yourself a bit about building a profitable website before you even begin and it’s not always the best idea to use the cheapest designer.
Here are some basic ideas I’d like to share with you from my www.smartrack.net/global-web-tactics1.htm program.
First of all, it’s important to pick the right domain name. Sometimes you need several domain names besides your actual company name. Having a domain name that is based on the most popular keyword phrase that people use to find your type of services is just a small step toward making your website attractive to the search engines. You can buy domain names for as little as $2.95 a year.
Research keywords and keyword phrases that you think would be used to find each page on your site, and compare how many searches are done monthly and how many websites come up in a Google search for that keyword. Tools such as www.nichebot.com allow you to do this easily. Keywords are extremely important on every page and are best determined before you build your website. However, you can always edit your website content and metatags anytime after your website is live.
Learn how to write web content that’s customer focused and search engine friendly. Always make visitors understand right up front that you understand their challenges or wants, since that’s why they’re there. Then show them what the results or benefits would be if they used your service. There is a system that’s fairly simple to follow which will allow you to do this. Search engines today are looking for websites rich in content on a specific topic with keyword-focused pages. Remember that your job is to engage each visitor, so they want to come back again and again.
Make sure you have a data capture form on your home page that encourages visitors to join your mailing list. Offer them something of value in exchange. Once you have that information, you can contact them regularly so they get to know your business. By sharing valuable knowledge, tools, resources and special offers, you will engage them and keep your business top of mind.
Is your website user friendly and easy to navigate? Can a visitor find what they need in with one or two clicks of the mouse? Ask a middle school child to find specific information on your website and time how long it takes. Many online sales are abandoned because too many steps are involved or the process is too complicated.
Pepper your pages with testimonials. It’s important to establish your credibility and expertise at every opportunity. Toot your own horn and don’t save it just for a testimonials page. It shows visitors that it’s worth doing business with you.
Provide valuable information on your website. So many small business websites list products and services and talk about how wonderful the company is. Visitors want answers to questions. Simple surveys can let you know what visitors are looking for so you can give them a free taste of it, which will gather interest. Give them a reason to come back by providing fresh information, resources and tools regularly.
Your website is always a work in progress. If you want your website to be a prospect and profit magnet, it must continually be updated and improved. Think of it as a real profit center in your business and spend the time that you would spend on any profit generating part of your business. You will receive a substantial return on investment from your efforts.
Have access to the control panel of your website and check your visitor statistics regularly. Many of the hundreds of small business owners I’ve worked with didn’t even know they could do this or how to do it. You need to know if the changes you make to your website are making a difference in traffic and how many of those visitors are signing up for your mailing list. Having access to your hosting account and statistics will put you back in control of your website.
I admit this is a very general overview of what you can do to begin to make your website a profit center in your business, but hopefully it will help you take a good, hard look at the money you may be throwing away and it will motivate you to make some positive changes that will produce powerful results.
Make Your Website a Business Profit Center - To learn more about this author, visit Janis Pettit's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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