Get Eyeballs on that Beautiful Biz
First, I'll briefly go into email and newsletter broadcasting. Then, search engine optimization and other ways to get your company's website more traffic.
EMAIL + NEWSLETTER BROADCASTING
It's probably no secret to you that when you receive a "personalized" email or e-newsletter from a company, it's not really all that personalized. Just because it's says Dear Your Name, does not mean someone hand typed 5 million Dear Your Names out. That would kind of ruin the point of Email Marketing, which is:
Keep your name fresh in the mind of the consumer. And I'll add one more important aspect: for as little investment of time and $ as possible!
Customized Email Newsletters were a big part of spreading the word about my previous endeavor, Project Everlasting, and my buddy Mat and I fell in love with a particular software that makes non-web-savvies look downright web-savvy. After working with the software for several years, I feel comfortable recommending it, installing it, even maintaining a campaign for my Peaceful Media clients.
Part of my service is installing the software for clients' sites, and part of it is designing custom templates for newsletter e-blasts. In addition, I also do copywriting for some clients and/or hire out great freelance copy writers who know how to craft great keyword-laden content for websites and communications.
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
I'm not an expert in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I concede that argument right up front. However, I know more than the average joe, and when I do a web project from the ground up, I follow Google's Webmaster rules and guidelines for getting my clients' sites placed on top of the search engines legally, organically, and without paid ads.
A few of their points that I adhere to:
- Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link.
- Offer a site map to your users with links that point to the important parts of your site. If the site map is larger than 100 or so links, you may want to break the site map into separate pages.
- Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
- Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.
- Try to use text instead of images to display important names, content, or links. The Google crawler doesn't recognize text contained in images.
- Make sure that your {title} elements and alt attributes are descriptive and accurate.
- Check for broken links and correct HTML.
- Keep the links on a given page to a reasonable number (fewer than 100).
I submit the .xml sitemap to major search engine directories like Yahoo, MSN, and, of course, Google, so that they are aware of it immediately.
I also install Google Analytics to help you track everything on your site: number of visitors, frequency, return rate, site discovery patterns, keywords used for entry, AdWord campaigns, and much more. Google's AdWords is a great way to get listed in relevant searches. Ask me about setting up a Pay-Per-Click campaign specialized for your business's unique selling propositions.
Links are good! Other sites linking to your site and vice versa is a very helpful aid to improving your search ranks. So, I will help you create social networking profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc., which require very little maintenance, if any.
Blogs are the ultimate linking tool. A blog hosted within your site or as a standalone blog, is a phenomenal way to not only create search engine friendly links, but also keyword-rich content. Not to mention, it's a powerful tool for connecting to your audience. I always suggest to my clients that we set up a Wordpress or Blogger blog in the website; both are super-easy for even the least savvy of webizens to get on and write/deliver content.
For brick and mortar companies, I always suggest getting (and help get) my clients' businesses listed on the online maps: MSN, Yahoo, Google, MapQuest, etc. I can even do a coupon promotion for you on some of these online map services. The more valid, safe, and relative sites that link to yours, the better!
View client Hoagland Therapy's placement on larger Google Map
Websites of the grandest ilk aren't worth a penny if nobody ever sees it but you and your employees! To me, there's huge reward in knowing that certain tricks here and there have helped my clients gain quick presence on the Internet because I know that what I've built has a great opportunity to pay off quickly.
Brand Identity
