You can call it anything you want, but ultimately when you break down every business to it’s core, you are engaging in commerce and trading a commodity for payment. Yes you may be aspiring to make a difference in the world, or help other business owners just like you achieve greater levels of success, or you may even be in business to create social change. But ultimately, you as a business owner must do one thing to make it all happen. You have to sell your products, services, and ideas for a profit.

To Make a Profit, Your Target Market Must Know That You Exist.

Your target market must be able to find you and learn more about what you have to offer and how it can help them solve their problems or achieve their goals. Only then will they be able purchase from you.

The easiest way to help you target market find you is:

1. To combine an impressive, eye-catching website or blog with consistently updated, fresh, and compelling content.
2. To optimize every aspect of the website and content. You must optimize first for the user with an easy flow of information, and second for the search engine robots to help increase your search engine rankings.

Gone are the days of merely having an online presence or brochure website. Now with web 2.0, it is all about interaction, engagement, community, relationships, sharing, teaching, and learning.

Your website can no longer be just a place for prospects to learn more about you. It can no longer be a glorified brochure.

With more and more businesses turning to the Internet each day to expand their market reach, high quality website design and blog design is becoming more important than ever.

Your website needs to:

1. Stand out from every other website in your industry. It needs to stick in the minds of your website visitors so they come back and tell their friends about your website.
2. Provide the information your visitors need and want quickly and easily.
3. Be a central hub of activity, sharing, and interaction, as well as a resource for fresh, valuable, useful content.
4. Show up on the first page of the search engine results pages for your keywords and long tail key phrases.

If you can position your website as the hub of activity and go-to resource for your niche, you will fill your marketing pipeline or marketing funnel with a consistent stream of new prospects and new customers. And, you will soon increase profits!

Do you have any questions about updating your content and making your website a lead generating, profit machine? Let me know!

In fact, while search engine optimization efforts do accelerate your results and help drive more traffic to your website, many entrepreneurs and business owners are seeing an increase in website traffic and search engine page rankings as a result of simply adding a blog to their existing website, or upgrading their existing website to include a blog and a complete content management system, such as WordPress (which is what this site is built on).

Here are some quick ideas to add fresh and new content to your website:

• Add a newsroom or press room to your website and add press releases and new articles as appropriate.
• Integrate a blog or upgrade your website to a blogsite to easily add short blog posts with valuable information.
• Create an articles section on your website and add new articles as they are written.
• Publish RSS feeds on your website of other complimentary blogs, positioning you as an information publisher.
• Add a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section to your website and as your prospects and customers ask you new questions, add the question and answer to your website.

Do you have any other ideas on ways you can make it easy to add new content to your website? Have you tried on of these options and had success? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Here’s the problem. Your website needs to be a whole lot more than just pretty and attractive. It needs to be a 24 hour a day lead generating machine that makes your life easier and helps your increase your profits.

Don’t get me wrong, high quality design is very important to your branding, image, credibility and professionalism, as well as the flow of information in your website. But, you website needs much more than high quality web design.

Your website needs to be planned strategically to help you achieve your goals and objectives. It needs to accelerate your progress toward achieving your big vision.

But how do you do that?

There are several ways you can build a more functional website that gets results, such as:

• Consistently adding fresh content
• Distributing press releases
• Writing articles
• Advertising online
• Optimizing your site and content
• Giving away free reports and audios
• Integrating email marketing and CRM software
• Utilizing auto responders
• Adding a shopping cart

With that said, there is one thing you can add to your business website that will get you faster results than any of the items listed above.

It is adding a blog to your business website, more specifically, adding a WordPress blog to your business website.

A blog is the number one way to increase your online visibility, increase your search engine ranking, and drive more traffic to your website.

Here are a few other reasons your business should have a blog:

Google loves blogs. Posting fresh, valuable content to a blog at minimum once a week will have you soaring to the first page of Google. In fact, in some cases, where the sites have been optimized for a specific niche, they can get to Google’s first page in less than 24 hours.

You retain total control over your website. With a blog-based website, you don’t have to ask your web designer or web developer to make changes for you. You can log in to your website at any time from any place and make the changes yourself.

Blog Sites are easily customizable. With a website based on a blogging platform like WordPress, you can change the elements and the look of your site relatively easy. You have access to the back-end programming if needed, and you can install and activate a plug-in for pretty much anything you may need.

You can reach your target market faster. Blogging increases the speed at which your content appears in the search engines. This means your target market and people searching for your keywords will find your website faster and more often, which translates into more sales or list conversions.

Blogging facilitates interaction. Allowing comments on your blog and responding to comments left by your blog visitors, shows your audience that you care about what they have to say and what they think. It raises your credibility, it builds stringer relationships, and it builds their trust in you.

Have you added a blog to your business website? What results have you seen?

If you’re thinking about adding a blog to your website, what question do you have? Let me know below and I’d love to help!

It’s not about you. It’s about them.

But what does that mean? It’s simple really. It means that you need to stop talking about yourself and stop writing what you want to hear said about you and your business.

Instead, focus on what your audience wants to hear, what they want to learn, and what information they need. Then you need to focus on getting it to them as quickly as possible.

Think of it this way, when someone is searching for something online, they more than likely aren’t just browsing with endless amounts of time. Usually they are searching for a specific piece of information, answer to their questions, or solution to their problem – and they are turning to the Internet to find what they need fast.

Your job as a website owner is to research your target market, find out that they want, need, and desire, learn how you can help them, and then deliver it.

Attract more clients, attract more customers, and attract more prospects.

Once you begin to tailor your content right to your target market and deliver the information they need, you will begin to attract more clients, attract more customers, and attract more prospects.

You will also to see your webiste traffic increase, which means more people are seeing your message, experiencing your brand, and hopefully taking action.

Getting your website visitors to take action is a huge part of why you want to get them there in the first place. Understanding what action you want them to take and focusing on making them want to take that action is the key.

So remember, when developing your website and it’s content, it is imperative that you focus first on delivering quality content your audience that they want and need, and second on making your offer so irresistible that it becomes a “duh” action or a no-brainer.

Also don’t be afraid to test different headlines, page designs, colors, or calls to action to find just the right combination of elements that will maximize your conversions, and in turn, your website profits.

Do you have any other ideas? Let me know below!

Pairing the two, SEO and shopping, at first sounds very strange. But in reality the two are actually very similar and when the beast that is Search Engine Optimization is broken down into shopping terms, it makes much more sense!

Let’s start with shopping. So much fun. Imagine that you’re strolling through the mall, laughing with friends, and deciding which store to go into next. More than likely you are going to base that decision off something that you NEED or WANT.

The shopping process may go something like this:

• You are strolling through the mall and you know you need/want new shoes.
• You see the signage for shoe stores.
• You pick the one that looks the most like what you want and walk in the store.
• You scan the store to make sure in fact they sell shoes.
• You walk around to check out the different types of shoes they sell.
• You try some different pairs of shoes on and walk around in them a bit.
• You make a purchase.

Now imagine what would happen if you see signage for a shoe store, you walk in and instead saw handbags. Or imagine you walked in and there were some shoes, but they were way in the back of the store and you had to wade through a bunch of other merchandise to get to them. What would you do? You would leave and move on to the next store.

Search Engine Optimization operates on the same principles. Just like why you go shopping, people are searching online because they have a PROBLEM, they NEED something, or they WANT something. And, when searching online they expect a FAST and EASY solution.

The online search process may go something like this:

• You have a problem, a need or a want and you are searching online for a solution with a search engine.
• You check out the search engine results.
• You pick the one that sounds the most like what you looking for and click on the link.
• You scan the page to make sure it is offering what you’re looking for.
• You scroll down and read some of the content or click some of the links to find out more information.
• You sign up for a download of a free introductory product to try out the product or service.
• You like what the information or product you received and you proceed to make a purchase.

Are you starting to see the similarities yet? The overall process is almost the same. Here are some common SEO terms and a description of how they fit into the processes outlined above:

SEARCH ROBOT: The search engine robots basically are shoppers. They are programmed to cruise the Internet, review Web sites, scan content, check links, etc. They are making sure your site offers what you say it does and they are using a wide array of criteria to determine the value of your site and whether or not they should tell their friends about you.

TITLE TAGS: Each page on your Web site should have a different title tag that is no more than 70 characters long. The content for the title tag is what appears in the very top left-hand corner of your browser window. This is the equivalent of a bricks and mortar storefront sign. This is the first thing the search robot reads. The title tag tells the robot what it is going to find on that page.

URL: Your URL or domain name is the doorway into your store. It is the address of your site and they way the search robot gets into your site to check out your content.

DESCRIPTION TAG: The description meta tag is the results of your initial scan of a store. Just as you scan a store to see what they have inside, the search robot checks your description to make sure it matches the content and kaywords/key phrases on the page.

KEYWORD TAG: They keyword meta tag is where you put your keywords and key phrases. These are the equivalent to the items sold in a store. Remember, this is not the place for you to put in information about you or the names of your products or services. This is the place to put in the keywords and phrases that your target market would use to search for what you offer. They may search using terms associated with their problem, need or want, or they may search using terms associated with the solution or benefits you offer, or they may even search with terms associated with the benefits they will get.

TARGETED CONTENT: Keep the content for your Web site separated into individual pages for each different service or product. Make sure the content on that page is targeted and focused on getting the visitor to take action with regards to that specific product. Each page on your site is like a different department in a department store. Just as you won’t see displays for house wares in women’s clothing, you should mix content for your products and services. Your targeted content should include your keywords and key phrases used in your keyword meta tag as well.

Think of it this way:

• The search robot browses the Internet and sees your sign for blue widgets. (title tag)
• The search robot enters your site. (through your url/domain)
• The search robot looks for an overview of the problem, benefits and solution the page addresses. (description tag)
• The search robot makes sure the products in the store are what you say you’re selling. (keyword tag)
• The search robot scans all of the content in the site, making sure information of value is being provided that is consistent with your signage and that you are delivering the content you promise to your visitors. (targeted content)

Remember, when you are shopping, you’re most often looking for a great deal, or an items that has great value. You are driven by advertising, point-of-display signage, sales people and other factors to take action and make a purchase. to do the same thing online you need more than target content, you also need…

COMPELLING CONTENT: When someone is searching online, they have a problem, need or want and you are offering the solution. Always keep your visitor’s needs in mind and think like them. When a prospect visits your site, you want them to immediately say, “This is for me” or “This is exactly what I was looking for” or “I am so happy to have found this site.” You want to get them to feel an emotion because purchasing decisions are most often based on emotions.

When creating content, remember these four easy steps:

• Identify the problems, needs and wants you solve.
• Communicate with emotion the value and benefits prospects will receive from your product or service and how it will help them.
• Provide the solution and save the day.
• Drive them to TAKE ACTION.

When working with Search Engine Optimization, remember these five things:

• Have a compelling sign to catch visitors’ attention (title).
• Have a great doorway into your site (URL).
• Have a targeted description about what you offer (description).
• Have a brief listing of items someone may be looking for (keywords).
• Provide them a lot of stuff to review or something to try out (focused, compelling, action driven content).

I advise my clients to implement one strategy at a time. Not only will this help you gauge the effects your efforts have on your site traffic and search ranking, but it will also help make your efforts more manageable.

With that said, here are three key things that I often see left out of the optimization process:

Home Page Content

Often, the home page is the least thought out page on your site, offering only a basic welcome message. What most entrepreneurs don’t understand is that when it comes to getting found by search engines, your website’s home page is the most important page in your site. Your home page should be a concise summary of the rest of your website content, providing the reader and search robot a very clear picture of what information your site is providing and communicate why a visitor should view the rest of your website.

ALT Tags

Alt tags are used in the HTML of a website to label images and graphics. These labels tell the search robots what the image is and how it is related to the content on the page. Just about every image on your website should have an alt tag and if the image is relevant to the content on the page, having an alt tag associated with it becomes even more important. For example, if your are an author and you have a web page dedicated to your recent book, the alt tag “Name Of Book by Your Name” would be a great alt tag for the image of your book cover. By adding the alt tag to your images, you are increasing your pages chance of being found and indexed by the search engines.

XML Site Maps

Every website should have an XML site map. If your have a very large site, an HTML site map can help your visitors find a specific page on your website quickly. An XML site map is used behind-the-scenes to communicate the structure and flow of your website and it can be submitted directly to Google. Several free XML site map generators are available online, such as www.xml-sitemaps.com (I use this one), www.inspyder.com/SitemapCreator, and www.PowerMapper.com/xml-sitemaps.

10. You Hired Your Friend’s Kid.

You’ve heard all about how he is great with computers and is a tech genius. He took a design class in high school or maybe a couple courses at the local community college and he has done a couple websites. Your friend mentions this a few times and you see a chance to get your website done and save some money. At first you’re excited, and then you start to realize that developing a professional polished website that works isn’t as easy as you thought. Soon you’ve spent hundred of dollars and you’re unhappy. You don’t even want to tell people your have a website because you’re embarrassed. So not only did you waste your money, but you wasted your valuable, billable time and lost out of some potential new business.

9. You Used Free Do-It-Yourself Software.

You knew you needed hosting of some sort and you decided to buy it before consulting with your web designer/developer. In the process of buying hosting you saw a cool tool to design your site yourself. Awesome, right? I mean how hard can slapping together a website be? So you used the free tools, maybe took a class on HTML, or you bought a template to work on. Good for you. But then you start to wonder why the search engines aren’t finding you – in fact why no one is finding you. And you begin to wonder why your site isn’t converting visitors into customers. The bottom line? Go ahead and dabble with HTML and put together a website for fun, or learn enough to make some quick edits on the fly. But when it comes to your business, if you want a site that will attract attention, get remembered, bring in new business, and get the results you want, you should hire a professional. I mean you wouldn’t cut your hair yourself would you? Heck no! For that head-turning, double-take, fabulous cut, you go to a trusted professional.

8. You hired a Marketing/PR/Advertising Consultant Who Does Websites.

Ok. The title of this one alone sounds ludicrous. Would you hire a gardener to take care of your pool? No! Yes, they are in similar fields, but no they are not the same. Most marketing professionals who offer design services do so because to make more money. They outsource the work to a designer, mark up the project and then sell it to you. And then you’re left getting advice from a pseudo expert and the not actual expert. Plus if you hire a good designer who understands the marketing aspect, you’re duplicating costs! Now, iIn some cases this works great. I subcontract for select marketing professionals because I am brought in on the project from the first day and work directly with the client. The problem arises when the consultant is the intermediary. First, you must be careful your consultant is not outsourcing design work to third-world countries because they can make more money on the project with a cheap subcontractor (Remember the saying you get what you pay for). Second, you want to make sure your message, desires, goals, etc. are not getting lost in the translation from person to person. Don’t let your communications end up like the game telephone we all played as kids.

7. Your Website Design is Awful.

Kym Yancey commented from the stage at the eWomenNetwork conference in 2008, If you don’t take your business seriously, if you don’t value your business enough to have it designed by a professional visual communications expert, then how can you expect anyone else to take you seriously and value what you offer. If your website looks like it was done by a high school kid, was slapped together in a weekend or is just pain unprofessional people will not want to give you their money.

6. You Are Using A Splash Page.

Splash pages with maybe some Flash animation may have been considered cool when they first came out, but they are not anymore. If you’re using one of these on your website, you are loosing out on potential new business every day. Splash pages actually do more harm than good. They add clicks the visitor has to make to get to your information, they usually have no content the search engines can index, and they interrupt the flow of information.

5. Your Website Content is Missing.

If you have a basic website with maybe three pages and barely any content, you’re telling your visitors that you only have a site because some told you that you had to have one. You’re sending the message that you don’t think your site is worth paying attention to and you don’t really value what it can do for you, so you posted something pretty and just left it to sit there. What you need is valuable timely content the user can relate to. Deliver content they want and include information they need on a regular basis.

4. Your Website is Boring.

Your site is your opportunity for you to educate visitors on why they need you, what you offer and how you can help them. Answer the questions: 1) What can you do for me and; 2) Why should I care? Make sure the content is interesting and fun and add some personal touches too. People do business with other people they trust. Use your site as a launching ground for building new relationships, invited communication and interaction and have fun doing it.

3. You Forgot SEO and Traffic Building.

You can have the most amazing, fantastic, gorgeous website design ever seen, but if no one can find the site, it was a waste of money. Don’t forget to include in your budget various Search Engine Optimization (SEO), site marketing, and traffic building techniques.

2. Your Website is Too Generic.

You can have the most amazing, fantastic, gorgeous website design ever seen, but if you don’t stand out from your competition, you will not be remembered. A pretty site is completely different from a memorable, “sticky” site that stands out among the rest. A branded site communicates a completely unique selling proposition. It communicates why you are different, what sets you apart, and why your visitors need you. The worst thing a small business is to do is compete on price and that is what your visitors will default to if you don’t give them something else to focus on.

1. Your Website Didn’t Begin at The End.

The absolute first thing you should do when planning your website is to identify the primary and secondary goals of the website. Define exactly what you want to get from completing the project, what change or difference you want to see and what action you want the visitors to take. Be sure to clearly guide your visitors to take that action by communicating with “you” communications instead of “me” communications. If you jump right into the design and development of the site without addressing these issues, it more than likely will not give you’re the return on your investment you were hoping for.