What Is SEO?
The acronym 'SEO' means Search Engine Optimization. It basically boils down to where your website shows up in search engines (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) when people search for a topic related to you or your business. Think of it this way, if you put your business along side of Palm Coast Parkway you will obviously gain more exposure than a business not on Palm Coast Parkway. The question is does that exposure really mean an actual increase in business? Many that sell 'SEO services' will obviously tell you yes it does, but I do not agree with that. For example, I was reading an article the other day where an individual has invested heavily into great SEO for their website and gets on average of about 20,000 visitors per month. In terms of the business that generates . . . about 1 customer per month. 20,000 visitors per month is a great result for any website, but if you are only generating 1 customer per month from that kind of traffic you can bet the website itself has a lot of opportunities. In fact I can guarantee you that the time on the site from a visitor is minimal and return visitors is extremely low without ever looking at the statistics. To put it bluntly, the visitor experience is not good.
SEO is a result of a lot of things when it comes to a website. A lot of which is about linking to and from other websites that are relevant to your business. There are technicals as well that can be tweaked to enhance the exposure to a website and will take time to 'take hold'. Designers come in to real play here with these things.
Purpose of a Website
The first thing to consider in regards to a website is the purpose, and this is the most important foundation in my opinion. A website should be a virtual extension of your existing store or office. It should provide visitors with a similar experience and set of services. Think for a minute about your physical business location. Prior to that ever opening, you probably selected a location that would get you the best possible future exposure. But prior to ever opening the doors, you set the location up to create the best possible visitor experience and a format which would provide them the best possible set of services. Right? The website is therefore no different. What I find most people doing is creating a 'great big giant business card' as Gary Keller puts it. And if that's what you create, you'll get little or no benefit from your website for your business.
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| Office Divvy |
Tell People About the Website & It's Benefits
Don't forget to look at your website in a manner that is similar to your physical business or group. It should enhance the services you provide. But more importantly, the success of that website to serve it's purpose and role within your business/group shouldn't be 'left to chance' and simply SEO. Just like you advertise your existing business . . . advertise your website!
Some Great Local Websites To Check Out
- The City of Palm Coast
- Office Divvy
- PalmCoastHomeShow.com
- Community Mortgage Solutions
- Flagler County Chamber of Commerce
- Visit Flager
- FlaglerOnline.com
- FlaglerSchools.com
- Flagler County Property Appraiser
- GoToby.com
- Golden Lion Cafe
What are your thoughts?
Also, check back for the 'Going Back to School Digital' post coming soon.
