Most companies have some sort of website nowadays whether a brochure style site or fully trading shop. E-commerce has become an accessible way for individuals to make money from home either as a main business venture or in addition to their main income. With large wholesalers offering affiliate schemes and drop ship systems website owners do not even have to hold stock. What is surprising however is that despite many overcrowded market places only 5% of online companies understand or use SEO (search engine optimisation).
So why are some companies more successful than others on the Internet? The answer is that they are implementing a Search Engine Optimisation Plan. SEO is now a requirement for any size business and the only difference between large and small organisations will be the budget and personnel involved in promoting the prominence of the company’s website. I have worked with large and small organisations alike and have seen plenty of ways in which the David takes on Goliath in ways that have not been available through traditional advertising and marketing tools. The Internet is now a shopping and reference tool for everything, the telephone book and catalogue. How can you have to rank better than your competitors? You’re among 2 billion other sites so can you stand above all others in your industry?
“My website is the dogs proverbials when it comes to design, isn’t that enough?” Well actually no its not, the design of your site is very important when it comes to converting visitors to your website but they have to visit in the first place. Imagine the most beautiful shop front anyone has ever seen with bounties never seen before on the planet to tempt the shopper but the store is on the third rock South side of the Assynt Peninsula & nobody can see it. Placing a website on the internet is akin to designing a business card, taking a boat across the Atlantic Ocean and dumping them overboard box by box hoping that they will be found by the right person. Yes design is important but without an SEO plan to complement the hard work your visitor rates will be low and conversions however impressive will only be operating on a small scale. When it comes to website promotion and marketing what goes on behind the look of your site is actually more important than the visual aspects or fancy flash technology. Getting ranked for the things that you want people to find you for has become a science but also a science in perpetual motion with changes in method on an ongoing basis. Good Seo involves constant fine tuning and walking the sometimes fine line between successful website promotion & spamming which can have disastrous results. Knowledge is the key and knowing how to use the results of your analysis will allow you to unlock the potential of your web site. Flexibility, patience, stamina, a systematical approach and creativity all combine as qualities for good SEO.