Who knows your business best? That’s an easy one – you do, the business owner. So why leave the tasks of creating an Internet presence and developing an SEO strategy to someone who doesn’t know the business the way you do? It’s because most business owners view their website as separate entities, not as an extension of the company. Owners are usually unschooled in SEO, SERP, search position, and other ‘computer stuff’, so they leave website development to the geeks and the nerds. But that’s like letting your maid pick your furniture and carpet because she’s the one who cleans it.
We work with our clients to change that mindset. There are tasks and logistics that should be left to the computer nerds, but your website and Internet presence is yours, and you – the business-owner – must be involved. You wouldn’t let the aforementioned maid pick your furniture, but you would let her clean your house using the tools and techniques that are her own. The process of developing your Internet presence must be delineated, separating the logistics of getting it done from the content and style that reflects the character of the business. Increased search position depends on getting this right.
Your Website Is You
Increasingly, a company’s website is the first interaction that a company makes with a potential customer or client. As customers refer to Google, Yahoo or Bing to help them decide who to purchase from, more and more consumers navigate over to a website via a Google search rather than visit a physical showroom. Having the most beautiful showroom filled with the best products at the best price doesn’t guarantee you sales like before. If you don’t have a website for searchers to browse to, then how will they know anything about your beautiful showroom?
All businesses should have a website. That is a cold hard fact that for every business owner to understand. Here are some primary reasons:
- Websites are cheap, so not having one says to potential clients that your business is cheap – and not in a good way. It’s a good selling point to have cheap prices, but not having a website leads people to believe that you chintzy, not necessarily a great bargain.
- Not having a website may lead consumers to believe that your business is out of touch, and that you don’t care enough about your customers to introduce your products or services to them online. You wouldn’t have an empty showroom for potential buyers who show up at your store, but by foregoing a website, you are doing exactly that to a huge potential market of online shoppers and researchers.
- You don’t have pride in your products or services. Consider the proud papa who shows his baby pictures to anyone who will stand there long enough for him to pluck the pictures out of his wallet. If you aren’t showing off your products to someone who showed interested, then you must not have confidence in your products. That’s the impression your potential customers may get.
There are plenty of other reasons to invest in your company’s future, but these are sufficient. The new reality is that your Internet presence represents your company, whether you have one or not. You may forego the Internet presence, and risk alienating web-savvy customers, or bite the bullet and get it done. But it has to be done right. Your website isn’t separate from your company, it is your company for the growing share of clients looking online for the products and services that you offer. You, as the business owner, know what your Internet presence should convey, but you may not know how to make it happen. The synergy that exists when you work together with an SEO expert almost always leads to high search position.
Leave the Cleaning To the Maids
You hire the maid for one particular job – to clean. You hire a local SEO firm to develop an extension of your company that’s online – not to define your online presence they way they see fit. Your online presence must emulate your brick and mortar store (or service company). The company’s atmosphere should permeate the website, and the company mission and vision should be clear from browsing the website. The information presented must not be generic text written by someone who knows nothing about your business or industry.
Many SEO company’s will outsource the tedious task of copywriting to overseas companies. These writers are often from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Eastern Europe. The resulting content for your West Texas business may be rife with British syntax or worse – misspellings and grammar goofs. The content on your site should come directly from you, the business owner, so the website will mimic your actual business.
You Are the Expert – Use That For Higher Search Position
Google loves authoritative content. This aspect of Google search actually benefits business owners who play their cards right. If you can put your experience down in writing on your website in some manner, Google will recognize that as authoritative content. Your site will rank higher, and invariably receive more views.
Work with your webmaster and/or SEO firm to translate your experience and knowledge of your industry to your website through product or service descriptions, a monthly blog, helpful hints or pointers, or any other content that will identify you and your company as an authority. Besides pleasing Google’s search algorithm, you may find that site visitors react positively to your obvious experience in your field. It’s a win-win scenario.
If you will take the time to be involved with the development of your company’s website – at least from a content standpoint – then you increase your chances of successfully navigating to a top search position on the first page of the Google search results for your important keywords. If you are considering working with a company to rework or develop your company’s Internet presence, submit a quick survey to us. We will reply with a free analysis of your current Internet presence. Browse over to our Red Carpet Form to get started.
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