Category: Web Content

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Sometimes What You Really Need Is Not SEO

I had a client contact me this past week and ask me to perform SEO code optimization services on his website as he felt he was not getting enough business and thought it was due to low search engine placement. As part of our process of working with a client, we did a statistical analysis of his site to find out exactly where his placement was and if SEO was really what he needed versus maybe link building.

What we found out was that he owned the number one and two spots on both Google.com and Bing/Yahoo on nearly every single keyword. We also reviewed his website traffic and found it to be relatively high, and then we carefully reviewed his website content. After our review it was clear that the issue was not the website look or feel, not the optimization, or the organic placement, but rather the website content was not communicating his authority or longevity in the industry. was rife with typos, and did not include a strong call to action.

For an e-commerce website typos and website layout issues are the kiss of death. A lack of attention to these details sabotages all the good things you do and creates an impression about you online that is not necessarily as professional as you would want. All of these issues may even impact your sales as e-commerce is all about trust, transparency, authority, and confidence.

If you feel like you are not getting enough leads or sales it is important to work through a process to clearly identify where the issues that are impacting your performance are. Don’t throw money at one thing that ends up not being the real root of your problem. Take time to analyze and then act smartly!

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Dare You Throw Stones at Neighbor?

Just recently one of our clients was interviewed by a high profile online magazine. Their quote was good in the piece but another person in their industry spewed out “wrong” information, according to my client. The client wanted us to write an article pointing fingers at the offending competitor to put him in his place, so to speak.

I always caution clients about speaking poorly online of competitors and for that matter naming names as there is absolutely nothing good that can come from the exchange. In fact, doing so may actually be harmful to you or set you up to become a target yourself.

It is not unthinkable that an angry competitor that you have targeted, will work to smear your reputation online with dirty tactics to get back at you. Re-mediating issues such as this are nearly impossible and can end up being damaging to your own online reputation.

My advice is vent and rant to your friends, but keep rants and finger pointing off line. Don’t give a competitor a reason to make you a personal target.

Most legitimate businesses would simply not escalate finger pointing into a vendetta, but there are some unbalanced people out their who happen to own businesses who may take very personal offense at comments directed at them or their behavior and work specifically to damage your online reputation in retribution. So, be careful when it comes to pointing out something that a competitor does that you consider “wrong”. You don’t want to become a target!

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Getty Images Sues Users of Template Websites

Not only did I read about this on the Web, but one of my new clients has been sued by Getty Images for over $17,000. Here the full listing on Google.com if you are interested in reading more people’s comments on this topic. Many are calling it a scam, but use of licensed images for unlicensed purposes puts you in a very tough spot.

The person who I know who got sued, used a pre-designed template from another resource. Unknown to them, the template they selected used an Getty Image. Clearly the template designer had not purchased a license to resell the image and that is why Getty Images sued this person.

What ended up happening was the client on advice from his attorney, shut down his website, closed his business under that name, abandoned his domain, and had to open a new business. Wow, that is pretty harsh action to be forced to take. What if this happened to you and you really didn’t want to close up shop?

I guess the big takeaway on this is, if you use a template design, you now need to confirm that the template you buy has bought the license to any images in the design and has transferred the license to you. It is not good enough that a license has been bought by the original designer for their use, but that you must be covered as well. In most cases this means the original designer must purchase an extended license particularly for resale and boy those type of licenses are expensive.

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Is Your Website a “One Night Stand”?

Nancy McCord will be back blogging on Monday. This article is one of her reprints.

Do visitors hit your home page and stay less than 10 seconds? Do your visitors rarely return for a second visit? Is your your home page bounce rate over 90%? If so, you may really need some help to improve stickiness and your visitor’s web experience. Your website may be one of the Web’s “one night stands” — never good enough for the “second date” or return visit.

Put your website to work for you by concentrating on providing great informational content. If your website is just about you and your services, and does not provide any interesting, conversation building content, you are missing the boat when it comes to what moves customers to contact you. You will never get the “second date” or sales call from a client or prospect when your focus is not on them, meeting their needs, and working to exceed their expectations.

It used to be that a website was like a brochure, but now we have gotten jaded by the “Web experience”. We want, crave, and demand interaction. Every website needs to engage visitors into conversation. Set the stage to become the authority for your clients and prospects and be their ”go-to person” with excellent content and transparency of what you do and how you do it using your website as your platform.

Don’t fall into the rut of being a one visit website. Break out and become the voice of your industry and watch your business grow!