Category Archives: Small Business and the Internet

Building a business website can’t be that hard?

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small business websitesSadly that’s an attitude Toni and I see all the time … so many business people seem to think that building a website for their business can’t be that hard … it must be easy … there’s nothing to it … anyone can do it.

Yeah right!

Sure anyone can get something so appear on the Web … after all there are any number of free site builders out there that you can use … there are plenty of WYSIWYG HTML editors out there too … and they must be so easy to use.

And basically they are easy to use BUT what’s not so easy is ending up with a website that looks professional … has some hope of generating sales or leads … and might even rank well in the search engines.

The fact is that building a business website should be left to professionals who know how to achieve the outcomes you want. Your cousin … your uncle … your son … or your best friend’s dog might all be able to use a free site builder or a WYSIWYG HTML editor but they’re not going to be able to give you a business website that will work.

Don’t believe me? Go ahead and waste your time or pay someone close to you peanuts to build your business website and objectively reiew it’s performance in six months time.

Perhaps you think that we’re losing business because people think that they can build their own websites but we’re not … in fact we’ve never been busier than we are right now and that’s why I rarely have time to post anything here anymore.

Perhaps you think I sound a little bitter that people are trying to do things for themselves but I’m certainly not bitter … I am just very sad that many business people try to do the work themselves, produce something that is never going to work for them and then complain that the Web is not working for them.

If you do it right and have your business website built by someone who knows what they’re doing then the Web will work for you and your business.

Does Your Website Offer Too Many Choices

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If your small business website is underperforming could it be that you’re offering your potential customers too many choices?

It’s hard to believe that anyone could be put off making a purchase … or picking up the phone to call your business … simply because they had so many choices that they couldn’t make a decision.

But it is possible and the video that you will find here will show you why … and give you some tips on other ways to improve your website too.

A Google Adwords Trap

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Google is really pushing Adwords at the moment … they’ve even got it packaged for Google Places as Adwords Express … but if you run a business that has a good ranking for a variety of terms on the Google Places results that are incorporated into the general results you need to take care.

Google encourages all their Adwords advertisers to target as many keywords as possible … if there is a keyword or keyword phrase for your particular business then you should be targeting it with Adwords or Adwords Express according to Google

What they don’t tell is that if you happen to target a keyword phrase in Adwords Express that you already have a good listing for in Google Places you may well lose your ranking in Google Places. A number of people have seen it happen to them or their clients.

So if John from John’s Gardening Service … who just happens to have the top listing for ‘gardening services’ in the Google Places 7 pack were to target that phrase in Adwords Express he would quite possibly lose his listing in Google Places.

That means that instead of getting something for free he has to pay … and compete in a bidding war for that top spot.

You can read more about it at Understanding Google Maps & Local Search

Small Business Websites and the Search Engines

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I was recently at a meeting of some small business owners here in the town where we live and there was one of our competitors present as well.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss two websites that this group of people owned. One was designed by our competitor and the other was designed by us and during the meeting discussion turned to search engine optimisation … something that we specialise in and our competitor does not.

Almost as soon as the discussion turned to SEO our competitor thought he might score some points and announced that although he had no experience in search engine optimisation for any for of business he was sure it was something that these business people could do for themselves.

I’m over arguing the point about that subject … if people want to believe that small businesses can do it all for themselves then that’s fine by me. They’ll learn the hard way … and hopefully they will remember who gave them that bad advice.

The fact is that search engine optimisation is a never-ending sea of change and those changes are coming faster and faster. Nothing stays the same and Kristine Schachinger, a search engine optimisation specialist, from Las Vegas put it in perspective when she asked “Is there any other job out there where you have to keep up w/ it every day almost every hour?”

And just to press home the point she followed that question up with this statement “What is happening now in Search & Social is like code in 200/1 – miss a week is like missing 6 months missing a month is like (missing) a year ”

Does that sound like something that small business people can do for themselves?

Small Business Websites and Google

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So you run a small business website and you know that a good ranking in Google is crucial to the success of your business?

You understand that Google has an algorithm that it measures every website against and as long as you get your keywords in the right places … include a title that contains your keywords … and have lots of links pointing to your website you’re going to achieve that ranking that was so important to you.

Well I can tell that you’re a little bit behind the times because Google now has Panda and you’re not going to win the heart of Google’s Panda with keywords and links no matter how hard you try.

we now know that with the introduction of what everyone now refers to as the Panda update Google has brought on board a whole bunch of human reviewers and their assessment of a website, combined with the algorithm is what is influencing rankings these days.

So what do Google’s human reviewers look for? Fortunately Google has given us the list that those human reviewers use when looking at a website and this is that list:

  • Would you trust the information presented in this article?
  • Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
  • Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
  • Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
  • Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
  • Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
  • Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
  • Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
  • How much quality control is done on content?
  • Does the article describe both sides of a story?
  • Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
  • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
  • Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
  • For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
  • Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
  • Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
  • Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
  • Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
  • Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
  • Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
  • Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
  • Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
  • Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

So how does your small business website measure up when it’s compared to this list from Google? Will your website have a good chance of getting Google’s tick of approval?

 

Is Your Website Failing to Produce an Income?

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We’ve just sent out our latest newsletter to our clients and it covers a wide range of topics including how the current economic climate is affecting small business and what we must all do with our websites to keep the cashflow happening.

We thought we should reproduce that part of the newsletter because I know that there are a lot of small businesses out there who rely on their websites for their income … and for many it’s just not happening.

If you need some advice on what to do with your small business website you can contact me on Skype – stuart4101 – we offer a consultation and website review service and your first 30 minute consult is always free.

Well here we are in the depths of winter in Australia and we’re really feeling it here in Hervey Bay. We’re also feeling the chill winds of the financial winter that seems to have engulfed Australia in the last few months.

While employment is still strong in most parts of the country financial experts are suggesting that people are saving their money rather than spending it and of course that means that sales are down … everywhere.

Here at Total Website Management we service clients from a wide range of industries including tourism, retail, medical, motoring, real estate and education and training and every client is reporting the same thing … sales and enquiries are either down or non-existent.

They are all still seeing plenty of people visiting their websites … and some are even reporting an increase in the number of site visitors … but the sales just aren’t happening.

That lack of sales is particularly noticeable for our clients who have online shops that sell in a market where there are cheaper … and often inferior …alternatives or where the items for sale could be considered to be luxury items.

I guess that trend is perfectly understandable in a climate where people want to save money rather than spend it however I also understand that it can be hard to understand when you’re the owner of the e-commerce site that isn’t making sales.

For far too long business people everywhere have had a vision of the Internet as being the place to be if you wanted to make money. I know a number of people have come to us with the idea that all they had to do was have a site built and sales would happen.

I’ve been involved in e-commerce since 1998 and for a while sales did seem to just happen but not anymore. Back then there was little competition and it was easy to get good rankings in the search engines but now there’s lots of competition and getting a good ranking in the search engines is hard work … very hard work.

And even when you do achieve a good ranking in the search engines there’s no guarantee that you will keep it and there’s no guarantee that good ranking will result in good sales.

So if you want to make money with your e-commerce website in this current economic climate you have to get out there and advertise … market … and push your product everywhere and in every way you can.

Business Blogs

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There are plenty fo people out there telling SME’s that they need a blog to help promote their business.

Personally I’m not sure that’s necessarily good advice because not every business has something worth saying at least once a month … or even once a week … and nothing looks worse than a blog that has had nothing posted on it in months. A blog with few postings send the wrong message about a business.

On the other hand a business that has lots to say can really benefit from having a blog but all those benefits can easily be negated if you make a fundamental mistake when setting up that blog.

I was reminded of that yesterday when someone asked me where a business blog should be set up. They were wondering if it should be set up on the businesses own website or on some free hosting at somewhere like Blogger or WordPress.com and right there is the fundamental mistake that can undo all the benefits of having blog.

If you’re going to go to the trouble of setting up a blog for your business then there really is only one place that the blog should go … it should be part of your business’ website! And just let me say that again because it is very important … if you are going to set up a blog for your business then it simply MUST be part of your business’ website.

To use some free hosting for your blog … such as you can get on Blogger or WordPress.com is wrong for three main reasons.

  1. Putting your blog on a site that doesn’t belong to you dilutes your brand. You may think that your business is too small to have “a brand” but it isn’t. Your business has a brand and you should always be building on that brand rather than sharing it with some other business as you would be doing if people saw your business blog on Blogger or WordPress
  2. You should never place yopur future … even part of it … in someone else’s hands if you can avoid it. When you place your business’ blog on Blogger or WordPress.com you’re giving control of that blog to someone else and they can do whatever they like to your blog. Imagine what your customers would think of your business if they went to your blog one day and found that it was a total mess … the page was jumbled … the information they needed was almost impossible to find etc. It’s been known to happen when WordPress.com has released an upgrade to their software and blog owners weren’t told.
  3. Links to your business website are hard to get and can be very valuable when it comes to ranking well in the se3arch engines. When your blog sits on a site that you don’t control everytime someone links to your blog they’re not giving that link to you … they’re giving it to whoever owns the site where your blog sits.

Of course some people will say that they save money and time by setting their business blog up on one of the free blog hosts but that’s a false saving. We can handle your blog setup no matter which country you live in for as little as $395.00 and if you can’t afford to invest a small amount like that in your business then you’ve got a lot more that needs your attention right now than a blog.

Small Business Should Not Rely on Google

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Toni and I have been involved in web design and search engine optimisation since 1998 and over the years we’ve seen a lot of small businesses build their business based almost solely on selling to the people that Google sends to their websites … hey we’ve done it ourselves and in years gone by it’s worked well for us.

But times change and if you’re thinking of taking your business online because you think that Google will send plenty of business your way then maybe it’s time to think again. Sure there was a time when it wasn’t so hard to get a website to rank on the first page in Google and we’ve done it for ourselves and for many other clients but those days have gone and they’re probably never coming back.

Now we see Google ranking websites not so much on the value of the website to potential customers but on other factors such as location … what a person has searched for in the past … and other factors that are totally beyond the control of any website owner.

In fact it’s obvious that Google doesn’t necessarily show someone what they want to see but rather what Google thinks they want to see. Some would even go so far as to suggest that these days Google shows you what Google wants you to see and there is no doubt that small businesses are going to struggle for good listings in Google because these days brands play a big part in what Google wants to show you.

And for those who still think that Google is the friend of small business and still wants to live by the mantra they once had of “Do no evil” then here’s some food for thought.

“Search quality is not a main focus for Google any more (as roiesp mentioned). When you realize you can make money hand over fist by using power, market dominance, duplicity, disregard for rights etc., suddenly, maintaining a truly great search experience is too much like hard work in comparison.”

That’s a quote from a comment in this discussion about a recent update that Google pushed out that did an incredible amount of damage to a number of small businesses that relied on Google for their income. An update that damaged a lot of people who believed that they were following Google’s guidelines.

So don’t ever think that having someone build a website for you and spending a lot of money to get it optimised is a guarantee that Google will be your friend because the fact is that they don’t care about you and they don’t care if they destroy you in the blink of any eye. And anyone who wants to convince you otherwise is a fool.

 

Small Business and Social Networking …

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… it’s about future-proofing your business.

A small business client came to me recently and wanted us to put some links to Twitter and Facebook on the websites we had built for him.

“So you’ve set up a Twitter account and you’ve opened a business page on Facebook have you?” I asked.

“Well … no” he replied with a puzzled look on his face. “Do I have to do that?”

And right there I experienced another head-meet-desk moment.

Here was a reasonably savvy business person who had hit some tough times but saw that his way out of them was by adding links to Twitter and Facebook. Someone had told him that he had to get into social networking if he wanted to work his way out of the problems he faced and he he though that all he had to do was throw up a couple of links on his site and Nirvana would be achieved.

I tried to explain to him that Social Networking is a lot more than just adding links to a website … it’s a lot more than just joining Twitter and adding everyone you can find … and a lot more than setting up a Facebook page and friending everyone in sight.

It’s more about engaging with other people than standing on a corner and shouting your message to the world. It’s more about the long-term than any short-term “just-add-water” solution. It’s about talking with people and sharing with them and it’s about listening to them and helping them where you can.

It’s about months and years … not about minutes, hours and a day or two.

And after that explanation he went away to find someone else to add those links because he didn’t have time to waste talking to people on Twitter or Facebook and he wasn’t interested in the long haul. He wanted easy solutions right now and if I wouldn’t give them to him he would find someone who would.

Facebook and Twitter are places are places that your small business just has to be otherwise your business won’t survive in the future … just don’t look for instant results because they won’t happen. Getting on to Twitter and Facebook is about future-proofing your business … not apply some quick fix.

Small Business Website that Works

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Ok so it’s been a while since either Toni or I posted anything here. I guess that some of our regular readers may have wondered whether our small business had died during the recession but it didn’t.

Times were a little tough there for a while but we’ve come out of it in pretty good shape and now we’re busier than ever … which is more than we can say for some other local businesses in our line of work.

The reason we stopped posting was because a local competitor was taking some of the things we wrote here and including them word for word in their newsletter and claiming them as their own thoughts, ideas etc. Now however that competitor is no longer in business … at least not in the form they were in when they were stealing our content.

So now that you know why we’ve been away let’s talk about a local small business that has found that a website has brought them a lot more business than they thought.

The business is Hearty Foods a small business that provides nutritious ready made meals. They operate from a small store where people can call in and pick up frozen meals that are prepared by a real chef on the premises.

Not long after they started business they contacted us to build a website for them. Basically they wanted to put their menu online so that people who were house-bound … and there are quite a few in this town … could choose some meals from the menu and then call and place an order and have the meals home-delivered.

We built the site and promoted it on a number of local websites and at the same time the guys at Hearty Foods added the site’s URL to all their off-line marketing and the site became quite popular. They didn’t get millions of visitors to the site but they did get plenty of locals who downloaded the menu and called to order meals.

We even had a couple of friends who found the site, downloaded the menu and wanted to give it to us because they knew that sometimes we’re too busy to cook.

Then late last year they decided to take their website to another level and have us turn it into an online shop so people could actually order and pay for their meals.

While we were happy to do that for Alex and Chantal we really did wonder just how many people would actually use the online store. The first problem we saw was that Hearty Foods only delivers to a fairly small area and the second problem was that the people who had been using the home-delivery service were mostly older people who may have been reluctant to use their credit cards to make online purchases.

But we built the site and turned it over to our clients and to our surprise people have actually been using the online shop to order and pay for meals to be delivered and the guys at Hearty Foods are now thinking of ways to expand their online presence.

So if a small business in a small town can make a website work for them can a website work for your small business? And if you have a website for your small business and it isn’t working for you then why isn’t it working?