Even Local Businesses Need Websites

If you have a business, you should have a website. It’s that simple. But it takes a little more than just throwing up a page or two with your basic business information, email address, and maybe a picture or two. You need to focus on creating a quality website that people actually want to visit. Here’s how:

1. Clear the clutter. Don’t be afraid to use multiple pages for information. I see a lot of business websites that try to tell you everything in one or two pages. Don’t be one of them. Also, get rid of the bright colors and crazy fonts. They are a distraction, and make your site look unprofessional.
2. Keep your content to 650 words, or less, per page, and break that text up with headlines, lists and “white area”, making it easier for visitors to scan for the information they need.
3. Focus on site visitors more than on search engines. SEO is important, definitely, but not as important as your customers or clients.
4. Make your navigation links easy to understand. Don’t get too creative with titles and page names. What is the article about? What will visitors find on that page? Then that’s what the title should say. The easier you make the navigation for the site, the more likely people are to come back to it. Also, if your header doesn’t link back to your home page, it should. People expect the header to lead back to the main page of a website; when that feature isn’t in place, it decreases the usability of your site.
5. If you’re including a page for updates and news on your site, or if you have a blog, update regularly. If you aren’t updating, don’t have a page for updates. You don’t have to have a blog or regular news. Many websites do fine without it. If you don’t have the time to put into it, that’s okay. Leaving it off looks better than doing it half-way.
6. Keep the front page focused on the facts: who you are, what you offer, who you help, and why you’re the best. If you’re a brick and mortar company, include your address, hours of operation, a map, and a picture of the front of your business, to help people find you.
7. If you don’t know how to create a modern website, hire someone who can. Even if you only need a simple website, it still needs to make a great first impression. The same goes for the content on your site. Don’t be afraid to hire a professional content or copywriter. The price is usually more reasonable than you think, and it can make a huge difference on your site.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

This question is easy when you are 5. You want to be a fireman, or a doctor, or a maybe a cowgirl.

It’s a little harder when you’re in middle school.

In high school, it becomes even harder, as you begin to pick out colleges and degree programs. You realize that there are hundreds of choices, and that almost any career is yours for the asking.

You go to college, graduate, and then try to answer the question again. And again. And, if you’re like me, again.

I attended college for nearly four years. I started out working on a degree in secondary education, with a concentration in history. And then I decided that I couldn’t spend the rest of my life teaching history every day. So I switched to a general education/liberal arts major. My next thought was that I was going to work as a forensic psychologist. After three semesters in criminal justice, I decided that maybe I could teach elementary school.

One semester later, and I left to become a wife and mother, while trying to figure out what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I decided that I was tired of working for someone else, and began looking into entrepreneur opportunities I could do from my living room, while keeping track of a (then) one year old. I eventually got started in writing web content. From there, things took on a life of their own. I started blogging, and then learning basic web design and HTML. I began using WordPress, and then helping clients with social media. And then  I added editing to my list of services, after several clients asked me to edit documents and website content for them.

I think this is how it works for a lot of entrepreneurs. We don’t really know what we’re doing until our customers and clients know. What I am leaning towards, however, is marketing. Which makes sense. Article promotion, social media, internet marketing, SEO… All forms of marketing.

Can I call myself a marketer? Maybe not yet. I have a lot to learn. But I’m taking steps in that direction. In January, I’m starting back to school for my marketing degree.

It doesn’t matter what you are doing right now. What do you want to be doing? How can you get there? Once you can answer those two questions, anything is possible. Make a plan.

Start today.

When I am looking for additional work, I browse through Craigslist. Many of the other writers I know do the same. There are also a few sites that will post ads for writers.

If you’re looking for a writer, you’ll probably need to write an advertisement for the position. It’s not difficult to write an ad, but writing an ad that brings in the right writer can be a little tricky. I’ve read thousands of ads since starting my career as a freelancer; only a small percentage have been well-written and informative about the job.

Start by stating, clearly, what services you are looking for. Do you need a copywriter, a blogger, a content writer, an article writer, or a social media specialist? Say so. If you are looking for experienced writers or writers with a certain degree, add that in there. Just keep in mind that there are writers out there with doctorate degrees and years of experience that can hardly write, and newer writers that can provide exactly what you are looking for.

Tell the writers a little about the product or business they will be writing about. A lot of writers have a few areas they specialize in. I tend to gravitate towards healthcare and real estate writing. I know other writers who love to write about law. If you’re looking for writers who have a lot of experience writing about your topic, they need to know what the topic is.

Mention the specifics. What do you need? List the projects that the writer will be working on, as well as the expected turn-around time. Turn-around time isn’t as important if you’re willing to give the writer an extended period of time to complete the project. However, if you need five articles written by the following day, the writers reading your ad really need to know that. You’ll narrow down the number of responses you get, and you’ll know that the writer you choose to work with understands your expectations.

Finally, you need to decide whether or not to list the amount you are planning to pay for the writer’s services. There are two ways to approach this. I prefer to see what you’re offering in the ad. I don’t want to waste my time, or yours, by applying for a position that won’t pay what I am worth. Even if the best you can do is a ballpark figure (ex: I can pay between $200 and $300 for the project, depending on your experience and abilities), the writers can choose for themselves if your ad is one they want to pursue.

The other side of this is that sometimes posting a number can bring in a ridiculous number of (unqualified) responses. This is especially true if you are offering a generous rate. For a lot of newer writers, anything that pays more than $10 or $15 for a 500 word article is fantastic pay. If you’re willing to pay $25 or more, you’re going to get hundreds of responses. Sure, you’ll have more than enough writers to choose from, but do you want to read that many replies? Probably not. The best way to avoid this is to be very clear about the qualifications you want the writer to have.

If seeing a resume is important to you, ask for it. Not all writers will include it automatically. The same goes for writing samples.

Please don’t ask the writers to create something new, just for you, as their sample. I see ads doing this all of the time, and I know that there are writers who are busy writing something, just for a position they might get. It’s not fair to the writer, and, to a professional, it looks like you’re just trying to steal content for your site.

If you follow all of this advice, you’re showing that you care enough about your company to put a little extra effort into finding the right writer for the job. As a writer, that tells me that you’ll care about my work, and that you already know what you’re looking for. It tells me that you’re going to be a client that I really want to work for.

When businesses take that first step and enter the world of blogging, it’s exciting and intimidating all at once. Are you doing it right? Is your blog set up correctly? Are you writing about topics that people actually want to read about? What if no one ever reads your posts- ever? What if your blog actually ends up hurting your company instead of helping it?

RELAX!

It’s not that hard. No one expects wonderful things from a brand new blogger. It takes a month or two to really get the feel of things, maybe longer. No one is judging. And trust me, if you’re taking even a few steps to make your blog visible, you’ll find readers.

There are very few ways to mess up on a blog. That shouldn’t be your concern (or, at least, not right away). As long as you have these three things, your blog has everything it needs to get started on the right foot.

1. A contact page, or some other way for readers to contact you. This sounds like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised by the number of blogs that don’t have this. Make sure that there is a link to the contact page from every page on your site; it should be in your navigation bar or sidebars. Don’t make readers hunt for it. Chances are, they won’t, and you’ll lose the opportunity to make a connection.
2. A plan. What is your blog about? What are you offering to your readers? This will keep you on topic. If readers are following you because they want to learn about car repair, for example, don’t blog about your best friend’s dog. Unless you can make it relate to car repair. A blog that doesn’t stay on topic is just confusing, and you’ll lose followers fast.
3. A clutter-free design. It’s all about usability. If you have a lot of unnecessary extras cluttering up your blog, it will be harder for readers to focus on your writing. Cut back on the ads and other objects that could be distracting site visitors. Your blog is the most important thing on the page; don’t let miscellaneous clutter take away that spotlight.

Concerned that your blog might be off to a bad start? All three of these are easy to fix. Setting up a contact page may be as easy as posting an email address you can be reached at. If you’ve gone off topic in the past, try to keep your blog focused from now on, even if that means taking time to re-evaluate the direction your blog is going. Finally, if your blog is suffering from out-of-control design clutter, figure out what you really need, and what can go.

If you can make sure you have these three things taken care of, you’ll have the beginnings of blog you can be proud of, and one that readers will keep coming back to.

I’m not just a gal with a blog; I’m a small business owner, too. I have the writing/SEO/web design company, but I also have a small “paying hobby” that I’m starting up.

I make cakes. It’s mostly just something to keep me busy and give me the occasional break from writing. I really enjoy doing it. Originally, it was supposed to be a random cake here or there. Then, like many businesses, it took on a life of its own. All of the sudden, I needed to start treating it more like a business.

I needed to get on Facebook.

I’ve been using Facebook for a little over a year, using it to stay in contact with friends, family and clients. I’ve seen other businesses build fan pages and do really well because of it, but I never needed one. I’ve created and managed them for clients, but not for myself.

Now that I have one, I’m learning a lot. My first concern was that I wouldn’t be able to find fans. I started out by inviting members of my current facebook page, ones that I know well and that I thought might be interested in my cakes. I also mentioned the new page a few times in my regular profile.

Then I reached out to my new fan base, asking them to invite their friends. And then I sweetened the deal a bit. I began a free cake contest. For every new member that signed up, I would enter them, and the person who referred them, into contest for the cake.

I am starting to build a decent page, with 37 members in just over two days. My goal is to have 50 by Friday; I don’t see that being a problem. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Be active. I’m over on the cake page every hour or so, responding to comments or posting a new message. I have been putting up 5-6 messages a day, along with a blog post. I also try to respond to every comment.

2. Know your audience. I sell cakes. My audience is mostly made up of moms, grandparents, and young couples.  Why are they buying cakes? For their families. Birthdays, graduations, weddings… I know what they want, so I know how to market to them.

3. Make it rewarding. You don’t have to give stuff away, but you should offer some very worthwhile incentives for your fans. It might be coupon codes for your product or services, or you could provide your followers with extra advice or information they can’t find elsewhere. This helps your business, too. Sharing information lets your fans know that you are an expert in your field.

4. Be yourself. I’ll admit it; this one’s hard for me. I hate marketing myself. I’m not comfortable with getting on Facebook and saying “Hey! I’m the best cake decorator ever! Order from me!”. That’s not my style. What I will do, however, is start a conversation. I’ll ask people what they will do with their free cake, or what they think about a new idea. I’ll invite them to visit my website and read my blog. I talk; I don’t market.

I’m not an expert on Facebook marketing. But I’m learning. What I can tell you, though, is that you need to be on Facebook. It’s one of the best ways to connect with local residents, and build a group of interested customers. If you haven’t signed up yet, head over to Facebook.com now, and get started!

Proper SEO isn't a Magic Trick-- Learn the Secrets of Keyword Placement

This is the last of three posts in my SEO basics series. If you missed Part I or Part II, I would encourage you to read them first.

Understanding what search engines are looking for and knowing how to pick the best optimized keywords for your site is only half the battle. Once you have keywords, you need to know where to put them. And, as it turns out, there are a lot of places to put them.

The most obvious, of course, is in the content of your website, at approximately 3% saturation. How you use the keywords in your text really matters; don’t just put them anywhere. Search engines will give them more attention (increasing your rank) if they occur at least once in the first paragraph of your content. They also get extra attention if they anchor words for a link (the words that can be clicked on to visit a new web page).

Your keywords should also be used (where appropriate) in headings, page titles and domain URLs. For example, the URL for this blog post includes “search engine optimization”, one of my keywords.If you have a blog, you can use keywords in the categories and tags for your posts. You can also use them in sidebars, as picture titles, and CSS headers, using <h1> or <h2> to maximize the impact.

If you’re interested a more advanced use of keywords, you can use them in the HTML of your site. If you are using WordPress on your site, you can use plugins to handle the technical side. Keywords can be used in your alt title, meta tags and meta description.

It’s important to use keywords correctly, and to not overuse them. Although SEO is important, it is not as important as usability. If you’ve packed your content with keywords, making it difficult to read, your company’s message will be lost. Also, if you overuse, or misuse keywords, you might be running the risk of search engines lowering your website’s ranking. If you’re unsure, it’s better to start small. Use keywords in your content, and then add them in elsewhere as you learn more about search engine optimization.

Learn to Find the Best Keywords for Your Site

In the last post (What is Search Engine Optimization? Part I) we discussed how search engines have a checklist of characteristics they like to see in a site, much like you might have a checklist when looking for a new relationship.

One of the most important characteristics search engines are looking for is the proper use of keywords, or the main concepts for your website. Keywords are what people search for when looking for something.

How do you know which keywords are right for your website?

Start by deciding what your website is about. Maybe you sell ice cream toppings. So, ice cream toppings and ice cream topping might be your main keywords, to start out with.

But, you also want to come up with similar phrases. Toppings for ice creams, for example, or ice cream supplies. You want to consider who could use your product, and what they might be looking for. Maybe they own an ice cream shoppe, and they’re looking for supplies. Or, maybe they are just looking for toppings for their own personal use, buying sprinkles and chocolate sauce to make sundaes at home.

Now that you have a few general keywords to work with, it’s time to get specific. What kinds of toppings do you sell?

• Sprinkles (rainbow, chocolate, pastels, specific colors?)
• dip tops (cherry, chocolate peanut butter)
• sauces (butterscotch, chocolate, caramel, strawberry)
• sundae toppings (hot fudge, caramel, pineapple, cherries, crushed nuts, Spanish peanuts…)
• Milkshake flavors (blue raspberry, coffee, banana)

Each of these become keywords as well. Do you sell ice cream store supplies, such as mixers or small freezers? You can get more keyword ideas from there. Do you sell mostly in one particular area? For example, if you supplied ice cream toppings to Miami, you could add keywords like “Miami ice cream toppings” to your list.

Keep brainstorming. Even a simple website has dozens of possible keywords. Once you’ve completed your list, start looking for groupings of words. For the ice cream toppings, you could divide by type of topping (dip, sprinkles, sauces) or by flavor (fruit, chocolate, ect.). Create pages for each grouping, to give yourself a better opportunity to use those keywords. Don’t try to put them all on every page, though. Stay on topic; keywords are important but not as important as how easy the content, or writing, on your site is to read.

Search engines will go through your site, counting words, to learn what your site is about. If the words used most often (outside of words like ‘the,’ ‘if,’ and the like) are your chosen keywords for your site, you stand a much better chance of being ranked in the top search engine result pages (SERPS). That’s a really good thing.

The most obvious way to use keywords are in the content of each web page on your site. There are, however, a lot of other places to use keywords, and there are techniques that can help you make the most of every keyword you use.

That’s coming in Part III.

How to Start your Search Engine Relationship the Right Way

Search engine optimization. SEO. It’s a phrase that will come up often, both in this blog and on this website. So, what is it, exactly?

Search engine optimization is taking the steps necessary to make your website more valuable to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.

It’s kind of like getting ready for a new relationship. Search engines have a list of turn-ons; things they like to see in a website. They also have a list of turn-offs; the things that make them lower where your site sits in their rankings.

If you’re looking to start a new relationship, you probably have a mental checklist you go through every time you meet a new potential partner. The list has essential qualities (financially sound, polite, makes you laugh), preferred qualities (great eyes, healthy, established career), and things that will send you running for the hills (substance abuse issues, psycho ex, scary hygiene). If you have a lot of possible partners, you’ll probably order them based on how well they fit what you’re looking for.

Search engines are doing the same thing. Your website has to have certain characteristics to rank well in the list of sites on your topic. There are essential, preferred and “run for the hills” qualities that Google (and other search engines) are checking for.

Essential Qualities:

• Original Content
• Correct Use of Keywords

Preferred Qualities:

• Incoming Links from Quality (high-ranked) Websites
• Dynamic Content (Regular New Additions to Site Content)

“Run for the Hills” Qualities:

• Spam Website
• “Black Hat” or Questionable SEO Methods

This is a very, very simplified list. And, for right now, we’re only going to focus on the most important aspect– the correct use of keywords.

Keywords are the words, or strings of words, people type into search engines to find the information they need. For example, if someone was looking for advice on SEO, they might type in “advice on SEO”, “SEO advice” or “SEO tips”. Then, the search engine goes through its directory of websites for the sites that best fit the keywords.

How do search engines know which sites are going to give a searcher the information he is looking for?

Search engines scan websites on a regular basis. As they scan through a site, they look for the occurrence of words within the site, or how often each word is used. Words that most websites have a lot of (the, an, if…) are ignored. Other words are tallied up. In order to be a highly ranked site for “SEO advice”, that phrase, and phrases similar to it, would have to be used often within the site. The current recommendation is around 3% of the total content.

There are a lot of things you can do with keyword, once you know how to pick the right ones for your site, which we’ll be discussing in part II of this series.

A Small Business Website Doesn't Need to be Fancy.

Your business needs a place online to call its own; somewhere customers can find out more about what you offer.

I have a confession to make. My belief that businesses need a website is a little selfish. You see, I have a problem with phone books. I think I’m putting it in the same place each time I finish with it, but it never seems to happen that way. If I need information about a local business, even for movie times or Chinese take out, I spend probably half an hour digging around on bookshelves, on top of the fridge, in the cabinets and under the bed. If I find the big yellow book, great. If not, I’m stuck.

I’m willing to bet there are a lot of people out there just like me. Phone books can be lost. On the other hand, I’ve never met anyone who has stuck their computers under a pile of papers and couldn’t find it for a month.

I’m also on my computer almost all day, as are most people. If I’m trying to plan ahead for dinner, it’s so much easier to do a quick search online and find the websites for local restaurants. It’s even easier if the restaurant’s site has a menu and prices. I’m a budget-minded gal, and I want to know these things.

It’s the same for contractors, lawyers, real estate agents and almost every other small business owner out there. If you want customers to find you, you need to meet them where they’re at. By allowing customers to find your website and learn about you and your company, by letting them view your products or browse a portfolio of work you’ve done for past customers, you’re providing them with the information they need to make a decision to buy from you.

Websites give you something that a name and number listed in a phone book or online directory can’t. You can connect with customers. Your website doesn’t need to be fancy, and it doesn’t need to be expensive. There are a lot of great websites out there that were created with a minimal design budget.

You may not have a menu, like the restaurants in my example above, but there is something you have to offer. Maybe you build decks, landscape lawns, sell homes, or do consulting. Maybe you operate out of your living room, or maybe you run your business out of a store front. Let your customers see what your business is about, and give them a way to connect with you.

I hope you’ll follow along on this blog as I discuss websites, social media (Facebook, Twitter, ect.), marketing and other topics relevant to small businesses online. Please subscribe to the blog feed (large orange button to the right), and check back often.

Further Reading on this Topic:

Entrepreneur: Why You Need a Website

SmartBiz: Does My Local Business Really Need a Website? Small Business Website Myths Revealed

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