Archive for February, 2008

Get Smart - Get A Business Website

February 26th, 2008

Benefits of Building a Website for Your Business

There are a number of benefits to building a website for your business. A simple website can tell people about your company, provide them with directions to your location and give them your contact information. Most of all, it’s the best way to create a good impression for your customers and clients. A website can do so much more, and Digital Peabody can help in all of the following ways:

Branding Your Business
Your business will also benefit when you use your website to help brand your company. Branding, marketing and PR efforts become easier tasks when you do them online. You can make your press releases available to reporters outside of your region, you can also make sure your customers, prospective customers and clients understand your company’s mission, vision and goals. Your online marketing efforts definitely do not need to “match” your other collateral materials, but there should be some cohesive messages in all of your marketing materials about your brand.

Online Reputation Management
If you’ve had “issues” with complaints about your small business online, you can use your website, a powerful reputation management tool, to fight back. In addition to posting information that helps clear your good name, online reputation management has other benefits, too. Used as part of a smart organic SEO campaign, the information you provide will quickly begin showing up in first page Google results. And online reputation management will take the negative online posts about you, your team or your company and push them back, to the pages in Google that aren’t as well-traveled.

Unlocking Organic SEO
Organic search engine optimization (SEO) is the number one benefit of using a website to promote your small business. When utilized properly, a small business website can help improve your company’s search engine results. With the right mix of organic SEO techniques, like embedding keywords and tags within your content, there’s no reason why your website can’t get into first page Google results within a month or two of optimization. With organic SEO that focuses on conversions, you can also target specific groups of customers and increase sales through your small business website.

Money-Saving Opportunities
There are some important ways to save money with your small business website. You can cut back on inbound customer service calls by providing a list of frequently asked questions about your business online. You can reduce mail processing and inbound calls when you accept payments online. Providing information on your website that you used to have to print and mail to clients and customers can also save you money. And, providing employees with information about benefits online can help ease the phone calls into your already overtaxed Human Resources area. 

There are a number of other ways you can use a website to benefit your small business. You can conduct market research online, utilize e-commerce options to help move inventory more quickly and generally provide your customers and clients with the kind of 24/7 service they demand.

For more information about online reputation management and organic SEO, please contact Digital Peabody or call 303.468.5707. 
 

Posted in Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
Discuss (0 Replies)

Your Small Business Website is More Important Than Starbucks’ Website

February 22nd, 2008

Think about it…does Starbucks really need to be worried about their website?  Is General Electric worried that they don’t get enough internet traffic?  Of course not.  Because large corporations rely on their sites as mostly a bonus for a large existing customer base.  But for the small business owner, a great website can mean the difference between scraping by, and really being successful.
 
Owning a business can be rewarding on many levels. The idea of responding to the wants and needs of a group of people can bring great satisfaction to a small business owner. The twenty-first century entrepreneur has embraced the fact that not only is the physical location for their business important, but also a virtual address for their customers as well. The small business’ website can introduce products to new customers, increase income from ad programs, and communicate more effectively with new and current customers.
 
In addition to efficiently presenting your services to the world, website can save a great deal of money in advertising costs. Spending $400.00 to place a 2″ x 2″ ad in a local newspaper, to be posted for one day, can quickly deplete an advertising budget for the month, with little impact since describing a business thoroughly in such a small space is nearly impossible. The development of a great website can be affordable, and initially may be as simple as a one page description of what and where the business is, and what the product is. A website is not just viewed by people locally, but it can be viewed by anyone, at any time, from all over the world, thereby, introducing a product to a greater number of people faster.   Digital Peabody can customize a website that does everything you need a site to do to help grow your business.
 
Increasing product awareness to customers via a website will increase direct revenue, but a website can also earn additional income for a business from online ad programs. Ad programs, such as Google AdSense, accrue money by cost generating links, search engines, or referral programs. Each program may generate money a bit differently, but generally the idea is a visitor clicks a link on the website, and money can be earned. Also, affiliate link programs, which are large online companies like eBay or Amazon, links visitors to their website, where they are prompted to make a purchase. Once a purchase is successfully completed, the referring website gets a percentage from the sale. Additionally, once a website has a large number of monthly visitors, other online businesses may be interested in paying for advertising space, and this form of income can be very prosperous.
 
Establishing a good rapport with customers is essential, in keeping a business alive and healthy. A website gives a business an easier way to connect with its customers, where a feeling of community may be felt. Innovative features, such as a forum, are open streams of communication where visitors can learn about products and services through other customer’s experiences. Newsletters can be sent out to include new product, or discounted product information.  And posting a fun interactive contest on a website where coupons can be won to use on a next purchase of products can inspire people to revisit your site and become a regular customer. And as your business grows and you have need of gathering information about your customers, surveys can really gain insight on their likes and dislikes, and a guest book is where visitors can sign up for newsletters and emails. Simple, open, and honest communication with customers is Digital Peabody’s specialty, and helping you create a site that will lead your business to understand your customer’s wants and needs in the present, and in the future.

Posted in Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
Discuss (0 Replies)

A Professional Copywriter Makes All the Difference

February 21st, 2008

You’ve either got an existing website, or are getting ready to build one.  And your website designer, in the nicest possible way, indicates to you that perhaps you might want to contract a professional copywriter.  At first you are confused.  Who better to talk about your business than you?  And then you are slightly offended, are thy implying you aren’t good enough?  And then you are practical.  Why on earth should you increase the cost of website development by hiring someone else to describe what you do?  The important thing to know is that the investment in a quality copywriter will have the same benefits as a quality website designer creating your site, or a quality graphic designer working on your brand.  A professional copywriter will take your site to the next level, and since you are relying on your site to help take your business to the next level, it only makes sense to be smart about it.  After all, the prettiest, easiest to navigate site in the world is only, ultimately, as good as it’s content. Even here at Digital Peabody, where great websites are our business, we utilize professional copywriters for our own website, and have several whom we recommend to our customers to help them optimize the content in their sites.

About 80% of all the hits that a web page gets come from a search engine like Google or Yahoo. This is a large chunk of traffic and ignoring that statistic is perilous for anyone who wishes to attract customers to their websites and in turn make money. The reason that so many hits come through search engines is that most people believe that when they put in a search query, the result that they get is more trustworthy than any other type of result,( i.e. Pay Per Click Ads, Banner, Paid Placement, etc.) This is called an organic result, because the programming behind the search engine found the result naturally, and not by having the web site’s owners paying to be the top result. So getting your website to the top of that organic query is number one priority for all web site managers. If you “optimize” your website with carefully chosen and placed “keywords” then traffic should naturally come to you, through search engines. There are two tricks to getting this done:

1) A search engine’s programming (sometimes called an algorithm) has to find your page on the web.

2) Your web page must be attuned to the right keywords that customers are searching for when they look for your products or services.

Not only that, you want to make sure that in the list of websites that appear when a potential customer does a search query through their favorite search engine, yours is one top (or as close to it as you can get.) Since consumers feel that organic results are best, this will only help you when they find you “naturally” on the web.

Now, natural results are a matter of course here at Digital Peabody.  On the Internet there is a certain untamed flow that even mimics natural selection and evolution. We focus on the development of content that subscribes to the organic philosophy.  Part of that is utilizing professional copywriters in site development.  Everything you can do to get your web page get to the top of the food chain helps you get noticed on the web and sell more of what you offer. The first and simplest method of getting yourself found by search engines and the consumers doing the searching is to get that copy optimized.

While some people may search for one keyword, like “scarf,” “beer,” or “art,” many use a string of terms to find what they need like “wool scarf,” “IPA beer,” or “modern art.” Most even use longer terms, a combination of terms or even whole sentences to search for what they are looking for.  A professional copywriter is not only skilled in incorporating as many of the best tags into your content, they create the right tone for your site.  Are your potential customers and clients more comfortable with a site that is written in a clear businesslike style, or are they likely to respond better to something conversational?  Is your site designed to have someone linger and explore, or do you want to attract people who will get to the site, find the relevant info, and get out quickly.  With a copywriter on board, you get the best of both worlds.  Content that is specifically written for your target market, and content that is optimized for keyword searches.

Look at your web copy. Does it satisfy all the possible search terms that customers may be using? Do you utilize tags, titles, headlines, and optimized copy to capture that business? Do you know all the terms? Do you know how to use them eloquently so it doesn’t look like you are “stuffing” the HTML with random words you think may get you noticed?

While it may be satisfying to set up, publish and even host your own business’ website, the scary thing is that you may be the only one who cares or even notices. A webpage needs to shout out to the world that you are open to business and here are the things you offer to the public in a real and virtual way. Yes. You may be the expert in your particular field of interest and have the knowledge of the terminology that your customers look for when they seek you out, but how do you get those disjointed terms and keywords onto the computer screens of potential clients?  By adding a professional copywriter to your team, you not only guarantee that your website is operating at the highest standards, but you free yourself  up to do what you do best, focusing on growing your business, not sitting at a computer writing about it.

Posted in Website Tips
Discuss (0 Replies)

Content Management Systems Will Save You Time and Money

February 18th, 2008

Your website is a critical connection between you and your clients. And it’s nothing new to learn every successful website includes a strategy for publishing fresh, new content to your website. But we also know that the process can be tedious, an endless back and forth between your content provider and your website management team.  And god help you if you have breaking news, an error to correct quickly, or information that is time-sensitive.  And forget about weekends! 

Rather than paying a web master or a web design firms to make these updates, you can do it yourself. And not only don’t you have to know HTML, you don’t even have to know what HTML stands for!  A simple content management system allows you to easily maintain and publish content to your website directly, no middleman, no extra charge, no muss, no fuss.

For companies of all sizes and all budget levels, web design firms like Digital Peabody, offer web-based content management solutions that help you maintain a current, content-rich website. The content management system can be tailored for your organization’s website, creating simple templates for you to fill in, and point and click options that make updating your website as easy as filling in a simple form.

Your non-technical staff will be empowered with these easy-to-use tools, as basic to operate as Microsoft Word ®. If you can type a letter in Word®, change the font type, size, and alignment then you have all the skills needed to operate a content management system.  And even better, multiple contributors can publish to the website through the content management system so the work does not need to fall on one person’s shoulders.

You aren’t even limited to just text. You can also add graphics and pictures with the greatest of ease. And once you are comfortable with the system, adding sections and pages is just as easy.

A content management system can be the solution to most of your website maintenance and publication hassles. Digital Peabody’s team of experienced content management experts can help you best determine which solution can provide the most value for your organization. See how easy it is for yourself – give Digital Peabody a call at 303-468-5707 or send us an email to to request a 5-minute demonstration of a content management system.

Posted in Content Management System, Website Tips
Discuss (0 Replies)

White Hat vs. Black Hat Search Engine Optimization

February 1st, 2008

When people refer to “organic SEO” (search engine optimization), they almost always use it as a blanket term to describe the unpaid, algorithm-driven results of any particular engine. However, a sophisticated search engine optimization company, like DigitalPeabody.com will often take the meaning of “organic” one step further. To such companies, the description of “organic SEO” is not limited to what shows up in the “natural” search engine results - it includes the methodologies used to achieve such rankings.

There’s more than one way to achieve natural search engine results. A search engine optimization company usually falls into one of two camps. They are referred to as “white hat” and “black hat” search engine optimization.

A “White Hat” search engine optimization company, like DigitalPeabody.com, will use a largely content-based approach and will not violate the terms of service of the major search engines.

A “Black Hat” search engine optimization company will use a largely technology-driven approach and often ignore the terms of service.

Neither approach is invalid, and both can achieve high rankings. But a search engine optimization company that takes the word “organic” literally believes that the “Black Hat” approach is anything but “organic SEO.”

To a search engine optimization company, “organic” actually describes the approach taken to achieve long-lasting results in the “natural” section of search engines.

Below are just a few comparisons of the different approaches taken by the two types of SEO firms. I refer to the two approaches as “organic SEO” and “artificial SEO” for the sake of clarity.

Content

There’s an “old” saying in the SEO industry that “content is king.” This is not necessarily true. What is true is that good content is king. Study after study has shown that when people use search engines, they are primarily seeking one thing: information. They are not seeking to be impressed by fancy flash sites, or a virtual piece of art.  “Artificial SEO” firms, which embrace a technical loophole philosophy, which is largely technical and is designed to trick the engine into showing content that it would not otherwise. Certainly, there are acceptable technical aspects that any good search engine optimization company will use, such as relevant page titles and meta tags. But there are many more unacceptable technical methodologies than acceptable ones, including cloaking, redirects, multiple sites, keyphrase stuffing, hidden links, and numerous others. A company practicing “organic SEO” will avoid these, and focus instead on content expansion.

Attracting Links

Inbound links are critical to the success of an “organic SEO” campaign. But there are different ways to go about it. Firms that practice true “organic SEO” will look at the website itself and say “How can we make this site something that other sites would want to link to?” A search engine optimization company using “artificial SEO” will ask, “How can I get links pointing to this site without adding anything of value to it?”
A good search engine optimization company will continually seek both general and industry specific directories where your site should be listed. But truly using “organic SEO” means evolving your site into something that holds actual value to your prospects. In my opinion, this is much more beneficial in the long run than the artificial methodology of trying to garner incoming links that the site does not truly deserve.

Creating a Valuable Resource

Search engines change algorithms frequently, and for two reasons. One is, of course, to improve their results based upon their most recent user studies. The other, which is obviously related, is to remove sites that are ranked artificially high. There is, with only a few exceptions, a common denominator in the websites that remain highly ranked throughout these algorithm shifts. They offer something of value to their visitors and are considered a resource for their industry. “Organic SEO” practitioners generally do not have to worry about going back and redoing work because of an algorithm shift. These firms continue adding valuable content to a site, strengthening its value and bolstering its rankings.

Taking advantage of “organic SEO” to make your website an industry resource provides a tremendous natural boost to your rankings for your individual product or service pages. This means that you’ll get the best of both worlds. You’ll reach people early in the buying cycle, educate them, and steer them toward your solution by using your website instead of your sales personnel. You will also reach the low hanging fruit because your individual product or service pages, which are intended for people who are ready to buy now, will get a significant rankings boost.

Learning from Engines

Search engines conduct very expensive and frequent studies on what their users want to see when they enter search queries. Obviously, no company has a more vested interest in serving up the type of results that their users want than the engines themselves. “Organic SEO” firms will take the “piggyback” approach by trying to learn what the results of these studies were by examining the sites that figure prominently in search engine results over long periods of time. In this way, they can work to make the website not only better for search engines, but also for the user.  Presumably, the engine’s internal research has shown that these sites have what their users have consistently desired, study after study. “Artificial SEO” practitioners have no real interest in these studies- they are instead expending a great deal of energy finding the next technical loophole to exploit after their most recent one has failed.

“Organic” Revisited

A search engine optimization company like Digital Peabody that takes a true “organic SEO” approach will actually take term “organic” literally. A good website does develop in natural manner. It builds upon itself. It learns how it should behave for its own benefit. Most importantly, it establishes its territory at the top of the search engine results. And as the website thrives, artificially optimized websites fade into obsolescence.

Digital Peabody has optimized many websites for its customers – many of which are ranked #1 on Google and Yahoo for their key terms. If you are interested in learning how Digital Peabody can get your site ranked #1 on Google and Yahoo, please email or call us at 303.468.5707.

Posted in Search Engine Optimization
Discuss (1 Reply)