South of Boston Web Design and Marketing

Back in September I posted an article about how we got to # 2 on Google in 30 days.  The article focused on two search phrases, “South of Boston Web Design” and “South of Boston Marketing.”  After I posted the article, I neglected posting new content to our South of Boston Web Design and Marketing Blog.  Our listing dropped to #27 and #12 on Google. 

It’s amazing how quickly search engines respond to new content.  A few years ago it would take months to get listed anywhere.  I remember submitting my site to Yahoo! and it took 3+ months to see the site anywhere.  Also, changes to the site would take weeks to get re-cataloged.  Technology has come a long way in a very short period of time.  The algorithms used by search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN are incredibly sophisticated these days. 

In fact, it’s my understanding that part of the reason Google is digitizing so many classic books is so they have a massive sample of quality content on which to test algorithms in order to identify strong content.  As these search engine algorithms become more sophisticated it will be far more difficult to “trick” them into getting web sites listed higher.  For example, when the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) industry began you could put hundreds of your key words at the bottom of each page and make them the same color as the background - they would not be seen by visitors, but search engine spiders would catalog them and your ranking would skyrocket. 

Those days are long gone - thank goodness!  Try that “trick” today and you’ll quickly be banned and penalized and your ranking will drop.  Now, it’s more about being a good Internet citizen as I recently discussed in a post.  

Back to the reason I posted these comments:  the speed and dynamic nature of local search placement.  After I realized we dropped in our Google ranking, I decided to do some more research and post more content.  Here’s the amazing part of the story - within 20 minutes Google already cataloged the page and the new post was listed in the Search results.  Our ranking for ”South of Boston Web Design” jumped to #11, and we were back to #2 for “South of Boston Marketing.”  I find it breathtaking how far search technology has come in such a short period of time. 

My recommendation to any company South of Boston is to find a way to add valuable content to your web site (perhaps use a blog like we have done here), partner with other businesses (cross link between web sites as much as possible), and don’t let your web site become static.  If it does, you’ll drop in the search rankings, but more importantly, you’ll become less relevant to those visiting your web site.  The Internet is dynamic and alive, so use your web site as a tool, not a brochure.
  

Web design is an interesting industry because it’s so subjective.  A designer may create a wonderful web site, truly an amazing work or art, but it may not communicate effectively. 

Here’s the rub: Web site designers are first and foremost artists.  They’re primary goal is to create beauty.  Yet, the Internet is about sharing information.  The webs’ primary purpose is to deliver relevant information, regardless of how this information is packaged.  Several years ago I owned a self-help web site that was truly pathetic from a design perspective - it was built on some lame template, had no images, and the layout was horrible.  Yet, within a year or so I sold over 1,500 packages that helped people live a better life and had over 6,000 subscribers to my newsletter. 

I then had a professional web site designer redevelop my web site.  I thought the conversion rates would increase and more people would sign up for my newsletter.  Nothing changed.  The conversion rates remained the same and so did the percentage of people signing up for the newsletter.  The fact is, it’s not so much about web design as it usability and valuable information.  

Conversely, a small business needs to create a professional image.  I recently met someone at a conference, looked the company up on the web, thought the presentation was horrible, and decided not to do business with them.  The key is to balance usability, content, and professional web site design.  The key to success is rarely one element (unless you visit www.craigslist.com, of course, which has little to do with anything graphical).        

When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content is king along with inbound links.  When it comes to giving a professional image, design is essential, and a poor design can cost you business without even knowing it.  When it comes to presenting vital information, usability is the essential ingredient (which is why Blogs end up doing so well in search engine marketing).

You’ll notice on our web site we use this blog to provide valuable design and marketing information to small businesses south of Boston, and we use the corporate web site (www.sinatraco.com) to present our web site design service and design samples.  Adding a blog to a web site design strategy is a great way to bridge the gap between valuable information and a professional image.  

Usability is also essential.  I found a great web site that has over 100 “best practice” usability tips (see link below).  Some of my favorites include:

9. Redundancy in Navigation. Navigation is fundamental to website development so redundancy assures users will find what they are looking for. Some may be attracted to images, some may wish a descriptive text link and some may wish to see an embedded link which assures them that what they are clicking is what they want. It never hurts to make it easy for the user to find their way around even if that means pointing them directly to what you think they may want.

From Schkecy

42. Keep everything close. No matter how complex your directory structure may be, there’s no reason any page should be more than three clicks away from the home page.

From Bob Gladstein aka qwerty
Raise My Rank SEO Services

49. Keep the page simple. Direct the readers eyes to the important parts of the page. Overloading the page headlines and links in confuses people.

50. Be careful with animations & marquees. They distract a reader from reading your content.

51. Make links obvious. Don’t use the same font settings and color to make links visible only on a mouse-over.

From Bernard Ertl
SEO Help - search engine optimization reference, tutorial and advice

Full list of 101 web site design usability tips can be found here:   

 http://www.keyrelevance.com/articles/usability-tips.htm

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com

In our previous post I said there is no “magic pill” of Internet marketing, and gave some advice about how to increase your rankings in the search engines like Google and Yahoo!.  Within this explanation I inadvertently uncovered the secret to Internet marketing: being a good Internet citizen!

The foundation on which the Internet is built is information - digitized ideas spread to the world.  Being a good Internet citizen is about sharing good quality information with no stings attached.  It’s about being a part of the conversation without an ulterior motive.  It’s about profitability, but only to the degree you add value.  It’s about the best, most imaginative ideas rising to the surface - the cream rising to the top. 

As you begin to build your Internet strategy, think about what your business (or you) can share to make the Internet a better place.  Everyone has something valuable to share, a life experience that can benefit others, a unique perspective about your specific industry. 

The “magic pill” of Internet marketing is simply taking the time to share valuable ideas with others.  Google and other search engines use sophisticated algorithms to find the the web sites that provide the most value to the people using their search tool.  These tools are are designed to target good Internet citizens.  So, instead of trying to figure out what those mathematical formulas may be, start by being a good Internet citizen with valuable content and an easy to navigate web site.  

To me, a good quality blog is the way to provide this information, as I’ve shared in previous posts. It’s a tool that is perfect for the web and it should be no surprise that search engines are increasingly ranking blog posts high on their lists.

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com 
 

In our previous post I talked about the explosion of local search.  More and more people are using the Internet to find local companies, do research, and look at all competitors before making initial contact with prospective companies.  The fact is, many people make a decision about a company based solely on the research done on the Internet.  In fact, a growing number of people prefer this kind of “anonymous” interaction with a company before any personal connection is made. 

Getting listed high on Google, the number 1 search engine, on a local search phrase can be valuable - it brings credibility as well as potential clients to your web site.  It took us 30 days to get to #2 on Google for “South of Boston Marketing” and #6 for “South of Boston Web Design.” 

There where two main components of this strategy:

1. Links from other “search engine friendly” web sites
2. Rich, valuable content

Links

We’ve placed about 500 links on search engine friendly web sites.  This takes a great deal of work, but it’s well worth the effort.  The only advice I’d offer on linking is to be very careful how you get these links placed.  There are hundreds of companies who’ve automated this process and can place links to your company on thousands of web sites for $50 or less. 

These links could actually undermine your position because Google and other search engines do not just count the number of links to your site, but the QUALITY of those links.  Be very careful about the links you put out on the Internet that link back to your site - always do the linking manually by visiting each site and entering your information.  Beware of any kind of automated search engine optimization package - if you’re going to work with a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing firm be sure to ask them specifically how they intend to market your site.

Quality Content

I think high quality content is one of the most important aspects of being listed high in the search engines.  I also believe a blog is one of the most effective ways to do it.  The main reason is because you become a part of the online community.  To me, getting listed high in Google is simply the outcome of being a participant in the online conversation. 

If you’re an honest contributor to making the web a better place, you’ll likely find yourself moving up the rankings.  I have no idea what the algorithms for search are (how Google and others determine who is placed were on their sites).  In fact, you could spend years trying to figure out the nuances of search engine placement.  What I do know, however, is that if you’re a good Internet citizen and use some basic tools to share your knowledge, you’ll likely be successful.     

The nice thing about a blog, is there’s a ready-made network to share your content, and increase the number of high quality links back to your site.  I’ve covered a basic strategy for blogging in a previous post, so I will not go in to too much detail here.  However, I will share a fantastic tool that will get your good quality content spread throughout the ”blogospehere“ with a click of a button. 

It’s called Ping-o-Matic, a free tool that allows you to “ping” all the key blog indexing sites on the web.  Simply put in your blog information, hit enter, and you’ve sent out an invitation to dozens of sites to come and look for new content on your blog.  These sites will then pull some of your content into the engines with a link back to your site.  This is a very powerful tool I’ve used with great success not only on our web site but others as well.

One last comment about blogging:  make sure you add links to your content that go to other good quality sites.  While links away from your site may seem counterproductive (why send visitors to other sites?), they’re an important part of being a “good Internet citizen” and, not surprisingly, it helps in Internet search rankings.

In conclusion, don’t try to find the “magic pill” of Internet marketing because there isn’t one.  Internet marketing is more about being a part of a community and sharing your expertise in an honest and open way.  This is especially true for local Internet communities that are beginning to grow and blossom.  Share what you know with no strings attached, open source your knowledge, and you’ll soon find yourself linked throughout the Internet and moving up the search engine rankings.        

I’ve had success using a combination of Blog / PR / Links.  This post highlights some of the ways in which to use a blog to inform, connect, and build alliances.  Using a blog is a fantastic way to communicate with a specific target market. I’d search the web for a the specific idea, find good concepts, and post them to my blog along with some commentary.

Then, I’d contact the owner of the web site and let them know how much I appreciated their content and provide a link back to the blog. Almost everyone I contacted in this way replied to the email - I had dozens of contacts in a short period of time.

Once I had a few dozen posts on the blog I started writing Press Releases which resulted in a few stories in top-ten newspapers and a leading magazine. Anytime I received press I’d send an email to my list of contacts letting them know about the article.  Because I had links to their web sites in the blog they appreciated the extra exposure. 

Interestingly, after about 6 months of this activity I had 4 of the top 10 search engine results on Google for my industry. We went from virtually no traffic to over 1,000 visitors per week from the top companies in the industry.  Plus, we built some great relationships with others who provided valuable content. 

A few suggestions:

• Don’t SPAM people - Only send email to those who replied to your initial email
• Only post comments on your blog that you find genuinely interesting
• Don’t send email to your contacts more than once per month
• Be honest and genuine in all your communications - a blog is a place to build REAL connections, don’t do it with an ulterior motive
• Look for ways to partner with anyone who replies to your initial email - joint newsletters, white papers, conference calls, etc. 

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com