"Do
I Have To Be Number One in Google To Have A Successful
Web site? by: Ted Prodromou "
Imagine what your business would be like if
you were listed number one in Google when someone
searched for your product or service. At no cost
to you, you'd have hundreds or even thousands
of highly targeted potential customers coming
to your Web site every day. It would be like shooting
fish in a barrel. If you sell a quality product
or service, your profit potential is unlimited.
I see people all the time bragging that their
Web site is listed number one in Google for a
specific search phrase. When I Google their specific
keyword phrase, they do come up number one. Then
I look at their traffic statistics and they are
ranked over 2 million on alexa.com.
That means hardly anyone visits their Web site.
Then I check to see how many people actually
search those keywords at inventory.overture.com.
Maybe 10 or 20 people a month search for that
combination of keywords. Does being number one
in Google for an obscure search phrase help your
business? I don't think so.
I'm not going to kid you, getting to number
one in Google is no easy feat. And staying there
can be a full time job if you're in a completive
market. There are many tips and tricks I can
teach you to raise your search engine ranking
but I'll save that for another day. Today I want
you to try a different perspective...
Can my Web site be successful without a high
search engine ranking?
Absolutely! Finding your Web site through the
search engines is just one way for potential
customers to find you. There are many other ways
to drive traffic to your Web site that are much
easier than trying to be listed on the first
page of the search engines. You can use a variety
of online and offline tactics to attract visitors
to your Web site.
But, before you start driving traffic to your
Web site, make sure your Web site is ready for
new visitors. You must give visitors a reason
to stay at your Web site and come back again in
the near future. Give them valuable information
that is going to quickly solve their problem.
Give them a reason to tell your friends about
your Web site. Give them some incentive to sign
up for your newsletter by giving them a free
report that will help them solve a common problem
they may be facing. For example, "How to..." or "The
Top 10 Ways to..." are great beginnings
to your free report.
Once your Web site is full of problem-solving
information it's time start driving traffic.
You should use a combination of both online and
offline methods to get people to visit your Web site.
Offline traffic methods
1. Put your Web site URL on all of your collateral
including your business card, stationary, brochures,
your print advertising, your Yellow Pages ads,
and anywhere else your business name appears.
If you have a sign on your office building include
your Web site URL.
2. On the back of your business card, offer
a free report and include a Web site URL that
leads the reader directly to a specific page
on your Web site (a landing page) that describes
how your free report will solve their problem.
You can even have a series of free reports, each
with a separate landing page that leads visitors
to different promotional campaigns based on their
search phrases. Always get the reader to give
you at leas their name and email address when
they are signing up for the free report. Also
mention that as an added bonus, they will receive
your newsletter free of charge just by signing
up for your free report. This gives you permission
to add them to your newsletter email list.
3. Publicize your Web site URL anywhere you can
while maintaining a professional appearance.
Don't compromise your integrity just to get your
Web site URL advertised.
Online traffic methods
1. Add your Web site URL to your email signature.
Also promote your free report or one of your
products or services in your email signature
but don't overdo it. Too much information in
your email signature can do more harm than good.
2. Participate in newsgroups and forums where
your potential clients look for solutions to
their problems. Don't advertise your services,
just post answers to their questions or problems.
Include your Web site URL in your signature in
the forum posting.
3. Buy ezine advertising. Find ezines that your
potential clients subscribe to and purchase advertising.
Create ads that talk about their problems and
direct them to your Web site for answers. Direct
them to your free report landing page and get
their name and email address. The free report
will build your credibility and open the door
to potential future sales. Don't try to sell
them your service right away without building
some trust and credibility.
4. Purchase banner ads. Yes, banner ads really
do work. Many experts have been saying banner
ads are dead but they've taken on a new life.
You can purchase very affordable, highly targeted
banner ads that are only displayed to your target
market. Use the same approach as with ezine advertising,
direct them to your free report landing page
to solve their problem.
5. Advertise on craigslist.org. There are many
ways to advertise your product or service for
free on craigslist. You have to be subtle with
your advertising or they may block you posting
if you violate their policies. Read their guidelines
before posting your ads. If you're promoting
a workshop, use the same approach of directing
people to a landing page on your Web site for
information.
6. Write articles that talk about a problem
your clients are facing. Show them how to solve
the problem and direct them to your Web site for
more information. Post the article on your Web site
as well as submitting it to article directories
on the internet. Always include your bio and
Web site URL at the end of the article with our
copyrights. Encourage people to share and reproduce
the articles with others as long as they don't
change the content and leave your bio and contact
information intact.
7. Set up your own blog and update it regularly.
You can even post your articles in your blog
if you don't feel comfortable writing about yourself.
Register your blog with blog directories on the
internet and always include your bio and Web site
URL in each blog. Blogs are now getting picked
up and reproduced like articles. The search engines
love blogs with quality content.
8. Send press releases promoting your new product
or service. You can send a press release easily
at www.prweb.com and it will read by thousands
of press people within minutes. You can send
the press release for free or pay a fee to reach
even more news services.
These are just a few ways to drive traffic to
your Web site. As I try more methods I'll share
my results with you so you don't waste time duplicating
my efforts. It's important to use multiple methods
of driving traffic to your Web site because you
want to reach as many potential customers as
possible. You won't know which methods work for
your target market until you experiment and measure
your results. Remember to thoroughly track your
campaigns and measure your results.
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