Why SEO matters

May 25th, 2010

The answer to the question of “why SEO matters” is simple: most consumers search for new products/services online and the vast majority don’t go past page 2 or 3 in search results. If your website is not highly ranked, then you are losing business to your competitors whose websites are on those first few pages.

So how do you get your website highly ranked on search engine results? You guessed it: search engine optimization (SEO). Unfortunately, what we’ve found is that many business owners are investing in “professional” SEO and not getting their money’s worth because they aren’t able to evaluate the providers they are looking to hire. So they end up buying hype and slick sales techniques instead of quality, professional SEO.

Web-savvy businesses have done their own SEO work in the past or their web designers offer to optimize the site and then ask the business owner what keywords they should put in the meta data. That’s a very minimal approach to SEO and it may have worked 5 years ago, but times have changed.

How can you tell if your website is well optimized? Well, call us of course! : ) We do offer free consultations and we’re passionate about helping our clients understand the brave new world of online marketing. Or simply stay tuned to the CDUdotcom blog for more on SEO and other internet marketing topics.

Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »

Your website may not be ready for SEO

November 20th, 2009

If you want to be found on the web, then search engine optimization (SEO) is critical. But getting someone to your website is only part of making the sale. Once on your site, it’s easy for someone to hit the back button and you really only have a few seconds before they decide whether to stay or go “back.” Don’t underestimate the importance of having a website that really sells your business. That’s often the first impression people have of you (and sadly sometimes it’s the last!).

You’re probably not the best judge of how easy your website is to use. After all, you know your business and your website inside and out. Most visitors who are looking to hire you or purchase your products aren’t experts. Maybe you’re using lingo they don’t understand. Include laymen terms as much as possible. Maybe you’ve put information in a place that seems logical to you, but remember you need to create multiple ways to find things because that’s just how we humans think.

Website audits are a great way to find out where your website might be failing your visitors. (Click over to the CDUdotcom website to read more about our website audits.) I’ll say it again . . . SEO is critical if you want to drive visitors to your website, but your website might end up losing the sale. Your website is really an extension of your sales efforts. So a website audit is money well spent. You want to look at the content, design and usability (that’s where CDUdotcom gets its name!). All 3 components determine whether or not your website helps or hurts your business.

Maybe you don’t have anything in the budget right now, but you want to get started evaluating your own CDU (content, design, usability). As I said before, you are probably the worst person to audit your own website. But you can always ask your family and friends for their brutal honesty. Make sure you ask people who aren’t very familiar with your website. Ask them to go to your site and think like a customer might. Ask them what they find frustrating, unnecessary, overwhelming, insufficient or confusing. Ask them what they wish you had done differently. Did the site really sell them on why they should take the next step (e.g., call you for an appointment or come to your store, etc.)? Have them share whatever they were thinking or feeling while navigating your site.

Ask as many people as you can to give you their feedback. Take note of their specific feedback. Don’t filter it, minimize it or rephrase it in your own words. Then when you do have the budget to invest in your website, you’ll already know where to start. And if you are a do-it-yourselfer with respect to your website, you’ll have your work cut out for you!

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Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Development | No Comments »

Does your website reach customers at all stages in their buying cycle?

November 9th, 2009

People are at different points in their buying cycle when they start searching on the web. Maybe they are just starting their search to address a problem or issue. Or they may have an idea about how to solve their problem and have now moved on to comparison shopping. Or they might be ready to buy. Unless your website appeals to each type of visitor, then you are losing out on a significant opportunity to attract new business. (Understanding the buying cycle is also important for SEO. More on that later!)

Are you providing information to help someone understand how your product or service will help them solve their problem? Is it clear why your product or service should be considered a top contender for someone who is comparison shopping? Do you have an easy to find, clear “call to action” for customers who may be ready to move forward with your company? It may all sound pretty basic, but step into the shoes of a customer sometime and visit your own website. You might be surprised at what you find.

Think about your own shopping cycle. First, you want to gather information on potential solutions to your problem. Then you compare and contrast the options. And only then are you ready to buy. Depending on the product or service, that can all be done in one setting or it might take days, weeks or months to complete. If your website only addresses the shopper who is ready to buy (as so many do!), then chances are pretty good that the only visitor who is going to buy from you is someone who already knows you. And while it’s important to keep current customers happy, what you really want your website to do for you is attract new customers, don’t you?

Many business owners are frustrated by how little their website helps drive new business and that’s largely because of a weak (or let’s be honest here . . . non-existent) website strategy. Just having a website is not a strategy for driving new business any more than just having a car is a strategy for getting to work. If your car is just sitting in the driveway, then it’s really not going to help you get to work.

No clue how to get started? Well, you’re here so that’s a good start. Carve out some time each week to read our blog. We also provide some overview information on various topics on our website (www.CDUdotcom.com) as well as links to other online resources you might want to check out (look for the “Learn More” and “Training and Resources” sections of our website). And you can always hire experts in the field like . . . oh, I don’t know . . . us! : )

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Posted in Marketing Strategy, Website Development | No Comments »

Why You Should Never Buy Email Lists

November 4th, 2009

It is never a good idea to buy an email list. NEVER! No reputable company is ever going to sell you a list of email addresses. And most email marketing vendors (e.g., iContact) won’t allow you to use purchased lists in their systems. But what if the company pinky-swears that the list is opt-in? Of course they will because they aren’t reputable in the first place so pinky-swear means nothing to them!

If a company has a good list (i.e., one that has been obtained ethically and contains viable leads), they aren’t going to sell it because as soon as it becomes public then chances are good that it’s going to be ruined. It will be sold and resold and rendered useless. So unless you want a list of email addresses that are useless and likely to cause you a heap of trouble, then don’t buy email lists. But wait, all is not lost. It is possible to rent lists.

So what’s the difference between selling and renting a list? With rented lists, you never see the actual email addresses because the company you rent from does the mailing. So while you should never, ever buy an email list, there are opt-in lists (of sorts) that can be rented if you are in a hurry to jump start your email campaign. The names are usually collected when people check those “you might  also be interested in information from our partners” type of boxes. You can still be reported for spamming because the recipient might not remember checking that box or they may not connect your email to the opt-in since it wasn’t specific to your company.

Final thoughts: I will always argue that the best lists are the ones you develop yourself. The people on your list already know who you are and they are interested in hearing from you. Email marketing, when it’s done well, is more like relationship selling than direct mail. But more on that in another post!

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Facebook Business Accounts: Confused Yet?

November 2nd, 2009

The logic may be muddy, but the policy is clear: if you already have a personal account on Facebook, you can’t set up a business account. Facebook considers it a violation of their terms of service and will terminate both accounts. And here’s the other thing: business accounts don’t have the same functionality as personal ones anyway. Again, the logic is muddy!

In my opinion, the biggest reason to not set up a business account (other than that whole termination thing!) is that business accounts can’t be found in search. The Facebook site’s help information literally says regarding business accounts: “Your account will not be visible in search and other users on the site will not be able to find you and add you as a friend.” Not sure what marketing genius came up with this idea!

Most people want to create business accounts on Facebook to keep their business identity and their personal information separate. Here’s the good news: adding a business page under your personal account doesn’t give fans of the page access to your personal information. That is controlled by your profile settings.

Another reason people want to create separate Facebook accounts for business is to allow multiple users to administer the site. More good news! You can set up multiple administrators for the page you set up for your business. They will, of course, need to set up a Facebook account for themselves if they haven’t already.

So that’s the system, crazy as it sounds. You’re only allowed to create one Facebook account, but from that account you can set up your personal profile (with whatever security settings you prefer) plus any number of Facebook Pages for your business, organization, etc. Your personal profile information can’t be seen by fans of the business page and you’ll be able to add multiple administrators of the page.

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Posted in Social Media Marketing | 1 Comment »

Is social media a waste of time?

October 20th, 2009

I won’t disagree with the objections about social media when it comes to whether or not I want to follow people (celebrity or not) who post their every single thought. Not only am I not interested in what Paris Hilton is doing right now, but I don’t have time. Small business owners are already trying to figure out how to get everything done without signing on to something else that’s going to be a waste of time.

But for small business owners, social media is anything but a waste of time. Sure, there’s plenty of “dear diary” stuff out there. Not interested? Then ignore it. But what you shouldn’t ignore is the huge potential for connecting with your customers using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Social media isn’t just for kids! Even if your customers are more baby boomer than Gen XYZ, more and more of them are joining social media sites. As with all forms of innovation, there are the “innovators” and “early adopters” that lead the way. But at this point, the “early majority” is joining in and it won’t be long before social media has become as ubiquitous as cellphones. (Isn’t ubiquitous a fun word!? Also a fan of unctuous and avuncular . . . I don’t know why!)

So if you’d like to learn more about how to use social media in your business (and why you should), then you’ve come to the right place!

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Hello!

October 7th, 2009

Welcome to the future home of the CDUdotcom Blog. We just revamped our website and our blog is next. So check back in a week or so and we promise to have some updates ready for your reading pleasure!

Thanks!

Posted in Stuff (aka Just Stuff) | No Comments »