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Do I have to be number one in Google to have a successful website?
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
website 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 website 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
website. 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 website be successful without a high search engine
ranking?
Absolutely! Finding your website through the search engines is
just one way for potential customers to find you. There are many
other ways to drive traffic to your website 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 website.
But, before you start driving traffic to your website, make sure
your website is ready for new visitors. You must give visitors a
reason to stay at your website 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 website. 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 website 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 website.
Offline traffic methods
1. Put your website 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
website URL.
2. On the back of your business card, offer a free report and
include a website URL that leads the reader directly to a
specific page on your website (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 website URL anywhere you can while maintaining
a professional appearance. Don't compromise your integrity just
to get your website URL advertised.
Online traffic
methods
1. Add your website 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 website 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 website 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 website 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 website for more information. Post the article on your
website as well as submitting it to article directories on the
internet. Always include your bio and website 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 website 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 website. 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 website 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.
About the author:
Ted Prodromou spent over 25 years in the computer industry
working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular One. Today he's the owner
of Valiss Internet Solutions, a consulting firm that teaches you
how to use your website as a marketing tool. Download your free
report How To Attract Clients While You Sleep at
www.valiss.com/freereport.htm.
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