Attract visitors to your website - magnetise
Before you pay out hard-earned money on Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or submitting to lots of internet based directories, here are a few notes about what you can do to make your business website attractive to search engines - for free.
How will visitors find your website?
You must actively attract visitors to your business website (they are potential clients after all) - and they need to have a good experience when they get there. In principle, it is simple - they have to be able to find it - obviously - and it needs to be a professional, quality, business branded website that they arrive at! When we think of websites, we think of search engines, but let's not underestimate the value of just letting people know that we are there.
- Get noticed by search engines (in a good way)
- Share your website address - everyday, everywhere in every way
Get noticed by search engines (in a good way)
What to do to be noticed (in a good way) by search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN? Quite how the search engines arrive at their results always has some mystery - a range of factors and an algorithm or two. Even so, experience demonstrates that search engines are attracted to websites that
- have quality, relevant content
- are obviously popular through 'incoming' links
- are updated regularly
- have, and use, appropriate keywords
- are built in a 'friendly' fashon
- introduce themselves
Search engines are getting 'savvier' by the day and if you try to play fast and loose with them they will treat your website as toxic - and you don't want that. They will frown upon websites that abuse keywords and have a mismatch between content and keywords.
In the old days, Keywords were King - but not anymore. Content is now King! Keywords (in the name, 'under the hood' and 'on the page') do still matter - but, even more eye-catching is 'link popularity'.
Be obviously popular through 'incoming' links
Link popularity is a measure of the number and quality of web pages linking to you. Be linked to by other websites known to the search engines. Most major search engines use link popularity as part of their algorithm to arrive at web page rankings. If you increase the number of quality, relevant sites which link to your site it can actually improve your search engine rankings.
Increase your site's 'link popularity', and provide another 'direct' doorway for visitors to find your website. Establish 'incoming' links from
- business associates
- business directories
- 'partner relationships'
- profession specialist directories
- your on-line profiles
- your blog
- your articles published on the internet
- to name but a few.
Introduce your website home page to the main search engines
Search engines may find all websites - eventually. The main search engines do provide you with the means of introducing your website to them - free. So long as your website is in a fit state, there is no harm in extending the hand of friendship by submitting your home page to them. They may ignore you, they may still take months to notice you and probably rank you a very long way down (until your website gets good exposure and becomes actively attractive, of course) - but it is a good start.
Share your website address - everyday, everywhere in every way
Mention your website address in all of your 'everyday' business. Include your website address:
- on your business cards - and offer them at all networking events you go to
- in all your business literature (compliment slips, letterheads etc.)
- in all your business promotion material
- in all your business product/service packaging
- in your email 'signature'
Have a business email address including your website domain name - so if that is all that someone remembers, they will also know your website address.
Your visitors' experience on the website matters too!
A good looking business branded website is a great way of showcasing your business. As well as being search engine friendly, your business website needs to be attractive to your human visitors (potential or actual clients and customers - the most important people!). A visually pleasing website with easy, obvious navigation and clear messages and quality images all make up the 'look and feel' and enhance the quality of the visitor's experience - and that matters, lots.