Published December
2004
Tips
to boost your Web visibility
Dear
BizBest: I’ve advertised, hung signs, bought directory listings, sent
direct mail and built a darned nice Web site that cost us a few bucks.
But sometimes I still feel like we’re invisible. How can I pull more prospects?
I’d especially like to see better results from our Internet investment!
— Invisible
Dear Invisible:
Visibility is vital. If prospects don’t know who or where you are, you’re
sunk. A well-done Web site offers great potential for boosting your business
visibility. But with a zillion sites vying for clicks, it’s easy to get
beaten in the visibility derby.
Search engines are
your secret weapon and the key to Internet success. Every day, millions
of people use search engines by typing in words or phrases to describe
what they want. If your name pops up in the results list at Google, Yahoo!,
Lycos, HotBot, AOL Search, AltaVista, MSN, Ask Jeeves, Excite or any of
dozens more like them, the benefits are golden.
The art of making
that happen is one of the newest skills small-business owners are now
learning. It’s called “search-engine optimization” (SEO).
SEO is all about
increasing your online visibility by creating just the right keywords
to describe what you offer, organizing your site to capture search engine
attention and constantly submitting your updated site information to search
engines and online directories. You can do much of this yourself or seek
help from one of the SEO services catering to small business.
Here are seven visibility-boosting
tips:
- Use descriptive
and informative text on each page of your Web site, choosing words that
relate directly to your product, service or industry.
- Highlight and
feature your most important content first, in a clear, uncluttered fashion.
- Ask other relevant
sites to link to yours. One measure search engines now use to measure
your site’s importance is how many others link to it.
- If you use search-engine
ads, be sure to include the keyword (“sailboats,” “dog toys,” etc.)
in your title and description. Prospects are 50 percent more likely
to click on listings that include the specific term they typed in.
- Write titles
and descriptions that are clear, factual and free of excessive superlatives
(best, cheapest, biggest). People prefer listings that are more factual
and less “sales talk.”
- If your geographic
location is relevant, use it in the description. Some search engines
now offer ad programs geared specifically to small, local businesses.
- Don’t expect
search engines and online directories (such as About.com) to find you.
Submit your site to them. The best way to do this is through a paid
submission service (our resource listings below can help). These services
are effective and inexpensive.
Here’s where you
can get some help:
- Submit Express
can submit your Web site to 75,000 search engines, directories and links
pages. They offer a wide range of services, including keyword consulting
and a complete review of your Web site functionality. Visit www.submitexpress.com.
- Submit Wizard
delivers software and services to help simplify your search-engine submissions.
Basic submission packages start at $59 per year. Visit www.submitwizard.com.
- WebPosition offers
SEO software and service solutions geared to helping companies improve
and update their listings. Visit www.webposition.com.
- Interland, a
major Web-hosting firm serving small business, has just introduced a
“one stop” optimization service aimed at increasing visibility across
30 search engines and directories. “EzClicks” offers different levels
of guaranteed traffic plans starting at $40 per month. Visit www.interland.com.
- Overture (a Yahoo!
company) offers a ton of helpful (and free) advice on improving the
visibility of your Web site. Go to the “Advertiser Solutions” section
of the site. Visit www.overture.com.
- Search Engine
Watch, part of the ClickZ Network, is a huge site devoted to search-engine
marketing. Visit www.searchenginewatch.com.
- Search Engine
Guide offers helpful SEO books, articles, listings and more. Visit www.searchengineguide.com.
- Other helpful
sites: Blastengine.com;
wPromote.com and
AddMe.com.
Daniel Kehrer (dan@bizbest.com)
is founder of BizBest (www.bizbest.com),
which publishes “The 100 Best Resources for Small Business.”
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