Business-Skills

Make Google Fall in Love With Your Small Business Website

Make Google Love Your Small Business Website

Creating your own small business website can be a scary thing to do. It requires some planning to get it right and make Google sit up and take notice of your site at first glance. Small business website search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the keys, but all too often, astute business people leave the creation of their websites up to a family member or a friend who happens to know something about it. This is strange, for they wouldn’t dream of letting the same people build their bricks and mortar store or office.

Of course, getting an expert who fully understands small business SEO to build your website is not likely to come cheap, but it may be the best solution if you are starting out from scratch. However, this article is aimed at those small businesses that already have a website, but are disappointed at how poorly it performs. If you’re frustrated because your website appears on page 42 of the Google search results, and no one is visiting your website, here are 7 things you can do to quickly improve your results.

1. Create an Effective Website Title Tag, Description Meta Tag,
and Keywords Meta Tag

The most important part of any website page (in the eyes of the search engines) is the title tag. The title is enclosed between the opening title tag: and the closing title tag: . It is located in the head section of an HTML document, or web page. You should use your page’s main keyword in your title. Try to use your main keyword near the beginning of your title, and perhaps again near the end. But always strive to make your title readable, and not obviously keyword stuffed.

Your description tag plays an important role in SEO for your local small business. This tag is used by most of the search engines in their listings, so you need to spend some time getting this right. The description tag looks like this: and it is also found in the head section of your web page.

Something brief such as, “Acme Incorporated, Makers of Blue Widgets,” gets the message across, but you could do much better. Try to list benefits rather than features, and use your main keyword in your description as well. Keep your description reasonably brief, but not too short. Something like, “Acme, Inc., Makers of the Strongest, Most Powerful and Affordable Widgets on the Planet” is better.

Like a headline for an ad or sales flyer, your description may take time to develop. Start with a list of all of the benefits your product or service offers and then try to write 20 different descriptions for your site based on those benefits. Test your descriptions by reading them to your customers, employees or others familiar with your business. You’ll find out which description resonates most strongly with your potential prospects – and that’s good for the search engines and for your sales.

The keywords tag, again found in the head section of your web pages, looks like this: . The keywords you choose for your page are important, because they tell the search engines what should be found on the page. Google and all the other search engines present search results based on relevancy – how relevant your web pages are to the keywords and phrases your prospects are searching for.

Keep your keyword phrases to less than seven and don’t repeat the same words. For example, if you have two keyword phrases, which are, “blue widgets” and “bright blue widgets,” you should only include unique words after including the first “blue widgets” keyword.

Curious to know what your Title, Description, Meta and Keyword tags currently look like? Here’s a simple tip – just go to any page of your website, then click on “View Source” or “View Page Source” from the “View” menu. There you’ll be able to see exactly what your tags are telling Google when they crawl your site.

2. Optimize Your Website Copy

Your website copy consists of the words on every page of your site. Try to make it interesting and informative. One simple way to arrange your articles, or informative pages, is to use a simple three-step format. Begin with an introductory paragraph that tells your visitor what you are going to tell them. Then in the next two or three paragraphs, tell them. Finally, wind up the article by telling them what you just told them.

This may seem overly simple, but it works. Speak to your website audience as you would to a seven-year-old child. Don’t patronize them, but lay it out clearly in simple steps using straightforward language that anyone can understand.

When writing your copy for each of your pages, make sure to focus on one or two keywords per page. If you are selling widgets in all colors and you also sell thingamajigs, then widgets should be on one page and thingamajigs on another. Keep it simple for your customers and the search engines by focusing on one idea per page and your customers will thank you for it, and Google will thank you too.

3. Establish an Acceptable Keyword Density for Your Website Copy

While optimizing your website copy you also need to establish a keyword density that is acceptable to the search engines. Opinions differ, but somewhere between 2% and 5% is probably about right. This means that for effective small business SEO, your main keyword phrase should appear around three times for every 100 words.

Where your keyword appears is important too. Try to use your main keyword or phrase twice in the first paragraph, once in the second paragraph, once around the middle of the article, and once again near the end of the article. Try to start and end the first paragraph with your main keyword if possible, but don’t force it. Always aim for copy that is readable before copy that has perfect keyword density.

4. Create Quality Back Links to Your Website

Increasingly, the search engines are giving added weight to the number of quality back links your website has. It used to be that reciprocal linking was quite acceptable, and it still is, but now Google and the other search engines give higher credibility to one-way back links as far as your search engine rankings are concerned.

And it’s not just any back links either. You need to have quality back links, or back links from sites that are similar to yours. It’s not much good getting a back link from a site about butterflies if your site focuses on racing cars. With Google, it’s all about relevance. You should also strive to get back links from so-called authority sites. These are sites that the search engines deem to be an authority on their chosen subject. They tend to be quite big and to have been around for some time.

5. Use Local Directories Effectively

If you are marketing to a local market, then make use of local directories. How do you find them? If, for example, you are located in New York, then go to Google and search for, “directory” + “new york.” This will return a list of all the local directories in that city. You could even try searching for, “blue widgets directory” + “new york,” if you are marketing blue widgets.

Once you find a suitable directory, submit your website to it. People do search on local directories, so even if your product has worldwide appeal, there’s a greater chance that you will get the sale if someone finds you in a local directory over someone else located in another continent who can deliver just as cost effectively or as quickly.

6. Create a Proper Site Map and Google Site Map

Every website should have a site map. This is merely a directory of all your site’s pages with links to every one. You should have a link from every page of your site back to your site map, and your site map must be updated whenever a new page is added.

A Google Site Map is also a site map, but one that is in a special format that Google can easily spider. It has the great advantage of allowing Google to instantly “see” your site and evaluate it. It can be a very useful tool in getting Google to index your site more quickly than otherwise. For more information on creating a Google Site Map, go to: http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/.

7. Add Fresh Original Content to Your Website at an Acceptably Measured Pace

Your website should never be considered finished. It should always be a work in progress that is constantly expanding with fresh and original content. The easiest way to do this is to add new articles on specific subjects on a regular basis. One article a week is the least you should aim for, but don’t add content too quickly either. Dumping 100 articles a day into your site will ultimately work against you, because the search engines look for organic growth – in other words, growth that seems natural. Since it’s not likely that you were able to write 100 articles in one day, Google and the other search engines will see this as unnatural and will count it against you in your page ranking.

SEO for your local small business is easier than you might think. Getting Google to fall head over heels in love with your small business website is not rocket science. You only need to implement a few simple things on a regular basis, and over time Google will notice and your page rank – and your placement with the search engines – will start climbing.

Two Essential Keys To a Successful Small Business

We often hear managers complaining that their employees aren’t productive, don’t listen and just can’t consistently get the job done. As a youth sports coach, I hear coaches with similar complaints—the kids don’t listen, don’t know where to go and don’t try very hard. I can’t relate. The boys on my team are usually focused, do what I ask of them, and work hard. As a business owner, my employees are focused, do what I ask of them and work hard. What am I doing that is different from the rest? And what can this teach you about running a successful small business?

As a coach, I make my boys’ jobs very simple. I ask only two things of them. I ask them to master one shot and I ask them to be aware of what is going on around them. Of course we work on defensive and offensive strategy, but both of those revolve around the two keys that I gave them for success—awareness and mastery.

I teach awareness by constantly asking them to be aware of where the ball is and at the same time to be aware of their teammates are and where their opponents are. I teach them how to see the ball and their opponent when he doesn’t have the ball. Sounds simple, but for ten year olds this is work.

I teach mastery by assigning homework to each boy. The second week of practice, they have to show me a spot on the court from which they can make a shot every time. I don’t care if it is from just two feet under the basket. I want them to know they can make it every single time. As the season progresses, they may gradually move their spot further and further out, but I still ask that they be able to make their shot every time unguarded in practice.

These two simple concepts have a tremendous effect on the boys during their games. They have incredible confidence in their ability to make shots because they “know” that they will always make it. I don’t need to yell at them like other coaches about where they should be on the court because they have developed awareness of what they are doing and seeing. Now let’s see how you can use this in your successful small business.

As a business owner, I put these two key principles to work in training my employees. From the first day on the job, I work with them to be aware of what tasks are needed, what I expect of them, how I want customers treated, etc. And I ask them to master tasks and customer scripts. Once they are mastered, I open it up for them to adlib just like with my players. When correction is needed, it is usually in one of these two areas. They are either unaware of what is needed or they haven’t mastered the task at hand.

Not only does following these two concepts make it easy for me to get results with my players and employees, it also brings incredible results. My first team lost only one game all season and my employees rarely lose a sale. My businesses and products win awards earned by my employees. And, as a bonus, everyone enjoys themselves with this simple structure. I knew I was doing it right when the father of one of my boys told me that his boy enjoyed practice so much that he chose to come to practice instead of going to see our professional basketball team play one night. And I know it works with my employees because they show up on time happy, focused and ready to work. Remember, awareness and mastery are two essential keys to a successful small business.

Business Promotion: Your steps to success

Potentially there are  hundreds of ways to promote your new or existing business. Assuming your clients and  targets. We are here to discuss few methods through which you  can promote your business.

Contacts: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. This little phrase holds a great deal of water in the small-scale Web design industry. When you’re first starting out, you’ll find that a lot of your work comes in via word of mouth promotion. It’s therefore very important to make connections early. Do a few free sites for local charities, community groups and organisations – this is a great way to build up your portfolio and also spread your name around potential client firms. Eventually you’ll be approached by ‘a friend of a friend of so-and-so’ who wants a site designed. This is an example of ‘viral marketing’ and is one of the most effective methods you can use to promote any business.

Free Gifts: This method does take some capital investment to start with, but can yield good results if it’s done properly and is correctly targeted. Invest in some branded mouse-mats, barrel colors for ink pens, coasters etc to promote your business. Try to aim for items that executives would keep on their desks. Desk calendars are especially good for this purpose because they’ll be in use for a whole year if you’re lucky, and cardboard ones are fairly inexpensive.

The advantage of these items over traditional business cards is that they’re more likely to be kept, plus your contact/business information generally remains on open view, as opposed to being in a wallet, purse or filing system somewhere.This will help get your company name and details out to your target audience, and will hopefully get your name and details seen by the right people

Your Business Website: This site is it – your big chance to knock the socks off of your potential clients! Here’s your opportunity to show them what you can do, to tell them exactly how your company can help them and why they should choose you over the competition. Never forget that first impressions count, and if your portfolio isn’t the best you can make in terms of design, layout and content, you’re selling yourself short straight away.

A Website for your business is very important. Hey, it’s what you do, isn’t it? Aim for a crisp, clean design that emphasises your professionalism and skill. Give your potential clients as much information as you think they’ll need. Remember, this is most likely going to be your first point of contact with a potential client, and could determine right away whether or not the contract goes to your company, or Joe Bloggs Inc down the road.

Business Cards: Yes, we’re living in the 21st century, and yes, it’s the digital era, the age of technology, the future and all that, but let’s be honest: nothing beats a business card for quick, effective promotion.

Let’s take an example: You’re out with some friends at a suave local get-together. You start chatting to a friend of a friend; the topic of conversation turns (as always) to work; she asks what you do; you tell her you build Websites for a small to medium sized companies in your area. Eureka! It turns out she’s the owner of Jane’s Boutique, a fashionable designer clothing outlet in town. What’s more, she’s been toying with the idea of investing in an e-commerce enabled Website for her business, so she can accept orders online and break into mail order. This gets better and better. So you tell her you’d certainly be interested in helping her out (for a fee of course) and that she should give you a call.

Advertise: Of course, you could always go the traditional route and advertise. Targeted advertising is the key here; billboards and the sides of buses simply won’t cut it. Try placing an advert in the local newspaper, or target your market even further by advertising in publications specifically published for small business owners in your local area. These will vary depending on where you are and what the local economy is like, so take some time to research the various advertising mediums available before you commit yourself to anything.

Business Angels For Small Businesses

Businesses are many things. Some are profitable, some aren’t. Some involve single, store-based locations, while others are based off the Internet or even across an international network. Some have large staffs; others only have a few people. Some specialize in technology, some in produce, some in commerce – the variations are endless, but all these companies share one thing.

They all require a lot of money to get started. Most people don’t have even close to the amount of money it takes to start a small business, and so have to take out a loan or find funding from some outside source. The trick is to find the best source for your business. You always have a few options – whether that be by taking out a loan or seeking investors is up to you. When you’re looking for investors, you’ll come across the names of several venture capitalists, who invest their client’s money in startup projects.

Another option for the shrewd businessman or businesswoman, though, may be the kind of person known as a business angel. A business angel invests his or her own money in a company or business in order to buy part ownership. They will then wait for the company to make profits, and sell shares after your company has had a chance to grow. Sometimes, business angels will band together and pool their capital in order to invest in larger projects – if the company you wish to start is going to be expensive, you may wish to seek out one of these pools.

The next question is where you will find these business angels – and how you’ll let them know about your company. There are a few options here. For instance, if you already have a small business and are looking for investors to expand rather than to create something new, you may be able to find a business angel among your current customers – someone who knows and trusts you already, and has seen how successful you are and could be.

The Internet is another amazing tool when it comes to finding investors. Get online right now and log onto your favourite search engine. Type in “Business angels” and take a look at the listings that come up – you’ll be able to find investors all across the United Kingdom looking for all sorts of projects. Take a look at each, how much each is willing to spend, and whether that investor seems as if she or he would be interested in your company. If so, take down their name – once you’ve narrowed your choices down, you can start calling and deciding just who you want owning part of your company.

Banks and personal accountants often have contacts, as well. If you’re unable or unwilling to find business angels through the Internet, you can check in with your bank or with your accountant. They can look for you if you wish, or they may know some business angel investors personally and be willing to recommend one for you – remember, in this business as with so many others, it’s not what you know, but whom you know.

Remember, business angels are not venture capitalists. They aren’t working for stockholders the way a broker or investing firm does; rather, they’re spending their own money on things they believe in. As such, they will also be much more careful about what they decide to invest in. If you want a business angel investing in your business, you’re going to have to work hard to convince them. Come up with a good business plan and have some evidence you’ll make money, and you’ll go far every time.

Building A Small Home Based Business Opportunity

Building a small home based business opportunity requires time and money. You can not expect to build a small home based business opportunity without either element. You can probably get started for a small amount of money, but it will likely take quite a bit of time to get things up and running before you can sit back and reap the rewards of your efforts.

Many people think that with so many internet business opportunities available that it takes no money to get started. In many cases people are even led to believe that. However when building a small home based business opportunity a person will need some start up money to handle certain things that will not be available directly from the opportunity.

When building a small home based business opportunity it is imperative to have a website. It is possible to get a free website, but these websites rank low on the search engines and it has been proven people are less likely to do business with a business that has a free website verses a paid site. To establish a website a person will need to secure the hosting and domain name. These can be found for almost any budget.

Another aspect of building a small home based business opportunity that many people do not realize is getting the business off its feet. This involves a lot of time and effort. Internet marketing is a fierce business with a lot of competition. It is critical to the businesses success for the business owner to have a great marketing plan. Developing this marketing plan takes plenty of time and will not happen overnight. Marketing also involves a lot of work to keep checking the progress of campaigns and making sure the marketing is being effective.

Building a small home based business opportunity is not something that a person can do in a day. It will take weeks, maybe even months. The myth that small home based business opportunities are easy to start up is one of the biggest reasons many people fail when they are first starting out in the internet business world.