Rich Garner

For small businesses or new businesses, getting folks to know who you are and what you do can seems like a daunting task. Just because you have a website does not mean that people will find it or even like it. This is where a combination of elegant web design AND search engine optimization is critical to online success. I have been creating high-impact websites for over 10 years and I have developed a five-step process to generating more online interest in your site.

STEP 1:  Create a sharp, clean and effective website

One of the greatest disappointments of customers is when they find a company or individual through a Google search only to click on their link and find an ugly, poorly laid web site which is difficult to navigate or even understand.

An effective website is the cornerstone of your online marketing. It’s the one thing that all your visitors and potential customers will all see. The rest of your online marketing plan will hinge on the effectiveness of your site. So be sure that you follow three simple rules to an effective website:

Keep it simple.
Don’t overload your site with tons of links, banners or add-ons that you think are cool or interesting. Your website should ONLY contain content about your business and your other clients (as a portfolio) This is not a place to keep your blog or pay-per-click ads.

Also, don’t overload your website with Flash. Flash has only two uses, dazzle with animation, or provide valid functionality. Neither of these are searchable.

Keep it short.
There is plenty of time to elaborate on all your many ideas, experiences and histories. But you don’t want to bore the reader or take up too much of their time. Visitors should spend about 2-3 minutes on your site and then be hooked into calling you or setting up an appointment. So don’t keep them too long.

Keep it sharp.
While you don’t want to waste the readers time, you DO want to create a powerful impact for their first few minutes. Catch their eye with some nice graphics or maybe a simple Flash animation. Then jump right into what you can do for them as clients.

STEP 2:  Use keywords in your code

The greatest cause of search engine results are found in the title, text and tags of your website. Think of the words or phrase that people will type into Google to find your business competitors, then put those words or phrases into your website. Search engines look at three areas of your site:

Your title.
If your business is your last name, add some words to help Google find you. Instead of “Joe Smith,” call yourself “Joe Smith, Roofing Repair for Richmond, Virginia.” Your title should be clear and informative. It should say what you do.

Your body.
The body of your site should contain similar relevant keywords while still impacting the reader. For example, instead of using your front page to introduce yourself, talk about your career highlights and the skills and knowledge that your clients will want. You body is where people will be hooked, so use words that you know they want to see.

Your meta-tags.
Meta-tags are inside the code of your website and are all but invisible to everyday readers. However, search engines find your meta-tags before anything else, so make sure your tags contain keywords that bring people to you. For example, the meta-tags of a hair-stylist in Austin Texas might look like this:

<META NAME=”KEYWORDS” CONTENT=”hair,stylist,haircut,austin,texas,tx”>

STEP 3:  Start a blog

Probably one of the most important steps you can take into online marketing is running your own blog. Blogs (shorts for “web logs“) are an amazingly easy way to gain exposure and generate links to your site. In fact, blogs were designed to serve as link generators and traffic drivers.

By running your own blog, you accomplish two things:

You share your insights.
When you share your opinions, insights and reactions to issues critical to your business, your allow potential customers to know you better. Customers are more likely to pay someone whose ideas and practices they can read about at great length rather than some faceless name in a search result.

You create link-backs.
By linking back to your site, you help drive your search results up a little bit. The more users read your blog, the more your links are clicked, the higher your search result climbs.

STEP 4:  Use social networking sites

These days, most online relationships and business contacts are being made through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Taking advantage of the global audience of these sites is critical to driving more traffic to your site.

Create a Twitter account and link your profile to your website. Then start following other Twitter people who might have similar careers, hobbies or interests as you. Be sure to comment on their tweets whenever possible. Most high-raking twitter users continually look for their name or certain keywords and then respond. If these people respond to you, there is a greater chance that their followers will become your followers.

Set yourself up on Facebook and start adding your friends. Then create your business page on Facebook or a similar interest group and link it back to your website. Keep your Facebook page or group constantly updated and there is a better chance of Facebook ‘friends-of-friends’ finding you online.

Create some short videos to post on YouTube and Vimeo about your industry. Don’t focus on your business, but rather create content that is general to your field while interesting to any viewers. Place your links in your YouTube profile and in the description section of any videos you post.

STEP 5:  Get link-backs from high-traffic sites

Many high-profile companies or organizations allow users to post on their sites. Most often in their forums section. If you DO post in forums, be sure you are not obvious about posting ONLY to get links to your website. Spend some time in these forums, read some of the other posts and comment where you can. Place your link in your forum signature and don’t repost your link over and over.

In addition, some big name websites might post your content if your create something truly unique for them such as a tutorial or a “5 Tips” article (such as this one). Additionally, if there are any local big name websites such as newspapers, tv stations or community groups, be sure to offer to create content for them in your particular field. If you can convince these big names that posting your content would be beneficial to their business, they might be willing to link back to your site. To get the best results, post to high-traffic sites that share your industry or field.