As I’ve posted in the past, I get daily notifications of my “Daily Challenge” – little snippets, sayings, quotes, ideas that keep me grounded and remind me that it’s not all about me.  Sometimes these little challenges strike a personal note, and sometimes they hit me professionally.  Today’s challenge can apply both personally and professionally.

“Choose to re-frame disappointments as challenges to help you grow.”

We would not be who we are without disappointment and growth, so this is a great reminder or push to learn from our mistakes, both personally and professionally.

If I apply this professionally, it is to take a web site that does not perform well, or has experiences failures in the ways of online sales and/or traffic and turn that around.  The disappointments in online performance are the things that push to dig deeper and find out what is not working and make it better.

I have one particular account that puzzles me – the site traffic grows month over month, the overall site bounce rate is low, the pricing on products is competitive and they are experiencing nice positioning in Google.  They are following all the steps in our marketing plan, yet the site does not perform as well as I’d expect it to.  It is rather disappointing.  BUT, this is now a challenge – to test the waters and look for ways to make it work.  We’ve just rolled out some changes that I hope will be effective, but again we continue to monitor using tools like Google Analytics to watch our changes take hold.

If not, I will continue to push to find the right solution as I attempt to do in all areas of my life.  My passion for my client’s success is what keeps me motivated.  At the end of the day, if their site is performing well and I am helping their business grow, then I’ve overcome just one more challenge.

As Joel Osteen once said  “Every setback is a setup for a great comeback…”

I continue to view failures and disappointments as opportunities for growth in all areas of my life.  It is those things that make us stronger both personally and professionally.

eCommerce sites tend to be a bit easier to monitor and rate success with online goals being sales.  Sites that are not selling online still need to generate business – otherwise what’s the point of being online right?  Hopefully you are using Google Analytics to set goals for your site and to monitor their success.

If you don’t have goals set up – take a look at your non-eCommerce site and look for areas for generate leads.  A few examples of leads might be:

• Email Opt-In
• Online Conact Form Submission
• Online Quote Request Submitted
• Online Survey Completion
• Document Downloads

Each of these actions can  be tracked separately in Google Analytics and can provide valuable insight into how your site is performing.

Assessing an existing goal and working to improve coversions

Having goals set up for a website doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be a successful goal with regular conversions.  Through Google Analytics we can ascertain what is working and what isn’t.  Here’s a real time example:

Company X is a USA manufacturer who does not sell direct online.  They do however offer to quote out every product they sell and work directly with their online users.  This is a means to be able to sell direct and not upset their distributor networks.    After the site was live for several months we decided to add a quote request form to offer up this service and generate leads.

We added a quote request form to the site and featured it on the site’s home page.  We then monitored the site’s goal conversion rate over a few months and found that while people were starting to submit quote requests – they were few and far between.

We took it a step further and created a call-out for this quote request and placed it on the top and bottom of every single product page.  Below is a real-time screen capture of the change in goal conversions for these quote requests – showing two months before, and one month after this very simple change was made.

Note that in June and half way through July they were lucky to get 1-2 quote requests per week.  Once we made that simple change of adding this quote request callout to every product page, the number of quote requests they are now receiving has greatly improved.  One simple change can make a huge difference.

Be sure to monitor your site traffic regularly and look for areas to improve conversions.  Work to develop ways to convert online traffic into real business and get creative.  Adding a survey to your site is a nice way to generate leads if you are not currently quoting custom products.  Email signups are another great way to generate leads.  Start thinking outside the box – especially if you are not selling direct to your online website visitors.

As a side note – if you have more than 4 goals you want to track, and are using Google Analytics – you will need to create a duplicate profile.  Each profile in Analytics only allows for 4 goals.  (See post on creating duplicate profiles.)

Many small business owners these days are realizing that there is more to life (and their bottom line) than their brick-and-mortar operation.  Furthermore, these business owners are starting to realize the value of spending some of their marketing dollars on ehnancing their online service offering through internet marketing and social media efforts.

We, as internet marketers, tend to run into some resistance when trying to educate and guide our small business clients on the proper techniques that can lead to a successfull online business.

Our job as your strategic internet partner is to guide your efforts and lead you down the right path to grow your online product and service offerings, along with helping you to build relevent content for not only your users, but for the search engines as well.  In doing this, we tend to get a lot of push-back.  By this I mean clients not wanting to do the work because they don’t see the value.

“I know my business better than you.”

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that line, and yes, that is true.  I am not an expert on Nitrogen Oxide Air Scrubbers, nor do I pretend to be a subject matter expert on Multi-Deck Pizza Ovens or Pneumatic Tapping Machines.  However, my response to the above statement is this:

“You most certainly know your products and your business, and I know internet marketing.  Imagine what we can do with that powerful combination!”

This is not a statement of arrogance, but simply the truth.  As we work together to develop a strategy for your site, and as we begin to gather real data from tools like Google Analytics – we can begin to learn from your web site’s traffic patterns, common search terms, AdWords campaign trends, best selling products and so on.

By listening to what your site is telling us – we find areas for improvement, and know specifically where to focus your efforts and what types of content will need to be built.

In the case of a new site that hasn’t gathered much data – I may suggest various things in the way of social marketing campaigns, content development, product enhancement and such.  You may not agree.  How I overcome this resistance is to show you where it has worked for other customers and how it has worked.  The proof is in the results – and if you can back up your suggestions with facts, your customers tend to be more than willing to work with you.

The coolest part of all of this – once you overcome that first hurdle, or overcome their resistance the first time, and your client sees the fruits of their labor… they tend to come looking for more stuff to do to make it even better – and it just snowballs from there.

I’ve had client’s websites sit idle for months and when they finally come around and do some of things I’ve asked them to do, they begin to see their site come alive with activity.  It is through this effort they realize the potential, and begin to really value you as a strategic partner who is passionate about growing your business.  (see analytical graph below showing real site traffic growth for a client who listens!)

So I leave you with this…  Don’t be afraid to push your clients into unchartered territory by suggesting things they may not necessarily agree with – However, be prepared to substantiate your suggestion with facts and data.  Help them understand who you are making the change for and how it could impact their site overall.

Link Farming came about in the late 90′s as a means of taking advantage of Inktomi’s method of ranking based on link popularity.  Link farming later become known as spamdexing – and is frowned upon by search engine’s today. 

Having a solid link strategy for your web site is important.  Knowing the types of links that will provide value to your site, and your users and reciprocating with those types of web sites will provide a greater value to all parties involved.

Search engines such as Google still appear to place value in ranking on the number of incoming links your website possesses, but know that it is more important that these incoming links are now relevant.

Consider this – when you look at a links page on a web site and instantly find that there are hundreds of links that don’t seem related in any way to each other, or to the site you are on – frankly that to me is a useless links or resources page.   I dont want to see “make a million dollars working from home”, or “buy foreclosures for $10″ on a site that is selling crown moulding.  These links provide absolutely no value…  They are not resources, in fact it’s really just spam. 

If I’m looking at a woodworking site perhaps searching for crown moulding or some related product and find that I want to see what other resources this company might recommend – like stain products for the moulding they sell – those are the types of links you should hope (or expect) to find on a resources page on a well thought out web site.

When putting together a link strategy – consider who is using your web site and what they are looking for.  If you sell a certain product, and there are other products that you don’t sell that compliment your product – seek out relevant links to those types of companies.  

You can build relevant relationships through effective linking – and drive relevant traffic to your site as a result.  After you’ve established some of these relationships – keep an eye on the analytics data from your incoming links – this may give you some ideas on some targeted marketing through various channels of high traffic sites that do drive traffic to your site.

You will reap what you sew when it comes to linking to/from your website – so think through your link strategy carefully.

Happy Farming!

The transition of a website from “build” to “marketing” is always an interesting one. Very rarely does a new website get launched that is full of keyterm rich content, unique and interesting content, and most importantly… relevant content. That is not to say it does not happen with much pulling teeth and dragging them along kicking and screaming by our most talented production group here at Cazbah. What is does mean, is that once their site is officially in “internet marketing” mode, it is my job as their Internet Marketing Account Manager to help them to “see the light”.

Common misconception: If we build it… they will come. This is not the “Field of Dreams” people.

The correct line of thinking is much like the mustard seed – you must plant it, water it and nurture it. Only then can it grow. Like the farmer who works his field – we we reap what we sow. If we work the web site and work it well, we can reap the rewards that will follow.

What generally happens? I am handed an eCommerce website that has very little static content, and product descriptions that leave a lot to be desired. This is okay because it gives me a baseline to work from – and truth be told, I love starting with a website that has zero ranking in Google and is not converting. I am passionate about turning that website into a content rich and interesting website, that oh-by-the-way also happens to sell a product.

Don’t misunderstand, there is much emphasis placed on optimizing the product pages with well written descriptions and product titles – with the end goal for those products being that they obtain their own ranking in the search engines, and ultimately convert to online sales.

It’s the other content I like to focus on. This is an area you can define an online niche opportunity. Take a look at your customer’s base line keyword ranking – what keyterms are relevant that they are not currently gaining any search engine ranking on? (This of course assumes you have done your keyterm research and have a set of keywords to focus on.)

Analyze your list of keywords and see which terms are not getting any search engine ranking. You now know where to start with writing new content for your website. Build informational content that will educate your site visitors about what you have to offer that is unique and different. Why should your customers buy online from you? What makes you better than your online competition? What makes your online product unique? What about the service you offer is by far the best? Help your potential customers make a decision to buy your product or use your service.

Not sure where to start? Here’s a simple tip that I have found works with my clients. Often times I am dealing with VITO of Company “X”. VITO (or Very Important Top Officer) does not have time to write content, and frankly does not see the value of writing “stuff”. “My products are online what more do I need?” If I can get VITO to write just one piece of content to prove my point, I push them to write a Glossary of Terms for their website.

Write me a glossary – start with your top ten keywords and build them into an online glossary. Or take each product and define it. For example I have a client who sells Air Pollution Abatement Equipment. Well not everyone on the planet knows what a carbon scrubber is or what it does – and I tell you with no uncertainty that the search engines do not know what they are.

I emphasize to my clients that they are writing this content more for the search engines then they are for their website visitors. Now, that said – once the search engines recognize the new content as being relevant, and it is well written, the end result of course would be gaining ranking on some of your additional keywords – thereby helping new and potential customers not only find your website, but LEARN about what you do and/or sell online.

I have proven this to be an effective technique to teaching my clients how important keyword rich website content can be. Taking some important keyterms that are ranked somewhere below 30 in Google and working them to the first page on Google is proof that your content can define your website. Once my clients see this online glossary of terms work, they are more than willing to continue writing new content.

Keep track of your keyword search engine ranking on a regular basis. If you a see keyword begin to lose search engine ranking, or a keyword that is not performing – analyze the content (or lack thereof) associated with that keyword and work it!

That’s my story… and I’m sticking to it! Content. Content. Content.

I had a dinner meeting with a close friend tonight who is re-building her web site and we just chatted through some of the areas she needs to be focusing on to help promote her web site.

I was astounded to find that the company doing her web site was offering to charge her “x” amount for search engine optimization for 3 hours of work per month (and the dollar amount was way off), and made a brief mention of email marketing, but the proposal stated nothing about what they covered under the title of “SEO” and what they proposed for email marketing.

So I lend these thoughts – things to consider when searching for a “marketing strategist” for your web site. Plain and simple… find someone who knows what they are doing – and pay attention to the details they are providing you.

Internet Marketing has several layers to it. I will compare it to my favorite dessert – A Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Torte!

The bottom layer of the cake… What I consider the
“technical” pieces of your plan. This layer includes your search engine optimization, keyterm research, meta tags, page titles, image and file naming conventions, site maps and basically, the aspects that are addressed through your site’s code/tags.

The middle layer of your cake… Your content. Know your customers and what they are looking for and provide the content, products or services in your content that will answer questions easily and help them make their buying decision quickly. Your content should also be optimized using the information compiled when building the first layer of your cake by building your keyterms into your content allowing the search engines to find it!

The top layer of your cake… Listening to your website and making the necessary adjustments to content and product offerings. Modifying keyterms, building new content, adding new documentation and information as people your customer are looking for. Work your site through email marketing, blogging and much much much more! What I describe here only scratches the surface of working your site and continuously modifying your strategy to marketing your site to meet the ever-changing needs of your customers.

And then there’s the frosting… This outer layer is your brand, your persona, your online personality. Working your site by building your brand through Social Media and Social Networking. Think of it this way… The frosting on a cake is the first thing you see, and usually the first thing you taste on a cake. Relate it to your brand or persona – this is the first impression you make – the face of your business. Professional decoraters take great pride in the details of the impression their cake will leave (as it may result in more business for them in the beauty alone). The same should apply to you and the effort you put into to building your online personality through social media. (Cake image shown at right is a creation of Sincredible Pastries in Central NY)

The frosting does not refer to a flash heavy site with blinking images and glitzy appearances – remember that your site must function effectively and efficiently allowing your customers to find what they want quickly – AND allow the search engines to find your site as well. Flash has it’s place and when used properly can be a very effective tool – but that is a whole separate conversation.

The whole cake… This is just a birdseye view of how I see internet marketing and the layers that lie within. There are many aspects of marketing your website most of which I haven’t even touched on – I would simply encourage you to ask the questions to your marketing strategist and feel confident that you are working your site continuously and getting the desired results.

A note of caution – be sure that the baker of your cake is on the level… Recently I took on a client at work who was paying a third party company to manage their pay-per-click advertising. When I took over managing their AdWords campaigns I found that this 3rd party company was charging my new client a flat monthly rate for AdWords and my customer never realized that the amount they were paying was almost 3 times the actual amount being spent on their AdWords activity. Fortunately for them, we cut their AdWords budget by roughly 60% and they are still getting the same bang for their buck.

Find a strategist who is passionate about internet marketing and who will share your passion for success in YOUR business. That will surely be a recipe for success!

What is Bounce Rate: It is the percentage of users who are exiting your site upon landing on a single page and not continuing to any other pages during that site visit. If a user hits your home page and leaves without digging into your site content that is considered a “bounce”. This rule applies to any page on your site a user lands on, whether it’s bookmarked or found through search.

Internet marketers use bounce rate to determine whether certain pages of your site are communicating properly. A higher bounce rate means there is much work to be done in improving the content on your site, whether it be an informational site or an eCommerce site. There are factors to look at that on a page by page basis that will affect your bounce rate, and in some situations a higher bounce rate might actually be okay. A page that is bookmarked on a news site that is updated daily with stories and such may have a higher bounce rate. eCommerce sites should not apply the same line of thinking.

Static Cling for eCommerce:

We, as internet marketers, need to be passionate about bounce rate. You want a lower bounce rate on eCommerce sites – mainly because the end-goal would be getting your users to click that magic “add to cart” button and completing the sale. If this is not ocurring on your product pages and your bounce rate is high you may want to assess the following information:

Does the user know WHAT you are selling? It is clear they have landed on a product page and can EASILY purchase? If you are selling, be sure that you product pages communicate that effectively.

Does your product’s description provide enough information to assist the user in making the decision to purchase. If you are selling an item that has many applications or uses, this should be spelled out in your description. For example – if you are selling glue, and this glue can be used on wood, plastic, metal, etc – your product description should reflect that and not leave any unanswered questions the shopper may have.

Can the user/shopper easily figure out HOW to buy this product? Is there a clear “add to cart” or “buy now” button or link? In most cases, this should be found above-the-fold (meaning the user does not need to scroll to find it). This is not always possible, and may not prevent the sale, but it’s a good general rule of thumb.

Is your price point competitive? People shop around – and the internet is the easiest way to price compare products before making a purchase. If a user lands on your page and finds your product to be overpriced – the user/shopper will “bounce”.

If you are running AdWords, is your campaign set up properly and effectively optimized? Be sure if you are paying for site traffic that they are not bouncing quickly. If you are advertising on specific keywords, be sure the user who has searched on that keyword is finding EXACTLY what they are looking for when they land on your site. Use negative keywords to increase the value of your click-through-rate (CTR). If you sell glue that only works on wood and not on plastic – remove the search traffic for “plastic glue” by adding negative keywords. Also be sure your landing pages for your ads allow your user to find what they have searched for immediately. Preferrably the user will land on the product page where they can immediately make a purchase.

At home, we use Bounce to get rid of static and stickiness on our clothing. On the internet, we do not want bounce, we want our search traffic to stick, and we want our users to find what they are looking for.

If your bounce rates are higher – throw away that fabric softener or staticguard and start digging into why your traffic is not sticking on your site. Be sure if it is an eCommerce site you are checking your bounce rate at the product level and start working on improving the shopping experience for your user, by making it easy to make a decision to purchase, and then even easier to actually make that purchase on the spot.

These are just a few of my thoughts. I’m sure you have your own sticky points to ponder about bounce rate, and I’d love to hear them!

As I am Twittering around this morning a thread formed around building trust with clients & showing them the value of internet marketing. This is something I get VERY passionate about because I see the tangible results of internet marketing each any every day and how that relates to my customer – the small business guy who makes a living selling his widget. There are a few parts to this thought so bear with me…

(Original post written December 10, 2008)

I was inspired by a post I read this morning written by Tony Wright to share my observation about why so many software companies (and could also relate to small business) fail. Mind you this is just my small-minded perception – but my career path has touched so many different industries from medical to manufacturing to software marketing…  I believe I have a clear understanding now of “the right way to do business” (as it relates to software).