SEO - is it really necessary?

Interesting question! As you talk to people, and especially webmasters, you will hear differing opinions. Mostly though, the people who are of the opinion that SEO is not necessary, have little or no knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and the search engines in general.

You know, those webmasters who maintain that it is the look and feel of a website that is the most important factor. Hmmm. Wonder how they think internet users are supposed to get to your website in the first place? It is true that one needs to find a happy medium between what site visitors want and what search engines want, but firstly they need to get to your site!

The real scary part is that there are still so many web designers out there who really ought to know better. Instead, they are focused only on making money out of clients who more often than not, do not know better themselves and are reliant on their webmasters to give them the best possible option for their online businesses!

SEO is now more important than ever.

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines via "natural" (also "organic" or "algorithmic") search results - according to Wikipedia.

By this definition alone, it seems clear already that good and proper SEO is a definite requirement for any website - if it wishes to be successful. The online competition today is fiercer than ever before and getting more so by the day. More and more players are entering the field, and all of them are after that elusive pot of gold they have heard about - internet commerce.

Bottom line - if you want to keep ahead of the competition and secure every possible advantage for your website, one of the most important factors you need is to have it properly optimised. And preferably by someone who really knows what SEO entails.

What is the bottom line?

The bottom line for any person or entity who call themselves SEO Experts remain the fact that you can only be so named if you keep up with the ever changing world of SEO, as these techniques have evolved considerably over the past decade, although the fundamentals remain the same. SEO changes so rapidly nowadays that you simply cannot refer to yourself as someone who has knowledge of SEO, let alone an expert, if you do not spend huge chunks of your time keeping up to date.

The fundamentals of SEO

a. Correctness of metatags
b. Careful research to determine keywords that are as descriptive as possible of your business and area of business - over the past years Google has started showing differing results to it's users depending on their locality.
c. Proper on-page SEO - correct use of keywords in headers and in the text. Also, text on the website and more specifically the homepage plays a crucial role as search engines become more focused on site content and it's relevancy to any search being done.
d. Blog optimisation - Over the past few years blogs have become a virtual requirement for any business that needs to build online credibility and free incoming links.
e. Backlinks, or Inbound links to your website - this part is crucial. Every link to your website is seen by the search engines as a "nod of approval" - you can never have enough. This is achieved in 3 ways as part of the overall SEO strategy of your website:
i. Submission of website to online directories from where backlinks are created to your site.
ii. Article submissions - writing and submission of articles related to your website content (ie business) in order to create yet more links.
iii. Social Bookmarking - the latest in the SEO world. This serves to create one way links and further enhances the website's visibility on the internet.

Why is business blogging good for you? Part 3/3

Reason # 2

Want to increase the odds of listing faster in Google? Get a blog!

All the top search engines simply love sites with regular and original new content. This is exactly what a blog does, with the minimum amount of hassle and time. If you want to make content changes to your website via your webmaster, it usually takes a day or two, plus it costs you!

Now, it is obviously of the utmost importance to keep your website updated at all times – nothing reflects so negative on a business as a website that still shows specials of the previous year, or contact details and/or persons that have long since left the company or does NOT show your latest products or is simply outdated in general.

But on your blog you can add new content to compliment your website as regular as you like, and all it costs you is maybe 15 minutes to make a new blog entry.

And that is the bottom line - a blog adds new content on a regular basis.

NOTE – do ask your SEO specialist to assist you in ensuring the blog is also properly optimized.

Why is business blogging good for you? Part 2/3

Reason # 1

People buy from people - Blogs add personality to your business

When you talk about impersonal marketing mediums, few compare to the internet. As a matter of interest, this is why we advise clients to include their photographs on their websites as well.

Any opportunity you can get to add some personality to your business will increase your sales!

Clever use of a blog to add another “voice” to your business wil help your customers get a better sense of the person or persons behind the business. Does this sound like something that will help you build stronger relationships with clients? You decide. Will that improve your sales? You decide!

The most important part here is not to use fancy business “lingo” – keep it conversational and personal.

Make your readers feel as if you are addressing them in person. Share personal stories and other information that may be useful about your business and/or industry. Involvement in community upliftment projects, sports sponsorships, in fact, any kind of sponsorship, etc.

Make it interesting for people to read - make them WANT to read it!

Keep your blog posts down to about 400 to 500 words max! Shorter is also good. Readers do not want to sit and spend hours reading your posts. They want to quickly scan it, hopefully learn something, and carry on with something else.

Why is business blogging good for you? Part 1/3

Fact. If you look around on the internet nowadays, you will notice how blogging has become a staple part of many online businesses.

But there are still a lot of people - and in particular business owners - out there who are still trying to understand just why it would be to their advantage to have a blog for their business. Everybody is busy, so managing a blog will obviously take a bit of additional time. But why do you NEED a blog?

Firstly, what is a blog?

A blog is in essence an online journal that displays a series of posts in chronological order. Important is that these posts are written in a very plain, informal tone. Almost like having a conversation. No hidden advertising messages etc.

So let us say you have an accommodation establishment. Or you simpy sell some sort of gadget. Why on earth do you need a blog?!

Here are two important reasons for you to think about:

Reason #1 - People prefer to buy from people - not machines!

Reason #2 - Blogs are a great help to get you listed in Google much faster!

More on these two reasons next time.

Using your website as an advertising tool - part 6/6

Having a website that works - How do I do it?

You would by now have noticed the term that I used - fully optimized website. Let's take a closer look at what this means.

There are two types of web site designers in South Africa. The ones that are purely graphic designers, and the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialists. If you know a little about how the internet works, and particularly how search engines work, you will be better armed with knowledge that will enable you to choose wisely.

In SA there are only a small handfull of companies /individuals who can really call themselves SEO specialists. Most are graphic designers or simply someone with sufficient skills to allow them to do a website - ranging from pretty decent to What a Mess. Graphic designers in particular are skilled enough to make websites that are really eye catching and aeshetically pleasing.

Unfortunately the level of skill as far as optimising websites is concerned ranges from knowing a little to downright dangerous! Of course there are always those who THINK they know, and as is usually the case, they can be the most dangerous to your website. Hence a very large proportion of websites are simply lost on the information superhighway. Just another website. So what!

By having your website designed by someone who does not posess the skill to optimise correctly and as per the most up to date methods, the nett effect will probably be the same as keeping your lovely new full colour brochures in your drawer somewhere - only you will know about it...

Who to ask then? To ensure that you get a website that works means you need to know more about how the search engines work.

Example - say you enter a search term in Google or Yahoo for "wedding photographers Gauteng" - Google will return, on date, results for about 57 000 possible sites, with 10 results per page.

Almost 90% of internet users will NOT look further than page 2 or MAYBE page 3 of the results pages. This means that, if your website does not appear in the first few pages of the results, it is literally a DEAD DUCK.

The question is - can YOU afford to have a website like that? I should reckon not, if you are serious about your business.Your site must appear in those first few pages for your type of service or product if it wants any chance of generating additional business.

In order for this to happen - we call it generically ranking in the search engines - the site needs to be properly optimized for the search engines. This is where you need the services of a specialist. Someone who knows what algoriths the search engines use when returning results for your search.

These search algorithms are based on various factors such as the correct use of meta tags and keywords, the correct amount of text and relevancy to a search, the amount of relevant inbound links to your site and more, up to and including certain design factors. Bottom line - you do not necessarily need the best looking site on the internet in order to have a web site that works, as long as it is correctly optimized.

So, before you decide to have your website designed by a "friend of your cousin's girlfriend" simply because it saves you the hassle of finding a website designer, rather contact the specialsits and be certain you pay for a website that works for you.

Using your website as an advertising tool - part 5/6

Why organic ranking remains the best way



Organic ranking is the method where your website "ranks" on the first pages of the results pages due to the website being properly optimised.



Fact: There are over FOUR HUNDRED MILLION searches performed via search engines on any given day! It is a mind boggling amount.



Quantities of internet users by region:

As for South Africa , even if we cannot - yet - boast the same quantities of internet users as the rest of the first world we are certainly doing a tremendous job of catching up! We are talking enourmous potential here.

In South Africa alone the amount of internet users have gone up by a staggering 112,5% in the period 2000 to 2006. Yes, 112 percent! From 2,4 million to 5,1 million.

And this is the important part that YOU need be aware of - by far the largest amount of all these internet users are using search engines to find what they want.

Search engines are responsible for driving half of all the traffic on the internet. Online shoppers use the search engines to find services and products they require.

Products and services just like yours!!!

Interesting fact - Organic (also known as natural or free) search engine results get 250% MORE clicks than Paid or Sponsor ads on Google!

When last have you done a search for your OWN products or services? Where do YOUR website rank?

Conclusion- if your website is NOT on the first couple of results pages listed in search results....

You are effectively delivering Tons of traffic to the websites of your competitors - 24 hours out of every single day.

Now picture this little scenarion happening over and over and over, 365 days per year. Are you having nightmares yet?

Let's say I am an ideal business prospect for your business. I decide it is time for me to do a bit of shopping around on the internet. So I go to Google or Yahoo or MSN and I type in the best matching word - also known as keyword - for your type of service or product. I am totally ready to buy what you have on offer, I have already made up my mind. If I like what you have and the price is right, I am a buyer! The search results come up, and...

Your website is nowhere in sight!

Instead of your website, I find those of your competitors. Right at the top of my screen. And I proceed to do business with them.

Pause for a second here and listen..... Can you hear them laughing? All the way to the bank!

So you argue that your site is there - yes, right there on page 5! So exactly WHAT are you going on about dude!?

Bad news - nobody looks further than those first couple of pages. Do you? Of course you don't, like almost 90% of internet users.

If your website is ranked on page 5 it is as lost as it would be on page 105.

I always use the example of a brochure. Let's say you have just spent thousands on having a really stunning brochure designed and then printed. And then you put it in the 3rd drawer of your table. But you desperately want me to see it! How will that happen? Well, either you must tell me to have a look in the 3rd drawer or I must find it totally by accident.

The same principle applies here - if browsers cannot find your website via a search engine the only way they will get to see it is to find it by accident or you need to tell them to have a look - give them a business card etc.

If browsers cannot find your website - it is as good as dead!

Q. Why is Organic Ranking still the BEST method to having a website that works?

A. It is the ONLY way to ensure that your website is TOTALLY targeted for your specific type of service and/or product.

Using your website as an advertsing tool - part 4/6

Paid advertisement on another website

If you are in the accommodation industry, you are in some luck here. There are some really good sites on which to advertise, which in general gives good return on interest. Generally we hear good things about sites such as wheretostay.co.za. There are also a couple of others.

In nutshell, you pay someone else to advertise your product on their website, pretty much like placing an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine.

Be very careful when making these choices though! Most of the time, you are convinced how worth your while it will be for you to advertise by spectacular amounts of hits or visitors to that specific website. Ads are often done as pop-ups. Those annoying things that open up just when you open a webpage or try to close it. Ask yourself - how often have you opened such a pop-up ad? Or do you simply close the damn thing!

The catch lies herein - irrespective of how many hits the site you want to advertise on gets - if it is not targeted for your type of business, product or service you are wasting your money! Site visitors may not necesseraly be looking for what you offer. They may be on the lookout for jokes, or video clips etc. And what do they get in the process? A virtual bombardement of pop-up and/or flash ads - often having NOTHING to do with what they are looking for! The result? They get annoyed and simply can't close your advertisement fast enough.

Website that generate a very large hit rate are often joke sites and sites where you can download video clips etc. Not to mention online cassino's and of course pornography sites. Problem is, you do not necessarily want to be linked to them, now do you. If the site is structured for your type of business - like the accommodation booking sites mentioned earlier, at least you will have the advantage that site visitors are already on the lookout for accommodation somewhere.

So make very certain about this fact - that the site you want to advertise on, focuses on YOUR type of business or product. Example - in the case of a small town like Machadodorp for instance, a website can easily focus on the town and immediate surrounds, and in the process boost the town as a whole. Thus it may be worth the while of any business in that town to advertise on it - or at least if the site is properly optimised and can be found in the search engines.

Using your website as an advertising tool - part 3/6

Banner ads on certain smaller search engines and e-mail service providers.

Here you enter into an agreement with the specific company or service provider and pay them a certain fixed amount for a banner ad for your business. Whilst these ads are for the most part linked to a specific keyword of your choosing, our biggest problem with this form of advertising is that browsers simply do not want to click on these banners when using a search engine or when they want to view their e-mails. Even if banner ads are very visible!

Rather, they use a search engine or e-mail facility for a very specific reason, which normally has nothing to do with viewing your banner ad. Thus the return on investment may well be very low, notwithstanding the amazing figures with regard to hits to the "parent" site or service as those hits are for another purpose than searching for your type of business. We have heard too many stories of unsatisfied customers who forked out sometimes large amounts and got nothing in return.

Typically, a browser searches for a product or type of service on the specific search engine, or you go to your email facility to view your emails. As the relevant page opens - normally the "homepage" of the relevant service, you get all these banner ads that start flashing somewhere on your screen. It flashes for a couple of seconds, then changes to the next ad etc.

The problem with this is that it tends to put browsers off rather than attract them, as it is irritating to have this thing pop up when you only want to view your emails.

Using your website as an advertising tool - part 2/6

Paid advertisement on the Internet - Pay per Click



Generally, even though Google's ways are for the most part dark and mysterious to the rest of us, the person who offers the most money for every time someone clicks on his site ends up in the blue bar at the top and those with punier advertising budgets in the smaller column on the right hand side of the results pages.

How does it work?

You enter into an agreement with Google in which you basically stipulate a certain amount per click, ie every time someone clicks on your link from the results page(s). Starting from 10c US per click and increasing as the competition for the keywords you want to compete against gets more popular. In certain areas the competition is so fierce that you may expect to start your bid at $2 per click! See how fast that leaves you out of pocket!

By way of illustration, you bid 50 cents per click and a ceiling of $10 per day. A monthly expenditure thus of $300.

Every time a browser clicks on your link to go and view your website 10 cents is deducted from your daily amount. If it reaches $10 by midday, your link is removed and will reappear the next day.

Using your website as an advertising tool - Part 1/6

A website can be a powerful tool in your overall marketing offensive.

Unfortunately, especially in South Africa, a very large proportion of business owners have yet to catch on to the idea that, in a website that has been properly optimised for the search engines, they will have an invaluable online "marketer" working for them on a 24/7 basis on the world wide web - and opening up new business possibilities by tapping into a tremendous potential client pool.

As a result of this lack of knowledge, websites are often seen, and treated, as the least important part of the marketing campaign of any given business. Literally, the stepchild of your business. Because you do not understand it, you do not spend time on it.

They are not kept updated and are left, totally neglected, to "rot" in cyberspace. So often you open websites and find that the info is sometimes years old! Outdated prices. Specials that ended months ago. Photographs taken 3 years ago, but in the meantime the guesthouse has been repainted or renovated. Faces of personnel that have left the company more than a year ago. The list just goes on.

And THAT is the impression of YOUR business that people get when they visit the website! IF they can find it, but more on that later in this series.

The general understanding is "I have a website - cool!!" Then it is forgotten about, notwithstanding changes to the business in the meantime.

It is often a very sorry state of affairs.

So, how do I market my website on the internet?

Business owners spend large amounts of money on websites. Of course, they do that on other forms of marketing as well - and often amounts that makes you short of breath, but for my purpose I will stick to the subject at hand, the good old internet.

So, they spend tidy sums on their new website. Then they sit back and wait for the goldrush. Except that the goldrush never happens. Their pride and joy is not getting in new business!

What they never realised, was that their pride and joy was still-born - a Dead Duck from day one.

Then they usually reach a stage where one of two things happen - either they figure that this whole internet thingy is just so much blah blah, or that something MUST be horribly wrong!

What they haven't yet realised is that they have joined the ranks of legions of website owners who have a website - a website that is but one of billions floating around on the internet totally unseen by the search engines.

It is only normal that advertisements must be paid for!

Then they call in the artillery. In the form of their webmasters. And all too often the advise is that they need to do Paid or Sponsored ads on the internet. Yip, you pay for ads everywhere, right? Why should it be different on the World Wide Web?

So they end up spending yet another small fortune on that much hyped pay ad - because they were told by that scourge of the business world - "someone who knows about these things" - that you need you need to get your website visible on the internet. And there is only one way of doing that - you pay for that top spot!

Next time we will examine a couple of PAY options available to you....