Recommended Affiliate Programs
Do You Really Need a Website Designer?
By - Cade Lee
Most of the sites we have
worked on that have been built by "website designers" are not
effectively producing leads for that business. We have seen some of the most
beautiful websites but without traffic and without new customers what good are
they? Your online business should be another source of income and customers. If
you trust the right people to work with your website designer than you might
have a shot of obtaining both.
Please do not
misunderstand what I am saying here. Website designers are very useful if their
services are used in the correct capacity. Most web designers do not have a clue
how to build a website that is developed to convert traffic or drive floods of
traffic to the site; most developers that I have talked with would agree.
Usually web designers are focused on aesthetics, navigation, look and feel and not
placement in the search engines.
So why do you have a
website?
Most business owners that I speak with have a website so that they can develop
more online business. When I say this, what I mean is they are looking for more
prospects or customers online. They definitely want to see some type of return
from their website as most of them have spent a small fortune on developing the
site to begin with.
So if that is the case for
you, it is probably best to make certain that the web designer you are working
with owns a successful online business and knows also how to run it. They should
be able to show you some successful online campaigns that they have led and give
you references for their work. Simply showing you websites that they have built
is not enough. I know that you want a "pretty" site but I am certain
it is more important that you are able to develop new customers from your site,
right? It only stands to reason that your website designer should have the same
experience that would deliver the results you are looking to achieve yourself!
Your website is your
business online!
Sure it is nice to have a charming storefront, one that customers constantly
compliment. Does it bring in cash flow? Is your office, store, garage or retail
space built for sales?
These are the same types
of questions that you should be asking yourself about your website. Your website
is not there to win awards or compliments, you are building this website to make
money and build customer relationships. Even if you have the lowest prices
online and are providing more services than your nearest competitor, it is the
website that attracts more traffic that wins more prospects and customers. Being
the best at marketing your product and services is really all that matters at
the end of the day. Stop reading this right now, hop on Google and check it out.
Use a search term that a customer would use to find your business. If you don't
know what they would type in, go to Google's free adwords keyword tool
and locate a search term related to your business or service. (To locate
Google's free keyword tool simply search for "adwords keyword tool" in
Google)
Now, after you have
located a popular search term for your business, search it! Open the first
"organic" result that you see (by organic, I do not mean any of the
"sponsored links" or local listings next to the map), what do you
think of your competition's website? Is it the prettiest site you have seen? Is
it the "coolest" site you have ever been too? If I was to place a
wager on it, my guess is that it is none of the above. Probably a very average
looking site at best, yet all of your prospective customers are coming here
first.
Marketing online is not
like you're off-line marketing
On every website project I have ever been a part of it seems that somebody
always has a problem with a font that we have chosen or an image that we had
used. While branding is extremely important and the look and feel of your
website is important as well, it is important to remember that all of the
communication tools and techniques that you use in the real world are very
different than what works online.
Whatever type of marketing
you are doing in the real world may be a complete and utter failure online. This
is why it is so critical to work with an online marketing agency or consultant
who has experience with successful websites. When I state successful, I mean
websites that have a proven track record of traffic and generating leads.
Usually these types of individuals know what works best for traffic conversion
and online marketing. For example, online marketing absolutely requires you to
know how to get your site ranked extremely high in search engines like Google
and Yahoo so that you organically show up on the first page for customers that
are searching for your product or services.
Most website designers and
businesses do not know SEO or search engine optimization. If a business owner
does know and understand how to optimize their own website; they usually do not
have the time to implement all of the tactics and techniques used by a search
engine optimization professional to make the campaign successful. It is
imperative for any online business to have both an optimized presence as well as
a strong marketing campaign online! This means that not only should the
site be optimized for search engine optimization but there must be a campaign
put in place for search engine marketing.
If you are looking to
market online, only work with Internet marketing firms that know website and
online marketing
I know it's a simple statement but probably 97% of web design companies do not
know how to create websites that actually market your products and services.
Often times when we are talking with prospective customers about search engine
optimization they refer to their experience with the larger corporations that
have handled their pay per click campaigns and even their "search engine
optimization campaigns".
You absolutely must work
with people that know how to create "high traffic" websites that can
"convert". A sales representative from one of the larger advertising
directories doesn't usually have knowledge of SEO. Usually he/she can
regurgitate whatever pitch their sales manager gave them that morning and sure
it sounds good, but will the team behind him/her be able to deliver the product
that you were promised? Usually they cannot deliver the results that were
originally promised or they are able to show minimal results compared to a firm
or company that is dedicated to internet marketing.
Internet marketing takes a
great deal of time and cannot happen overnight. You'll need to work with a team
that can make it possible for you to have an online revenue stream. These people
must have real world experience as well as online experience that can combine
your website into a practical functioning marketing machine for your business!
The best combination would be a search engine optimization professional that has
sales and marketing experience or a marketing company that has proven search
engine optimization experience.
If you are attempting to perform search engine optimization or search engine
marketing without a professional, that would be very similar to representing
yourself in court if you are not a lawyer or building your own house if you are
not a general contractor. Granted, I'm certain that you could learn any one of
these trades but it is probably best if you focused on the strengths you have in
your business rather than trying to focus all of your time and energy on staying
up to date with Internet marketing. The most successful businesses and business
leaders have developed a team of experts and surrounded themselves with
experience.
Lastly, MEASURE THE
RESULTS!
It doesn't matter whether or not you are advertising in the Yellow Pages,
newspapers, local trade magazines, or a bulletin board near your office! You
will always, always want to measure the success of any marketing campaign to
validate its effect on business.
It is never a surprise for
us to see a prospective client that has absolutely no idea about the amount of
traffic they get on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. Usually they do not know
where they get the traffic from, how long visitors are on their website, or what
keywords brought them to their site to begin with. You should always pay
attention to your key performance indicators for your online strategy and if
your web developer has not shown you how to monitor the results of your website,
you might want to consider working with a different developer.
At the end of the day, a
website developer is absolutely needed to help you with your website; however,
they are usually best at working with code, graphics and overall look and feel.
An internet marketing professional is what will help you take your online
business to the next level. Either a professional search engine marketing firm
or agency will help you establish a marketing plan for your site so that you can
start to see results from your presence online.
----------------------------------------------------
About The Author:
Denver
SEO Whether you are looking to optimize your own site or hire a professional
search engine optimization expert, there is much to know. Make sure that you
utilize all of the resources online before doing anything. Search Engine Optimization Denver
********************************************
Home Marketing Tips Helpful Resources Added Resources Articles
Helpful Links Recommended Affiliate Programs Free Newsletter
Contact Us Reciprocal Links Submit An Article
Copyright © AHomeBusinessOpportunity.net, All Rights
Reserved.
Unauthorized use of the contents or design of this website is prohibited.
You may not duplicate, or publish any of our materials without our express legal
consent.