Last month I discussed how clients don’t typically understand the web, and webmasters don’t typically understand your business. So both parties don’t know what they dont know (one of my favorite sayings), and the end result is a web site that disappoints the business owner and doesn’t produce sales. Most of the time its about lack of search engine optimization, in conjunction with the business issues not being a good fit with the web developer’s skills.

At my web site, www.MrMissionPossible.com, you can find free information that will help you develop a web site that makes your business money, and just how al the pieces fit together. This is a three part article, watch the next 2 months to get tips and practical explanations of many terms, so you can pull together all the information you need to do better on the web.

• The Right USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for your business – Why should someone buy from you? What makes you different? How well does your site communicate that message? What proof do you have for what you’re claiming? If your USP is better quality, be prepared to say how in ways that matter to your customer.
• Choosing a good domain name – Why a domain with a keyword in it is usually better than something cute
• How to compete without Pay per Click campaigns – Put simply, you don’t need pay per click.
• How to drive the right visitors to your site – If you handle imports, you want visitors who are looking for the parts you sell; you don’t want to be overwhelmed by queries for domestic parts.
• How to build a site that will turn visitors into inquiries. Your site must be optimized and simple to use. Remember why they came. A lot of businesses have sites with home pages that are all about the business, pictures, warranties, etc. Make sure that your home page has a big red button in the center of the page that says “Find Parts Now”.
• How to use ethical techniques to improve search engine rankings. Don’t let others talk you into paying for rankings or doing things that will cause Google to ban your site.
• Best practices for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Review the items I can send you in my Best Practices for SEO with your developer. Just ask, I will email it to you.
• All about blogs and RSS feeds – How to get the most from your blog and what should be in your plan before you add a blog to your site.
• Page titles and meta descriptions – Don’t let anyone tell you these aren’t a big deal. You will need to have the web developer hire content writers who know SEO. Expect to pay $20-$50 per page. It’s SO IMPORTANT. If your writers don’t know SEO, they don’t know how to write pages that users like and Google will rank well.
• Use of videos – Google owns You Tube, and you should produce some very simple videos and use throughout the site. DO THEM IN HOUSE. Upload them yourself. Use that little camera you got for Christmas two years ago. Talk 30 seconds about dismantling. 30 seconds about your guarantee. Write your script on poster board and rehearse it for, oh, about a minute. Get the picture?
• Using Press releases to get back links –Do them yourself, or give them to your manager’s daughter who just graduated from college. The best service and the only one I recommend is 24/7 because you can put links in the release that point back to your site. Write about the new equipment you just put in service, or the latest service you are offering. Figure one per month for the first year, and add as many links as you can in the release while making it nice and readable. It’s about backlinks. If it’s a good topic and a well written release, send to the local paper, you will get some coverage occasionally. But remember this story is about web strategy.

 

Don’t be afraid to e-mail me for more tips or a question, I’ve helped lots of recyclers and other businesses reach success on the web. I dont build sites, or want to, so that helps me help you without any conflicts. And ask for my best practices for SEO checklist, before meeting with your web provider.

My new book “Getting Your Banker to Yes – Tips Traps and Secrets to Getting Your Business Funded” will be out in October, watch for it. It’s co-authored with the President of a 4 location community bank, in a Click & Clack Format, entrepreneur and banker telling it like it is.

Ron Sturgeon, founder of Mr. Mission Possible small business consulting, combines over 35 years of entrepreneurship with an extensive resume in consulting, speaking, and business writing, with 3 books published and 2 more expected in 2010.

 

A business owner since age 17, Ron sold his chain of salvage yards to Ford Motor Company in 1999, and his innovations in database-driven direct marketing have been profiled in Inc. Magazine. After the repurchase of Greenleaf Auto Recyclers from Ford and sale to Schnitzer Industries, Ron is now owner of the DFW Elite Auto suite of businesses and a successful real estate investor.

 

As a consultant and peer benchmarking leader, Ron shares his expertise in strategic planning, capitalization, compensation, growing market share, and more in his signature plain-spoken style, providing field-proven, high-profit best practices well ahead of the business news curve.

 

To inquire about peer benchmarking, consultations, or keynote speaking, contact Ron by calling 817-834-3625, by emailing rons@MrMissionPossible.com, by mailing 5940 Eden, Haltom City, TX 76117, or online at Mr. Mission Possible.