Web Wordsmith Hints

How to Promote Your Website

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:15:00 GMT

Many people mistakenly believe that once they have created a website, it will automatically start attracting customers. This is simply not true. Websites are like businesses in the real world - in order for people to visit it, they first need to know that it exists and secondly, where to find it.

There are two ways to get the word out about your website business. The first is through general marketing tactics and the second is through the use of internet marketing.

General Marketing

You need to include your website address on all your standard marketing material. These tactics will often include:

Business Cards
Letterheads
Complement Slips
Advertisements
Invoices
Quotes
Receipts
Shopfront
Company Vehicles

Internet Marketing

In addition to standard marketing technique, you should employ internet marketing. Today, potential customers often jump on the computer to search for a product or service that they are after. By utilising internet marketing properly, you can make it likely that it is your business that comes up in the search engine machine.

Search Engine Optimisation involves optimising your Web site so that it will appear at the top or at least on the first page of the Search Engine Results for words and phrases relevant to your business. Search Engines are the main source of visitors for nearly every site on the web. If your site can't be found in major Search Engines then you are missing out on an opportunity for attracting numerous visitors to your site.

If you hired a web designer to create your website, talk to them about what they are doing about your SEO (search engine optimisation). If they are only doing the basics, then it is up to you to hire a SEO specialist or to master the skill yourself. There are many articles on the internet on SEO if you should choose to undertake the task yourself.

For more information, read How to Choose a SEO Firm and What You Need to Know About SEO.

How To Choose an SEO Company

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:12:00 GMT

What to look for when choosing an SEO Company

by Tiffany Hammond

When looking for a good quality SEO company there are a few things to look out for.|When selecting a search engine optimisation company for your business, it's important to be aware of the pitfalls|Choosing an SEO company shouldn't be taken lightly! You should know you are putting the future of your business in their hands, and a quality SEO company is a must!

Ensure you source a company who can meet your requirements. An organic SEO company and search engine optimisation specialist with good credentials goes without saying. When embarking on the task of selecting the best specialist seo company in the UK, be sure to research them properly and don't rush into anything.

Here is a list of helpful points to keep in mind when doing your searching and the service they should be offering.|We've listed a few useful pointers to bare in mind when trying to find the best services on offer.

Keyword Research - What are the key words and phrases a customer uses to find the goods or services you offer? Keyword research is the most important phase of seo. Be realistic with your keywords. Don't expect to reach the first page in 1 month. It can take a year of optimisation and link building to reach a high rank and it depends on many factors. Any seo company promising to get you ranked no 1 for every keyword is unrealstic. No one can promise number one spot as rankings fluctuate anyway and the search engines are continually adapting but they can give assurances on say getting your keyword on the 1st page or top 5.|Keyword Analysis - They should be offering to research your keywords that can drive traffic to your site and they must understand your business. Ask if they have carried out SEO for another company in your sector. Keyword research is the most important phase of seo.

Testimonials and client lists. Check how well their clients are competing in their online market space. If they have achieved good things for them, then they are probably worth their fee.|Check out their testimonials and existing client lists. Don't call the ones that they recommend. Call them up, ask the right questions and find out how well they are regarded.

They should be offering to audit your site for technical issues, optimisation problems,eg. site maps etc. On page optimisation is still an important factor so they should be looking at the architecture of the site, layout, programming techniques,dynamic coding and good internal linking using good keywords.

Manual Directory Submission - To ensure proper indexing your website should be manually submitted to the search engines. Search engines do not approve of automatic submission and doing so can result in future problems. Ask about deep linking to your other pages apart from your home page - this is important to vary your link strategy.|Directory Submissions - To ensure proper indexing your website should be manually submitted to the search engines. Search engines do not approve of automatic submission and doing so can result in future problems. Companies advertising that they will "Submit your website to millions of directories and search engines for just $50 are to be avoided at all costs

Link Building - the SEO Company should offer link building services, but check that they are not gaining links from bad neighbourhoods and dodgy websites. Inbound links should be relevant and from quality sources. The SEO company should provide a detailed link analysis and tell you where your competitors stand and what steps they would take to get links from topical sites, directories and social networks. It's difficult to determine the number of links required, but the firm should provide competitive link research and analysis so they can prognosticate how many links you require for your keyword terms.|Link Building - Some form of seo link building services should be offered, but check that they are not gaining links from bad neighbourhoods and dodgy websites. Inbound links should be relevant and from quality sources. The SEO company should provide a detailed link analysis and tell you where your competitors stand and what steps they would take to get links from topical sites, directories and social networks. It's difficult to determine the number of links required, but the firm should provide competitive link research and analysis so they can prognosticate how many links you require for your keyword terms.

Will they be submitting news articles for you? This is a major part of building a robust seo strategy that will last. You can always write your own and get them to optimise them.

Social media optimisation is the buzz word now, but is very important. A good SEO company should not be ignoring this and can be a great opportunity to get direct visitors from social media sites like youtube and myspace.

SEO companies should provide a clear listing of the cost of each service that they will provide you on their efforts. Some SEO companies tend to forget this part, so ensure that these services are properly outlined and organized.

Some companies provide only SEO, but some also provide other services such as PPC, web analytics, multi-variate testing, e-mail marketing, social media optimization (blogs, videos and podcasts), link building and more. If you want a firm that does all more than just SEO, then ask them if they offer these extra services aswell. At the time of writing you can expect to pay atleast £500/month for a link building campaign and possibly upto £5000/month for a large ecommerce site.

Can they rank their own website? One of the first things you should look into is whether or not their site is ranked highly or not. Check if they rank for their key terms. Just look at their title in the browser and verify where they sit in Google. If they don't rank higher than the 3rd page, then maybe they should be dismissed. The only exception to this, is if they are running a new company or website and have a proven track record from the past which can be used as their reference.|Can they rank their own website? One of the first things you should look into is whether or not their site is ranked highly or not.If they don't rank higher than the 3rd page, then maybe they should be dismissed.

Reports - It is always important to know how your keywords are doing within the search engines. Ensure you receive monthly reports of your keyword rankings.|Reports - It is always important to know how your keywords are performing. Ensure you receive monthly reports of your keyword rankings and link building progrmme. eg no of links and an inventory of where the links are coming from.

Finally, when it comes to cost price, remember this! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and if you pay the cheapest price, then you are probably going to get what you pay for. If it looks too good to be feasible, it most likely is and if you go for rock bottom price, you're more likely to get rock bottom results.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1782788

How To Avoid a Dodgy SEO Firm

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:11:00 GMT

SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer."

It is best to hire an SEO expert when you are first planning to launch a website. That way, you can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly. However, a good SEO expert can also help improve an existing website.

As there are disreputable SEO companies out there, here are some points to watch for when choosing an SEO company:

Do they guarantee # 1 Ranking? No one can do this.
Google the company name to see if it has a bad reputation
Are they happy to show you examples of sites they have optimized or give you references? They shouldn't have anything to hide.
What is the Page Ranking of their own website? If it isn't in the top 5, they probably won't be able to help you get a good ranking, either.
What are their keywords for their website and do they rank well? If not, you should avoid them.
Do they use automated submission? Stay away.
Do they collect backlinks from reputable sites or from link farms?
Do they offer continuing support? Your website is likely to need continuing support.
Are their prices realistic? Too cheap suggests that you are not going to get quality work.
What is their experience in your industry? Country? Internationally?
What kind of results can you expect to see?
How will they communicate with you and to what degree will they keep you informed?
What SEO techniques to they favour?

5 Advertising Mistakes to Avoid in Web Design

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:19:00 GMT

Web users know that websites want to sell stuff, and they accept that - unless the advertising gets in the way of their browsing.

Here are five types of advertising that users loathe:

Pop-ups - The oldest and most hated form of advertising on the web.

Talking ads - Users hate ads that suddenly, and loudly, demand attention.

Expanding banners - Banners that hang ove the web page like a curtain are irritating and may drive users away.

Floating boxes - A box that coasts in after a minute and hovers in the center of the page with no visible way to turn it off just drives the user somewhere else.

Misleading linked text. - A link that takes the user to another article or page that is unrelated to their search is a quick way to lose the user.

People visit web pages with a specific intention, whether it is to read a specific article, find a product, see wha'ts on sale or scan for news. How well a web page satisfies the user's intention determines whether a user will return or recommend the site to others. Advertising that intrudes on the user's experience may prove detrimental. However, non-intrusive advertising that is highly relevant to a user may encourage him to continue exploring the site.

When designing your web page, ask yourself 'what are the intentions of the user?' How are people going to use this page? Design your page and advertising around that intention so that both the user's consumer needs and your business needs are satisfied.

How to design your own web page

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:55:00 GMT

If you choose to create your own web page, remember these four points:

a) keep it simple and easy to navigate
b) provide useful information
c) make it attractive
d) make it easy to read

In order to create attractive and effective web pages, you should consider the following design points:

What is the purpose of your web page? You need to know whether your page is going to sell your products or services, inform or entertain clients. When you know what the purpose of your web page is, you will have an idea of how your page will appear. For instance, a news webpage would look very different from a fashion web page. Browse the internet to see what other similar web pages are doing in terms of design.
Who do you want to attract to your website? You need to have a clear picture of your audience. How old are they? What is their sex, profession, wealth, etc? This will help you design a page and write content that will appeal to these clients.
What is your competition doing? Check out their website - are there aspects that you would like to incorporate? What can you improve on? Can you offer more products or is there a niche opening?
What will you say? Good writing and images are very important in attracting and keeping customers. Keep your writing short and to the point. Viewers are not interested in reading essays when they are seeking products or an concise answer to a question. Consider providing short descriptions with a link to more information.
How will the pages look? How do you want to be perceived by your clients? For instance, will your web page design be modern and innovative or dignified and formal? Bright colours or subdued?
What are your time constraints? Don't announce your website until the web pages have been created and the website tested. Do not promote your website when there are still pages 'under construction'. If your time constraints are not flexible, you may need to keep your design basic and focused on information rather than flashiness.
Who will test your website? A designer cannot be the one to test his website anymore than a writer can edit his own manuscript. Solicit some people to explore your website and give you feedback.
Who is going to write your content? Freelance writers are readily available and very affordable. However, if you are going to write your own content, make sure:
- your links work
- you break your information into small digestible bits, with a link to the next page
- important information is easily found at the top of the page - don't make viewers hunt for the information
- provide informative titles - these help viewers to decide if it is what they are looking for, but it also helps your web page to be more easily found in search engines
- use a style book if necessary to ensure your content is grammatically correct. Poor spelling and grammar makes your web page look unprofessional.
Avoid common mistakes beginners make -

using the default grey colour,

making the type too small,

backgrounds that make the type too hard to read,

paragraphs all in bold or capitals,

text that stretches right across the screen,

too many links or worthless links,

large graphic files that take too long to load,

no focal point on a page,

having to scroll sideways, and

cluttered page.

Following these guidelines should enable you to create attractive web pages that entice and, hopefully, keep customers coming back for more!

How to write website content

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:13:00 GMT

The KISS approach to writing content

Unless you are an experienced and confident writer, I suggest keeping your writing simple. The point of content writing is to find and keep customers, and you do this with informative and readable content. So don't freak out if you don't have a BA in English. Here are some simple points to consider:

1) Use simple english. If you can make your point in 6 words instead of 15, then do it. Readers are scanning for information, not Shakespearean verse.

2) Always do a spell and grammar check. Errors reflect poorly on your professionalism.

3) Provide good information. Good, useful information will keep viewers, even if your writing is ordinary. Do research and find out the most current information on the subject, if need be.

4) Provide easily scanned structure. Readers scan content to see if it is useful so have headings, sub headings and points to help them scan quickly.

5) Consider providing answers to commonly asked questions. People are always searching for answers to questions so if you are an expert in a field, then think of questions your readers would like to have answered.

6) If it all seems like to much hard work, then find a ghostwriter. Webwordsmith provides a writing service or you can advertise for a freelance writer at places like elance. Rates vary greatly, depending of the writer's experience but the average rate is between $35-55 per hour, or you can negotiate a fee for the whole project.

The importance of good content writing

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:59:00 GMT

Anyone can write content for a website but what many people don't realise is how important content is to the success of a website.

Aspects to consider when writing content is firstly, the use of keywords. The words people type in search boxes at Google, etc., are keywords and if you don't use them correctly in your content, then you are reducing your website's chances of success.

Secondly, you need to produce fresh content at least every month. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, fresh and unique content is of paramount importance. In order to show the latest information on your site to the visitors through search engines, your page must be updated regularly so that the spiders will visit and index more often. A search of any topic will show you that the top websites all have a lot of content on their websites with new content being written all the time. It can also help your website into a highly ranked position in search engines.

Most importantly, you need good content. Good content keeps customers coming back to website. That means interesting, current and informative content. If you don't feel confident about your ability to write interesting and informative content, then it might be worth your while to hire a writer. A good writer can increase your site's revenue 10 fold.