webmarketingofnorthflorida.com

Google: Friend or Foe

Hello again! Summer is here, and the kids are out of school. What a great time to learn a little about your best friend (or worst enemy) Google!

Most people do not think of Google as a personality, but I do. Google has the ability to bring you more customers and visitors to your website, or to dash your site to the trash pit. And, what is most interesting, is that most of this is within your control!

Let me explain. The Google web browser now controls over 70% of all Internet searches. That is sheer domination; considering that all the hundreds of other browsers available must share the remaining 30%. In our area of North Florida, this equates to millions of searches every week. Nothing to sneeze at.

Consider that in a web search, the user is specifically looking for what you offer in your business. The search engines have realized that their customers (the searchers) want relevant information about their search, and they want to know about local information concerning that search.

So, your business is being helped by Google’s interest in local businesses. In other words, the search engines are on your side now. This is a monumental shift in Internet search, one that you should take advantage of. Let’s talk about how that is done.

Google likes to befriend websites that have followed the guidelines they have set out for us webmasters to follow. This is a big step toward being on the first page. You, too, can just follow their directions if you have the time to devote to this discipline. The results will be fantastic!

Let me punch this up with some more staggering statistics:

93% of all Internet searches STOP on page ONE!

The 1st listing on page one will get 41% of all clicks there

2nd listing gets 12%

third listing gets 8.5% of the clicks

Sadly, if your site is not on page one, your site is invisible to most searches. That, my friend, is incredibly important, as these people are looking for YOU right now. Happily, there is hope! Getting to the first page is possible (we do it routinely for our clients).

Another important thing to remember about website ranking, is that 80% of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is performed off-site now. On-site optimization is becoming less important to Google and others. This is why your site creation and optimization plan should include link-building and reference creation across the Internet for your site.

Back-link building is another science unto itself. It amazes me that the Internet had created an entirely new and mysterious world of unique marketing. What’s more important is the Internet seems to be trumping most other traditional forms of marketing, at least for now.

Links are simply references to your website from other websites. Of course it gets far more complicated than this. The algorithms used by Google place levels of importance on certain types of links.

Basically what Google is looking for, are the opinions of others about your site. Call it Social Proof, or whatever, they want to see that lots of others also think your content is valuable. So, we do just that. We create good content for your site, and create backlinks to the site.

Using this knowledge that 80% of the link-juice is created off-site, we have lots more to do, and so do you!

That of course, is another article I will write about next month.

Xtreme Business Success Workshops

As you might know, I hosted a business workshop night at the Wingate Hotel recently, and we had a great time. The turnout was more than expected, and all seemed to have fun, and learned a lot about their businesses.

We had 6 speakers onstage, and there were lots of issues covered from Internet Marketing and Income Tax Preparation, to Memory Systems.

Our next one is scheduled for July 14th. Please let me know if you are interested in attending as my guest. We might be having it at the Hilton this time.