By Brad Koettel - Director of Sales and Marketing
"All things are not created equally..." It's a fact of life and unfortunately it's a fact that resonates online as well. You've all been to websites that you think are good, and sites you think are bad, and sites you are just flat out confused by. Taking time to understand they look and feel of your website is a good idea before you initiate a web marketing campaign... and we highly recommend each client take the time to do some A/B or Multivariate testing before spending a penny on a Goolge PPC ad.
Some things you should consider before you start your campaign come directly from Carrie Hill at Search Engine Watch...
Install Analytics and confirm they are setup correctly.
Create an eye-catching header/logo. This makes an impression on visitors, much like the façade, front door, or foyer of your store.
Ensure you have the right balance between text and graphics. Graphics-heavy Web sites with little (or no) text can make it hard for a search engines to determine the relevancy of your site to queries you should rank for. Images and graphics, on the other hand, help tell a story about your products and services.
Your phone number should be prominent and located at top of page in large type.
Buying or reserving information should be prominent and above the fold (book now, checkout, shopping cart, etc).
Place strong call to actions throughout the site. Make it very easy for your user to find the "buy" button and get through your checkout process.
Use quality graphics and photos, including Flash elements and photo slideshows. Poor photography can lead to less trust in what you're offering. Remember: a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Don't overload your contact forms with information. Make it simple and easy to fill out and submit -- name, phone, e-mail address, and comments are the basics.
Physical address and phone number in text form on every page is a great way to associate your storefront or service business with a geographic location. Make sure you don't skip this step.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Ruvena Monthly Report - November
by Bradley Koettel - Director of Sales and Marketing
I've recently been reading quite a bit about "Link Building" campaigns, and how we can best manage these types of campaigns for our current and new clients. It seems that many of the things I read often contradict each other, but there is one thing that keeps being repeated (by at least the highly reputable information sources)... and that is the fact that Links need to be HIGH VALUE for the client.
The unwritten commentary here is that these links need to be High Quality, and not High Quantity. There are still numerous places online that promise a high quantity of links and ensure the client that these links will improve their SEO positions almost overnight. This just isn't the case anymore... and until we get the word out to all interested parties these companies will continue to do a plethora of work that doesn't equate to much, and charge the client until their pockets are empty.
We have been recommending that clients focus on the QUALITY of the links they are developing. Our experience has shown that 1 high quality link to a highly ranked website with good content will go much farther than building 10 links to lowly ranked websites.
The practice of finding and working with these high quality sites is where a company that specializes in SEO solutions will help out. Our team will mine your industry for the best possible link partners and begin developing links to them on our clients behalf. Managing the communication back and forth, working on one way and reciprocal linking, and ensuring that the relationships are managed until the loop is closed allows our customers to focus on their business, while allowing specialists to manage the process quickly and efficiently.
So quit buying all the cheap links you can, and start looking for the best partners online. The search engines will notice, but more importantly your potential clients will notice as well.
For more information about how Ruvena can help with your Link Building Campaign, please contact us at 800.516.0927 or via email at sales@ruvena.com.
I've recently been reading quite a bit about "Link Building" campaigns, and how we can best manage these types of campaigns for our current and new clients. It seems that many of the things I read often contradict each other, but there is one thing that keeps being repeated (by at least the highly reputable information sources)... and that is the fact that Links need to be HIGH VALUE for the client.
The unwritten commentary here is that these links need to be High Quality, and not High Quantity. There are still numerous places online that promise a high quantity of links and ensure the client that these links will improve their SEO positions almost overnight. This just isn't the case anymore... and until we get the word out to all interested parties these companies will continue to do a plethora of work that doesn't equate to much, and charge the client until their pockets are empty.
We have been recommending that clients focus on the QUALITY of the links they are developing. Our experience has shown that 1 high quality link to a highly ranked website with good content will go much farther than building 10 links to lowly ranked websites.
The practice of finding and working with these high quality sites is where a company that specializes in SEO solutions will help out. Our team will mine your industry for the best possible link partners and begin developing links to them on our clients behalf. Managing the communication back and forth, working on one way and reciprocal linking, and ensuring that the relationships are managed until the loop is closed allows our customers to focus on their business, while allowing specialists to manage the process quickly and efficiently.
So quit buying all the cheap links you can, and start looking for the best partners online. The search engines will notice, but more importantly your potential clients will notice as well.
For more information about how Ruvena can help with your Link Building Campaign, please contact us at 800.516.0927 or via email at sales@ruvena.com.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Friday Rant - Upcoming Changes in Online Business
by Brad Koettel - Director of Sales and Marketing
It was the great Bob Dylan that sang... "then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, cuz the times they are a changing." Unfortunately, that refrain rings truer today than it did in 1963 when he wrote it. What did he know that the rest of us didn't...
As everybody tightens up their wallets and start to live a little more frugally, it's fair to expect that change to roll into our online experiences as well. The days of "if you build it, they will come" are beginning to change. Yes, individuals are still out on the Internet looking for products and services they need, so the NEED for Internet Marketing is still in great demand... but tomorrows shoppers are going to be more and more selective in their choices when they do decide to buy.
In a recent online poll by eMarketer, they found that most people are looking to cut back on their online spends across the board, but more importantly their online spends for major ticket items like jewelry, watches, and electronics. People will still be buying, but they are going to be looking even harder for the best deals possible in this depressed economy...
BRAD'S TIP ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE TOMORROW: take the time to evaluate your offering online. Tomorrow, individuals are not going to buy from you just because you are number one on the page. You have to have a good solid offering for them to feel confident in their purchase. You need to look at everything from your website, your content, your positions, and your products to make sure you are delivering the best opportunities online. Everything needs to work together to suggest the customer buy from you. Take the time now to evaluate THE TOTAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE and start evaluating what is and isn't working for your customers. Then, when you've totally optimized the experience for your customers, you'll be in the best possible position to succeed in this difficult economic time.
It was the great Bob Dylan that sang... "then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, cuz the times they are a changing." Unfortunately, that refrain rings truer today than it did in 1963 when he wrote it. What did he know that the rest of us didn't...
As everybody tightens up their wallets and start to live a little more frugally, it's fair to expect that change to roll into our online experiences as well. The days of "if you build it, they will come" are beginning to change. Yes, individuals are still out on the Internet looking for products and services they need, so the NEED for Internet Marketing is still in great demand... but tomorrows shoppers are going to be more and more selective in their choices when they do decide to buy.
In a recent online poll by eMarketer, they found that most people are looking to cut back on their online spends across the board, but more importantly their online spends for major ticket items like jewelry, watches, and electronics. People will still be buying, but they are going to be looking even harder for the best deals possible in this depressed economy...
BRAD'S TIP ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE TOMORROW: take the time to evaluate your offering online. Tomorrow, individuals are not going to buy from you just because you are number one on the page. You have to have a good solid offering for them to feel confident in their purchase. You need to look at everything from your website, your content, your positions, and your products to make sure you are delivering the best opportunities online. Everything needs to work together to suggest the customer buy from you. Take the time now to evaluate THE TOTAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE and start evaluating what is and isn't working for your customers. Then, when you've totally optimized the experience for your customers, you'll be in the best possible position to succeed in this difficult economic time.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday Rant - Quantity VS Quality... What Are You Really Getting?
by Brad Koettel - Director of Sales and Marketing
One of the most frustrating questions my clients bring to me is about their link building campaigns, and how they don't seem to be providing the type of results organically that they were promised. Almost always, I find the same problem over and over... sacrificing QUALITY for QUANTITY.
Many of the people I talk to have been using a service to generate a huge quantity of links to their site... without a lot of regard to what it's doing to their site. MORE IS BETTER has been a mantra for so long that some people think it's the only way to go. The problem we see is that these services will link your well designed, well built, and well thought out page with just about anybody with $100 bucks and a junky website. Those links don't help you, but it sure helps them.
We often talk to our clients about building good quality links to good quality sites. Focus on linking to the associations and organizations that are major players in your industry. Focus on finding supplemental service providers that match your products and services and partner with the best of the best. Working together to build good high quality links to good high quality websites will not only improve your organic positions... it will improve your customers experience on your website and will help improve your overall image.
One of the most frustrating questions my clients bring to me is about their link building campaigns, and how they don't seem to be providing the type of results organically that they were promised. Almost always, I find the same problem over and over... sacrificing QUALITY for QUANTITY.
Many of the people I talk to have been using a service to generate a huge quantity of links to their site... without a lot of regard to what it's doing to their site. MORE IS BETTER has been a mantra for so long that some people think it's the only way to go. The problem we see is that these services will link your well designed, well built, and well thought out page with just about anybody with $100 bucks and a junky website. Those links don't help you, but it sure helps them.
We often talk to our clients about building good quality links to good quality sites. Focus on linking to the associations and organizations that are major players in your industry. Focus on finding supplemental service providers that match your products and services and partner with the best of the best. Working together to build good high quality links to good high quality websites will not only improve your organic positions... it will improve your customers experience on your website and will help improve your overall image.
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