Over the years,  I have seen a variety of ways to get a web site to rank in the search engines. Everything from stuffing keywords, hiding text, link ‘bombing’ and the old school ‘doorway pages’.

Content - updated, well-written text for web sites is still one of the most imporant and valuable elements for good search engine rankings. You can create content easily by blogging, writing articles, and adding relavent pages to your web site.

Many people  are concerned that they do not have time or the ability to blog, or write articles. If you own a web site business, you more than likely have the knowledge of the products or services you are offering. Try to commit 1 morning or evening a week or even every few weeks to write about what you know; news, updates, information pertaining to a product or service you sell.

Content is considered one of the most important elements of good SEO but is only 1 of the factors needed for rankings.

Taking cover and scaling back on your advertising is the normal business reaction to what is happening in our economy today. With people trying to save money on high gas prices and looking for great deals, more and more are choosing the internet as their shopping alternative.  As a business owner, there are many ways to continue promoting your web site online without having to spend a fortune! Here are some simple ideas and tips to consider during these difficult times:

• Improve Search Engine Rankings- One of the biggest areas of your online marketing; having good rankings among the search engines is essential and can pay off if done properly.  If you need to hire an SEO Company do so with caution. Avoid the site that “Guarantee first page rankings”. No reputable SEO Company can do that without either bidding for placement (AKA Pay Per Click) or some type of trick that can either harm your rankings over time or obtain the wrong type of visitors. Search Engine Optimization is a process that will take time, and should be done by a reputable company with experience.
• Blogging- This is a FREE way to promote your site, services or products. Setting up a blog is easy and it can be done via your site or other blog locations such as blogger.com or wordpress.com
• Articles- Write about your services or products and submit to article sites. Most of these are free, but a few may require a small membership. Articles allow you to be the authority on your service or product and it also provides a way to link back to your website- free traffic!
•  Press Releases- Online PR is a bit different than traditional. One of the biggest advantages includes having copy (text) that links back to your site which in turn can increase your search engine rankings. Online PR can also be posted within search engine rankings especially in Google. Submitting your PR can cost anywhere from $60-$600. There are some free areas as well.
• Smaller-Localized Pay per Click- If you currently run a PPC campaign but it’s costing you more than your selling, consider consolidating it to a smaller campaign or even target your local market. Another option is to focus on 2-3 of your main products or services that bring in the most money.
• Social Networking- Sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace are all becoming a great tool for online businesses. Use it to promote services, gain feedback on products or ideas, as well as advertising (Facebook for example has their own pay per click program at affordable rates). Youtube is another form of marketing to consider for your business. Be creative!
• Email Marketing- Still a viable form of marketing, if you have generated a list of clients over time (those who have purchased from you before or have requested to receive newsletters and information) you can safely send promotions, general newsletters and announcements to them. This can be an affordable way to remind them that you are here, and you may have a great service or product to offer them at this time. Make sure you use either a company that offers email marketing or a vendor that is reliable in this industry such as Constantcontact.com.

We definitely have some bumpy roads ahead of us, but if you invest your time and money wisely, you can still make money in this weak economy.  Let us  at Big Shark Marketing help you with a FREE Web Site analysis today and see where simple updates and modifications can make a difference in your web business.

As we approach the final month of summer, many web site owners are looking forward to the 4th quarter stretch; especially the holidays.  With gas prices out of control, many consumers are expected to shop online more than ever this season.

Now is the time to review your marketing strategy for the upcoming months. Marketing in the online world consists of a variety of factors including search engine rankings, pay per click advertising, email newsletters and the web site’s overall design and layout.

Here are some basic tips to consider for your online business:

•    Good Keywords- Is your web site optimized for the right keywords; those that visitors will search for to buy your products or services?

•    Search Engine Rankings- How does your site currently rank among Google, YAHOO, and MSN?

•    Pay Per Click Advertising- If you’re currently using pay per click marketing (Google AdWords,   YAHOO Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter, ASK, etc) make sure you are tracking your ads properly. Are they converting into sales or leads? Are you paying too much for keywords not related to your business? Should you be advertising locally rather than nationally? Need info on Pay Per Click? Click Here.

•    Web Site Design- How does your current web site look?  Does everything work properly? No broken links, missing images, misaligned text? Make sure the site is presentable to your customers.

•    Does your web site provide helpful information for your visitors? How are your prices compared to others in your industry? What offers can you provide for the holidays- Tax-free shopping? Reduced or free shipping offers? Buy 1 Get 1 offers, Coupons, Etc?

We recently launched a small yet very effective web site that is a classic example of combining good design and marketing.

CapeCoralHomeVultures.com - is a web site based in SouthWest Florida (Cape Coral, Ft. Myers area) that offers information on foreclosed property, buying, and managing foreclosures and pre-foreclosures in the SouthWest area of Florida.

As the site launched in July, the client initiated an agressive Pay Per Click Campaign on YAHOO and Google AdWords and has seen viable traffic and strong leads almost instantly.

Check it out: http://www.capecoralhomevultures.com

These days I don’t have much time to leisurely surf the web which is why I love this new feature Google launched in their search results that allows you to skip intro pages on a web site.

What does this mean? If a web site has splash page (introduction) that you are forced to see before viewing the rest of the web site, Google offers busy bodies like myself to skip ahead and go directly to the main page.

Can you hear the ‘glee’ in my blog? I’ve never been a fan of intro pages and apparently so are many others out there there. Thanks Google!