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Search Engine Optimization & Internet Marketing
I have years of experience in Google Adwords and Organic Search Engine techniques. I will optimize your Google Adwords Accounts to produce more results for less money. I also use other sites for local businesses in San Diego to get them more traffic. Most of these sites are free to use!!.
Have you ever given serious thought as to the difference between having a website and having a web presence?
98% of all websites on the net today don't have a web presence. To define web presence, www.wikipedia.org says it best: An Internet footprint is the impact an individual, business, organization or corporation has on the World Wide Web and, practicably, the traceable residue that it leaves behind through this interaction.
Look at the key words, impact, interaction, traceable residue. Does your website have an impact on every visitor? Does your site interact and engage every visitor that views your home page? And last but not least, does your site leave a lasting memory in the viewers mind?
If you answered NO to any of these, you need to give serious consideration to redesigning your website. If you can admit you need help, the first thing I want to tell you is not to waste your time going back to the company that designed the site to begin with. If they didn't do it right the first time, they sure don't deserve to have a second chance. Very little thought went into marketing the site or ranking high on the 1st page of Google.
Here's a reality check, did you know that the first (3) ranked businesses in your profession that are on the 1st page of Google get more than 68% of all business generated from searches on the Internet? You might be on Google Maps, but that isn't guaranteeing you'll be found. Just because you show up under one key word search, doesn't mean you'll show up under multiple search words.
The choice to redesign should be easy, now the only question you need to ask is how much to invest to make your website a success. Here are some factors you need to be aware of that will make your decision beneficial to all involved.
Your Website…Your Investment On the Web
You notice I keep using the word "investment" instead of cost. This is because your web site is an investment, both for your business and your future. Building a website is like buying a piece of real estate. The only difference is one is located on the web. So treat your website like any other investment, it truly is a piece of property on the net that can continue to grow and increase its monetary value.
Costs and Other Factors You Should Consider
With our present economy, the cost to redesign or build a new site is a big question that needs to be addressed immediately. What's the most you can budget for this project? Will your site be down for any length of time? Can your site be tweaked or does it need a major makeover? Who should you hire to complete the job? Once the site has been revised, who will maintain it to keep it performing at optimal levels?
These are major questions that need to be answered before you take action, so I can't tell you what to budget, but I can tell you that if you want to create a web presence, you need to avoid cutting corners. Whether you paid $50 or $5000 for your site, doesn't matter, you need to have a site that has good design, SEO, marketing strategies and is user friendly. So you truly get what you pay for when it comes to this type of planning.
How do you know whether your site needs tweaked or a major makeover?
The best answer I can give is to verify how much business you can attribute to your site. If you can't quantify what amount of earnings you receive each month from your website, I'm guessing you need a makeover. If you do keep track of business your site generates, and the percentage is between 40 to 60% you may just need to make some simple revisions that will increase the site traffic.
Who should you hire and will they maintain your site?
When you are ready to hire a website consultant the first recommendation is that you sit down with them and discuss their experience with web design, people they've worked with, their knowledge of marketing as it pertains to your business, and strategies they use to generate business. There are a lot of great web designers, but too many just throw something up and call it a day. The bottom line is that you need your site to create traffic, convert browsers to buyers and generate income. Once the site is functioning correctly, you need to determine who will maintain it. If you have a web consultant that is well versed in both design and building a presence, consider hiring them on a part time basis to keep your marketing and ranking at the top. For the minimal investment you pay it will make all the difference in your business now and in the future.