About a week ago, I met with a prospective new client in downtown Greenville to discuss the possibility of working together on an internet marketing project. This was a little bit different from my typical business meeting, however, because this person was a small business owner who has also made significant money building affiliate websites in the past. So I was really looking forward to speaking someone who really understands the search engines and the many different forms of online marketing.
And our meeting started off fantastic. Within 2 or 3 minutes, we were speaking to each other like we were old friends and the conversation had already drifted well beyond the intended subject. We talked about NBA basketball and the dumb things out kids have done lately, and I honestly could have hung out with this personal all afternoon. He was a genuinely likable guy with a great mind for business.
Shortcuts Never Pay Off in the Long Run
Once we started showing off our profiles though and the many sites we’ve developed over the years; one thing became quickly apparent- this person used almost every black hat tactic in the book to drive traffic. Here are just a few of the things he named-
- Using robots to post tens of thousands of comments per day for backlinks
- Using spun content to guest post on thousands of low-class sites
- Repeatedly spamming keywords to achieve undeserved rank
- Buying backlinks in mass quantity from un-reputable sites
The list literally went on and on, and this person couldn’t understand why he was making $150,000 a year from internet marketing in 2010, but barely clearing $5,000 a year today. Anyone who knows anything about the search engines can answer that question though; those types of shortcuts end up hurting a lot more than they help in 2015.
Google Has One Heck of a Memory
When we pulled up this client’s Google Analytics account to look at some of his potential issues, he literally had a half million spam backlinks pointing to his sites and at least 10,000 pages of spun copy. And right there I knew, there was absolutely no way I wanted to be involved in his clean-up attempts. Honestly, he would be better off starting over on a brand new domain without any reputation whatsoever.
That’s definitely not the answer this client wanted to hear though, and his reaction was very common for someone hearing that kind of news. Because he didn’t think about the hundreds of hours where he used cheap tactics to cheat Google and obtain an artificial rank; his thoughts were on the tens of thousands of legitimate hours invested doing things the right way. All that effort was literally wasted though since he scammed the system…and it is extremely difficult to un-cheat when you do it on massive levels.
Repairing Former Lapses in Judgement
Here is the takeaway from this though- if you’ve crossed the line a few too many times when it comes to getting your website to rank, this is not something that will work itself out over time. While you can just keep on going about your merry way posting new content and doing things the right way, those “Ghosts of Google Past” are going to continue to slow your progress until you take the proper steps to clean them up.
So here’s what you need to do-
1) Head over to your Google Webmaster Tools account, click on “Search Traffic” and then look at “Links to Your Site”.
2) If you see that there are lots of links from spammy sources, you need to Disavow the bad backlinks or have a professional do it for you. If you don’t know for sure what you’re doing though, then contact someone for help.
3) When it comes to writing that you posted in unsavory directories and content mill types of sites, you’ll have to manually delete this content instead of reporting it to Google. The Disavow tool is only for reporting 3rd party links you had no hand in creating, but if your name is on it as the author…oops. You have to fix these issues yourself.
4) If there are pages on your website that a human wouldn’t get excited over reading, you have one of two options- delete them or replace them with fresh content. The search engines would prefer that you do the latter since it keeps your page hierarchy in place, but that may not be an option if you have hundreds of lousy pages.
5) Let’s also talk about anchor links for a moment, which are the words that any given hyperlink is tied to. Google has announced that natural links should contain a large variety of anchors on your website and around the web, so you need to clean these up on your site as well.
6) While you’re in Webmaster Tools, also take a look at your search appearance and index status. If there are errors, then either fix them or contact a professional that can walk you through the process. These are usually broken links or moved pages, but it could be responsive errors as well.
7) Finally, be sure to keep an eye on any additional errors in your Webmaster Tools account since this signals other reasons why you may be receiving search penalties.
So needless to say, I did not end up signing a new client the other week and I think the talk of our kids going to band camp together is off the table as well. That’s okay though, because at least that small business owner walked away with the right knowledge in place so he wouldn’t keep throwing more money into a site that’s been dead and buried for years.
Do you have any of your own Google penalty stories to share? Could have I done something differently to save this potential client relationship? Feel free to keep the conversation going and let me know!
If I had to pick one question that business owners ask me about the most, it would easily be, “What kind of content should I have on my website to get more visitors?” And I will quickly tell them that they’re asking the wrong question- because traffic is only half the formula of a successful website. The real goal is to convince those visitors to become real-life customers that support your brand.
Now, there’s one great thing about having lots of relevant content on your website; it attracts people and the search engine spiders exactly the same way. So the more you share with the world about your business, the faster your website will rank naturally. That means an increase in traffic AND since you have lots of great content, those potential customers are more likely to reach out to you as well. So it’s really a two for one benefit.
Excellent Core Content
To gain new visitors more frequently, strengthening the core content of your website is absolutely vital. Because think about it; you have no idea why someone happens to visit your website. Most companies offer dozens of products and services, so the inbound traffic could have an interest in any of them…but only if you provide solid initial answers to their questions first.
If you fail to do that, however, then the consumer is going to be off to the next business in the search results without thinking twice about you. That’s why you need to have AT LEAST-
- One core web page for each of your main categories
- One core sub-page for each of your products/services
- One page answering the most common questions within your industry
- An About Us page that tells the company’s history
- A contact us page with all your location information
- A testimonial page to show what happy customers have to say
- A “specials” page with your current discounts and specials
- A warranty page if that’s applicable to your business
Once you start doing the math, that’s easily 30-60 core pages that your website absolutely has to have in order to capture attention. And each of these pages needs visual elements (photos, charts, infographics, etc.) and solid formatting (sub-headings, bullet points, backlinks, etc.) as well. Your main pages should also offer video tutorials to assist your customers if you really want to make them pop.
An Informative Blog
Likewise, blogging
is an awesome way to keep your visitors engaged, educate them about your industry and talk about things that are happening around town. There’s an equally important reason to have a daily-weekly blog as well though; the search engines absolutely love to see new content getting indexed. In fact, the more new information you post, the closer the search engines keep an eye on you…which helps you gain additional visibility at a lightning-fast pace.
In fact, if you do a quick search for a list of the current Fortune 500 companies and then start checking their sites for blogs, you may be surprised to find out that every single one of them use blogging to engage their customers on a daily basis. Some of them even have 3-5 blogs for different client-types, plus their marketing team writes for online publications like Forbes and the Wall Street Journal for even more exposure.
So even though you probably don’t want to bother with blogging, know that it’s the fastest way to put your brand on the www map. Not even paid advertising can consistently deliver the results that simple tips and other types of articles can provide.
Smart Social Optimization
Since almost every single one of your customers now carries a smartphone in their pockets, optimizing your local presence is no longer optional. Because here’s what happens-
A consumer does a Google search for “patio furniture” and they start browsing through the local search results to compare features and prices. That brings them to your Google+ or Bing Local page where they’ll see your logo and contact information, the link to your website, customer reviews and any blog posts that you’ve shared through that channel. This is assuming, of course, that you spent the same amount of time optimizing your social pages as you did your website. Most businesses don’t.
The sweet thing about sites like Google+ is that you can optimize them with photos and videos of your products, and then embed links straight to your website. So it definitely pays to spend an extra few hours per month keeping your profiles in tip-top shape, and this needs to happen on EVERY social channel that your business is registered on.
Great Video Tutorials
One final type of web content to consider is producing short video segments to give consumers a completely different type of visual experience on your website. You can add videos to all of your main category pages to give a quick overview of your products and services, plus create a video testimonial series with locals who really appreciate your business. And since people can’t help but click on video links when they see them, this will quickly become one of the most popular features on your website.
Additionally, smart videos can also be shared on your social media pages for even greater exposure, plus they get indexed by the search engines within their own category as well. So if someone searches for “How to file for bankruptcy” in the video search results and your local law firm has a short video on it, Google is going to prioritize your video above the national brands. Since this also boosts your website’s results and your local search presence, it’s a win/win/win strategy for almost any type of business.
While I’ve developed a fantastic career from inspiring others and teaching them about the finer points of online marketing, I can honestly admit that I’m a lousy pastry cook. I’m also dreadful on ice skates, frustrated by politics and virtually useless when it comes to pop culture trivia.
I bring up these points not to make light of my shortcomings in life, but to show that we cannot ever really experience true growth without realizing what we’re bad at.
Just the other day, for example, I met with a friend who was furious that he was overlooked for a promotion at work. And when he started rambling off the strengths of his resume compared to the person that was hired, it did sound like he was an excellent candidate. Once we took a closer look at the job vacancy though, it clearly stated that the company was looking for someone with experience in email marketing…and my friend had none at all.
Here’s the thing though; my friend had been waiting for this position to become available for over a year now, and he knew each and every qualification that the company would look for. Since he had such a stellar resume for some aspects of the position, he completely overlooked the one criterion that he wasn’t good at- and it was ultimately what cost him the position. To make things even worse, I’m fantastic at email marketing and we hang out several times per week. I could have easily made this a strength on his resume if he mentioned it a year ago.
So I want you to hear one thing loud and clear today- it is okay to struggle with some things in life. Heck, I think it’s a core requirement for being human.
Instead of ignoring these shortcomings, however, you need to embrace them, seek out knowledge that will help you overcome these obstacles and become a better professional because of it. By the way, I’m not talking about cooking or ice skating here either.
I’m talking about the traits that really matter in your life. Listening. Teamwork. Generosity. Honesty. Empathy. Dedication. Loyalty. Plus the hundreds of other skills, traits and abilities that you use within your profession on a daily basis. And surprisingly, these are often the hardest things for us to see within ourselves…even though we can spot them a mile away within our friends and co-workers.
So what’s holding you or your company back in the world of online marketing?
Believe it or not, it’s not just business owners who can gain immense benefits from learning about internet marketing and search optimization. With some hard work and determination, almost anyone can drive in serious profits through a properly run website.
Well, I’d better back up for a moment and say that very few websites actually make any money at all. The reason that they fail is due to a lack of knowledge about how internet marketing really works, so they end up experimenting, getting frustrated and ultimately quitting. To me, that’s not really a failure though…that’s like walking into a knife fight with a set of salad tongs and hoping for the best. It just doesn’t end too pretty when you’re not really prepared.
That’s why I start every conversation with new clients with one simple question- how will the website you want me to build help you make more money?
Even though I can find the answer to that question myself for most industries, it’s the client who will ultimately sink or swim with their new domain unless they have a solid grasp on where their customers are coming from, what type of information those people are looking for and how to actually get them to go from being a lead to a customer.
Even if Upstate Synergy is running your campaigns for you, there still has to be someone on your end responding to leads via email, social media and through your website. And when people search for a business from their smartphones, they want the answers they’re looking for RIGHT NOW. If you can’t provide that then they’re on to the next business…and that’s where most internet marketing campaigns end up falling short of their projected mark.
So understand this- internet marketing can completely revolutionize your business if you are fully dedicated to the process. I have clients every single day that see their bottom line go from zeroes to heroes by optimizing their websites and working their online leads properly, but a web development firm can only do so much.
In other words, it is my job to deliver the leads to your doorstep. It is your job to close the deal. And if you’re not willing to learn how the lead generation process works, then you shouldn’t invest another penny in your website or any form of online marketing.
The good news is that Upstate Synergy is here to teach you everything you could possibly need to know about internet marketing and we will happily come to your Upstate business and fully educate your staff on the latest trends and techniques. So if your current campaigns are not delivering new customers to your doorstep, feel free to contact us through the enclosed form and we’ll happily perform a free website analysis to see what you can be doing better.
Let’s face it; very few businesses get it right when it comes to email marketing in Spartanburg. Either they completely overstep their bounds by filling their users’ inbox with non-stop advertising, or they simply send a message or two per year and hope for the best. Neither method actually produces results though because that’s not what the consumer signed up for.
Take Papa John’s Pizza, for example. Some of their promotions, like earning a free pizza for placing an order during major sporting events, are fantastic ideas that drastically boost their sales on big party occasions. So you know they have some smart marketers in place within their corporate offices.
Why then do they email their entire lists with “specials” 8-12 times per week when the offer is actually regular menu price? It makes absolutely no sense since they’re finding their way to spam folders and alienating their customer base more and more every single day.
Learn to Build Actual Relationships
The main thing Papa Johns (and everyone else) does wrong is forgetting that email is supposed to be about building genuine relationships. That can’t happen if your marketing department doesn’t have respect for their customers though, because people see straight through false promises and gimmicks these days. The average person receives over 250 emails per address, per day, so we’ve become very good in a very short period of time when it comes to spotting spam.
Here’s the amazing thing though- companies who respect their customers and use email to build stronger relationships actually see five to ten times the average return on each campaign. And they gain up to ten times the conversions with only a handful of total messages sent out each month…which completely goes against the way big business handles email.
So instead of trying to sell something, message your customers only when you have something of value to tell them. They will respect you for it a whole lot more and it is the only way to create lifelong customers that are always willing to listen.
Properly Manage your Email Lists
Another thing that completely boggles my mind is how large corporations violate their own privacy policies without giving it a second thought. For example, you’ve probably come across several websites recently that had a banner offering a free eBook download in exchange for you sharing your email address. And honestly, this is a great way to generate potential leads…and it’s also a great way to chase potential leads away.
Case and point- a local Spartanburg insurance company (that I’m not going to call out directly) offers a free PDF download to teach potential clients about deductibles and other things they should consider before choosing a home insurance policy. Just in the past week, however, they’ve emailed me about RV insurance (I don’t have an RV), motorcycle insurance (I don’t have one of those either), an upcoming agent conference (I’m not a licensed agent) and three other messages that had absolutely nothing to do with me.
Now, if this company really wanted me to use them for home insurance, wouldn’t it make a heck of a lot more sense for them to only contact me about that one service? But they can’t do that because their email lists are all clumped together into one generic category. In other words, they have no idea who I am or why they’re emailing me in the first place…but they just keep on messaging anyway.
To avoid this common problem, you absolutely must sort your email lists based on each lead’s initial interests. The more specific your messaging is to their needs, the more your campaigns will convert and produce favorable results.
When You Sell, Offer an Unbeatable Value
Let’s talk about Papa John’s one more time- specifically, all those “specials” they send me as a trusted customer. I’ve always wondered; do they really think that Americans are so unbelievably stupid that they wouldn’t glance at the actual online menus to see that they’re not being offered a deal? And once we realize that we’ve been lied to, do they really still expect us to order from them that day anyway?
As my twelve year old likes to say, “Heck to the no-no.”
Here’s the almost laughable thing that happens though; when consumers see an offer that initially interests them, it creates a genuine desire to buy. If the messaging is not genuine though, then that initial interest will push them straight to a competitor’s doorstep. And in Papa John’s case, there’s no telling how many pies they inadvertently sell for Pizza Hut, Dominos and all the independent franchises.
So the point here is that if you’re going to make a sales pitch through email, then it better be a genuinely good offer that the consumer doesn’t have to think too hard about. Because if there’s even the faintest hint of doubt within that messaging, then you’re actually marketing for your competitors instead.
Have you ever pulled up a website from your tablet or smartphone and growled in frustration when you couldn’t seem to click on those teeny, tiny buttons? Or how about those domains that would look great on a 27 inch PC monitor, but on your digital device it’s just a sea of never-ending background color. Yeah, those sites suck for us living in the 21st century.
That’s where responsive website design comes into play. It is the new standard of HTML (known as HTML5) that allows web developers to develop platforms for a number of different devices simultaneously within the same code. In English, that means that no matter what size your viewing screen is, the layout is optimized for you to interact with the website.
How does Responsive Web Design Work
So how does it work? Without getting too technical, HTML5 checks the device that it’s being displayed on before generating an image, and then it scales the content down for the best possible resolution. As you can see in the example provided above, the actual content areas will shrink, stretch or appear in a completely different area in order to present the best possible layout on any device, which benefits you, the end-user, and anyone else who may access this webpage.
When is Responsive Design a Bad Idea?
Then again, there’s no sense in changing something that isn’t broken in the first place. So whenever a potential customer asks about the drawbacks of responsive website design, we tell them that if their site is already converting well, then they should leave it alone. Responsive design is slower than a traditional web layout, and it can become significantly slower on a busy domain like eBay or any big company with lots of users. In these situations, it would probably be better to have a mobile website designed instead, which is a stripped-down version of your regular site that’s optimized for smartphones.
Do Businesses Need a Responsive Website?
As we mentioned earlier, that can sometimes be a tough question to answer. For big business, a mobile site is almost always a better answer, although responsive layouts are probably better for lead generation sites with mostly static pages. In any case, businesses need to market where their customers are and almost 90% of the US population is now accessing the web from a smartphone at least six times per day.
Think about it this way. If a consumer performs a web search from their smartphone for something like, “BBQ in Greenville” or “Web Design Spartanburg, SC”, they are not looking for general information. These are people that are 70-80% of the way through making a purchase decision and they are using the Internet to make a commitment. If your main competitor’s website is responsive (or mobile) and yours is not, then there’s a good chance that we all know where that shopper is going to end up.
At Upstate Synergy, we build beautiful responsive websites for Spartanburg businesses because it is a great way to keep our local area consumers happy. For more information on having a responsive website built or to learn how to vault to the top of Google, please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience. While few things in life are ever free, we are always happy to educate our potential clients in how they can generate more revenue.
About a week ago, I met with a prospective new client in downtown Greenville to discuss the possibility of working together on an internet marketing project. This was a little bit different from my typical business meeting, however, because this person was a small business owner who has also made significant money building affiliate websites in the past. So I was really looking forward to speaking someone who really understands the search engines and the many different forms of online marketing.
Once we started showing off our profiles though and the many sites we’ve developed over the years; one thing became quickly apparent- this person used almost every black hat tactic in the book to drive traffic. Here are just a few of the things he named-
When we pulled up this client’s Google Analytics account to look at some of his potential issues, he literally had a half million spam backlinks pointing to his sites and at least 10,000 pages of spun copy. And right there I knew, there was absolutely no way I wanted to be involved in his clean-up attempts. Honestly, he would be better off starting over on a brand new domain without any reputation whatsoever.
Here is the takeaway from this though- if you’ve crossed the line a few too many times when it comes to getting your website to rank, this is not something that will work itself out over time. While you can just keep on going about your merry way posting new content and doing things the right way, those “Ghosts of Google Past” are going to continue to slow your progress until you take the proper steps to clean them up.
