Blog > Small Business Online Marketing

Small Business Online Marketing

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

We are well past the point where a website is merely a status symbol; when you have a site because everyone else has one. The fact is since 2008 more customers find local businesses using search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) than using the Yellow Pages. This alone should cause business owners to take a serious look at their on-line-strategy. Just as not every business needs a full page add in the Yellow Pages, neither does every business need to be at the top of a search engine query. However customers do need to be able to find you. Return customers may type in your company name but new customers search by key-words.

I'm looking for my type of business, in my city why aren't I listed?

It’s not as simple as listing your business in the right category in the Yellow Pages.

* If your site is using an older CMS (Content Management System) the search engines can’t find you. Even a 3-4 year old site may not work adequately.

* Search engines look for content, stale content, if you have not updated your site will cause a site to drop precipitously with the search engines.

* Consider an “on-page” Search Engine Optimization; it’s not a full page add but it’s economical and puts you in the game.

* When a customer finds you using a search engine they expect ready access to the product and service information that will help them make an informed decision. If the site is not easy to navigate or even worse does not show the information your customers are after, they will quickly leave and likely never return.