From time to time we have clients who ask us to “optimize their site”. If we didn’t have ethics, it would be easy to add a line item to the estimate, make a few extra bucks, and call it a day. Don’t get me wrong, there was a time when SEO was not only important, but imperative. However, searching practices on the web are no longer the same. With so many options now available, people no longer search the web like a phone book. Instead, people mostly know who or what they’re looking for and just need to navigate there for further information. Nonetheless, it is nice to get to the top when possible or appropriate…

So what’s the secret to being found? The best way to be at the top of the list for a particular search on Google or Yahoo is to be relevant. One of the factors which determines the ranking on these systems is the use of the word or phrase compared to the total amount of source code that generates the page. Therefore, if the site is built well using XML tags and CSS your page will rank higher than a page with identical copy and sloppy code. If you don’t know what XML or CSS is don’t worry…we do! Instead of wasting your money on “optimization” we suggest that you invest more resources into a quality site that fits your brand experience and will meet your specific marketing goals.

Another secret of the search engine game is that sometimes you need to “pay-to-play”. Instead of wasting hundreds of dollars trying to “optimize” your site…it’s often better to develop a marketing plan based on specific keywords, phrases, products, or trademarked names, and pay Google or Yahoo to feature those listings. This allows you to reach markets which the search engine system doesn’t find on its own. One of the coolest things about this approach is that you can limit the field to various regions and by doing so increase the probability that this unknown lead will turn into an actual customer. For example, if you own a property management company it would be very difficult to optimize your site to be the highest ranking result on Google. Instead you could focus on driving traffic from people in your geographic area who are interested in “Apartment Managers” in New York or “HOA Management” in California. The chances for an actual sale, or new client, increase significantly when someone in your specific area of influence is able to locate the specific types of services or products you provide.

Remember, the best way to drive traffic to your website is to provide customers, prospects, and leads with clear, consistent communication of your web address and a reason to go there. This can be accomplished in many different ways through print materials, promotional merchandise, marketing campaigns, frequent site updates, educational opportunities and/or customer focused resources, to name a few. Whatever you do…make sure it accomplishes a specific goal which will both improve your business and provide the user with value.

To summarize:
- Build websites that are relevant and well developed
- Focus on your target market (both by niche and geographically)
- Invest in things that accomplish your business goals not the current fad