WDTalk

As a rule of thumb – broad markets invite fierce competiton. Search queries that return in the tens of millions of results are going to be hard to rank on page one of any search engine. Why is that important even if you actually are selling to a broad market?

Online buyers are spending billions of dollars annually – and if not with you, certainly with your competition. The good news is that broad markets can be broken down into niches, with each niche targeted to draw buyers to your site. The key here is to do keyword research to determine the exact niche prospects are (currently) searching for, then optimize your site (using those keyword phrases) to increase your conversions.

Tweaking your site – to take advantage of current trends can be as simple as adding a URL and title description to exactly match the extended keyword phrases that are ranking highest (today).

As an example, I just this morning did keyword research on fitness equipment, which is a fairly broad market. Apparently, fitness equipment is searched for 82,000 times per month on Google. Drilling down, I saw that the extended keyword phrase of home fitness equipment drew 4,400 queries. If my site targeted fitness equipment, I could create a page with the URL of www.(yourdomain).com/home_fitness_equipment/  and include “home fitness equipment” in its title tag. Time and time again, I’ve seen this SEO strategy help sites with low (or ZERO) PageRank and minimal backlinks outrank sites with high PR and thousands of backlinks.

If you’re running a WordPress site – beware. The default for creating URLs looks something like ?p=1237. Sure your site may be indexed, but how many buyers are searching for 1237? By simply changing the default to Month/Name, the URL could look like /2010/08/home-fitness-equipment. If you’re searching for a custom title tag plug-in for WordPress, read the comments first and check it’s compatibility with your version (which should be updated to 3.01).

Increasing traffic is key – but great content and compelling calls-to-action take the reigns once your site is found. To optimize your conversions, you need all three ingredients.

To Your Success

- Steve

It makes no difference  – what your background is, whether you have any technical skills or if you’re starting from scratch. The key is motivation. Your unique knowledge of sports, fashion, religion, psychology, vacation spots or whatever – can be converted into an online business.

That first step – is crucial. I always always recommend writing a business plan as that first step. Why? The majority of new businesses fail because they lack process, and your business plan is like a map – establishing direction and expectations. It spells out process.

One key ingredient – is research within your niche. Seek out the most profitable topics to monetize, then deliver relevant and compelling content. Put your personality into your site. Give it style. If you have quality, in-demand information, you will be pleasantly surprised how well your site performs.

Take something you know and love – and monetize it. It starts with passion, which is then converted into content on your site. There are a zillion ways to drive traffic to your site and a gazillion more ways to monetize that traffic.

Is it easy - NO. Will success happen overnight? NO. But the Internet has truly spawned it’s share of millionaires, many of them with ZERO brick and mortar presence.

Are information based sites sustainable – ABSOLUTELY. Diversification is crucial, establishing multiple streams of income. These could be via Google AdSense, affiliate programs, writing and selling e-books or simply lead generation.

“Venture nothing, and life is less than it should be.”
Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990)

A lot of work goes into shaping a business, but the shaping doesn’t end when you open your doors to the public. Businesses that survive and strive are those that abandon what doesn’t work and use that knowledge to reshape their business going forward. With online businesses, this could be as simple as changing domain names.

I just read an interesting article this morning about one online business that changed their web site five times in five years. This particular business was launched with an investment of  $100,000, but now grosses nearly $3 million in revenue. What I found interesting was that, over the years, they abandoned 60 percent of what they originally came up with. That’s huge, but it reshaped their business into the success they enjoy today.

Why would changing your domain name make any difference?
I think there are two angles to changing domain names. The first is perception. The second deals with Search Engine Optimization.

The Trust Factor
In the first (perception), the key is TRUST. Successful eCommerce ventures start and end with a strong trust factor. Let’s face it – what do prospects see when they search for info on Google, Bing and Yahoo? They essentially see two things – your domain name and a short description of your site. For example, which domain name conveys more (global) trust to you - Steve’sAirTransport.com or AviationTransportationServicesInc.com? Seems obvious to me. The second has a corporate, global feel to it that lends favorably to the perception of trust.

The SEO Factor
Although Google doesn’t disclose its search algorithms, it’s widely perceived in SEO circles that targeted keywords in your domain name weigh heavily on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).  When searching for Aviation Transportation Services, two of the top four results have the targeted keywords, aviation and trasnsportation, in their domain names. Would being in the top four results help drive targeted traffic and potential clients to your site? Absolutely!

The Real Challenge
Reevaluatiing your domain name is a starting point, but the real challenge entails staying current with ever evolving technologies like Twitter and Facebook, AND keeping up to date with search engine trends and changes in their algorithms.

I’m reasonably sure most of us have heard the term, “Sell the SIZZLE, not the steak.” It’s well documented that prospects don’t buy products and services – they buy BENEFITS from reps or businesses they know, like and trust. The best sales reps search out their prospect’s pain (by asking questions and LISTENING), and then structure their proposed solution to SIZZLE (to address that pain in a way that excites and compels the prospect to buy).

Some examples of SIZZLE 

   1. If I’m selling Internet bandwidth (data transfer), which has more sizzle? Simply listing bandwidth at 2TB/month OR adding an example of a benefit like:

If the average page size on your site is 40 kilobytes (includes the html file & graphics), with 2TB of bandwidth your pages could be downloaded 262,144,000 times per month! 

   2. What about email accounts – seems pretty straight forward? Which has more sizzle? Simply listing how many emails you get with each plan OR adding a benefit like: 

Tired of spam?! Our real time spam filter saves you and your employees time and money? Our system monitors a very large portion of the Internet’s email traffic to target sources of spam and tags that spam if it comes into our network. This FREES you to focus on REAL email. 

   3. I see hosting packages all the time featuring MySQL accounts, but why would you be interested in MySQL? Instead of simply listing the number of MySQL accounts with each plan, how about adding a benefit with some SIZZLE like: 

Based on the Linux operating system, MySQL is a multi-user, multi-threaded Structured Query Language (SQL) standardized database that simplifies storing, updating and accessing information such as customer or product data. Its flexibility and speed allow you to also store logs and pictures. Designed to scale well under heavy traffic conditions, it’s IDEAL for database-intensive or ecommerce enabled websites. 

What’s your SIZZLE? 

There’s a benefit to every product or service. The key is to find the SIZZLE that addresses your prospects pain, whether it’s the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the cars they drive or whatever. In person, it’s the reps body language and tone that carries the conversation, with a scant 7% left to his/her words. Online, there is no body language or tone, except what the prospect perceives. This is why design and relevant content is so important. SIZZLE is the catalyst that will put you over the top.

Small Business Rocks!
As I drive in to work, I pass by hundreds of small businesses and I wonder how they all got their start, how long they’ve been in business, what their plans are for the future, will they survive …? Being in sales, quite often I get to talk to the owners and decision makers in these businesses, and as a small business owner myself, I cherish these opportunities to gain insight into their business.

I Love the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Small Business
While I primarily write articles about the finer aspects of web hosting, I’m drawn to marketing and sales, and general business tips because it’s equally relevant. Web sites can be the great equalizer for small business in their quest to compete on a Global or even local marketplace, so when I talk to owners about their websites (or lack thereof), more often than not, I take with me a renewed sense that the entrepreneurial spirit this country was founded upon is alive and well.

Small Business Drives Business
I could do a Google search and find literally millions of articles related to small business driving business, but it’s widely understood that small business is the backbone of our economy. As small business goes, so goes our economy. Competing as a small business forces you to think outside of the box, driving innovation.

 An Invitation
We’d love to hear your small business tips. Feel free to either comment on one of our articles or submit an article of your own – to sales@hostirian.com.

To Your Success

-      Steve