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Build It – But They Won’t Necessarily Come!

‘Build it and they will come’. The refrain from the slightly silly but nonetheless engaging film Field of Dreams. That thought seems to sum up the attitude many start-up businesses have to their websites.

Get a website up and they will come is what people often think when they start a business – just wait for the calls and emails to flood in. I also suspect that, maybe, some businesses think that a website is something you have to have, without really questioning how it contributes to their overall marketing strategy and business growth.

Often, the result is disappointment. The business growth people expected to get from their website fails to materialise. And there are many reasons why, even with the most attractive site in the world, visitors might be rare. A bit of help and advice from a copywriter or website content developer could make the difference between a site that just sits there somewhere out in cyberspace, and a site that becomes an engine for lead generation and conversion.

Does Anyone Know You’re There?

Lack of attention to the needs of Google could be the fundamental reason your site gets no hits. When you designed the site did you think like a customer and try to predict words they might type into their search window? Did you do any keyword research to see whether your guess was right and how competitive your search terms were? Did you then have a clear method for deploying those search terms in your content, your URLs and the meta title tags and descriptions for your pages? Apologies if that’s a bit techy, but SEO is, well, a bit techy.

OK, You Did All That

‘Yep, I had a good web designer who took me through the process so I could write the content in the proper way for Google searches.’

Writing your own content can be another reason for disappointing performance. A large number of smaller businesses opt to write their own content. As the owner of a small business I can understand this. Fair enough, you’re looking to minimise costs, you know how to write, and nobody knows your business as well as you do. Some are fortunate and have a web designer who understands something about SEO and provides good advice. Some get their site created by somebody’s cousin who ‘does a bit of web design’ and are left with a site that confuses Google, as well as visitors, as to what the business is all about.

But, Google is looking for more than just technically correct use of keywords. It is looking for rich content that is well written and engaging. It’s getting better all the time at analysing website content for these characteristics. It’s also monitoring how long people spend on your site, how many pages they visit and so on. So, even if you have ‘all the keywords in the right order’, Google will punish you for content which is dull and doesn’t hold your visitors’ attention. If your customers like it, the chances are that Google will too.

All too often, however, home-made content is internally focused, uninspiring and does little other than fill a space and describe what a business does. This is not marketing and will do little for your sales even if somebody does find you.

What Else Are You Doing to Get Traffic?

Relying on search traffic can be challenging – it can also be a big lost opportunity. It has never been easier to create and publish new content and use it to generate additional traffic to your website. You could set up a WordPress blog in less than half a day and be publishing content immediately. Or you can use channels like Slideshare and YouTube to publish content and build your audience. Social Media tools are free, relatively easy to use, and enable you to reach millions of people.

If your content is good enough you could see visits to your website increase by 5 or more times. All from people who are interested in what you have to say. But the content has to be good, which may mean using a professional. But then how much of that additional traffic do you need to convert to pay for a couple of days of content development and marketing advice every month? Having your content accessed and shared on social media also boosts your SEO and search traffic.

The Big Question

So, if you’ve built a website and are still waiting for people to visit in the numbers you’d hoped for, think about this question: How are you going to get from just ‘being on the web’ to using the power of the internet to find new leads and turn them into customers? (Answer hint: Content).

marketing strategyRichard Hussey,

I am the founder of RSH Copywriting, based in South West England. I help businesses to use written content to engage their audience and generate growth. Call me on 01823 674167 to see how I can help your business. 

 

 

 

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