It’s amazing how many website developers have the talent, the know-how, and the skill to put together the most aesthetically beautiful websites for their clients.
And then leave their digitally challenged clients to fend for themselves in the jungle of keywords, on-page optimization, and analytics. In the world of blackhat SEO, phishing expeditions, charlatans posing as social media specialists, and hackers that want to break into anything and everything.
And this little professional quagmire can so easily be overcome simply by partnering with someone with actual digital marketing skills and experience. Or with a digital agency.. a real digital agency (yes there are fake ones).
An agency that can show the average business owner what needs to be done now that they have a site in place. What needs to be done that the business owner can do him or herself. Not what some charlatan will do and then charge you a foot for it (after you’ve already paid an arm and a leg for the site).
So what is it that needs to be done on your website?
Great question
First things first. Your website needs to be on Google’s Search Console.
They describe it as: “Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results
It tells you what the shortfalls are and what you can do to make your site get along better with Google. In a nutshell, it tells you how good friends your website is and can be with Google’s search engine functionality. To the average (or the not so average) website developer, this tool can be an invaluable asset for any future SEO program you have in the pipeline.
Secondly..
you want your website listed for Google Analytics. There are a few better analytics tools available, but because Google literally owns the search space, who better than them to show you who comes to your site, where they come from, what device they used, what connection speed they were on and which parts of your website they spent the most time on. Get your website firmly partnered with this software. A digital treasure trove if ever there was one.
Thirdly, you want to create a Google MyBusiness profile. For no other reason other than the fact that these profiles show up in the search results more than any organic keyword-rich SEO-ed pages. These profiles display your business name, your location, how customers can reach you, and what you sell. In most instances, it also shows a Google Streetview thumbnail of the outside of your building. IT’s like magic. You have to have this.
Lastly, you kinda MUST have Google Ads running. This is where most of your ongoing traffic will come from. Some people will place ads to make sales or to run a quickfire marketing campaign. I say run Google Ads for traffic. You must of course make sure that your website is worth visiting. And for goodness sake, have a CTA or a form available with whatever offer you have on the site.
It is just the saddest thing to see people send Google Ads traffic to a website’s homepage or to a page that says what they offer but nothing that says THIS IS HOW YOU CAN BUY WHAT WE SELL. Use this advertising platform to attain or achieve something.
There you have it. Just four of the things you can do to ensure your website does not become another South African soccer stadium (a white elephant if you didn’t get it). And with the exception of Google ads..
Everything else for your website is 100% FREE!!!