Testimonial
‘Visitors and enquiries to the geofframm.com web site continue to rise dramatically since launch of the site. Ongoing search engine optimisation and web marketing services provided by Atomic Web Solutions have produced fantastic results. Key phrases for my business such as ‘inspirational marketing speaker’ entered into Google bring my site in on results page 1. Unbelievable after only two months!’
Geoff Ramm
Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing Article 1
The Myths and the Snake oil Salesmen
One of the issues faced by businesses in their early days of going online is that of ‘Over ambitious expectations’ – let’s explain:
Being involved in web design and web marketing for quite a number of years, we have often come across this scenario:
- New web site goes live
- Web site owner waits for the first sale…and waits…and waits
- Web site owner complains to web design company about lack of sales and loses confidence in the web site and the developer and even the Internet as a serious marketing or sales platform
In actual fact nothing has probably gone wrong, other than the web site owner being led to believe that their web site will go live and the enquiries and sales will flood in. WE WISH! If this were the case, there would be a lot of e-commerce millionaires out there!
Who led them to believe this? Probably most of the junk e-mails sent on a daily basis promising ‘We’ll get you onto page one of Google within three months or your money back’ – You’d get your money back if you manage to find the company again after parting with it!
One of the first things we’ll say to clients who come to us about a new site, or a site that they say ‘isn’t working’ for them is this:
‘Even with the best search engine optimisation, marketing and submission services, a NEW web site will take around eighteen months (that’s a year and a half) to be fully indexed by Google.’
We have no axe to grind; this is what we've learned from experience and we'd be more than happy to debate the point.
If readers take nothing away from this, then hopefully, at least they realise that a new web site – any web site, be it a brochure site or full e-commerce site, must be viewed as a long term investment.
In the early days, traffic to the site will not come via the search engines. Businesses must look into other forms of marketing and advertising the site, such as:
- Getting sponsored links to the web site into creditable online directories
- Obtaining links to the web site from established suppliers or other complimentary businesses, business clubs etc
- Looking into pay per click and pay per view advertising campaigns on a short term basis
- Getting the web address onto every piece of literature, signage and livery that they possible can
- Getting some press, PR and any article that they possibly can published in magazines, trade journals etc – of course with the link to the web site
Typical Search Engine Lifecycle Example
A typical small business client of ours www.snobsknobs.co.uk - selling a great range of period door furniture and architectural antiques online, went through the following phases:
Month 1 to 3 – No direct sales from the web site
Month 4 – Google acknowledged the site existed (only minimal indexing), various online directories and sponsored links began to direct traffic to the site. A few orders began to come through
Months 5 to 12 – A trickle of orders continued. Google and others didn’t feature the site on results pages
Months 13 to 18 – Orders increase BUT NOT from search engines
Month 19 – The magic milestone. The site finally began to feature on Page 2 to 3 of Google, MSN and other search engine results pages (key phrases like ‘period door furniture’ ‘brass door knobs’ etc. Orders dramatically increased.
Present – Through continued search engine optimisation and marketing, the site now features on Page 1 of Google and other major search engines for most key phrases. The site has been deeply indexed by the search engines, to individual dynamic catalogue and product page levels.
The web business has been setup as a separate business and registered for VAT
The web site drives business to the physical shop. In the early days, the reverse was true.
Conclusion
In conclusion, businesses should be realistic, if a new web site generates few enquiries or sales in 6 months (directly from search engines), they shouldn’t be concerned, if it still isn’t generating a good number after 18 months, then they need to look into a serious web marketing strategy and help with optimisation of the web site itself.
When considering Search Engine Optimisation or Marketing Services, businesses shouldn’t be afraid to ask potential providers for a proven track record of success. Again they should be realistic though, to get onto page 1 of Google’s results for ‘Mobile Phones’ will cost many thousands of pounds, if not Millions. Getting onto Page 1 for ‘Mobile Phones in Newcastle’ (although still not an easy task) will cost considerably less.
Professor Searchworthy