July 13, 2007 Comments
It's exciting to see small businesses take off running with search engine optimization when they learn about the marketing potential of a well optimized site. However, so many businesses run ahead of their site by optimizing their code without optimizing the user experience. What they fail to realize is that sending new (and even targeted) traffic to a site that isn't user friendly does drive more sales, it drives more failed conversions.
Seth Godin noted this week:
One of the luxuries of being in a low-cost business or in having access to capital is that you can scale quickly. You can go from one salesperson to a hundred, one store to twenty, no franchises to a thousand.
In our rush to scale, sometimes we forget something essential: if it doesn't work when you've got one, it's extremely unlikely to work when you have dozens.
This is true for search marketing as well.
While it's essential that you undertake keyword research, content optimization and link building, it's even more essential that you first make sure your site is delivering a solid user experience. If 85% of your visitors abandon their shopping carts, a top ten Google ranking isn't going to improve your sales by that much.
Before you undertake an SEO upgrade, take an honest look at your site and your conversion rate. Chances are strong that you might find some other areas of your site that need to be optimized first.
Search Engine Marketing
Marketing for Both Organic & Paid Search
Best of the Web Directory
Submit your Site Today! Best of the Web Directory
ClickTracks Analytics
Identify search terms that convert.
SEO Image SEO Company
Effective Internet Marketing & SEO services.
Video blogger Sage Lewis keeps you up to date with what's hot in the world of search engine marketing.
| www.flickr.com |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Search Engine Guide Blog | Search Engine Marketing | Internet Search Engines | SEM Resources & Consultants | Newsletters | Advertise | About | Site Map
Search marketing information for small business owners.
Fetching the best small business news.
A friendly place to share small business ideas and knowledge.
A different kind of small business marketing conference.
Home of our network.
Copyright © 1998 - 2008 K. Clough, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy
FreeFind Site Search Engine - FreeFind adds a "search this site" feature to your website, making your site easier to use. FreeFind also gives you reports showing what your visitors are searching for, enabling you to improve your site. FreeFind's advanced site search engine and automatic site map technology can be added to your website for free.
(Unpaid placement - FreeFind is a Search Engine Guide partner.)