How is your website performing ?

Does your business have a website that you feel is not generating enough new customers ? So often the reason for this is a lack of quality, focused web content. Hopefully the following information will help guide you in improving you website’s content to improve your visibility in the search engines.

The goals and objectives of your site

Most business websites will have multiple goals, they can be used to provide existing customers with extra information on your company and products, they can help convert potential prospects from other marketing avenues (magazine advertising, trade publications) and they can help bring new customers and prospects through internet search engines.

A major problem for poorly performing websites is the lack of quality keyword rich web content, and a lack of focus in content.

A tip in improving your web content is to think of your site as a summary of past project descriptions and not a generic service description limited to a single web page. When describing your past projects, talk about the city, town, county, where the service was performed. Give as much information as you can and use your keywords in the content.

Here are a few things to look for:

• Your Location. Is your business location and address found on the site? Is it shown as text or as an image? If it’s an image, be sure to have it has text too because search engines will not be able to read the text in an image.
• Your Service Area. Do you perform services or market products to more than one city or market area? If so, does your site discuss your market area in ways such as mentioning neighboring cities and counties? If you want to compete in different markets you have to talk about them.
• You Past Projects/Portfolio. If you have things like past projects, photo gallery, before and after pages, do you describe these projects in rich details that includes the service area/location? Do you write quality project descriptions that add rich content to your site?

If you have not yet taken steps to ensure your business’ online presence in local search results is complete and accurate, you’re missing a big opportunity.

Local search on the internet should never be overlooked. It can provide a boost in traffic and has a higher tendency to convert more site visitors to customers since most people prefer working with local companies, if at all possible.

Here are a few tips on helping you improve your local search results:

1. Make sure that you have a search engine friendly web site

The first step, and possibly most important step, in improving you business’ website performance in local search is to ensure that the search engines can eaily crawl your site, and identify your keywords. You can do this by minimising the use of tables and avoid deeply nesting tables. Make sure that your business name and address are featured prominently as text and not hidden in image files. The page title should contain your business name, address and keywords, place a “H1″ header tag near the top of the page that also contains your business name, area (i.e. town/city), and keywords. For example Joe Bloggs Ltd, Forklift Hire, Leeds.

2. Include your business address twice on the page

In addition to placing your business address prominently on the page (as discussed in point 1), also include it in the footer of your site. Abbreviate the business county in one of the addresses, and spell it out in the second. For example use Potters Bar, Herts for one address and Potters Bar, Hertfordshire for another.

3. Check out your business listing on the major search engines

Check out your business listings on Google, Yahoo Local, and MSN Live Search. For example seach for “keyword” + Essex (obviously if you are targetting the Essex area!) If your business is not found, you should submit a listing at Google, Yahoo etc.

For each business listing, make sure that your information is correct, your business description is complete, and that it uses the same keywords that you are using on your web site. Make sure that your description has all the information that your potential customers will need to contact you, since people often will not click through to your web site from the local business listing. Include the county in addition to the city on your business listing. Finally, check out any photos of your business on the business directories, and provide better photos where appropriate.

4. Get your business rated

Ask your satisfied customers to write reviews and rate your business at Google, Yahoo, and MSN. If possible, ask them to use the same keywords that you use in the business description and on your web site as part of their review. Don’t add too many reviews over a short period of time, and make sure that the reviews are unique.

5. Solicit local links

Find the web directories that are local to your area, and ask them to link to your web site. Contact your local chambers of commerce and ask them to link to your business from their web site.

6. Check out your competition

Do a local search for your business keywords (i.e. conveyor, Liverpool) and see who your competition is. Find out who is linking to your competitors and investigate whether you can get the same sites to link to your business. The links can be determined by going to Yahoo and typing “linkdomain:” and then your competitor’s web site (i.e. linkdomain:www.yourcompetitorssite.com). Click on “inlinks” in the results page and this will show you who is linking to that website.

If you need any further information, would like some help or would like to ask any questions feel free to contact us.

Some of the information above was taken from Search Engine Watch

How is your website performing ?
Does your business have a website that you feel is not generating enough new customers ? So often the reason for this is a lack of quality, focused web content. Hopefully the following information will help guide you in improving you website’s content to improve your visibility in the […]

As many of you will already know companies were and still are required to clearly disclose their name on documents such as business letters, notices, official publications, financial documents such as cheques, promissory notes and bills of exchange and invoices, receipts and letters of credit.

Companies were and still are also required to include the following information on business letters and order forms:

• place of registration (England and Wales),
• registered number; and,
• registered office address.

As of January 2007, companies are also now required to state the following on their websites:

• clearly state their name,
• state place of registration,
• state registered number; and,
• state registered office details.

You are also required to have the following information on your website:

• The name, postal address and email address of the website’s service provider.
• The name of any trade bodies or professional associations that the business is part of, including membership or registration details.
• Your VAT number, even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions.
• Any prices on the website must clearly state whether they are inclusive or exclusive of tax and delivery costs .

What happens if you don’t comply?

The penalty for non-compliance is a fine, which can be levied on any officer of the company or any person who authorised the issue of the non-complying document or website.

There are 4 checks which need to be made in order to comply with the additional disclosure provisions and these are as follows:

1. Ensure that your company’s website and order forms include the company name as registered at Companies House.
2. Check that the company website includes the place of registration, registered number and registered office details of the company.
3. If your company details have been submitted to websites such as trade directory sites or portals and the information is under your control (i.e. can be edited), provide the additional information to those sites.
4. If your company send business correspondence electronically (eg by email for fax) check that email templates, fax front sheets and any other electronic templates (including blackberrys) include the required information.

As many of you will already know companies were and still are required to clearly disclose their name on documents such as business letters, notices, official publications, financial documents such as cheques, promissory notes and bills of exchange and invoices, receipts and letters of credit.
Companies were and still are also required to include the following […]