Business Website Advice

Hey everybody - don’t forget to do the easy stuff like updating your directory listings. Sometimes we get caught up in the fancy expensive marketing stuff when we could do ourselves a favour with the quick, easy and free stuff.  Update with your ‘keyword search phrases’ in front of you. Go ahead, do it now. Read the rest of this entry »

One way to boost the strength of your customer testimonials is to utilise independent websites that hold your company profile and offer review options. Here are some pointers. Read the rest of this entry »

People keep asking me for Social Media tips for their business.  If you prefer to work your way through an old fashion hold in your lap book, there’s a book on my list for you. 

Is this you? Every business article mentions Social Media.  You want to learn more, and you learn best from a book.  I recommend each of the four for different reasons.  All less than a year old (that’s important). You decide which is best for your learning style. Read the rest of this entry »

Cache Date has gained a whole new meaning for me.  

You can use Cache Date to determine page authority. Previously for ‘authority’ or importance, I had focused mainly on the page’s Google ranking:  top 6 of page one the page carries the big stick of authority, at the end of page 5 means oblivion and is like spitting in the wind.

I admit to previously using Cached date only to see when the search engine bots might be back to notice SEO work I’ve done.  Most people including owners ignore the little blue link on a results list. 

Here’s another way to look at it.  Thanks to  Paul Teitelman of Search Engine People in the post 71 Technical Factors for Backlink Analysis Part 2

“In general, I prefer to see a fairly decent pagerank (1-3 depending on how far down the page is in the site architecture) with a good amount of both external and internal links (can’t stress this point enough). Obviously relevancy is a must, but a more telling signs of a pages’ authority is its cache date; within one week is great, 1-2 weeks is average, 2-3 weeks is just OK, and anything 3+ weeks isn’t very powerful.” -Paul Teitelman, of Search Engine People

Everyone wants a Cache Date of less than 1 week.  Go ahead, check out yours.

Where to find the Cache Date?  Google one of your ‘keyword search phrases’ or file name or other identifier and see what the ranking entry says.  Below I googled ‘free website advice’ as that is one of my ‘keyword search phrases’ I’ve optimised my blog around.  I opened the cache date to find 8 days.  Whew.  Some pages better, some worse but no main phrases were 3 weekers. Whew again.

 If 3+ weeks, get busy implementing my SEO advice in Guideliness. Download for free.  Do not overlook the importance of internal links.  Google rewards your helpfulness in sharing information.  Internal links means easy navigation.   

The backstory.  During Link Week I’ve been reading heaps on all sorts technical and obscure (to most) tidbits about website/blog links - external, internal and the coveted inbound links.   Talk about contradictory philosophies and political positioning by competing SEO firms in the northern hemisphere bigger ponds.  It’s been stimulating and entertaining - of course I have my own take on the topic suiting our NZ pond.

Let your personable self shine through if you want success in converting your passive traffic on Facebook and other social media. Success in Social Media requires authentic engagement. 

Basically I’m talking about good online communication tactics that have also worked for static website pages. Facebook and Twitter et al just make engagement a lot easier.

Personable communication is needed whether you are just dabbling and unsure or an experienced SM addict but inconsistent with your tactics. 

Engage your traffic.  Tempt, entice and let your personality flow while using the same natural language you would if you were having apersonal conversation with them in a one on one situation.  

The nitty gritty:  how do you engage?  I can’t better what Mari Smith wrote for Fast Company on the Social Media Examiner site.  She gives 13 suggestions for converting Facebook (etc) fans to action.

I see a theme throughout her 13 ideas:  authenticity.  Like what you do, like your customers, like to engage people.  It can’t be a chore and it can become so if you don’t get results - a decent ROI on your time.

Feedback please. Have a read of her 13 suggestions then…Which have you used? success or blah waste of time?

Business owners want to know the time spent on Twitter, Facebook, et al is worth the effort. 

I bet small business owners in New Zealand feel the same as the 2300 US companies surveyed by Marketing Sherpa Nov 09. 

When the US business owners were asked their opinions on 8 challenges in 2010 to using social media,  their answers were not unlike what I suspect we kiwi businesses would say. Read the rest of this entry »

In my series of posts on improving conversion - moving visitors to buyer status -  I must stress the importance of well placed testimonials.  The topic is more complex for one post so watch out for my series. 

Testimonials are key.  Be forewarned, having just one page for testimonials  gets barely a 1 on a scale of one to 10. Better than nothing but…barely. We can do better.

Focus, placement, length, levels of trustworthiness - all pertain to testimonials which I’ll discuss and give you tips about in future posts.

Why testimonials work to convert.  To help website visitors decide to become buyers of your product or service sprinkle excerpts of targeted testimonials throughout your website.  Research into the psychology of buying tells us people are more comfortable seeing others (like themselves) happy with their purchase, discussing their experience.  When we are unsure we hesitate and what can push us through that hesitation is hearing other buyer’s experience.  Sorry, we generally don’t believe the business owner because we expect them to be biased, and we don’t believe the salesperson because we expect them to be more interested in their commission than our purchase satisfaction.  

A reader prompted me for more info about conversions after my post on Trip Advisor Ranking. I answered with this:

Here’s a few more words to clarify my opening point about visitors being pushed over their hesitation - pushed from looker to buyer - by reading positive comments from happy customers.

Traffic conversion and it’s subtle complexities will be my focus the next few months because ultimately it is what website goals are all about -  doing more business, getting more buyers, creating more loyal happy customers.

Okay - my point is research on buyer pyschology tells us during the purchasing decision, people are often converted from looky-loos to buyer status after hearing other people like themselves are happy with the product/service.

Perhaps it makes us feel more comfortable, we’re not alone, we’ve all been ‘had’ before so we look around what others have to say.  

You know the experience of being the first ones at a restaurant? We think, whats wrong here. Compare this with seeing the restuarant next door with at least a few happy customers.  We want to be reassured with our decision to buy.

 You can google ‘buyer pyschology’ if you wish more on conversion research.

Testimonials serve this function on websites.  Thus my advice is always to sprinkle short excerpts from testimonials throughout your website. 

More detail on how to do this on future posts.�

Negative comments warrant a quick- as in within 24 hours. Your genuine well written response will be a huge step toward combating any down side and can even earn you more respect and more business.

Use the public management response tool right there on Trip Advisor. Your reply will show up below the criticism. 

In my previous post I recommended private thanks to positive comments, no public replies on TA.

However, if you have something pointed out that sounds like a criticism -  be Johnny on the spot within 24 hours.

It can be daunting but get it right and you can bring in more business. People cheer those who try to do well. You must not sound arrogant or canned - same ol response to everyone. Don’t smack of  the insincere ‘Have a nice day’ category.  

Write a management response which:

1. expresses authentic appreciation for their comments as a way for you to improve - an ongoing priority of yours
2. expresses authentic regret
3. is written preferrably the people responsible and tells the way(s) in which the problem will be remedied
4. promise to welcome them back for an improved experience

Keywords above - sound sincere, genuine and authentic.  Why? To be believed. 

Since we were 5 years old we could tell when Johnny was fakin it, and we learnt to hold a grudge.  I’m sorry has to sound real.

Rewarded for trying. Even more business. Tell use specific steps that really show us you are thinking about it, what steps you are taking and how long it might take. 

When I read how you have responded to a situation that might not even be an area of concern to me, you will win my vote of trust.  I hear the message that if something comes up while I’m your guest, you will treat me well and do what you can to see things right.  I’m ready to book with you!

We don’t expect you to be perfect…just reasonable and customer focused.

Congratulations to all of you responding quickly and authentically. It’s not easy.

Please share your experience of venturing into the uncomfortable area of dealing with complaints.

I recommend no public response to positive comments on Trip Advisor re your accommodation, but yes do email your private appreciative thank you . 

Don’t tread on their space. It’s not the culture of their prime users. Why not write a management response on TA? It’s about how travellers use Trip Advisor - in the first place it is for them, user to user, not for marketing your business.  BTW you maybe encouraged  to respond to every comment, but I question the motive.

Leave good things be.  That was my response to an accommodation owner who asked my advice.  She had received several well written, detailed, thoughtful Trip Advisor comments and wondered if the TA ‘management reply’ was an appropriate response.  I told her write a private thank you, stay out of TA for positive comments.

Be seen as trustworthy, not a marketer. Because it is perceived as a highly trustworthy travellers’ site - a user to user advice forum  - Trip Advisor gets very heavy use. International and domestic US and UK travellers check in with TA before making their final arrangements with whomever that might be. I didn’t once in the US, got burnt, came home and wrote about the bad experience with believing over-hyped website content.

Before travellers buy, they usually consult TA for what ‘other people like me’ think about the place before parting with a deposit etc, because they’ve been burnt too often by the hype of one-eyed websites or their lies of omision.  

DO NOT RISK SOUNDING LIKE A HYPE MACHINE yourself, thus, unless you got A+ in writing thank you’s as a kid, leave good enough alone on the public forum. Send a private thank you to show your genuine appreciation for their positive report including a warm welcome back.

Sound authentic, genuine and human.  That should be easy, I’d bed that’s in part why they wrote you a good report.

Monitor daily.  Whether you encourage comments on your website, Finda in NZ, any other directory or Trip Advisor besure to monitor daily.  Yes daily.

Negative comments - they require a quick public response. If you do them well they can even bring you business.  See my next post.

Every business owner wants customers to leave glowing online reviews with the highest ranking possible.  What could be wrong with that?  It’s common knowledge that online buyers and travellers move from looker status to buyer/booker status from the nudge of positive reviews.  We want as many as we can get, right? Yes, but… 

Here’s a short case study for all business owners about being proactive and aware of your ranking status with your sector’s major online marketing directories. Read the rest of this entry »