Here’s a note on Website 101 for CEOs Who Hate Website Stuff.
Start by hiring an experienced company with references of success in your business area.
Make sure the firm has successfully provided another company with new clients.
Don’t get a lesson on Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing. It will only frustrate you. You need to know the firm can bring you clients.
Delegate to an Expert Website Firm
Now if you’re like me about 50, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, technology has taken over business. You’re responsible for coding and programming and writing on your website. And you’ve got to hire someone who knows what they’re doing.
You’re hoping that whomever you hire is going to provide you with the basic and honest services that they say they’re going to do but what actually is it that you’re hiring someone to do. What you want is for someone to come to your website with a vast amount of experience in not only advertising and websites but technology in general. So that they’re up to date with the latest in what Google is doing and actually beyond that and able to forecast. Or at least have access to information so that you know what’s coming down the line with Google.
Google is important because Google will decide whether or not your website is included in its search results.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Now let’s start with Search Engine Optimization, what is it?
Search Engine Optimization is anything that you’re doing to your website whether coding or programming, putting new pictures on it, blogging, something you’re doing to your website so that the search engines notice that you’re active and are including your website as a result.
So if you have a business and you’re selling toys or dog toys that your business is coming up in search results for dog toys.
Now Search Engine Optimization that is the coding and programming and formatting of copy, your photos and videos will help your search engine appear at the top of the search engines.
SEO Takes Time
It takes time to do that. Everybody is not going to go to the top of the search engines. Your website needs to be regularly maintained. It needs to have the latest security so you’re not hacked. It needs to move fluidly and smoothly for anybody that visits and can click between pages.
As of this week your website also needs to be mobile-friendly. Which means that when somebody does a search for your website and they find it on a mobile phone, a tablet or an iPad and you pull up that website. Instead of taking your fingers and having to expand the size of the screen, instead you’re going to click and one button will give you a menu and several items to choose from so that users of your website who are on mobile devices will have a very easy user experience. Google just decided that that was what they wanted to have done.
Many of our clients are having to upgrade their websites and that could include somebody who originally built their website before the year 2012 and even 2013. So you may have invested in that website and thought that I’m going to leave this sitting here and doesn’t have to change. So in addition to knowing and forecasting the technology that Google is going to present to a business owner, then you’re also going to be strapped with the responsibility of choosing wisely.
Vet the Website “Experts”
There will be a lot of people who will take advantage of your lack of understanding or inability to comprehend the technology, but that does not mean that you should not ask them questions and walk you through what it is that they’re going to do to your website.
Ask Questions:
- Has the company or person sold anything for any brand?
- How much did a website campaign earn for a client?
- Has the website provided revenue to its clients?
- How much money will be earned and in what timeframe?
- Is your medical or legal practice website what they’ll work with?
- Will a new website perform better than your existing website?
Search Engine Optimization is very complicated. Most likely it is going to confuse you but there are some basic premises to Search Engine Optimization that they should be able to explain to you.
Ask Questions and Get Clear Answers
For instance, if they’re going to write content for you, how are they writing that content? Are they going to interview you? Are they going to copy it from a book? Where are they getting this copy that they’re going to put on your website?
Pictures. Are they going to use stock photos are they going to take pictures of your staff?
Who on your staff should be featured on your website? There are many things to consider particularly when it comes to video.
A lot of times people will put video on their website that will slow the website down, as well the video will not show up properly if it’s not coded and formatted specifically for the users on every browser and search engine who might visit your website.
It’s not easy to do, it is very complicated and whoever’s going to work on your website should have many years of experience. Who can answer you questions because at the end of the day this is your business.
How are people finding you? If you’ve hired somebody and you’ve had your SEO program running for a while you should be able to ask your new clients and prospects how they found you. Are they going on Google and is that how they found you?
Or were they referred and was it a word of mouth that cannot be credited to your website.
Technology is Fluid, Your Website Must Change
At the end of the day technology is changing all the time. Back in the day we were using flip phones. Before that we were using home phones. Remember when they told us we could use voicemail and call waiting? Now those things are everyday expected.
Over time you’ll learn more about your website and you’re going to learn what was expected and what it is that the search engines are looking. And if you don’t and you don’t want to know what they’re doing just be sure you hire someone you trust so that they’re not going to take advantage of you.
If you’d like to ask questions feel free to contact me at TheMarketingSquare.com, you can give us a call, the number’s on the website.
Once again my name is Rebekah Brown I’m the CEO of The Marketing Square a Winter Park Florida and Madison Wisconsin website and advertising agency.
