Your SEO Should Focus on Humans, Not Search Engines

Search Engine Optimization seems to always have been about tactics. Website owners are constantly asking, “What tactics can I employ to get ranked higher on the major search engines?” Some tactics include peppering web pages with key words, adding a long list of links on the bottom of each page, adding another long list of cities served on the bottom of a page, and similar “tricks” which focus mainly on search engines, not human visitors. While many of these tactics work, they are short-sighted and can often backfire. I’ve seen so many websites rank well, only to wonder why they’re not generating any sales.

The first step is understanding that high ranking is not the be-all, end-all, and does not guarantee sales. An SEO guru recently told me something that is so simple yet true – human visitors spend money, search engines do not. Sales are much more likely when your site is visitor-friendly, easy to navigate, well written, has lots of helpful pictures and articles, and looks professional and trustworthy.

The second step, therefore, is making your site better from the human-visitor standpoint. Think about this – how do you feel when you visit a website and see what seems like spam at the very bottom of the page? It’s a turn-off, isn’t it? This should be your barometer: before adding or changing something on your website, ask yourself if it enhances the site from your human visitor perspective, or only from the search engine perspective.

Almost without exception, anything that makes your site better for humans will also positively affect your search engine rankings. Adding helpful content, properly placed links, pictures, and articles will make your site better and help it rank higher. People enjoy this type of site and will be more likely to come back again and tell others about it.

The same “holistic” approach also applies to link building – buying links in random places, or blasting out links to numerous meaningless directories will not help nearly as much as building a relationship with another site closely related to your industry and asking the site’s owner to place a link on their website to your website. That one quality link will most likely do better than hundreds of garbage links and will also generate visits to your site from the other site.

It’s easy to get caught up in “tactics,” but if your always keep in mind that humans are the ones you’re targeting, your website will definitely be much better and also rank higher.

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New Services to be Offered by Watt Media in 2009

I am proud to announce several new services to be offered by Watt Media in 2009:

- Print Design, including brochures, business cards, logos, and newspaper/magazine ads

- Celebrity Voice-Overs to be used for our on-hold messages. (This should be a big hit with our clients.) This will be very entertaining to callers on-hold and should add even more excitement to our on-hold advertising.

- Video production, including site spokesperson for websites

Look for these great new services, which will enhance our current Telephone On-Hold and Website Design services, to launch in early 2009!

On-Hold Advertising – An Inexpensive Form of Marketing

In a tough economy such as the one we face now, businesses are looking for inexpensive ways to advertise, and are trying to think outside the box to come up with innovative ways to attract new customers and lure back old ones. You need not look far – on-hold messaging is an inexpensive, creative and effective advertising tool which can work wonders if used properly.

Compared to yellow page advertising, which can cost $600 plus a month, and other forms of traditional marketing such as newspaper and magazine ads, radio and television commercials, trade shows, billboards, direct mail, and telemarketing, on-hold advertising is extremely inexpensive. For under $100 per month, a business can have a fully customized on-hold recording, and also have it updated several times throughout the year.

Now, I am not suggesting that you fire your telemarketing staff and replace it with an on-hold message. But on-hold advertising is extremely effective as a more subtle form of marketing, and is a great image enhancement tool. It is something that should not be neglected, and is so affordable that every business should utilize it, especially in times such as now when business are looking for creative and inexpensive ways to get more business.

It is a fact (and our clients report this all the time) that people make purchases after hearing about products and services while on-hold. Here are a few creative ways to make the most of your on-hold recordings:

- Update your recording periodically so it’s fresh and new
- Include promotions and specials on the recording
- Promote a giveaway or contest
- Use celebrity impersonators to make people laugh - coming soon from Watt Media! This will work wonders!
- Use humor or trivia on the recordings

Keep in mind – the first impression a prospect or current customer gets when calling your business is the voice of the person answering (or your auto attendant), and then, what they hear when they’re on-hold. Will they hear dead air? The radio? Or will you use that time to your benefit?

Make a great first impression with a customized on-hold message! And remember, attaining repeat business is much less expensive than attaining new business – your on-hold recording can certainly help there, with promotions and advertising. So enhance your image and advertise with an inexpensive yet extrememly effective medium – on-hold advertising.