How Can I Draw New Clients to My Website?

When  ensuring that your business website is both searchable and popular, the trick is simple. Update, and update often.

Contrary to popular understanding, a website is not a set-it-and-forget-it crockpot stew; think of it more like a delicate stove-top sauce that must be layered with flavor and tended constantly. Yes, it takes a bit more time and energy–but the end results can be mind-numbingly delicious.

Recently, I got a call from a prospective client looking for content for a website that doesn’t yet exist. I don’t build or design websites myself, but this client is new to the whole web game, and he was clearly looking for technical advice. He wanted a simple website, something with only one or two pages. Nothing extravagant, but he was hoping to attract some new clients. What did I think? Would two pages be enough?

As a rule, I don’t try to talk clients into getting more work done than they want. Still, it’s necessary to point out that while a two-page website will establish a basic web presence, it’s unlikely to draw scads of new customers.

Essentially, this prospective client has three options:

1. A bare-bones, one-page site is the cheapest choice. It will help people find the company, and earn the business name a place on google maps. A one-page site is the easiest way to put a name and contact info out there–however, it would be difficult for people to find this client unless they are looking for him or his company by name. A one-page site for a dog-walking business will, for example, appear at the top of a search by someone who already knows the name of the business. But if just “pet care” is googled, that specific dog-walking company isn’t likely to place high on the list.
2. A multi-page website will cost a little more than a one-pager, and it will give the copywriter considerably more space and content to work with. More content means more chances to use key words, which will lead the site to place slightly higher amid google search results.  I would advise against  a two-page website, as this client specifically requested. A two-page site is actually not much easier and cheaper to do than, say, a four-page site, and four pages will give you more of a search boost for your buck.
3. If the client wants to really bring in new business and top google searches, he’s going to need a multi-page site that is updated regularly. An updated site is the easiest to find, so this client (or someone who works for him) would need to add site content on a regular basis. For a landscaping website, for example, one might try posting, on a weekly basis, pictures of the customers’ finely-manicured lawns. Blogs are another great way to draw site attention, and they can be tailored to just about any product or service.

It’s not clear yet what my client will decide, but I doubt he is looking for a website that would take a full-time employee to maintain. He could always start with a one-page site just to put his company on the map; then, he and I could work together to build his web presence slowly, over time.

Of course, if any of you are starting a website and struggling with the three above options, send me an e-mail. We’ll see what we can do.

Chicago Paper Makes Major–and Hilarious–Mistake

More newspaper articles make small, careless typos these days, but it isn’t often you see a gaffe as large as this.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently reported that right-handed pitcher Matt Garza, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays, will now play for the Chicago Cubs. Nothing wrong with that—except that the picture accompanying the article was of a totally DIFFERENT Tampa Bay Rays player, Joaquin Benoit.

Obviously, the folks in charge of the Sun-Times layout are not sports fans, and I can’t blame them. Hell, I wouldn’t recognize Garza OR Benoit by sight, either.

Still–is nobody double-checking these things?

Rarely-Used Words: Time for a Comeback?

This past Friday, Lake Superior State University released its annual list of words so overused and cliched, they should be “banished” from the English language in 2011.

Love using “viral” to describe the rapid spread of internet content?  The word itself apparently went viral, and now it’s worn out its welcome. Banished.

“Epic” and “fail,” were also sent packing, along with other gems such as “a-ha moment,” “man up” and “BFF” (not technically a word, so good riddance to it).

The word “google” is still acceptable–as long as it’s being used as a noun, of course. As a verb, it’s banished.

There were fourteen words on the university’s list, and we can certainly spare that many. As of 2010, there were 1,033,322 words in the English language, and many that are seldom used. Perhaps, with “epic” and “BFF” gone, we can use this opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with some old gems.

Here are few fun-but-forsaken words and phrases I’d like to see make a comeback this year:

Blunder - Unsuccessful or mistake; a good choice to replace “fail.”

Bosom friend – Refers to a loyal companion companion who knows your innermost thoughts. Who needs “BFF? Bosom friend may take longer to type out, but most people I know would be happy to stick the word “bosom” into conversation. This should be an easy sell.

Ephiphany - A sudden insight or realization of the meaning of something, perfect to replace “a-ha moment.” It also refers to a Christian festival on January 6, so it’s particularly relevant right now.

Lily-livered – commonly used by movie pirates, it means weak or cowardly. People once believed that one’s passion came from one’s liver. They assumed that cowardly behavior, therefore, must have come from a white, lily-colored liver that didn’t contain any blood. Next time, Instead of telling someone at work to “man up,” stick another noun on the end and say something like, “Don’t be lily-livered swine, Charlie! Now go in there and show that pushy client a thing or two!” I’d like to be a fly on the wall of THAT office…