- The fight to get your Web site a top position on Google can be vicious. Why? A front page position can mean thousands and thousands of world-wide visitors, translating into millions and millions of dollars in sales.
- The good news is that Google levels the playing field, giving everyone a chance no matter what size your company is and no matter how your Web site looks. The only caveat is that you play by Google’s rules.
- What are Google’s rules and where can you find them? Click on http://www.google.com/support/webmasters and then go to “Creating a Google-friendly Site.”
- There are three kinds of Web site traffic: those coming from users typing in the Web site’s address; those coming from Web sites found as result of a keyword phrase search, and those as a result of clicking on a pay-per-click linked Web site.
- Before becoming envious of the companies with first page listings on Google, understand that the true measurement of a successful business Web site is not necessarily the traffic count, but is the conversion rate – the persuasive ability to convert the user to purchase or to “sign-up.”
- A recent study by Engine Ready, an Internet marketing company, indicates that the highest conversion rates come from Web sites that are typed in by users, and the second highest come from PPC Web sites found on Google’s AdWords. Conversion rates from Web sites that are found as a result of a keyword search placed third.
- Here’s the key nugget: visitors who clicked on the PPC links were 17 percent more likely to buy something, slightly more than users who were visiting the top Web sites they found as a result of a keyword phrase search.
- How does this impact your business? People who are serious about purchasing your product or service will either type your URL into the browser or utilize the PPC links. Consequently, to improve your conversion rate, your media strategy should include a pay-per-click program. You can download the study at http://www.engineready.com/company/trafficstudy.html
- Are you planning to implement a customer satisfaction survey with the obligatory 15 questions that don’t really get to the root of what you’re trying to find out?
- Before you start, consider that a large percent of your customers don’t want to participate in a long drawn-out survey, answering questions that don’t quite make sense to them. Nor will the answers make any relevant changes to increasing the profitability of your business – and isn’t that your ultimate goal?
- The problem is that most surveys are conducted to “learn about our customer” as opposed to learning about our business and how to make it more profitable.
- With profitability and long-term growth directly related to customer loyalty, it would seem that measuring loyalty would be the most important information a business could get, and that information doesn’t come from questions regarding household income, gender or frequency of visits.
- What do you do when you’re about to initiate your customer satisfaction program? Ask the one important question that determines loyalty: “Based on your recent purchase/visit, would you recommend us?” The next question should be “To what degree, on a scale of 1-10, would you recommend us and why?”
- From these two questions, you’ll find out what percent of your customers rave about you. The long-term profitability of your business depends on growing your legion of raving fans and increasing the number of customers that will remain fervently loyal to your business.
- The secret to getting maximum referrals and recommendations is to have a “customer-focused” strategy – a focus on your business that puts customers at the center of your business decisions. Your guiding light should be, “Is this for the greater good of our customers?”
- Could you use some help in establishing a customer-focused strategy for your company? Want more referrals and recommendations from your customers leading to greater long-term growth and profitability? Then call us. We can help you get there … faster than ever.
