Issue 2 | Feature brought to you by Smart Traffic
Hailing from Bristol, England, Steve Harris’s career in digital marketing brought him out to Bangkok as the Managing Director of Smart Traffic’s APAC operations, where he helps businesses “optimize” their websites to increase high quality traffic and channel more relevant visitors.
Whether you are a small scale real estate agency or a nationwide brand, if you own a business, you are also likely to be a website owner. There can be no doubt appearing in the right places online can be lucrative for any business. According to Google, the planet’s largest advertising network, they reach over 90% of the 3 billion internet users worldwide (source: ITU). That’s a big market you do not want to miss out on.
With such a large stage, many of the small businesses we talk to are skeptical as to whether they will be able to compete online without throwing in large sums of money. This just isn’t the case though; successful results online are the product of a strong digital strategy. Companies of all sizes are turning to agencies like Smart Traffic to realise the commercial potential of their business online. This is outlined by the fact that spending on digital marketing has been dramatically increasing over the past 24 months, and shows no signs of slowing.
Successful SEO is like building a solid property portfolio. There are no short-term fixes and it’s not all about the size of your budget. Here are eight top website tips that any business owner should take note of if they wish to appear at the top of search engines:
1) Be structurally sound yet simple
Navigation through your site should be clear and logical. Both users and search engines need to be able to understand it easily. If possible, keep everything on the site accessible within three clicks.
2) Design and usability are of equal importance
The aesthetics are what a user may judge you by, but don’t let this drive your entire design. Flash intros and navigation may appear novel at first, but they will soon wear thin to repeat users.
3) Be the perfect host
This means providing your visitor with everything they need in the quickest possible time. Page load speed is extremely important for usability as well as affecting how well search engines such as Google rank your site.
4) Keep people coming back
Offer exceptional content on a regular basis. A blog is the best way to do this. Post at regular intervals and you’ll find that people will show up on time for your latest serving.
5) Identify successful pages
Not every web page will directly lead to a sale, but you can identify factors that show whether a page is successful. Social shares, form submissions or a PDF download – all can be classed as a micro-conversion.
6) Make yourself known
Competition on the web is fierce. Even if your offerings surpass all your competition, you still need to let people know you exist. Get out there and share your articles on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook which offer extensive reach potential.
7) Maintenance is critical
As your website grows it can become a chore to keep clean and tidy. A broken link is frustrating to both users and search engines and this will reflect in your rankings.
8) Know where the web is heading
Mobile internet usage is expected to overtake desktop traffic in the next two years. Ensuring your website caters for the mobile experience is no longer an option, it’s essential.
