Solid organic search strategies are imperative and should be the goal of every business’ marketing efforts. On the web, you should be where your prospects are actively looking for what your business has to offer. Like building an attractive storefront, there’s no use in a physical location if your company name isn’t on it and your sales force is nowhere in plain view, not to mention a lack of access to the store.

Many times, we often hear of clients whose goal for their business is to rank the highest on keywords X, Y or Z. Is that really the goal or is developing a web presence the first and foremost objective?

The three things for a successful web presence is basic but all the while essential. Keep in mind that usability and brand matters, as well as search engine optimization, the foundation of good web presence.

1.       Branding is important and if you build a website that creates trust with your target audience, you also build credibility. This is your storefront with your name, your recognition, and your brand clearly displayed on it. There’s no need in reeking of heavy graphic- just clean content, a few logos, a track record and a defined object of your business is necessary.

2.      Usability is also key. Every visitor or every click should be important. Do not overwhelm your page with forms, but small details such as a phone number on the top of every page can surprisingly impact your success. Make sure your site loads quickly as people have short attention spans. With that in mind, ensure that your call to action is clear and succinct.

3.      Information architecture should go hand in hand with SEO efforts. It also works in conjunction to usability. You should invest in blueprinting a defined content management system to coordinate your site and its development in addition to making it search engine friendly. A good SEO will tell you, content is key and the more unique content you have (i.e. blogs and articles), the friendlier you are with search engines.

In conclusion, think about the big picture when it comes to developing a web presence.

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ABOUT BAYTECH WEB DESIGN

Baytech Web Design is a global, full-service web development and internet marketing firm. Rated the number one web development firm of 2008 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Baytech Web Design offers a full range of web services to entrepreneurs to enterprise level clients. As a winner of the Horizon Interactive Award, this dedicated team of professionals creates customer-focused web-based solutions that deliver tangible and measurable success.

http://www.baytechwebdesign.com

In the recent boom during the first quarter of 2009, the amount of users delving into the micro-blogging world has more than doubled. Twitter has become the ultimate tool for those looking to promote their business or to simply engage in mindshare with communities of the same interests.

Of the newcomers to Twitter  approximately 60% leave Twitter  after three months, never able to fully reap the benefits of it. This is because they do not understand how to properly use micro-blogging for their business. Of the remaining 40%, many never see the maximum potential that Twitter can bring them in the long run.

There is a common misconception that the more followers you can collect, the higher the return on your investment. Wrong. To better phrase it – the better the relationship you can develop beginning with a few targeted followers, the wider the spread of followers you can eventually attract, therefore deepening a proportionally growing ROI based on the rate of traffic going to your business.

How you develop a voice and relationship with your followers can be achieved through a number of ways:

First, build a small network of those who may be interested in your services. (In our case, we’re a web development and branding firm complete with internet marketing services. BayTech Web Design, @baytech_webs, takes its initial steps by following those who are affiliated or looking to learn about our industry). Second, apply the following practices regularly:

1.        Try email marketing and providing valuable content about a particular interest -make sure to include reference to your Twitter page. You may want to also create a blog addressing the kind of information your audience might want to read. Key concept is to engage all of your readers and to keep them coming back.

2.       Extend a helping hand by being responsive; in other words, offer support. Send messages, @ replies and eventually personable emails through those reaching out to you on Twitter

3.       Fully take advantage of the search function on Twitter so you can find prospects- those who have real-time conversations about interests pertaining to your industry. Get in contact with these people, but never come off as a spammer. Listen to their needs and ask them what they’d like to know and how you can help.

4.       Stay open to your competitors. Follow them and learn from others.  Sign up for their emails and newsletters, it can be good karma!

Despite the rave and commotion about the wonders that Twitter can potentially bring to business-owners, remember to take everything with a grain of salt. It’s a steep learning curve if you’re just learning to pilot the Twitter stratosphere, but the more you try to understand the true value of micro-blogging, the more return you can enjoy in the long-run.

Keep it simple,

Stephanie

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ABOUT BAYTECH WEB DESIGN

BayTech Web Design is a global, full-service web development and internet marketing firm. Rated the number one web development firm of 2008 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, BayTech Web Design offers a full range of web services to entrepreneurs to enterprise level clients. As a winner of the Horizon Interactive Award, this dedicated team of professionals creates customer-focused web-based solutions that deliver tangible and measurable success.

http://www.baytechwebdesign.com