SEO Services from WSM
A while back I posted that I don’t offer SEO, the reason behind that I feel Search Engine Optimization is a long term relationship between the site owner and the web site. SEO is a process that not only includes the basic set up, but also the continual attention of the site owner. Its not something you can just “do” as a one time thing and forget about. With that said, I’m getting a lot of requests to help with SEO type services. I’ve decided its time to make these services available for those who need a bit more help getting started.
What I’ve decided to offer are starter services that will jump start the SEO process for the web site. I still encourage site owners to learn more about how to optimize their site and work towards reinforcing the optimization with long term efforts. In the Add Ons – A la Carte category of my online ordering area I’ve added some basic SEO services to help get you started.
Some of the services listed include adding meta tags or pages and products, keyword research, full product optimization, site map creation and submission, search engine submission, Analytics creation and integration, social networking setup and integration (including Twitter and Facebook) as well as various WordPress social networking plugin setups.
A few of these are offered as stand alone add ons and the rest are part of the SEO services customized package where you can pick and choose which services to add.
All SEO services are for sites and blogs designed by me, Web Savvy Mama. If you have a site designed by someone else please contact me using my custom quote form to inquire about the cost for your SEO package.
You have a web site, now what?
Having been a web designer for 6 years and working with small businesses for over 7 years, I’ve heard this a lot. “I have my web site, how do I get traffic and sales?” A lot of people think that once you have a web site, that’s it, work done. Nope! It is a never ending process to keep your site listed properly and make sure your potential clients can find you. Even more important, turn your visits into sales! Don’t have a site yet? Start here: I want a web site!
First of all, there are a few things that should be done even before you get to this point that I will touch on briefly.
1. Have a professional looking web site. Make sure your graphics look nice, your colors all flow, your coding is clean and you have good navigation and content. This first step is the most important step to keep visitors on your site. Web Design Rules According to Web Savvy Mama.
2. Know your market. You should already have browsed the web and found out who your direct competition is. What is working for them? What can you do to set yourself apart from them? Don’t rely on cheaper prices to get you a sale, this only works for physical products with professional looking websites. If you sell digital materials or a service, you are going to have to solely rely on word of mouth, portfolio and the impression your website gives. Why? You get what you pay for. While your cheaper item/service might be just as great as a competitors, potential customers may not look at it that way. Be competitive in pricing, don’t low ball your worth. Also know what your customers are wanting, not just what you want to give them. How can you convince them you have what they need?
Now on to the nitty gritty. You have a web site, you’ve done your research, now what?
1. Work on your SEO! Search Engine Optimization is super important. I’d say that the majority of my clients have found me through Google. This means you have to know what your keywords and phrases are and how to promote yourself in the search engines. It is such a big topic that I can’t get into it here, but I did write an article in 2007 that still has a lot of good information in it to get you started. Web Site Optimization, SEO.
2. Advertising, how and where. This falls back on knowing your target market. For me, mine is small business and specifically work at home parents. I first researched where those people tend to hang out on the web and focused my advertising there. For some this may be a large web forum or web site. Find out what it takes to do various advertising on those sites. Signature links on forums have worked well for me in the past. Again, keep in mind the keywords you want to benefit from the SEO! You can also try Google adsense but unless you have a larger budget or very specialized keywords, chances are its not going to be much bang for your buck. Participate in popular blog giveaways, get featured on other web sites and get friends to talk about you. Word of mouth advertising is the best advertising! Do Facebook and Twitter help? Most likely not, unless you already have a big following on your personal accounts and can piggy back from there. You can use these social network sites to help with SEO though!
3. Get a blog! This goes back, again, to SEO. It also generates something that visitors may want to come back to read and gets them onto your site again. I’ve written about this as well so read more at Add a blog? Yes Please!
You have the traffic, lets turn those visitors into sales!
1. Have a product that will sell!
2. Professional site with a cart.
3. Competitive prices.
4. No dead links!
5. Clear navigation.
6. Your visitors need to be very clear on what you are selling.
7. Clear form of contact method. They need to know they can reach you.
8. Offer something that no one else has. (Product, service, atmosphere, this could be anything!)
Add a blog? Yes please!
Web Savvy Mama has been creating custom matching blogs for web designs for awhile now. I specialize in creating WordPress blogs that match the current website design.
Why is a blog so important for my website?
Blogs are an excellent way to bring readers and potential customers to your website! Its an easy way to keep your content fresh and up to date. Blogs are also a great way to highlight a product that may not normally get noticed or to announce an awesome sale you plan on having! Want an easy way for visitors to stay up to date on on your site’s activities? Add a blog. Want to share a find you found on the internet your customers may enjoy? Blog about it! Maybe you want to do a link swap with another person in your niche business area. A blog post is the perfect way to announce your affiliation or show your love of the other shop.
Above all, blogging on your website increases your textual content and gives a medium for you to post your desired keywords and link to your products. Search engines love blogs and when your blog is indexed, so is your website along with all those valuable keywords and content!
What blog platform should I choose?
Web Savvy Mama has a soft spot for WordPress. I love the flexibility, the integration and the enormous amount of plugins available. WordPress is also FREE and can be hosted right on your website with your domain.
How can Web Savvy Mama help?
I specialize in custom matching WordPress themes. If you have a website, chances are I can create a theme to match it. If you have a Web Savvy Mama designed theme even better, just tell me you want a blog theme added to your design package. Matching blogs from an existing design start at just $80! Feel free to contact WSM to get a quote for your blog project.
Can WSM Review Your Website?
I’m always looking for new ways to get my readers involved and I received a suggestion to do reviews. I think this is a great idea! Most blogs do product reviews, but since my readers are looking for web site tips I thought I’d do web reviews instead!
So how does this work?
Why would you want to have your site reviewed?
What’s the catch?
So how do I submit my site for review?
Do I need to link back to WSM?
No, but a link back is always appreciated if you wish to show your thanks!
The following banners may be used to link to Web Savvy Mama:
Web Design Rules According to WSM
I’ve been designing web sites for small businesses and work at home moms for nearly 5 years, during that time I’ve seen a lot of bad web site designs. I created a list of my own Do’s and Don’t s when it comes to web design. This is not a complete list, but one that I try to follow when I’m creating sites for clients. If you’re unsure about how to go about creating an effective web site, read on to get some ideas about what can make or break your web site.
Don’t: Use FrontPage or other WSYING editors, or graphical editors. These editors usually create messy HTML code that is not as easily read by all web browsers. They are also more likely to create both visible errors and other errors that may prevent your visitors from navigating your site effectively.
Do: Use clean HTML and CSS to design in a way that is W3C compatible. Using clean coding ensures that your site is usable by more users and accessible by those with disabilities as well. Dreamweaver or hand coding are your best options. Clean coding techniques also promote great SEO results! Read More…
Requesting a web design quote
I thought I’d take a few moments to walk through the request a quote form to help answer any questions visitors may have while looking for web design services.
The request a quote form is located on the contact page.
Why do I ask potential clients to fill out this form? This helps me get an idea of the project and get several basic questions out of the way in the first email so subsequent emails can contain more of the nitty gritty of your actual web design needs. This helps to ensure that I understand the scope of your project and answers many of the common questions clients have when they first approach Web Savvy Mama for a web design. Read More…