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According to InternetWorldStats.com, over 69% of the population of North America (232 MILLION people) use the internet. This figure is also backed-up by cia.gov's The World Fact Book (based on 2005 numbers.) The fact is, the population is relying more and more on the internet for researching information, entertainment, and purchasing products and services. If I used a search engine such as Google or Yahoo to find a product or service offered by your company, would your company show-up on the first or second page (or at all) in the search engines? Would your competitors?
SEO, or "Search Engine Optimization" can be summarized as pro-active "best-practices" that contribute to a web page showing up in the search engines such as Google or Yahoo. Notice I didn't say "practices," I said "best-practices." Search Engines such as Google frown on manipulative practices that artificially cause a web site to show up in the rankings. In fact, there are cases where web sites have been banned from search engines for using negative "black-hat" techniques. However, ethical, positive practices can be rewarded with better placement and therefore more traffic!
The TWO MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN SEO. Many factors influence your web site's rankings, but in our opinion, the two most important factors are: "on-page" factors and "off-page" factors. On-page factors include your web site's design, title bar, headers, and content. Off-page factors include how many links point to your site, what these links say about you, and the sites that actually link to you. The really neat thing is, if you understand what the search engines are looking for, you will be rewarded by providing: relevant content, products, or services to return to the person conducting the search! It really is a win-win if you help people find what they want. And if you offer relevant information, a great product or a superior service, why wouldn't you want the search engines to help people find you?
We've all heard incredible success stories about companies using the internet to experience rapid growth and sales increases. Unfortunately, many other companies are losing ground to competitors. This is especially true with "brick and mortar" retail stores. Relying on "walk-in" traffic by itself can cause serious problems. But having a strong internet presence combined with walk-in traffic may be the recipe that can take your business to new levels of success.
We're excited to offer SEO services and training. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call!
Sincerely,
Marnie Anderson
Let's Go Banners
866-267-5814
P.S. We can work with your current web designer, or you can have us design or improve your web site!
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