For example, we recently created a website for Corps Quality Firearm Finishing in Woodstock.  Dan mentioned that his main source of income would be from applying Duracoat to firearms, but he also is a licensed FFL Dealer, so he can sell guns.

To test the competition, we tested a search for “gun dealer” and “duracoat”, and here are the results:

Search: Gun Dealer – About 13,800,000 Results

Search: Duracoat – About 159,000 Results

As you can see, the competition for coming up as a Gun Dealer as opposed to Duracoat is 87:1.  Also, since Duracoat is what he specializes in, it just made sense to create a website with a focus on Duracoat, and when a customer would find his site through searching Duracoat, they would then notice that he is also a licensed FFL Dealer.

So, if you are looking to have a website developed, or if you already have one, consider what markets you are trying to cover, and if one is saturated with competition, look for a niche that could help you stand out.  The more specific you can get, the better – but make sure it’s still applicable to your business.  Here are the search results for Corps Quality Firearm Finishing when doing various searches for Duracoat on Google.

If you need help identifying which markets could make your business stand out, as well as affordable ways to accomplish it, just ask us how we can help.  Our advice is always free.

We came across a great system which allows the user to customize a letter, and it is stamped and shipped as soon as you hit the “send” button.  Though this system was great, we decided to take it one step further.  When creating websites, we often have to create logos, and we figured out that we could then add these logos to the customized cards to help reinforce a brand image.  Even if we did not create your logo, it can be sent over and customized to fit any card.  This is a service that we are offering for FREE.

This card sending system also comes with NO FEES upfront; you pay only for what you use.  The cards pictured below cost only $1 to send, with postage added extra (no way around that).  So, for $1, you get a customized message that you can change from client to client and the ability to have your company logo on that card.  Other systems we have seen advertised either have a much higher cost individually or a high upfront cost.  This has neither.

If you’re interested in more information, just let us know, and we’ll get back to you right away.  We send these out to everyone we meet at networking events, as well as new members to the McHenry and Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce.  We have received good comments on the cards, and our latest website (www.firearmfinishing.com) was a direct result of welcoming Corps Quality Firearm Finishing to the McHenry Chamber of Commerce.  So as you can see, a little contact can go a long way.

Step 1: Designed to Succeed

Your website needs to be both easy to find and easy to read. To make it easy to find, consider what your customers would search for. The first step is to figure out which keywords you’re likely to be discovered with.  The basic terms should be pretty obvious, but later you can augment that with a bit of keyword research.

If you’re a florist in McHenry, the searches you want to top are variations of flower delivery in McHenry.  Start with the page title, that field in the code that tells search engines what the page is called. “Bob’s Blooms” won’t tell Google anything. “McHenry Flower Delivery — Bob’s Blooms,” or “Bob’s Blooms — McHenry Florist,” will be more relevant to someone interested in having flowers delivered. Make sure your site is easy for search engines — and humans — to navigate, and make sure the key terms appear prominently.

AVIS Web Design is offering a FREE SEO analysis, with key words you pick out.  See where you rank and what simple steps can be taken to improve it.  Search our blog for the “armored plumbing” example, and you can see how a little META information can go a long way.

Step 2: Quality

Google and its competitors spend millions of dollars on search algorithms that have just one purpose: to present the highest-quality websites to users anytime they search for something.  An important aspect of rising to the top of a search is to actually be a quality website. Smart, well-written content on the topics close to your heart (and bottom line) will improve your rankings, and it’s an ongoing effort.  Back to the florist example, the site should have relevant subjects, such as how to preserve fresh-cut flowers in a hot McHenry summer, which flowers are the best deals in McHenry, season by season, or a feature on arrangements you’ve done to suit various McHenry wedding venues.  The easiest way to get fresh content out to your readers, and search engines, is by having a blog created right on your website (just like you’re reading now).  If you do not wish to blog, consider a News Page with the same format, and you can just post your current events. 

If you don’t have a blog, and would like to have one created, just ask us how easy it can be to create and update.  Notice this blog is right on our website, and not on a 3^rd party site such as Google’s Blogger.

Step 3: Get Out There

What search engines value most is a site that real humans value, and that appreciation is measured by inbound links. When other sites start pointing to your site, you look more authoritative and rank higher in search engines.  Back to the McHenry florist example, you’d would probably want to trade links with local wedding planners and party stores, and might comment on forums and blogs about the community or industry, with a link back to your site.  There are services that can help build links, but they may appear in random forums not specific to your industry, and not help out as much as you would like.  We met a Pastor in Crystal Lake who has 491 inbound links to the Crystal Lake Vineyard website, all done on his own.  So, with a little work, it is possible.  If you don’t have time, we can help you out with that as well.

Also, don’t forget about Social Media as a way to get out there.  Even though the links from Facebook are “no follow”, though search engines will ignore the one-way weight of that link, people will still find your website (just like how you may have followed our Facebook link to get to this blog post).  If you have any questions about setting up Social Media platforms, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, just ask.  Our advice is always free, and we know others who can help you out for affordable rates.

Follow these three simple steps, and your website will have a much better chance of being found.  Don’t waste tons of money hoping someone is taking care of your website; know it’s done right.

Overall, this process took us two hours.  Most companies will try to charge you monthly, hundreds of dollars for similar results.  We only charge you once, for the work that is done, and we won't bill you until you are satisfied with the results.  As you will see, Armored Plumbing is quite satisfied - with a total bill of under $100.

SEO BEFORE

SEO AFTER

As you can see, Armored Plumbing is now mostly in the top 10 for Google with the results he asked us to achieve.  Contact us today and get your FREE SEO Report.  Remember, we won't bill you unless you are 100% satisfied with the results, and it will only take two weeks for the search engines to recognize the changes.

To help your business keep on budget, AVIS Web Design is now offering our Newsletter at a reduced rate to our clients, as well as others.  It takes only a couple of hours to setup, along with your customized layout to match your website.  It can be added to any website with access to a database, and most websites do (all of ours do).

So, for less than the monthly fees associated with other e-mail marketing solutions over one year, you can have a newsletter that will work for a lifetime.  Contact us if you would like more details, and feel free to visit www.ypmchenry.com to see an example.

When selecting your key words, make sure to put in a wide variety of them.  For example, instead of just having an alert for AVIS Web Design, variations like "AVIS Webdesign" should also be included.

Now you'll always know when someone is saying good or bad things about your company.  If it's something good, send them a "Thank You."  If it's something bad, well....hopefully they are just mistaken.

Just think, without Google Alerts, I would have never stumbled across this website:

http://www.arabstube.net/channel/Veoh/video/264wPchzhqE&feature=youtube_gdata/AVIS_Web_Design.html

What does this mean for your business?  More exposure if you have a Fan Page.  Facebook is the largest social network site, growing in importance for businesses that are using them to promote their services and products, rather than socializing (or playing Farmville).   With Google now including posts on their real-time search feature, your most recent news can immediately be made available for people to search.

The best part about this recent change, is that Facebook Fan Pages are 100% free and are fairly easy to setup.  If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend you create a Fan Page for your business, and see how easy it can be to promote your business.

For those that are interested in learning more about what's going in the field of web design, you should take a moment and subscribe to our RSS Feed.  Hopefully we'll be updating this blog a couple times a month with helpful website tips.  We may post about Search Engine Optimization or Social Media, but you'll never know unless you subscribe.

We hope that everything is going well with your business, and if there's anything that we can help you with, don't hesitate to ask.