Internet Marketing... Luck or Hard Work?

How you approach Internet Marketing drastically affects your results. Hoping to get lucky isn't nearly as effective as hard work. I'm writing this post the day after St. Patrick's Day, when it's all about "The Luck of the Irish", etc. Trusting the success of your Internet Marketing, specifically making your website visible, heavily trafficked, with lots of conversions, is NOT something you want to leave to luck. Thomas Jefferson said it well... "I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."



Here's a common scenario that we see regularly. Sam, the small business owner, is busy running his business. He NEEDS more customers and thinks having a website is the answer. He's right about that part. All marketing consultants are going to tell you that a website is a must today. But what Sam doesn't understand is he needs the RIGHT website and Internet Marketing, including SEO (Search Engine Optimization), to make the website a lead generation machine. Sam, unfortunately, saw a commercial on TV for the latest DIY (Do It Yourself) website platform and bought into the marketing hype that he could build this website himself. Actually, let me clarify that statement because Sam can build his own website, but it's extremely unlikely it will ever be successful. I know because we redesign these DIY sites on a regular basis. There are two major reasons why Sam is doomed to fail.

#1 - Sam thinks a website is a one-and-done deal. I build the website, publish it, and the customers flock to my door... the better mouse trap story, but it doesn't work that way. Building the website is just the first step. SEO and an ongoing Internet Marketing strategy come next and are an ongoing process, not something that you can mark off of your to-do list and then ignore. Sam doesn't have the time, knowledge, or interest to continue the process. We can't blame Sam. After all, he's got a business to run.

#2 - Sam doesn't know what he doesn't know. That's a favorite quote from one of my favorite business coaches, and it's so true. Sam, who wouldn't ever think of fixing his own car, repairing his home appliance or A/C system, and can't replace a failed component in his computer, has been fooled (makes me think of searching for a pot of gold...) into thinking he can build his own successful website. However, the list of what he doesn't know is long...
 

• Keyword Research - Discovering the right keyword phrases to optimize the website for is critical
   
• Sitemap or Blueprint - Sam is going to blindly use a template the DIY website company has provided and not know if it's structured properly for his unique needs
   
• What Colors to Use - Sam is a guy. Like most guys, he has trouble knowing which colors go together... just ask his wife. Yet he's going to choose the colors used for his website? "Let's see, I like blue, and I like red. I'll use a blue background and red text...  yeah, that will work" (if you've ever seen this combination, you'll know it actually hurts your eyes as the two colors vibrate when put together).
   
• Copywriting - Most business owners struggle to tell the story of their product or service in a manner that prospective customers can understand, let alone find enticing. Not everyone is an author, and there's a good reason why.
   
• On-page SEO - Where to put those keyword phrases discovered during the keyword research process? "Meta Keywords tag, right?", uh NO, Google killed off the meta keywords tag in 2009.
   
• Off-page SEO - "Backlinks? What's a backlink?" Getting other relevant websites with high authority already to link to yours is an art... but Sam doesn't even know he needs to do that. It hasn't ceased to amaze me yet when a prospect calls and says "I'm not ranked for the keyword phrases I want to be, what's wrong with Google?". Then, when I do a quick backlink check, they have ZERO backlinks to their website, they've never set up Google Webmaster Tools, and it's pretty obvious Google doesn't even know the site exists! It pays to hire a Phoenix SEO Company!

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. There are lots of little details that have to be done, and done right, to be successful with your website. But don't take my word for it. Below I've listed testimonials from a couple of our clients that went from a DIY site to a professional website by BANG! and achieved success!

Brian & Gigi VanKilsdonk - Van's Hauling who had previously built their own website on the Intuit platform...

The team at BANG! Web Site Design is wonderful – from the initial concept of the website to the training provided to manage the site myself. The entire process was completed in a professional manner within a month. Our site has been live for a few months now, and we can already find Van’s Hauling on page 1 of Google! We have also received several contacts from potential customers from the Contact Us page.

We made the right decision to hire BANG! Web Site Design to build our site. We highly recommend them to anyone seeking a presence on the Internet.

Dennis Frazier - Cater Phoenix, who had built his website on the WIX platform...

BANG! took my DIY (Do It Yourself) website which was invisible to search engines and useless on mobile devices, to a highly-ranked lead generation machine! I've had days where the phone wouldn't stop ringing for wedding catering requests. All because of BANG!'s Guaranteed Measurable Results!

Henry Catalino - CES Property Management, who had previously built his own website (platform unknown)...

As it happens with many small businesses, we came to the conclusion that our website was in need of an overhaul. Since 2005 our business has grown consistently, yet in the last 3 years, we started experiencing some challenges in reaching our niche market. I had designed our original website and while simple and functional, it certainly was a testament to my limited time and knowledge! It worked for a while, but with the changes in site rankings requirements, we saw our page ranking go from the first page to anywhere from 10 and beyond. With the help of BANG! Website Design and a reasonable budget, in a short three months, we saw our site go to the front and the first page in the rankings. The results for our business have been phenomenal and put us a year ahead in our business plan. Way to go BANG!… you hit a home run for us. 

All 3 of these clients were counting on luck, not hard work, to get the results they wanted. Once they turned to BANG! and put us to work for them, their luck changed. So how about you? Are you feeling lucky? Or would you like us to do the hard work for you and deliver results? Call us at 602-427-5626 or click here to arrange a free SEO consult.