When you were five or ten years old you may have played game of hide and seek where object was to avoid being found. The longer you could stay hidden and harder it was to be discovered better. As a business owner or someone responsible for marketing a business you want to do opposite. Instead of remaining hidden from view, you want to make it as easy as possible for members of your target market to find you again and again.
You may have a PhD, worked for big name clients, provide outstanding service or have a new ground breaking product but if people can't find you it is tough to build revenue. What you want is to be found so prospects contact you and you can convert them to client status.
What happens when someone is looking for a new product or service? More and more customers and consumers use internet to search for goods and services they need, to point that 'google' has become a verb. They may also use search engines provided by Yahoo, AOL and MSN.
A prospect types in a set of keywords, your name or your company name into a search engine, with Google being used by far most frequently. Can they find your website? Go to www.Google.com and try following three tests:
1. If a prospect hasn't heard of your company they won't be searching for your firm by name. Instead they will be searching using keywords that describe problem they want solved or type of information they are looking for. If they are looking for ways to motivate employees, that's what they will type in search box. If they are looking for adventure vacation ideas for Costa Rica, they'll enter that in search box.
My prospects might enter, 'attract more clients', 'marketing coach', 'web marketing plan' or 'web lead generation in Google. When they do, they'll find my site at top or at least in first 10-15 listings.
Type problem you solve or solutions you offer into Google's search box. Is your site listed at or near top of listings? Is it even in top 100?
2. Type your own name in search box. Does your web site come up at top of page or in first 20 listings?
3. Type your name and/or your company name in search box, for example, "Charlie Cook" or "Marketing For Success". Did Google find your site in or near top spot?
If you aren't happy with results of these tests, your website needs work.
How to Avoid Playing Hide and Seek With Your Business
A Smart Domain Name Choose a domain name that is simple and obvious or simple and memorable. If your company is called Bollard and Jones Realty (or whatever) try to obtain bollardandjones.com as your domain name. That way, a prospect who knows your company name can type it into their browser and easily find your site.