Optimize your website for people too!

SEO-SEO! yadda yadda- by now we all know the importance of search engines finding and spidering your web pages. The goal is to show up on the first three pages in a search for several keyword phrases. We work and re-work the pages to get the ranking ... the never ending story!

But what happens when you achieve good SEO rankings? You've done it, there you are on page one in Google! Surely this means that the sales will come pouring in - or does it?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the answer is NO!
While a top SEO ranking does mean that your website is more visible which increases the odds of people clicking on it, it in no way means that people will react positively when they do. Your website presentation is exactly like the local store in your hometown.

Picture this - Shelia opens up a new store in town, she pays top dollar for the best real estate with the highest traffic in town. People naturally stop at the store to see what it's all about. Shelia's store is not very attractive, her products are poorly displayed and hard to find, her sales staff is crabby and unfriendly. The potential customers walk in and walk out without buying anything. I guess she put to much effort into her location and not enough into the store itself.

Online website marketing is exactly the same. Your website has got to please the customer when they stop by. It must convey a friendly atmosphere, be great looking, easy to navigate and offer something of real value, or they will travel on to the next site in about 8 seconds flat.

I have been noticing a great deal of websites that clearly put all their time, energy and money into SEO alone, while forgetting the main focus - persuading the viewer to react positively when they get there. This is where great web design and marketing come into play!

Online viewers seek on value, an emotional connection, ease of use, and a great web experience. Make sure your website offers all of these things, and more. After all, that is why you have a website to begin with. It is all about the viewer and their needs!