Focuses on Attracting Quality Traffic

When we say “quality” traffic, we are referring to site visitors who are using a search engine genuinely hoping to find the type of information presented on your pages. These are the sorts of guests you want because it’s much easier to convince consumers to follow your call to action when they are already interested in your product or service (well before arriving on your website).

This way of thinking is slightly different from old-school SEO where the primary goal was simply to acquire tons of traffic. But, what good are visitors if there are never any conversions? However, achieving productive traffic isn’t as simple as choosing the right keywords (although, that’s part of it) as it involves a great deal of other market and business research.

Employs Strategies to Keep People on Your Page

Attracting interested visitors is an important step, but SEO also consists of tactics used to keep internet users on your site. This comprises a variety of elements including page layout, readability, easy navigation, attractiveness, having a clear call to action, interesting content, and above all — being relevant. It only takes a few seconds for searchers to decide if a website is right for them, so a highly optimized web design is crucial.

Makes Websites Search Engine-Friendly

If you ever want your site to stand a chance of achieving high rankings for relevant search queries then the building blocks of your site must be technically sound. This encompasses a wide range of skills including knowing how to create clean, organized code, the ability to analyze weblogs, knowing the latest technologies (HTML, SQL, Flash, JavaScript, etc.), and understanding the basic principles of machine learning and search engine algorithms.

Keeps Websites Connected to People

In addition to search engines, online users can also connect with your site via social media and links, which means all these areas require optimization. Not to mention, every day social networking is becoming more and more integrated into search engine results (just look at Google+).

Besides getting people to your pages, inbound links help improve your overall rating with Google (the better links you receive the more it values your site). So, SEOs must concentrate on how to grow your links and expand your social presence for the dual purpose of leads and appealing to search engines.

Constant Analysis

Search engine optimization isn’t a one-time task. It’s a cyclical process that requires regular evaluation and tweaking. SEO experts analyze a variety of data to uncover keyword performance, search data, competitor’s strategies, and a host of other variables. Additionally, they work hand in hand with marketers to pinpoint the best demographics, to monitor audience trends, and to perform social listening. All of this research is used to understand the consumers and hone the website until it attracts the best possible audience.

There are many more technical aspects of SEO, but the overarching purpose of all these tactics is to connect people with what they are looking for. Not only does this help businesses by bringing in conversion-likely visitors, but it also makes the process of online searching more effective for consumers. Ultimately, the matching of people with the most relevant business to meet their needs is a win-win for everyone.

To meet this objective, search engine optimization is increasingly blending with marketing and PR specialties. This is all the more reason to hire a professional company capable of merging SEO, marketing, and development into one cohesive strategy.

It’s Popular

As mentioned, most people are usually no farther than arms reach from some type of social networking gadget, and besides being readily available, it’s widely popular. There are around 1.2 billion social networking users, and they’re spending 20% percent of their online time (i.e. one out of every five minutes) at a social site.

If your brand can make a name for itself in this über-involved world then you have the ability to connect with far more individuals than you can using many traditional marketing methods. This is true whether you want a worldwide, national, or simply a local audience.

Provides More Leads

One of the underlying forces driving social networking is people’s desire to share. Pictures, links, articles, news, videos, and all things remotely newsworthy are constantly traveling through online channels. All you have to do is post something share-worthy (interesting article, tips, sale info, deals, happenings, etc.) and others will naturally spread the word about your business. This is a great way to generate leads as consumers trust a business more when they’ve heard about it through a friend.

Builds Brand Loyalty

Engaging in social media puts a face behind your company and engages consumers in the personal side of your business. Share your opinions, offer advice, and create a mutual exchange between you and your customers, and they will form a real commitment to your brand. When you do this, you will find that they are much less critical when you make mistakes and are less likely to “jump ship” if a competitor happens to offer a lower price.

It’s Good for SEO

Social networking content is increasingly influencing search engine results. This is especially true for Google who has now included “Your World” with natural search results. This means that anytime members of Google+ make a query through Google, they are given relevant listings from the general web AND their personal network.  This is great for businesses because just by being in someone’s circle they are more likely to see your brand when searching online; and the more contacts you have the more exposure you will get.

Know What Your Customers are Thinking

Well, maybe you won’t know exactly what they’re thinking, but by monitoring social conversations, you’ll have a pretty good idea. In small businesses where profit margins are often very tight having this “insider” information can make a big difference in your bottom line. Your competition may think you have a crystal ball as you are able to sense consumer changes and respond to demands before other businesses catch onto the trends. It can make you a trailblazer in your industry and force the less-informed into the role of follower.

That said, make sure you are using social media marketing the right way (not simply as an advertising platform).  Consider relying on the help of a social media marketing expert (even if it’s just to get your small business started in this new medium), and you’ll likely save yourself a lot of time and trial and error.

It’s Open-Source

Magento is free to use and since it is open-source you have design flexibility that simply isn’t available with other eCommerce platforms. This allows you to do more, invest less, and ultimately increase your profits.

Smooth Integration

All eCommerce sites rely on a variety of other online services to make their shops successful and Magento integrates seamlessly with the most popular third-party sites including:

• Google
• WordPress
• SalesForce.com
• Constant Contact
• Authorize.net
• PayPal
• FedEx
• UPS

Run Multiple Stores at Once

Many eCommerce providers only allow you to operate a single store at a time, but Magento gives you the ability to manage multiple stores using the same interface and with all your information and analytics on the same administration panel.

Tons of Features

What draws many to Magento is that it has all the same benefits of other platforms, but also includes literally hundreds of other useful extras. And because it is open source and incredibly popular, new functionalities are being designed all the time. Some of the most favorite Magento features are:

• Built-in SEO
• Product, catalog, and order management (inventory, imports/exports, order creation, invoices, shipments)
• Sales Tracking
• Compatible with international currencies
• Equipped with online marketing tools (coupons, discounts, promotions,etc.)
• Shipping and region-based sales tax calculators
• Shopper wishlists

Designs and Themes Easily Modified

With Magento you can have a truly unique shop and are not limited to a specific template. You can change the graphics, text, layout, and other elements much in the same way you customize a traditional website. Have your web designer build you a custom site.

Constant Improvements

Magento is widely recognized as one of the most innovative eCommmerce sites, and because it’s open source, you’ll continually benefit from updates provided by a world of web designers. This means ever-increasing functionality, faster bug fixes, and assistance from the system’s many users.

Analytics and Reporting

This feature is incorporated with Google Analytics and gives you invaluable information such as page views, commerce tracking, and details related to abandoned shopping carts. With this tool you can quickly get insight into your customer’s interests and demands. Additionally, you can save customer account history for future retrieval and even connect with your clients through built-in email, RSS feeds, and newsletters.

User-Friendly Shopping

Magento’s intuitive design means customers can navigate your site easily and use the included filter tool to quickly find exactly what they need. Visitors can view multiple images of products, read reviews, and compare items before making a purchase; and consumers who feel informed are more likely to shop on your site repeatedly.

Don’t underestimate the power of a top-notch eCommerce site; after all, your online shop is competing in a worldwide marketplace. By using Magento your site will look and function professionally and evolve with the latest innovations.

Today, the platform is so customizable that visitors to your pages may not even realize they are on a WordPress site. Besides simplifying the integration of website and blog, here is a sampling of other reasons why WordPress is ideal for your business website.

Makes Updating Easy

Thanks to its blogging roots, WordPress is a master at user-friendly content updating, which is arguably the primary advantage of using this CMS.

Without knowing a bit of code, you can feel like a design professional. In fact, if you are able to use basic spreadsheet software then you can easily add information on your site. Post blog entries, upload videos and pictures, respond to comments, and much more – all without having to involve your web designer. Once the site is established, the content updates are totally in your hands; manage it yourself or utilize WordPress’ multiple user feature and delegate tasks to other employees.

It’s Open Source

 Since WordPress is free, you don’t have to pay a licensing fee to use its code on your website, and because it’s also open source, the code is available for modification. This means that creative web designers can program a site personalized for your business; you are not limited to basic layouts, themes, and add-ons. Also, you can expand or alter your design at any time as programmers are constantly devising new WordPress elements.

Search Engine Optimization

Because WordPress sites inherently use good SEO practices, they consistently outrank other types of sites on search engine results pages. Even “right out of the box” they can improve your SEO, and with a little tweaking or a few plugins, you can have even better results.

Expands with Your Business

WordPress is not a design-it-and-then-your-done type of platform. You can adjust your content as much as you want, and unlike traditional sites you can do things such as add pages, change themes, or include a new feature without a major site overhaul.

You may want to add new elements to your pages as your business and site grows. There are many specially designed WordPress tools which simplify this process. For example, with a simple plugin you can incorporate a store finder, turn your site into its own social network (with Buddy Press), setup an e-commerce shop (for free!), or create an affiliate hub. The functionalities are seemingly endless and increasing all the time.

Helps You Stay Connected with Customers

In addition to adding a blog, social media buttons, and comment feeds to your site, you can also reach out to your customers by enabling eNewsletters. This marketing tool allows you to send quality newsletters with business updates, deals, coupons, news, and other information which will keep your products and services on people’s minds.

Simple Navigation and Flexible Rendering

WordPress sites are famous for being simple to navigate as the CMS makes it painless to organize categories, tags, and posts. This not only enhances the guest’s experience, but also is great in terms of SEO.  Additionally, WordPress sites have clean, fast-loading code that is capable of displaying in both HTML and CSS, which ensures your site will be visible on desktops, mobile devices, and on alternative browsers such as Lynx.

Security and Spam Protection

WordPress hosts about half of all websites, which means it has an invested interested in providing its users with the best security and freedom from spam. In addition to several built-in features, you can choose from a variety of WordPress-specific plugins and virtually eliminate comment spam.

All things considered, you’re simply not going to find another CMS that is more intuitive, user-friendly, and constantly improving. There is a reason why it’s the most popular platform on the net – because it’s trouble-free and it works. With the help of an experienced web designer and your ability to control content, you can create the dynamic, easy to manage site you always wanted.