Both consultants and their clients regularly make the very serious mistake of focusing only on what they can see instead of on what is most important.
Any business owner who insists that their consultnat continually show them what they are doing will end up with consultants who only do what the business owner wants to see, neglecting what is more important but not so easily seen or understood.
I am NOT saying that you should not know what your consultants are doing or that they should not be sending you updates. What I am saying is that you need to understand that what you don’t see as a visitor is frequently vastly more important than what you do see so you have to value everything that is necessary to success and not just the few things most others focus on.
Web designers who focus only on the visible pages can be guilty of neglecting navigation, usability and search engine optimization (SEO). Identifying who your target audience is and what keywords that audience would type into a search engine to find you should come BEFORE the very first page is created.
A single two to three keyword phrase should be chosen for each page BEFORE it is created and the content creator must be aware of best practices for keyword usage.
In the same way that keyword research comes BEFORE building a site or creating content and HOW you use the keywords is critical, which Social Networks you use, who you choose to follow, and how you use them are key. The only way to truly know how best to use something is through experience – actually doing it.
Gail Gardner
Yes, social media can be an effective marketing tool in small consulting businesses because it allows you to create long-term connections with customers. Once you have earned their loyalty, you will have earned a valuable asset for your business. Through these connections, your brand will be able to build a good market reputation.
Of course there is a lot of stuff going on, or supposed to go on behind the scenes. But that is just the difference between “just doing something” and “doing it well”. It’s like throwing a punch, a boxer can just move his arm to bring his glove closer to his opponents face or he can use the rest of his body to put much more power behind the punch.
You can build a simple house on normal ground. But you can build a sky scraper on top of a good foundation.
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The end of the post goes full circle back to the problem of the “eternal learning mode” so many internet marketers fall into. Choose one thing to do, do it until you master it, then keep doing it.
It’s nice advice. I think it’s better to focus on the content than making great website. It’s nothing if we have great website but the content and the traffic is nothing.
ery would love you to read ..Better Idea to Improve Natural Search Engine Optimization than Develop Pay per Click Marketing
i must disagree with you – even if your website will have super content, and it’s hard to read it due to the design – you’ll get nothing but the bounce rate. on the website both design and the content have to be of excellent quality. in addition, when visitors see the standard theme they don’t consider your website to be a super one. that is why marketers spend money for making a unique template, and they pay money for the copywriters to have a good content as well.
as to the article, i like the iceberg – it shows the main things that have to be done for successful marketing. thanks.
Hi Ery, Alexander,
I have to agree with Alexander that both visual appeal and content are essential – and even when you get that where you want it (and I am still not there yet!) you MUST promote or your efforts will all be in vain.
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I love the iceberg image, Gail. It makes it so easy to see why so many small business owners who jump onto the social media bandwagon end up quickly falling off it. They only see what’s above the water, but it’s such a small percentage of what they (or someone they hire) need(s) to know.
Social media platforms are just tools. Just because I saw a carpenter swing a hammer and use a skill saw doesn’t mean I can go pick up the same tools and build a house with them. If I sat there long enough I would inevitably pick up some of the knowledge I’d need to know to fake it, but odds are not great whatever I built would be inhabitable.
Thanks for the great illustration and post.
Hi Brad,
You and I both know what many have not yet figured out – that success is not doing ONE thing well or two or ten. It requires continually improving on how you do optimize 1,000 things.
What we do is like sowing seeds. Each seed seems so insignificant. Some never germinate. Others may be what brings you success. But you have to keep planting continually.
Most people want to do something and immediately reap the results and that almost never happens. Others think investing a few hours will make them rich.
Almost without exception, every project or business or blog I touch would benefit from my focusing all my time and efforts on just that one business, blog or project.
What makes it even more difficult to achieve is the vast numbers of speakers, writers and well-known who talk a good talk but have no earthly idea how to actually ACCOMPLISH anything they are supposed to be experts in.
Many of them run companies or accept work they sub-contract – and they consistently underestimate the complexity of tasks and the amount of time it takes to do things well.
Those who would be successful need to pay more attention to what people DO and the RESULTS they get instead of being awed by their flash behind which their is little substance….by their fruits we will know them.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Small Business GROW NOW Giveaway Extended
Love the Iceberg analogy – it really hits home how so much of the important stuff often gets missed (or goes unnoticed)…
Hi Matt,
I know how we got to this point: business owners are only impressed by what they can SEE so that is what consultants trying to make them happy focus on doing. Until we can get them to value what is critical but unseen, most will never have a clue why what they’re paying for isn’t working.
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SEO is a very important piece of the puzzle. Hitting your target audience can be the difference between getting traffic and not getting traffic. Honestly, there are so many different strategies out there for SEO, but staying within your niche is one of the most important. Our Chicago SEO Company stays focused on the many changes that come with SEO. So often things change without notice and things don’t work the way they use to. Adapting to these changes will set you apart from the rest.
I am agree with the point of view to increase the small business profit by online marketing, and I would like to say that Google is focused on giving small local business a big advantage when customers are looking for local products and services. If you gain something in small business marketing services then go to http://www.localrankingreport.com.
Hello Amit,
I approved your comment in spite of all the links because you need to better understand about Google. They are definitely NOT focused on helping small local business. They are systematically pushing them off the first page of the search results and favoring big brands.
I have written numerous posts recently about the dangers of Google’s Monopoly, how their most recent Farmer Panda update hurts Google Competitors and that anyone who buys the nonsense about not building links must believe in the Google Fairy.
I will go out a sturdy limb and make these predictions:
1) Businesses affected by the MayDay and Farmer updates will see their traffic come back FOR NOW and disappear again in about the same amount during the critical holiday shopping season.
2) If Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, eBay or any of Google’s buddies shows up above you for a while for your best keywords and then goes away you can EXPECT them to be above you again during the holiday shopping season and on key other holidays significant to your niche.
3) Eventually Google will use the data they are now collecting to use Internet users as their excuse for removing more and more blogs and businesses from their search results. That is what Akismet does and that is what that will do. To understand why read my post on CrowdSourcing.
If you’re going to offer services to small businesses you need to know the truth about what is going on. The number one thing we all need to do is encourage EVERYONE we know online and off to use alternative search engines.
If any of this does not make sense to you ASK ME. It is CRITICAL that those who use the Internet most influence casual users correctly.
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I’m still really surprised how many site owners I meet that simply hire a local designer, don’t even consider the implications or ranking on Google, and assume it will happen naturally because “why wouldn’t my business be in the search engines?” or “why aren’t I number one a week after my site has launched?”
In any case, I like the creative graphic for your post, nice use of illustration to make your point.
Hi Ryan,
Thank you. I add images that help illustrate points whenever I can find them. (I am personally graphics-challenged and over-committed so making them is not an option.)
Business owners do not know anything about building Web sites or SEO or search engines and why would they? That is why I am encouraging those who DO know how to start focusing on assisting small businesses in using the Internet well.
If we don’t get them online soon and start a grassroots movement by bloggers and those active on Social Media to get people using non-Google/Yahoo/Bing/Microsoft search engines it will be too late to reach them at the critical search time because they will no longer be able to find us on Google – and that is currently the only search engine most people even know exists!
If that happens we will have to reach them using every other method online and off and I can tell you there is NO combination of commonly used sites that are not controlled by the wealthy elite that can generate anywhere near the traffic that Google search does.
Every Web designer and SEO must clearly understand the agenda of the few and how that will affect their long term survival.
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Most people don’t like to be questioned even when it is likely to lead to better results 🙂
I think it has a lot to do with confidence. When someone is not very confident, they find answering questions really difficult.
We are running a business in printer toner cartridges (TonerGreen.com) and we admit that social media marketing is a very important component on how we do business online. The toner cartridge niche is highly competitive in the US, so we really need to connect with our current customers to promote long term business relationship and customer loyalty.
Thanks for the great article, its very important and I agree that web designers needs to be well versed in their work both theoretically and practically because how much and what all information the users access on the internet depends on the effort of the web designers. The web community works around the clock and their work is hectic, so much to keep the users updated, appreciate that.
I think web designers should become more aware of the whole online knowledge. They as leaders in the online world should immerse inside the knowledge of Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, SEO, PPC, plus many others. The more knowledge you have the better you are prepare and the better services you can offer to your customers. Love the graphic man. I guess I will steal it…:)..Nah..but great short post…
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Hi, i agree with your points especially while writing the content who will be mainly focus on the key word that points would be more important then the other factors. Nice article for the blogger.
I think people should not really rely only on a certain thing, they should see the full picture when it comes to their business. Even if the consultant tells them to concentrate only doing a thing for your business, you should take a step back, look at your business and try to decide if that is really a good approach or you can do something else too.
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Well, if you hire someone to do a job for you, you’re hiring because you don’t have the time to do it yourself, or you just don’t know how to. So if i hire a SEO expert i don’t really care what he does, as long as i see visible results. I don know some SEO, but i’d never think giving him advices since he’s the expert, i just do marketing, or something else i’m good at. Conflicts that can arise from imposing your point of view in a matter you’re no expert in can lead to really bad things for your business.
Thanks for the advice. I agree that web designers can be ignorant or at least amateurs at SEO. It happened to me so it can happened to anyone.
Very innovative Graph! and I agree – what you don’t see is very much an important thing in offline and offline business.
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Narrowing down your point of view blocks you from having a wider look at the whole situation. It’s actually why it’s a bad idea to let developers test what they make.
A consultant is supposed to bring a fresh pair of eyes over a matter, among other things. If he just conforms to the business’ view, there’s no much point.
wahh! great post.. you inspired me 🙂
Oh my yes, that first part is me in a nut-shell, and yea, l it does tick some people off. lol.
1. Just because I outsourced something to you, does not put you in full control to where I know nothing. I still want the a full how-what-when-why-where, etc of anything you just did. BUT it won’t interfere with you doing your job. 😉
2. This is the one that really ticks folks ff and the reason I had to be my own boss…as an employee i still asked the whole range of questions. I may be an employee but not a drone. LOL
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