Back in May, I spoke to the St. Louis Small Business Meetup Group about getting traffic, climbing the search engine rankings and beyond.  It was a great meetup in a small restaurant in Kirkwood – a terrific atmosphere and I think you’ll enjoy this video.  In it you’ll learn:

• Why Shotgun Marketing is a think of the past
• Why You need a CMS
• What Google Thinks About Your Site
• How to Spy on Your Competitors
• Plenty More Tips

But today I’m going to tell you about a tip that you can take advantage of today, and it’ll help you today.  But first, a little background in domain kiting.

Go Fly a Kite

There’s a thing out there in the ‘domain world’ called domain kiting or domain tasting.  Basically, it goes like this.  Paul finds a great domain that is a misspelling of another website – say freecrditscore.com.  He buys the domain, forwards it on to a credit score affiliate, and watches to see how much traffic he gets from people fat-fingering the domain.  If it’s a good one (he’s making money) then he keeps it.  If not, he simply requests a refund from the registrar and gets his domain registration fee back.  He put his kite out there to see if it’d get struck by lightning or not.  If not, he wasn’t out any money.  It’s an interesting way to live on the edge, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Buying domains with misspellings is nothing new, but I’ve found a new twist on it that you may be able to take advantage of.

Which brings me to today’s tip.  Something that I discovered only a week ago.

Stealing Traffic Legally

There’s a new domain extension available from most registrars.  It’s the .co extension.  So if you were so inclined, you could go and buy yourdomain.co for around $29/year.  Yeah, it’s a little high, but that’s ok if you’re interested in keeping your brand in check or don’t want others to register your name.

The great thing about the Internet is that so many diverse people use it.  Not everyone is a great typist, some use the hunt and peck method to type in their information.  These are the people that we can target to our advantage.

There are some big companies that haven’t yet claimed their .co domain name.  For those in St. Louis, can you believe:

• KMOX.co
• ecolifestl.co
• KPLR11.co
• RiverfrontTimes.co
• BrownandCrouppen.co
• STLCars.co
• Fox2Now.co

These are just some examples that are available and could bring significant traffic to your website.

Who in your industry is the big hitter?  (If it’s not you,) you should consider purchasing the top .co domains and forwarding them to your website.

I’m Not a Lawyer

Now there may be some instances where trademark law comes into play, but for most domain names, you can probably simply purchase the domain and forward it to your website without problem – especially more vague ones such as autoloans.co or

Your Feedback

What are your thoughts on buying domains for misspellings or domains that others have overlooked?  Sneaky? Unethical? Genius? I’d love to hear what you think.

Soon there will be two types of businesses, those online and those out of business.

While I’m not sure if the quote ever really came from him, the premise of the statement is definitely true.  And even years later, only a staggering 40% of small businesses in the US have websites.

Of that 40%, a good chunk of those websites are stale or dead.  They heard that they needed to be online, and rushed to get online, but had no strategy or planning about why they should be online.  They just knew they had to be there.  And after a few years of their website sitting there doing nothing, they’ve most likely abandoned what little hope they had about the Internet, when actually now is when they should be actively pursuing climbing the rankings and dominating the ever-growing online segment of their industry.

Is this you? Have you tried to get online, but haven’t succeeded?  Traffic is minimal or zero, leads never come, and no one even knows about your website?  Are you embarrassed to put the URL on your business cards? Here’s eight reasons why I think you’re in this boat:

1. Your brother’s best friend’s hairdresser’s cousin isn’t a web guru

Sure, hiring him was a great idea at the time. You’ve got little or no money to put into the “internet thing” and he was willing to do it “for the experience” and add it to his portfolio.

Problem is, those animations are just hideous, the technology he used to build the site back in ’99 wasn’t the best then, and it’s useless now.  There are no meta tags, no heading tags, and overall the site just sucks.

Even worse is that “Under Construction” page that never got updated.  What’s the point?

Fix: It’s time to hire a web designer, bite the bullet, and get a real website that engages customers, shows off your products and grows your business.

2. The search engines can’t index (or even find) you

You’re proud of your website.  The very cool Flash intro page really shows off your business in a way that no one else does.  Problem is, the search engines can’t see your website because of all that Flash.  They can’t index it, they have no idea what it says, and they have no idea how to categorize it.  So you’ll never rank on the search engines because they have no idea what you do.

Fix: Dump the Flash intro.  If you’re dead set on having some dumb animation on your page, put it in the header or some other small place.  Don’t make it the entire page.  Put real content with real follow-able links that the search engines can use to learn about you.

3. Your contact info isn’t on EVERY PAGE

This is an easy one.  Your phone number, at a minimum, should be on the top of every page of your website.  A lot of people simply look up your business so that they can call and interact with a real human.  If you make it hard for them to contact you, you might as well put up a sign that says “We don’t really want your business”.

I personally won’t click around on a website and strain to find a phone number or address.  If I can’t find it, I’ll hit the BACK button and go to the next result – probably your competitor.

Fix: Put your contact information in a very noticeable place.  Put your phone number at the top of the site, easy to read.  Build a Contact Us page that includes your phone number, address and even a map.  For a bonus, add printable directions or a click-to-call service.

4. Your site isn’t mobile-friendly

Smartphones, Google Maps, and ‘Apps’ aren’t losing popularity.  These things are everywhere, taking over the population.  If someone can’t browse your website in a mobile way, you’re missing a growing segment of searchers.

Fix: Build a mobile version of your website.  This should not be a high priority, particularly if the other things mentioned here apply to you.  Put this on the back burner, but don’t ignore it.

5. Your site isn’t interactive

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Blogging is one of the best things you can do for your online business efforts.  Blogging used to be defined as “a personal journal that you can publish with ease”.  But small businesses have seen the potential of more traffic by adding a blog to their website. Adding a blog to your website will create new content (which the search engines love), show life to a dead site (which the search engines love) and give you the chance to interact with your audience (which the search engines love – as do customers!).

Fix: Add a blog on your domain.  If you aren’t sure how to do that, contact your web guy and get help.  Don’t sign up for one of those free blogging sites, that won’t help your business at all!

6. Oh – My Eyes!

This is related to #1.  It’s time to stop those crazy animations, the wild colors and scrolling marquees.  Those things were cool back in the day but not any more.  Search engines want content thats easy to understand and digest.  Customers want calming colors that persuade them to hang around on your website a while and read what you’ve got to say.

Fix: Calming blues and greens are the way to go.  Bright oranges and reds are considered ‘alert’ colors and encourage the customer to get off the page.

7. You Took Away My Wallet!

There’s not much worse than writing great content, having a good looking site, getting traffic and then not giving them a way to engage you.  A call to action should be mandatory on every page of your website.

Since only a fraction of the visitors to your website actually land on your home page first, it is imperative that all the pages on your site provide value to your visitor and gives them a place to interact with you – whether it’s by signing up for your newsletter, filling out a form to find out more information, or a BUY button.

8. You’re clueless about those that are visiting your site

Ok so you’re doing all seven of the above things correctly.  Good job.  Traffic is flowing, people are visiting your website.  But do you know what’s happening once they get there?  Are you logging into your analytics each week to find new trends?  How are your visitors finding you? What pages are most popular on your website?  Are there pages you can tweak to make them more interactive?

Analytics borders on nerd territory.  Data is what robots want, not humans.  Unfortunately, you’re running a business, and that business relies on data to function.  Are you missing out on potentially untapped market segments?  Are your pages falling short?  If your bounce rate through the roof?  And if so, why?

Fix: Take some time to read up on analytics.  Find out what you should be looking for, create some custom reports and watch for new keywords that could spring your business into uncharted territory online.

Is your website crap?

I spoke on this subject recently at a Chamber of Commerce meeting.  Some people may have been offended by the pull-no-punches approach I took, and others probably “got it”.  Do you “get it” or will you just continue to wonder why your website isn’t getting any traffic?

At the time, Starch was a visionary in the field of ads, and many of his essay points still ring true today, even in the digital world.

Your website is your advertisement to all passer-bys.  Just like an ad in a local magazine or newspaper, if it sucks, it won’t be remembered, and it won’t be acted upon.  Let’s dissect this a bit and see how you can improve your overall website ROI.

An website, to be successful, must be seen.

Ok here’s the most obvious and overstated cliche in the SEO business – Build it and they won’t come.  It’s true – simply putting up a website because you think you need to, or because your competitors are won’t get you traffic.  It’s like putting a billboard up in the Mojave desert.  Not many people are going to see it.

A good website isn’t cheap.  In order for you to start recouping some of your costs related to getting it up, you really need customers (warm leads) that are interested in what you’re offering.  Hence the need for SEO.

Optimizing your website, building links from other sites, and providing great content is the secret formula to getting to the top of the search engines.  And at the top (page one for a search) is where most of your traffic is going to come from.  It’s like moving that billboard from the desert to a busy intersection.  Even better, if you apply SEO long term, its like moving that billboard to a busy intersection full of cars (that are full of people) that only want your product/service.  The leads get warmer and warmer with each passing month.

A website, to be successful, must be read.

Well isn’t that a kick in the pants.  Getting customers to your website is just the first step.  Once they’re there, they’ve got to find something interesting and useful.  They’ve got to find what they’re looking for.

People are fickle, especially in the digital world.  You’ve got just a few seconds of a customer’s time to persuade them to stick around and read your content.  A few seconds.

Even if you’re pulling in some nice traffic, if your website design doesn’t look professional, those visitors aren’t going to hang around for long.  Business is not just product, but it’s also look and feel.  People want to feel confident that who they’re buying from is reputable and legitimate.  They want images that instill confidence.  They want colors that are easy on their eyes and create a warm and welcome feel.  So you’ve got to have a website that looks good and encourages your visitors to read – which leads us to the next point.

A website, to be successful, must be believed.

There are 2 main requirements for a website to be believed:

• Design
• Content

Let’s quickly reflect back on design again.  Warm cuddly websites are more likely to get click-throughs then harsh ugly sites.  Even if you’re searching for something as manly as hunting apparel or auto parts, the more soothing and calm the layout and design, the better your conversion rate will be.

Obviously there are a few other issues in play here as well.  Navigation needs to be simple. Branding needs to be consistent.  Links need not be broken. Products need to have quality content.

Ah – content – the king of all things search.  Content rules the Internet because of it’s inherent value both to the visitor as well as to the search engines.  Good quality content berths better rankings.  It creates well-bring.  The better your content, the more your visitors will like what you say.  They’ll believe what you say is true (whether it is or not!).

I’m constantly surprised at the amount of local businesses that advertise in local papers or online.  They try to drive people to their website, but their website is dry and arid.  They fall short of delivering the believe factor because they aren’t giving their visitors quality content.  And without it, there’s no connection made.  The sale is lost because of their barren wasteland.

A website, to be successful, must be remembered.

One of the biggest problems that I have with my clients is getting them to understand blogging.  And even in the case where they understand why they need to do it, getting them to actually do it is an even more difficult task.  Blogging isn’t just about getting a sale.  It’s about providing value (it is, afterall, content).  Writing about the top 7 reasons to vaccuum every Tuesday isn’t necessarily going to produce sales. But it will produce a feeling of acceptance to your visitor.

Your visitor may not be looking to purchase a vaccuum cleaner from you today.  But three months from now, when their vaccuum kicks the bucket, it’s very possible that they’ll remember your article.  Or your logo.  Or your URL.

It’s very possible.

Situating yourself online as a subject matter expert can produce long term effects.  People will parallel your articles with expert status.  They’ll assume (sometimes without further research) that you are the most knowledgeable person in the city when it comes to vaccuum cleaners.  They won’t even check the competition.  They’ll drive past 14 vaccuum cleaner stores to get to yours because of your silly Vaccuuming on Tuesday story.

They will, and they do.  They remembered you – your branding – and it’s your sale to lose.

A website, to be successful, must be acted upon.

Lead a horse to water, and they may not drink. Lead a customer to your product, and they may not buy.  Why?

Call to action (or a lack thereof).

Many, many, many websites fail to produce the results they’ve worked hard to get because of a simple disconnect in their system.  Once a visitor reaches a product page, there should always, always, always be a call to action.  Something that entices them to click to purchase. Or click to find out more. Or click to join your club. Or click to download your ebook.

All of this work – SEO, quality content, beautiful design and branding can all be useless if the customer doesn’t buy.  They’ve got to act upon what you’ve provided to them.  Don’t drop the ball when you’ve done all this work to get the customer into the buying mood.  You’ve set the stage, but forgot to pull up the curtain.  The show is going on in full force, but they can’t see it.  What are they going to do?

They’ll take all that information they’ve gleaned from you and use it to find your competitor (who happens to have the item online, ready for purchase).  Don’t do all this work, and then fall short.  Have a strong call to action on every product page.

Summary

Daniel Starch was a pretty smart guy.  He knocked it out of the park in 1923, and many people used his concepts to launch major brands into the mainstream.  His principles, when applied to today’s environment, still work.

Your website should be a revenue-generating machine.  If it isn’t, why not? Are you only doing two of the five items above? Is your billboard out in the desert somewhere, or is it next to a superhighway?

And if you’re a local Saint Louis company, why haven’t you hired me?

Pretty cool, huh?

Several things are going on here, which I think you can use for your business.

Niche it, Baby

I’ve never heard of the JQA diaries until today, and most likely neither have you.  Thanks to some graduate student for mentioning that it looked like a Twitter feed, another person for acting on that observation, a Historical Society with a look-forward approach  (and a NY Times writer), now you have.  As of today, this account now has over 6000 followers. This little niche of history buffs is just the audience that the Massachesetts Historical Society wants, and they’ve found a way to “promote their wares” via Twitter.

Lesson: Find a topic that interests people.  Provide updates on a consistent basis, and you’ve got an immediate audience.  People will tell others, and in no time you’ll have a nice following of warm leads.

The Old is New

While reading a 200 year old diary isn’t exactly exciting to everyone, it is to some.  And that “some” is very interested in what is said by the account holder.  Old news is in demand, and over 6000 people are eagerly awaiting the next tweet, whether it’s about rough seas or card playing.

Lesson: Take information in your industry that you think everyone knows, and post about it.  Or blog about it.  You’ll increase your followers, RSS subscriptions, and website traffic because no one else is doing it.

Be Afraid Aware, Very Aware

Every day we are exposed to mundane and boring things in our industry.  We see them all the time, and pay no attention or give no second thought to them.  But smart business owners are taking those simple things and writing about them.  They are showing the behind-the-scenes to their business, or posting updates to their ‘boring’ day and people are interested.

For instance, I have a customer that sells memory foam mattresses.  One day I was at Target returning an item.  In front of me was a lady who was returning one of those mattress-topper memory foam things.  You roll them out on your mattress and they supposedly make it more comfortable to sleep on.  Well, I listened to her go on about how lumpy it made her bed, how it didn’t help her sleep, etc. so I mentioned it to my client.  He wrote up a blog post about these toppers (and their problems), and today it is one of his most popular posts ever.

Lesson: Watch what’s going on around you daily.  What things do you take for granted that your audience might find really useful?  Do you do something to each of your products to make it unique? Do you meet interesting people in your industry that others may find interesting as well?

Integration

The JQA diary posts also integrate with maps, making it even more interesting.  Even though the voyage took place  200 years ago, you can follow along today as if it were happening in real time.  You can see where in the ocean JQA is, and experience just what he was.

Lance Armstrong is a great user of integration, often posting his ‘view from the office’ pictures on TwitPic.  Bicyclers, cancer survivors and just fans love these updates.  They are interesting to his readers, and it helps him increase and identify his brand.

Lesson: Use technology to show what you do and who you are.  Become a real face to an otherwise faceless business identity.

You can learn a lot from a president that sailed the seas 200 years ago.  And you can take those things, along with the actions of some smart people, and apply them to your business.  How are you using similar tactics and posts to increase your business?

“Know your enemy” – Sun Tzu in The Art of War

If you use Twitter to promote your business (and you should), you are already ahead of most businesses in your industry.  Twitter is a great tool, if you can leverage it correctly.  Unfortunately, I see a lot of businesses using Twitter in ways that, while they think helps them, it’s actually hurting them.

Screwup#1: Missing Traffic Opportunities

If you’ve attended any of my seminars, you know that I’ve said blogging is by far one of the best ways to build your brand, promote your business, and increase your landing page count.  Providing quality information that people are ready to consume will automatically put you in an authoritative position in their mind.  You become the subject matter expert.

So when I see a business post a tweet that is informational about your industry, without a link back to your article, I hang my head in disgust.  Here you have a great piece of information, like a celebrity that uses your product, but you don’t link it anywhere.  You missed the target!

The real enemy here is simply missed traffic.  Twitter gets insane amounts of traffic. Ultimately, traffic back to your website means branding, which leads to sales; and that’s what we’re after.  Even if someone doesn’t need your product today, when they do need it, you want to have your logo/biz name pre-planted in their head.

It’s not enough to put posts on Twitter about interesting things.  Take all those interesting things that you find out and write a blog post about them.  Expand on them, add some great information about why this info is great, and provide it all in a way that is purely educational and not sales-y.

People aren’t stupid. If you’re talking about how blue widgets can kill mosquitos, and they happen to have a mosquito problem, they’re smart enough to click over to your blue widget page and buy.

As I hear all the time when my kids are playing Call of Duty 5, The Enemy has Taken Your Flag!  Don’t let twitter take your flag (traffic) and keep it.  You’re posting the information to help people, right? So make sure the traffic that your Twitter feed is seeing gets to your website.  Don’t drop the ball.

Screwup #2 – Posting Half of a Good Deal

Many business people understand that there’s an advantage to Twitter.  They’ve got the understanding that most people are following you because they’re interested in what you have to say/sell.  You’ve got your target audience in your hands, and they patiently await to be persuaded to buy.

So when you want to offer a deal to people because you’re nice, or because they are raving about your product, don’t post a message telling them that “for a good deal”, they need to contact you.

Why? Well, let’s go back to your audience. Many of these people are interested in what you have to say/sell, right? But they are probably passively interested.  Meaning, they aren’t interested in putting a lot of time into you (along with the thousands of other businesses clammoring for their attention).  So posting a message saying that in order to save they have to contact you, you may have just lost a sale.

Why not just post the coupon online for all to see?  The more your of your audience that sees it, the more sales you’ll get, right?

Screwup #3 – Dumping Your Followers to Competitors

While this one isn’t as big of a no-no as the others, it’s still one that makes me scratch my head when I see it.

You find a great article on something in your industry.  It’s written by a well known competitor, and (unfortunatly) you agree with what they’ve posted.  Or maybe you don’t. Either way, don’t go twitter-crazy and immediately post a link to the guy’s article, especially if you disagree.

If you agree with what was said, consider rewriting the article as your own content (careful here… you don’t want to be accused of plagiarizing or called a Johnny-come-lately) or post something on your site about how your business agrees with what was said on such and such’s site.

If you disagree, you’ve got all kinds of firepower to write up a great blog post.  Inform your readers by (politely) showing how your competitor is wrong, and how your company would do the project right.

In Saint Louis MO? Learn more about Internet Marketing at the Look at Me Seminar in June.