Latest Posts

Last week I shared the stories of some major brands Google has blacklisted for buying and selling in-bound links in an effort to improve their search engine rankings.

Today, I share with you how to avoid the same fate.

When many home improvement owners and managers decide to invest in improving the ranking of their Web sites, they often turn to consultants who specialize in the field of search engine optimization.  And it’s the right thing to do, as those owners and managers are running home improvement companies, and just don’t have the time or expertise to do what’s required to make that happen.

Industry observers knew the day of reckoning would come one day.  For years, Web site operators had secretly and not-so-secretly bought all-important inbound links.  Their objective was to game Google’s search ranking algorithm to secure high search rankings for their Web sites.

And for years, buying links worked like a charm. So well, in fact, that the practice became widespread.  And then one day, Google decided to down on Web site operators trying to buy their way to the top.  In fact, the problem had become so widespread by that point that Google used the opportunity to make very public examples of some very prominent Web sites.

When it comes to assessing your Web site’s performance, knowing what to track is as important as what not to bother with.  I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to share some thoughts on this in the current issue of Replacement Contractor Online.

Best,

Todd Bairstow

We all remember the childhood adage, “Sticks and stone will hurt my bones, but words will never hurt.” If you think that holds true with the arrival of the Internet age, think again.  What people are saying about you and your company online may well be costing you business.

I have covered this important topic before:

Yelp Help: Harness The Power of Online Reviews

Tracking Yourself Online: The Power of Google Alerts

The current Replacement Contractor magazine has just published another great article on this topic:

With the passing of Valentine’s Day last week, I’m reminded of the connection between romance and, yes, online marketing.

At a recent seminar I attended for Internet marketing geeks, the speaker talked about Facebook, and how people actually use it. And he presented connecting with prospects on Facebook in terms of building relationships. The trouble is that companies too often use Facebook like one night stands. They want to immediately swamp their prospective customers with offers and promotions to consumers to part with their money as soon as possible.

But the reality is that Facebook users don’t want one night stands. They want to be romanced.

The manufacturers and brands of the products you sell are an important source of leads for you.  Many homeowners will reach out first to manufacturers to indicate their interest, perhaps by submitting a Web form on their Web sites or calling their call centers.  In this two-part video post, Todd answers the question, “How can you ensure that you’re getting your fair share of those leads?”

More and more homeowners are finding their way to your website.
How easy is it for them to use it? Why should they want to stay?

Read Todd’s new article,  “Short and Sweet”, at Replacement Contractor.

How do you get a great Google ranking for your Web site?  As I’ve been writing about all these months, there are a number of steps you need to take, as well as steps you should not.  In today’s video blog post, I focus on one important consideration:  getting other relevant, quality Web sites to link to yours.

Let’s consider one of today’s most-misunderstood Web metrics:  Average Time on Site.

First, a definition: Average Time on Site is the average of the time that your visitors spend perusing the pages of your Web site.

Simple enough.

But Average Time on Site can tell you many things about what your prospects are looking for – or what they can’t find – on your Web site.

First, consider how you can increase your Average Time on Site.

Home improvement companies that sell a single product typically run Web sites with fewer pages. With less content to review, it’s likely that their prospects will spend less time on average on their Web sites.

In my recent posts, we’ve considered metrics that home improvement companies should use to judge the performance of their Web sites.  If you haven’t read them, check out my posts on page views and visitors.

I’d now like to consider another metric: Bounce Rate.  This is one of the most interesting metrics for any Web site, and not because it has a funny name.

Bounce Rate measures the percentage of visitors who land on your Web site . . . but then never visit another page. In simplest terms, these are visitors who come and go without clicking anywhere else on your Web site.