Ask Anubis Marketing: Can I Win With This Design?

Today’s question refers to “web site builders” for standard HTML websites.

Dear Lara,

I’m in a quandry about a few things and was wondering if you could help. I have a site that I built using one of those web site builders that you find all over the ‘net. I was in a rush to get “something” up there, and it was just too quick and easy for me at the time since it was offered to me when I registered my domain name and set up the hosting.

Now that I think about it, I’m wondering if hiring a company to do a customized design for me would fare me better in the long run. I don’t know how to code HTML or anything like that – this was essentially a “point and click” type of setup.

I’m worried that it’s too boring and “amateur-ish”. I’m worried that there’s code in there that might be a hinderance in terms of search engine optimization. I’m worried that if I ever do really want to get into doing some serious Internet marketing that it would be a waste of money on a site that’s not “up to par”.

What do you think?

Sincerely,
Pamela B.
{last name and site address removed for privacy}

Thanks for your great question, Pamela! And first and foremost, stop worrying so much!

The real answer here isn’t a cut-and-dried answer, I’m sorry to say. There are lots of factors to think about when building a web site and code is definitely one of them. The bottom line is that if you can’t read code, you have no real idea what’s in there that could be a problem for you in terms of SEO or anything else, so you’re either going to have to take the time to learn enough HTML code or find someone who can help you decipher what’s going on “behind the scenes”.

That said, most of what I’ve seen in terms of “DIY” websites makes them very un-search engine friendly. Very often there are “frames”, where each page is displayed next to or below a menu and the search engines can never get to the true URL of each individual page. There’s also typically a lack of CSS (cascading style sheets) files that are used to make changes “globally” in a snap. Decided you prefer black text on a white background all of the sudden? You’ll likely have to go through and make those changes individually on each page. The graphics you’re provided are rarely what you really want, and often the file sizes are large which make the pages load more slowly.

Oh, I could go on and on…

That said, there’s been a lot of talk on the internet lately about “ugly sites” and how it doesn’t always mean that a company is bad if their site is “ugly”. In a very small way, I can see the point – Let’s say you run a mom-and-pop laundromat. You offer your website up with tips on stain removal, list your hours, maybe some details on your machines and “amenities”, and hand out some coupons for dry cleaning. Do you NEED to market your site to the world? Does it NEED to look like you’re running this “high class” place? It’s a single location, and costs about $2.00 to wash and dry a load of laundry. So no, you don’t want to drive people away by making them think you’re expensive, and you don’t need to have people across the country find you. (However this is not an excuse to not do any online marketing at all! It simply means you can probably spend less than you’d think, because you’re geo-targeting your traffic.)

So yes, it does depend on your situation whether or not you should try to do-it-yourself or hire an outside company. A basic, well-designed site won’t cost you a mint, but will always make life easier in terms of SEO and marketing if it’s done professionally from the start. If you’re looking to get into more in terms of marketing (ie. you’re not running a local laundromat, but rather an online business that serves or attracts people from around the country or world), then yes, my opinion is that you should fork out the cash to have the site redone professionally so that you can pursue a successful online marketing campaign. And please – don’t take your DIY site to an SEO and tell them you don’t want to redesign or re-code it! You should never do that with any site, as part of SEO is making the site search engine friendly, and there’s no way an SEO can do that without digging into the back end of the site or re-arranging things!

Thanks again for your letter, Pamela!

To send your own questions to us and possibly have it posted here, email us at ask@anubismarketing.com!

“Good” Free Directories

After the success of “Write a Directory Submission that Gets Accepted“, it’s time I post a list of some of my favorite free directories to submit to.

Once you go through this list, and are ready to jump in and submit your site, please make sure you read the aforementioned article first – there are things that will work, and things that definitely won’t – so it’s important that you’re aware ahead of time.

I’ll be consistently updating this list as time goes on, not only adding, but removing directories that no longer prove to be useful or free.

• MavicaNet – Drill down to the category that best suits your site, and wayyyy at the bottom of the page you’ll find a link that says “Add Site” – click it, fill out the form, and you’re done. Pages are carrying Google PageRank and give direct links (not CGI redirects) to the sites listed. This is a multi-lingual directory.
• Verizon SuperPages.com – Your business could very well be listed here already, but if it’s not, you need to get it in there! (also offers paid upgrades in addition to free listing)
• YellowPages.com – Similar to Verizon’s, but this directory is just related to the Yellow Pages. (also offers paid upgrades in addition to free listing)
• Local.Com – Offers free and paid listings, and will categorize your company based on industry and location.
• DMOZ – There’s lots of buzz around the internet as to whether or not it’s even worth your time anymore to submit to dmoz because there’s no guarantees your submission will ever be seen, or that it really holds any water anymore. I tend to believe that it does, and it is very much worth taking the time to read the submission guidelines if you don’t know them and making a submission.
• All The Websites – This directory’s been around for three years and as all the other “good” directories do, passes along PageRank in the form of direct web links (not cgi redirects or cloaked URLs).
• Gimpsy – Offers paid and free options – the free option is (at the time of this writing) under a delay of about six months. The next step up is only $25 US and might be worth it if you’re feeling like you’re in a rush. Otherwise, just do the free submit.

As would be expected, finding good directories to list your site in, be they free or paid, takes time. If you’re not up for hiring an Internet marketing company to do the work for you, my only suggestion would be for you to be patient, dilligent, and make sure you read the submission guidelines thoroughly for each and every website you choose to submit to.

Buzz Words: Internet Marketing

Wikipedia says the following about Internet marketing:

Internet marketing is the use of the Internet to advertise and sell goods and services. Internet Marketing includes pay per click advertising, banner ads, e-mail marketing, interactive advertising, search engine marketing (including search engine optimization), blog marketing, and article marketing.

This is essentially how I’ve always viewed Internet marketing in terms of what I do for a living. However it seems that lately there’s been a change in the way that phrase is used. I see lots of “Internet marketers” out there – but for the most part, they are individuals selling e-book courses and using what are called “squeeze pages” to do the majority of their marketing. They use phrases like “list building” and “joint ventures”, and charge you anywhere from $19.95 to several hundred dollars, sometimes over a thousand, to “teach you the secrets of success”.

While I don’t have a huge problem with these types of “businesses”, I’m kind of feeling a little like they’ve ripped a phrase that’s been used for years to define one type of business, and are twisting it around to be something completely different.

Can an individual learn to market their business online, by themself? Sure they can. Will one of those e-book courses teach them? Not necessarily – I think it would depend on the business. If you’re selling an e-book, and that alone is your business, then yes, you could probably learn something. But if you’ve got a bricks and mortar store, or a company that offers services as opposed to tangible goods, then you’re going to need a little more than just learning how to write a good sales pitch or find people to sign up for a joint venture, or how to build a list of subscribers to your email newsletter.

Some of the individual things I do as an Internet marketer for my clients are far beyond the realm of what’s written in these books. Some of those things, I don’t do at all, because they either don’t fit the scope of what the client’s needs are, or I don’t feel that they’re worth the effort, and would rather use the time more wisely. Part of being able to run a successful Internet marketing business is the fact that I’ve got over five years of experience doing this, and I’ve spent that time watching and learning about what works and what doesn’t. Does Mr. Businessowner have that amount of time to spend, in lieu of the money he’s spending on those e-book courses and emails subscriptions? I think not. I do what I do so that the business owner can focus on what he or she knows best, the business.

In the end, I guess those types of courses and sessions have their place – but it bothers me that there’s too much potential for confusion between what they teach, and what companies like Anubis Marketing do. REAL Internet marketing doesn’t involve a website (or worse, a single page) chock full of keyword-rich articles and affiliate links and Google ads to make money. It’s not something that happens overnight, and it’s not for those seeking a “get rich quick” opportunity. It should be an accompaniment to all other classic, standard forms of advertising for a full-fledged business.

What do you think of the phrase “Internet marketing”? Do you agree that it’s being misused at times, or do you feel that it’s a broad enough phrase to cover both kinds of approaches? Let us know in the comments.

Ask Anubis Marketing: Is this for real?

Today’s question hails from {site removed for privacy} Don:

Don asks:

[Company name removed] is offering to sell me keywords for $800 each. They say that my site will pop up on top of all results IF the searcher has downloaded their program. They say over 10 million people have it loaded already. What can you do for me for that much money?

Don, thank you for your question!

If I understand this correctly, they’re offering to sell you ONE keyword for $800, and that the only way your site will show up is if the person searching is using their “special” program, right?

And over 10 million users? Wow, that’s a lot, considering their domain was only registered in May of this year, their Alexa ranking is close to one million (which essentially means that they are the one millionth (1,061,673 to be exact, as of today) most popular site on the internet).

I have a hard time believing this will do you or your site any good at all, for a bunch of reasons. First and foremost that I’ve never even heard of that company, nor have I ever heard of that tactic to get clients. What it sounds like is the old quacky emails people would get offering them “150 links to your site for $99!”. Okay, but what kind of links? Are they relevant to my niche? Are they all hosted on the same server, and owned by the same company? That last one was so typical at one point, where I’d get requests for link exchanges for a client who owned a bed and breakfast on a supposed dental resource site!

Another thing I found, was that according to Google, Yahoo, Alexa, and MSN – there are NO sites linking to them. Not a single one. Wouldn’t you think that if a company’s service were THAT well used, and THAT fantastic, that people would be linking to it?

Here’s the bottom line – if it sounds like anything other than natural, organic listings in the search engines that EVERYONE uses, it’s more than likely some sort of scam that’s not only NOT going to get you what you could get by hiring a real SEO/Marketing company, but it could wind up hurting your site in the long run. The search engines are well known for penalizing sites that use trickery or sneaky tactics for getting listings. Is that what you want for your company? I doubt it.

Depending on your site’s current listings, current rankings, and where you’re willing to make changes, as well as your budget, we can develop a plan to get you NATURAL results that are available to anyone and everyone using the search engines (as they are, without “special software”) to find you, as well as people who are using directories or other authority sites to find you. And it might even wind up being less money!

(Don, I’ll be contacting you privately to discuss what Anubis Marketing can do for you “for that kind of money” since it largely depends upon your site specifically.)

Google Buys YouTube – $1.65 Billion

It happens, two guys sit down and come up with an idea, things get really hyped up, Good Morning America starts having “daily” features from your site/company, and BAM! Google buys ya up.

Here’s what the YouTube founders have to say. I’m sure their laughter is caused by nothing more than pure giddiness at the humung-o check they just got, but there you have it.

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