| The ultimate objective for any commercial website is | | | | website. |
| to convert visitors to inquiries and obviously those | | | | Once this is done and your pages are uploaded. Verify |
| inquiries to sales. | | | | that its all working in the Analytics control panel. And |
| The success of this objective hinges very much on | | | | you're ready to monitor your visitors. |
| choosing the right set of key words for the | | | | Now we go back to the Google AdWords account |
| optimization of the site. | | | | where we will set up a campaign which will serve to |
| Below you will find a strategy that works very well in | | | | bring in targeted traffic to your site. Before setting this |
| finding the ultimate key words. | | | | up though, you need to conceptualize what your target |
| It combines Google AdWords with natural search | | | | market is looking for. Think how it is that you would |
| engine optimization to form a powerful way to find | | | | look for your own product or service online. Lets say |
| phrases that bring business to your website. | | | | you sell antique chairs, then what people are probably |
| Someone who recently became a client of mine, had | | | | going to look for is the phrase "antique chairs". |
| a website for about 6 years during which time he had | | | | There is something you need to be aware of here. |
| never managed to break even - not once! | | | | The closer people get to actually buying something the |
| Imagine that. For 6 years he had been financially | | | | more descriptive search phrases they use. If we use |
| carrying this website. After the massive design fee, | | | | the above example, someone closer to actually buying |
| month after month, he paid for hosting, page updates | | | | a chair would probably type in something like "red |
| and off-line promotions. He was ready to give up but | | | | velvet upholstered wooden antique chair". |
| fortunately heard about online marketing and got in | | | | Why is this important? Well because the whole |
| touch with me. | | | | objective of our exercise is to find these golden |
| My first reaction was to stop all site updates and to | | | | phrases that actually mean not just traffic but actual |
| first evaluate the current situation. To do this we had | | | | sales. |
| to look at the web analytical data. Fortunately the | | | | Back to our AdWords account. We set up a |
| server made AWStats available so we were able to | | | | Campaign and an Ad Group. Going into detail here is |
| look at his traffic patterns over the years. Needless to | | | | beyond the scope of this article, you can find all the |
| say it did not look good. The website had barely | | | | assistance you need using the help files in the |
| managed to attract 100 visitors per month over the | | | | campaign management area of your Google |
| previous 3 years. Obviously one of the major | | | | AdWords account. |
| improvements we'd have to make was to get more | | | | It is important that you only use one main phrase in |
| people visiting the site. A second problem was that | | | | "broad match" mode per Ad Group. You can set more |
| people were not staying very long on the site. Showing | | | | than one Ad Groups, this depends on the number of |
| that either they had arrived there by mistake or the | | | | main phrases used to find your product/s. Broad |
| website did not grab and keep them there. And so we | | | | match means that when people search with any |
| went over the stats and identified several problems. | | | | words before or after "main phrase" your ad will be |
| This article is about how we managed to improve the | | | | triggered. |
| number of visitors, time spent in website and number | | | | Now it is time to gather enough information to make |
| of inquiries resulting in higher sales. | | | | measured decisions. Let the campaign run for about a |
| We achieved this by using a three pronged approach | | | | month, this should give you enough data to take to the |
| utilizing: | | | | following step. |
| | | | Also remember that Analytics only record inquiries that |
| 1. Google AdWords | | | | come from a form on your website. Whenever you |
| 2. natural search engine optimization | | | | get a telephonic or email inquiry find out from the caller |
| 3. and by monitoring and recording crucial data in the | | | | whether they found you online. If they did, go to your |
| web statistic. | | | | analytics account and look for the phrases they used |
| The strategy works as follows: | | | | to find you. Record these! I know it sounds like a lot of |
| You will first need to sign up for a Google AdWords | | | | work but this bit of effort will pay itself many times |
| account. This is quite easy, just follow the prompts at | | | | over during the life of your business. Its worth it! |
| Then once you have created your AdWords account, | | | | At the end of the month it is time to tally up the results |
| you need to get the Google Analytics code which will | | | | and come up with a list of golden phrases that |
| help you monitor your web traffic. It is also easy to do, | | | | represent inquiries and sales. |
| in your Google AdWords control panel click on the | | | | Once you have your list you are ready for the final |
| Analytics tab click on "Add Website Profile" and follow | | | | step which is to naturally optimize your website for the |
| the prompts. Eventually you get to the page where | | | | golden phrases. This means that once your website |
| Google makes some code available for you to copy | | | | starts naturally appearing in search engines for your |
| and paste in each of your web pages. | | | | golden phrases you don't need to keep on paying for |
| Please note that you have to set up a Goal page so | | | | Google AdWords which in the long run becomes quite |
| Analytics can record the inquiries you get from your | | | | expensive. |