Web site maintenance, website management and web consulting services

It’s been a while since I checked my Google PageRank and my Alexa traffic rankings, so I decided to have a little peek this morning.

My findings weren’t particularly interesting, but they did get me thinking about the state of my business.

First of all, what did Google and Alexa think?

It seems that Google doesn’t like me quite as much as it did a few months ago. My PR has dropped from an insignificant 3/10 to a paltry 2/10. Why I do not know; clearly I’ve done something to annoy the big G.

On the bright side, Alexa has upped my ranking from 2,216,056 (which is probably as low as any ranking could be) to 829,909 (still rubbish, but better).

Why?

I think there are a couple of good reasons why this has happened to me:

1. I’ve been messing around with my site a fair bit lately. I’ve had 2 site redesigns in the past 12 months, a change in the structure of the site’s content, and a hosting change a couple of months ago. Surely none of this can be helpful.
2. Google obviously doesn’t think much of the links I’ve been building to this site lately. Pity, but sometimes these things happen. Google PageRank is a completely worthless gauge of a website’s importance anyway, so I don’t really care.
3. Traffic to my blog has steadily been increasing over the past 3 months, so Alexa is right to notice my 362% increase in global reach. Of course, Alexa is just as worthless as Google at measuring website authority.

Why I don’t care about Google PR or Alexa

PageRank and Alexa rank are rubbish in my opinion, so what do I consider to be a good indication of my website’s performance this year?

1. More traffic (78% increase in the past 6 months).
2. More comments on my blog (but not enough. Get commenting!)
3. More return visitors (my bounce rate has dropped from a whopping 93% to 59%)
4. More sales leads (from less than 3 per month to between 5 and 8 per week).
5. A higher number of sales lead conversions (no data available, but something seems to be working).

On the whole I’d give my progress a 7/10 so far this year. I’ve fallen short of the goals I set myself but I’m not too disappointed. Besides, I’ve still got 2 months to go.

So that’s how I use a tiny bit of science and a huge dollop of gut feel to measure my online business performance. How do you measure yours?

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Following on from yesterday’s Local search engine marketing article, I thought you might be interested in reading a bit more on the topic, so I’ve compiled a couple of links for you:

Matt McGee’s Hyperlocal Blogging blog. Matt has put together a very detailed series of posts about hyperlocal blogging and his personal experiences. I can’t begin to tell you how envious I am that he’s managed to launch an entire blog about this fascinating topic.

Matt also points out these blog posts that have cropped up lately:

John Batelle’s case study on the Open Forum blog about the perils of not getting to grips with local search engine marketing. This makes for a really good read and applies to your business, whatever business you’re in.

If you feel like getting a little more involved in the nuts and bolts behind local search marketing, Dev Basu’s article about building landing pages that are optimized for local search is a good place to start.

I suspect that this topic is going to become more and more important in the coming months. So get reading before you miss out.

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While you’re fighting against 10 million competing websites for a number 1 Google ranking for ‘Aquatic supplies’, 300 people in the South of England are searching for ‘pet shop in Ashford’. Of course those 300 people aren’t going to find your business because you’ve probably ignored the power of local search engine marketing. And to make matters worse for you, those 300 people are ready to buy right now.

As business owners, we tend to ignore micro-niche markets and focus on the big picture. And we’re losing out. So, as a primer to local search engine marketing, which is a topic I’m starting to study in depth, here are a few things you can do to help your website achieve search engine stardom within 50 miles of your office.

Submit your website to local search engines and local online directories.

There are loads of options to choose from. Start with Google Maps, Yahoo Local, MSN Local Search, and the Yellow Pages. Once you’re listed on the major sites, start exploring your region for local business portals, local directories and even your local chamber of commerce’s website.

Build links from local businesses.

In fact, why not build a network with other local businesses? There are probably dozens of local businesses in your area facing exactly the same marketing challenges as you. If they have websites convince them to enter into a reciprocal linking arrangement. Even better, give them a reason to provide you with a one-way link.

Build a blog.

Not just any blog, a hyperlocal blog. Write about your town and how your business is helping people/businesses in your region.

Spend money on local advertising.

Google Adwords lets you geo-target your advertising in most countries. Don’t waste your advertising budget on people who are more likely to buy from their local pet shop than yours. Target the people who live 3 blocks away, but don’t know you exist.

The facts about local vs. global search engine marketing

1. Local search marketing is cheaper.
2. Local search marketing (in most cases) is easier.
3. Local search marketing yields faster results.

I’m encouraging all my clients to let me develop local search marketing campaigns for them. If your business could benefit from more local customers, I’d recommend you do the same.

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