Many businesses rush to get a Web site onto the Internet but fail to achieve the business from it that they hoped for. Why? Because they do not understand Web site marketing, or there is not enough compelling content in the site, or because the site is not optimized for search engine recognition and is not ranked high enough within search results to get noticed, or a combination of all of the above.

There are no-cost and low-cost solutions to cure poor Web site performance. With the right direction your Web site can

• Drive more customers to your business
• Deeply penetrate your business market
• Generate more sales through qualified leads
• Position your business as the leading authority in its specialty
• Establish your business specialty
• Build brand recognition
• Reinforce the business's brand

Common mistakes businesses make with their Web site

Too often, businesses miss opportunities by highlighting what is important to them instead of what is important to their customers. Their brochures are packed with pictures of elaborate equipment, their sales literature explains their features, and then they all sit dormant in a file or in the trash because the translation of their features were not presented well as benefits to their customers.

Customers are less interested in the fancy equipment or how many PhDs or college-educated personnel an organization has; customers want to know what the benefits are to them. Will they receive a better value because of the faster speeds of the equipment and the expertise of the quality control of the company's highly-skilled people, for example? How, exactly?

That's what customers are looking for, and it is the common misconception of many businesses that miss the opportunity to explain exactly why they have a specialty that others don't have, or perhaps cannot come close to.

Marketing your business specialties

Successful businesses are effectively using the Internet to market their specialties, not just their Web site, through information shared via online marketing in press releases, case studies, reports, and articles, for example, and through social networking sites utilizing marketing strategies and systematic tactics.

Beginning with excellent search engine optimized content, each Web page and each online document will capitalize on one or two keywords or keyword phrases that emphasize what Web browsers are being asked to search for by users seeking specific information. The content supporting these keywords and phrases is important and requires relevancy to ensure higher placement among the search engines that are using sophisticated algorithms to determine the value of each document and Web page.

The more relevant the content supporting each keyword is determined to be, the more often the Web page is used and associated with the Web site, and the more importance the search engines attribute to the site. And the higher the importance, the higher the ranking in the search results when people are seeking information relevant to the keywords and phrases.

Results speak for themselves

When the phone rings and new prospects or customers contact you, then you know your efforts are having an impact. When you ask a potentially new customer how they happened to call you, and they tell you they saw your site listed on the first page they Googled, then that tells you you're doing the correct things and should continue doing them. (The lack of calls from new business should also be a sign that something needs to be improved, right away.)

I started the J Howard Company just a few years ago after many years working with advertising agencies, marketing firms, and public relations experts from agencies and private corporations, producing conventionally printed materials, and learning what did and did not work for them. That is an advantage I have that many others do not, and it has taken me years to accumulate this knowledge. That's your biggest advantage of using my services!

The Internet has revolutionized how companies communicate to clients. My business has helped primarily small to medium-size businesses nationwide; all effective communications strategies begin with quality content to build from.

Now, you can use my winning combination of tactics to create a strategy for your particular needs, simply, easily, and confidently. You will see your Web site consistently place higher and higher in the search engines, attracting more serious buyers of your services and products.

Contact me at 214-485-3680. I'm located in Dallas, Texas so you know you're going to like me.