Recently, OT ran article about SEO and what Regus was doing to balance their organic search with PPC advertising. Business Center owners and operators often find themselves scratching their heads wondering why, after a total SEO overhaul, they aren’t really getting much more traffic than before.
If that sounds like you, it could be that you are neglecting some nuts and bolts issues. Let’s assume you’ve got the SEO piece down. You have the keywords up, the right tags and descriptions to feed the Google machine and boost your page rank. But what about the site itself? Are you looking like everyone else — a few photos of the building exterior and maybe an artsy shot of the coffee area? Yawn…
Take some time to peruse your site like an outsider. Here are some areas to look at. But this is just for starters. Be honest with your answers!
- Is it calibrated to today’s audience? Perhaps more importantly, is your clientele demographic changing? Today’s younger, hipper crowd can smell an old site the minute they click on it. They want to see more areas of interest on the home pages — sliders, events, spotlights on other tenants who might be of interest to them. And they don’t want to have to go digging for it!
- What’s new? You’d better have an answer here! Are you hosting an event or running a contest? An example of a great website is our friends at Real Office Centers, who are always doing something exciting, and they make sure their community is aware of it. You don’t need to be running a marathon or hosting an international summit, but posting your news items up front will give your website visitors the impression that you are moving forward and connected within your community.
- Is it easy for your visitors to get more information? How much personal information do they need to reveal to get it? Keep it to a minimum or you will lose them quickly.
- No mobile? No business! Seriously, check out your site from your smart phone. This is a must. Old websites need to be optimized for mobile. That doesn’t just mean sized to accommodate a smart phone, by the way. Check out the competition. Organization and easy navigation are critical to getting and keeping attention.
Don’t neglect web metrics, by the way. If you are not yet using free tools, such as Google Analytics, get on board with them now. There are several tools available, which will reveal a lot about how visitors are moving through the pages of your site. Take some time with them and you will learn a lot about how your site is being accessed and navigated.
Above all, stay relevant! If centers around you are luring all the fresh business in their doors with new and creative programs, don’t stubbornly stay lodged in your old ways. The world is changing and the customers are getting younger. Adjust your website (and your mindset) and watch more business head your way.
Image source: Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
