I’ll keep this simple. Hold on to your hats here. I am about to lay some truth on you that is not even close to new and has been said for years now. The reason I have to say it again is because apparently many SMB’s are hard of hearing. Should I type it in caps so you can read it easier? Here it goes ……. IMAGES HIDE YOUR WEB SITE FROM THE SEARCH ENGINES! There I said it …..again, just like thousands of search marketers before me. Apparently, there is some selective hearing going on the SMB world as well as the web design world. Images and the search engines still don’t get along. If you are wondering just how well your site does when it presents itself to the search engines be sure to check out SEMCheck, the low cost search engine optimization tool.
A pretty site that has all these cool looking images and flash components may look nice but it’s kinda like having a great painting but putting on display in your attic. No matter what your web design guru says about all the design elements that will make your visitors go ‘ooooooh aaaaaaaah’ those design tricks are not helping your business. The business of the web happens through the search engines. If no one can find you then you could have the Mona Lisa of web sites but it won’t matter because if no one sees it, then no one knows your services, then no one buys your stuff, then you sit and scratch your head asking “Why s no one doing anything through my site?”
Your helpful hints:
- Make sure every single critical page on your web site has a good balance between text and images. When in doubt use more text.
- Get over your need to have an attractive site and concentrate on the business aspects of your web presence. Usability and conversions trump look and feel ALWAYS.
- Any images that you do use need an alt tag. It gives the engines something to feed on.
- Flash is OK but only in really small doses. It cannot be read by the engines although improvements are taking place. It’s not worth the investment or the headache of trying to work around it when doing search engine optimization (SEO)
Also, never make a design decision on your site without discussing the implications for search engine optimization. I promise you that you will regret the decision to get in the way of your site being useful for attracting prospects that truly want your services. Those are the people who have typed their need in a Google search box and they are asking for the search engine to give them a good answer to their question. If you aren’t there because you have a pretty web site but your competition is because they understood business better than you did then, oh well, at least your site looks nice!
SMB Takeaway: The search engines like Google and (what are those other ones?) don’t play well with images, flash and javascript on a web site. You must make decisions around design and business goals and objectives. Design should never trump revenue. Who woulda thunk?
Thanks and have a great day!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree
I have been looking to get a professional photo taken to replace the very bad image on my own blog.
A few weeks ago a full search in Google did not result in anything conveniently close.
Just last week a hand delivered flyer was dropped in my mailbox of a professional photographer was dropped in my mailbox. The place was just a few blocks away!
Since the flyer had the website I went looking.
Very pretty site, great photographic images he had done. But almost no text. Zip. Nada.
A few blocks away, but a million miles from Google.
Elliot Rosss last blog post..You Don’t Take Me Seriously
Elliot,
Wow. Isn’t that interesting. The intersection of old and new media is something that needs to be addressed at deeper levels by all marketers in general.
I feel part of my calling is to help the little guy understand that it is available to them but that it isn’t free. Little guys seem to have some entitlement that they don’t need to spend any money to get results. That’s just bad business acumen. For those who get it and see that the investment can yield there is endless opportunity out there as your story exhibits.
Frank Reeds last blog post..SMB’s Love Images – Too Bad the Search Engines Don’t
Is the challenge “they don’t need to spend any money to get results”
Or is the challenge that many SMB’s ‘Don’t Know what they ‘Don’t Know’?
Unless a SMB owner/manager has an inkling of the benefits they won’t even think about it.
How is it communicated, how are they educated!
On my blog I did a post that on an acquaintances SMB website, well;
“….Perhaps through advertising, a sales call, or even a referral, someone remembers just a basic part about your business. Unfortunately they cannot remember all the details.
They already know you exist. But they cannot find you …”
His is another case where they are invisible …….
Regards and thanks!
Elliot Rosss last blog post..You Don’t Take Me Seriously
Oh wow this is a wake up call. I always thought images for SE friendly for the most part.