The dream has always been to have that magic website out there, working for you even while you sleep!
That Safe and Restful Sleep, Sleep, Sleep…
In the 90’s, I had clients who taught me a thing or two about the importance of spending the time on researching what was needed to attract visitors to websites.
At the time, I was mostly struggling with getting web pages to look just right in those prehistoric days of web design!
I’ve had clients hire (and fire) so-called search engine gurus who would claim to know all the tricks for getting their site on the fabled “First Page of Google Search!”
Sad to say, the techniques they used were often based on some defect in search engines’ algorithms that eventually were corrected.
For the clients who are successful, I’ve learned there are really only 5 tasks that worked then, and work now.
Success Defined
Success is mostly about staying with a schedule of tasks and being ready for the fruits when they come.
It’s about not getting hung up on aspects that don’t translate to increased visitors.
For one client, success is an ecommerce site with modest sales for many years, until a better payment method, tutorials with yours truly, and isolating in place came along.
For another client, it was years spent tweaking content on their site as they gradually shifted their focus to a career that became their main source of income.
Other clients became Influencers (before the term was actually coined). They posted daily on topics they were interested it. They were not out to sell anything directly, but by becoming well-known in their particular niches, opportunities emerged. Opportunities such as collaborations, public speaking events.
You’ll see that these success stories share the word years. It’s a hard sell for someone in a hurry!
The 5 Tasks
- Optimize the website for Google and for visitors
- Add new content to the site on some regular basis
- Use social media to bring traffic to the site
- Monitor visitor stats
- Offline advertising and activity
In spite of Google’s indifference, I do great design!
A Stunning Design
You’ll notice that the list does not include “Have a stunning website design.”
Being a ‘web designer’, and having that be the search term people find me on, it does stick a bit in the craw.
The number one priority for people and bots visiting your website is to find what they want as fast as possible.
They appreciate a clean, intuitive presentation. After that, they will stay if there is more of what they like.
Boxes flying in from the left, boxes flying in from the right, a movie playing in the background, 10 slideshows, they are outta there!
In my next article I’ll be going into more depth on each of The 5 Tasks For A Website That Works For You, and expanding on what each task entails.