This is not a question that I need an answer for, but rather, a question to provoke thought on this particularly important subject matter.

Most everyone knows that the internet is a powerful marketing tool, but just how to let people know how to find your website is a tough issue, unless you have alot of money to spend on advertising. Even then, it will depend on how well or marketed your advertiser is that will determine if your own site is found through the advertiser.

What exactly is "optimization"? In simple terms, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is how the content of your website is written and submitted to the major search engines.


Several years ago, I decided to build my first website. I bought the necessary software to build websites and was successful in putting together a pretty nice little site. It was called Decals for Less and my desire was to start an online decal business. I spent several months putting this together, yet I had very little web traffic and very few sales. Most of my decals were sold through Ebay and people who found me there found my website this way. It was obvious that I needed traffic to my website if I were going to sell my decals.

I began looking at ways to do this and advertising was an option, so I tried Google Adwords. This was a "pay per click" program that allowed me to submit search terms that related to my business and if my site were found and someone clicked on my link, they would be directed to my website. The result was that I spent money, but made less.

Not willing to give up, I began looking at how search engines work and studying the art of SEO. It did take an extended period of time (years) to actually learn how to do this sucessfully, but ultimately, it was worth all the time spent.

Today, the part time decal business has become a full time sign company and ALL of my clients find me on the internet. The name of my company is Dallas Sign Company. If you use Yahoo search and type in Dallas Sign Company, you will find my company listed as #1. I am also at the top of MSN search results.

So, I ask the question: How important is website optimization? The answer is pretty obvious.

If you do not have a website, get one. Then, optimize your site or have it optimized by someone willing to guarantee results, in writing. You should also check to see if they have actually done this for another company with sucessful results. Beware of someone promising to do this only to pay Google or another search engine to list you as a "sponsored" listing.

I hope this information has helped someone in some way. If you have questions, please post them here so others can learn from the answers. I do not know everything about web developing and SEO, but if I can answer a question I will do so. I am sure that others here would be willing to help as well.

Good luck!

John Barton
Dallas Sign Company

It is really important. You will need to do SEO, SEM and other way around to make your website popular among the other millions of competitors.

It will keep jumping and struggling around initially but once you get through a good ranking, it will then let your site popular on its own.

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Mitul Bhavsar
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Very very important, Itz the only way you can get 100% targeted organic SE traffic

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Quote:

Website Optimization, How important is it, Really?!

This is very important.

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SEO is very important as most people will use a search engine these days to find what they are looking for

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For a company that offers services online, one of the most negative things is not to have their name listed among the first results on Google, Yahoo and MSN. This should be the first and most important step. Next we get to generating traffic and converting visitors into customers, but this is another discussion.

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Very good post by Dallas42 provoking about SEO importance, yet, it takes year to master by oneself. I've spent many years building websites and helping others to gain PR's and Serps.

It's not so easy which also doesn't come by fast and Dallas made a good point that DO WATCH OUT for fake so-called-seo-gurus. They are out there.

Get link exchanged, release presses, optimize your website with niche keywords, and upload your fresh contents on a daily basis!

Though I have 1 question in mind...

I tried to type Dallas Sign company. is this your site?
http://www.dallassignco.com/ perhaps you need your site look caught with trends
and build customers trust.

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obviously SEO is important

BUT

I would consider the long term SEO more important - try to think ahead - what is the most logical way your site (page) will be found in the search engines in the future - presuming we are still using search engines in the future?

For me too many people have discussed the topic of the day for example many years ago it was stuff your meta tags with as many keywords as possible even if they weren't related to your product or service - quite clearly this was a dumb idea.

only a few years / months ago it was get as many links as you can

I'm sick to death of webmasters asking for a link to their site and offering a link from a completely unrelated site in terms of topic - 3 way links are great don't get me wrong - but i'm yet to find anyone who offers quality 3 way links?

Hello. New BusinessForum poster here. I've heard of a label / sticker expert selling $10,000 monthly from his site. I think that some businesses gravitate better than others when it comes to online sales. eg. Why is that Yahoo! auctions is dead while ebaY continues to prosper and do good for its brand? (tons of reasons for this)

SEO is search engine improvement and Google gets most of the online wave. So I would consider sticking with the flow than venture into a smaller search engine w/ their optimization rules. However, there is no clear cut understanding what Google has done to optimize a site. or will do. And if your getting fair results from another SE than I would say to stay the course. (all things considered)

As far as marketer -- do try making minor imporvement to most of your marketing mix and see what does the trick(s). eBaY is always doing new things -- for better or worst. (as an example of the discipline)

Also, i have not seen your Adwords campaigns and i cannot second guess -- but i;ve spoken with other advertisers -- they say it can take many different approaches to find your best performer. (the possibilitis are endless -- some will swear by niche, while another affiliate uses general keywords)

Thanks.

The eye is the power!
With out eye ,you web is lost labour .

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