Ten years ago or so, launching a web site for your organization was a newsworthy event. You were surely on the cutting edge, maybe even the bleeding edge, when you took the dramatic step of opening your organization up to those relatively few consumers who looked to the Internet as a commerce alternative.
Today, you're a Luddite if you don't have a web site and a dinosaur if all your web site does is showcase your products or services and provide an online ordering mechanism.
Building a web site is no longer a newsworthy event. But having one, even a tricked out one with all the bells and whistles, may be a non-event if you aren't working hard to raise your site's visibility in a crowded marketplace.
The Top 3 Things Web Sites Are ?About? These Days
1. Visibility 2. Visibility 3. Visibility
It's not enough to have a web site loaded with all the must-have features if no one knows it's there.
The Advertising World has Changed
A friend of mine relayed a story to me that should send a chill up the spine of any organization that isn't fully invested in raising its website's visibility.
My friend's father-in-law was in the hospital. A nurse made a terrible error and hooked up the wrong medicine to his IV tube. It nearly killed him. After the doctors pulled him back from the brink of death, the hospital's Risk Manager came to the room with a waiver offering the patient some relatively small amount of money in return for releasing the hospital from all claims over the ?unfortunate incident.?
My friend's mother-in-law, a 69 year-old woman who doesn't even have an email address, turned to my friend and said ?Go on the Internet and find one of those medical malpractice lawyers and make an appointment for me and you to visit him.? That's what she said; but it's what she didn't say that is so chilling.
She didn't say ?Go to the Yellow Pages and find a lawyer.?
She didn't say ?What's the name of that big law firm that advertises on TV every day.?
She instinctively knew that the Internet was the preferred source for solving her immediate problem.
My friend used Google to search on the term ?medical malpractice? and the name of the city the hospital was in. He took the results and googled each firm's name to find more information not only from the firm, but from people who had used the firm and had written about their experiences in blogs and other social media sites.
What if you had a law firm serving that market? Would your firm's name have come up in the top 10 Google results? Would you have had satisfied clients writing about you or your firm on social media sites?
You don't have to be a lawyer to see that the world around you is changing.
If you don't have top search engine placement and a strong social media network working on your behalf, you are invisible.
The good news is: It's never too late to start.
The bad news is: Nothing will happen until you make it happen.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is part science and part magic. Blend both parts together and you instantly raise your chances of survival in an increasingly hostile market where SEO-savvy competitors are all too willing to use the Internet against you.
In research conducted by Britannia Rescue, some three million drivers (ten per cent) have been left trapped outside of their vehicle as a result of losing their keys and not having a spare set, which in turn has seen them face "a more costly lock-out". Overall, an estimated 16 per cent of drivers have permanently mislaid a set of car keys at least once in their life. And with some 2.8 million adults not owning spare keys at all, the firm states that the 445,280 people who have had to replace such items have had to shell out a total of 89 million pounds.
As the cost of replacing the typical car door key is currently four times higher than ten years ago, those who have lost the item could be set for a rise in financial pressures which may extend to struggles in servicing other areas of their finances such as tax, utility bills and loans. Presently getting a new key designed, created and programmed will set drivers back by an average of about 200 pounds, however motorists owning either a Ford Focus or a Nissan Micra may witness even more trouble with money in terms of making loan repayments and meeting numerous other demands for spending, as replacement keys for these models cost 266 pounds and 326 pounds respectively.
Commenting on the study, Martin Milliner, spokesperson for Britannia Rescue, said: "Accessing vehicles built since 1998 is generally more time-consuming and expensive for drivers due to the introduction of increasingly sophisticated alarms, immobilisers and shielded locks. The cost of getting back behind the wheel could really rocket if work is needed on the ignition or security system as well, but one clear way of avoiding this issue is to look after your spare key and keep it in a sensible place."
He added that the company receives "many call-outs" from those who have lost their keys and need help getting back into their motor vehicle. Mr Milliner added that "some common but unsuitable places" in which consumers keep their spare set of keys include handbags, glove compartments or on the same ring as their main set.
As a result, those drivers who are concerned that the various costs associated with maintaining a motor vehicle may cause them to struggle financially may wish to consider taking out a low-rate loan to help them meet such costs. In recent research carried out by Sainsbury's Bank, the typical car currently costs some 2,259 pounds to run every year - up by 2.6 per cent from the same time 12 months ago and ten percentage points higher from figures recorded in 2005. With expenses continuing to rise, applying for a cheap loan could be a useful way for borrowers to pay off various debts quickly and so help to free up more disposable income. In addition, the firm reported that fuel is the largest demand on spending, as it costs drivers 1,211 pounds every year.
Consequently, motorists were advised that ensuring they shop around for insurance may help them to "dramatically reduce their motoring costs", with this in turn possibly helping them in their ability to make loan payments. Those looking to purchase a car, meanwhile, may be advised to take out a low-cost loan as doing so often proves more cost-effective than opting for a garage showroom deal.
Both Rahul & Mark Dawson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Rahul has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Travel and Leisure and Real Estate. At Idea Design Websites in the Tampa area, we keep informed about the current market and technologies. We prepare your on line presence to be more than passive for your visitors. We offer. Rahul's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
Mark Dawson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Insurance, Personal Finance and Finances. Mark Dawson writes for the Loan Arrangers. Where visitors can online, and apply for. Mark Dawson's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.