|
||
As I was in the airport today waiting for my flight, I was next to a gate for Southwest. For those that don't know, Southwest doesn't issue reserved seats like most airlines. Instead, ticket-holders are issued one of three boarding groups, each of which lines up before the flight. It's very similar to general admission seating at concerts.
And as I was waiting for my flight, I watched maybe 200 people standing in line, each hoping to above being sandwiched between two 6'7" fat guys and behind a screaming kid.
I was on a Southwest flight yesterday...and I was one of those people. And it sucked...
Today, I was flying US Airways. I got to the gate, which had about three agents, each of which were trying to get the people to their flights via several automated check-in systems. Not a great process for those who don't like automation, but it worked great for me.
Got to the gate and noticed the same agents who were working the ticket booth were also working that area. I knew US Airways was in bad financial shape, but found this interesting.
How can an airline like Southwest be making hand-over-fist money while almost every other airline is going broke? Ticket holders line up like cattle waiting to be slaughtered, the leg room is non-existent, and you're lucky if you get peanuts as your in-flight meal.
Even the full-service, "here's a hot towel, sir" guys can't compete. Why?
You could argue that people are cheap and want to save money, but there is something more than that. I'd argue that it's because Southwest does a good value of managing customer expectations.
When you fly Southwest, you know you're going to have to line up like cattle, you know the flight crew will crack jokes, and you know you're going to be short on legroom. And when you know, you can deal with those things.
US Airways though, while there was no problem for me today, tries to position itself as a more "classy" operation. And people expect more. So when flights are delayed or some other problem comes along, people get pissed.
This is something to think about when dealing with club owners, fans, and anybody else you come in contact with. People are fine with delays on the new album, a rhythm section that can't keep time, and just about anything you can dish at them, but you have to let them know what to expect.
Usually I talk about SEO in terms of helping business owners get more business as their site shows up sooner in searches. While this is a noble and profitable goal I want you to place yourself in the shoes of a consumer.
In other articles I have talked about the entitlement mentality that is rampant among website users. They want information – and they want it right now.
That's where your hard work with SEO strategies matches up with the consumers demand for immediacy. It is possible that a search engine user will need to back up and refine their search from time to time, but for the most part they'd like to find what they want to find on the first search. When you do an effective job and maximizing SEO within your site the consumer can access your information sooner.
The sooner they find you the sooner they can determine if they want to spend money with you. Isn't that what you want?
Business is always geared toward the needs and expectations of consumers. Without that motivation the role of business would be stagnant with an unhappy buying public.
If your site caters to the needs of consumers within the site then you should pay close attention to the way they find you.
I've conducted thousands of online searches, just like you, and it can be frustrating when I really need to find something very specific and it becomes clear that the site I ultimately find it on hasn't applied correct SEO to their site. If it weren't for the fact that I really wanted a product I would have given up much sooner and determined I could live without whatever it is I thought I wanted.
In many ways your search ranking is a bit like a flexible yellow pages listing in a phone book. You have the power to improve the way search engines view and rank your site, but too many times business owners act as if this should be of little concern and their listing slips to the bottom of the list.
You may be able to improve visitation through buzz or viral marketing. However, since most business owners want to spend more time doing business than working on viral marketing then a firm foundation in SEO is a pretty important consideration.
Consumers don't need or even want you to explain how and why you developed SEO strategies. Most of them won't know what that is, nor will they really care. All they really know for sure is they wanted to find something specific online and they found it in your site.
If consumers really understood SEO they would be the first to tell you to make that a priority if you want their business. If you don't use SEO to your advantage you are banking on the notion that your potential customers enjoy finding your business in the same way someone finds a proverbial needle in a haystack.
If you don't want to pursue SEO for your own sake then at least think of your customer's needs.