I get plenty of clients or potential clients telling me they need “website optimization" (Toronto or anywhere in North America). Right away, I know it’s something that their website designer said they needed. Be grateful if your website designer recommended you get a “website optimizer" because the alternative is that he/she can do it, which will ultimately result in them trying to learn on your time and dime.

The three most important money making types of optimization are:

--> Search Engine Optimization

--> Conversion Optimization

--> Social Media Optimization

Let’s focus on search engine optimization, and conversion optimization because 95% of websites need them the most.

To simplify, let’s stick to the ABC’s of website optimization (Toronto or otherwise):

--> ATTRACTING TRAFFIC --- Search Engine Optimization

--> BUILDING TRAFFIC --- Search Engine Optimization

--> CONVERTING TRAFFIC ---- Conversion Optimization

ATTRACTING TRAFFIC

You’ll need some search engine optimization to attract traffic because 77% of first time visitors come from search engines.

The name of the game is to rank high for a “keyword" (phrase or word people search with) related to your business’s product/service. For example, if you were a Toronto divorce lawyer, when someone typed in “toronto divorce lawyer" you want your website to rank in the top 30 results. The higher you rank the more traffic you get.

With the rules for search engine optimization constantly changing, it’s best to hire a SEO (search engine optimization) expert. Otherwise, there are some great books on the subject, my favorite is Michael Wong’s “Search Engine Optimization Strategies".

BUYING TRAFFIC

When using Google, Yahoo, or MSN have you seen the “Sponsored Links" on the right hand side or on top of the results?

Well, those are paid ads. And the advertisers are NOT paying for you to see them, but rather only when you click on them.

Do they work?

If your ads are relevant they do. Thus, only go after the keywords relevant to your business services/products.

Do they cost money?

Yes, but they go up instantly, they are controllable, scalable, and easily prove an ROI.

What about “visibility" in search engines?

The benefit of “visibility" is something magazines/newspaper sold to their advertisers because they could NOT prove a ROI. When “buying traffic" you want to BUY CUSTOMERS NOT CLICKS or visibility.

My favorite option for buying traffic is Google Adwords because of the simplicity and great ROI my clients and I get.

If you have the time and motivation, take Google’s FREE “Google Adwords" course. If you don’t have the time or motivation, but have some money, hire a search engine marketing expert to set up and manage your account, you’ll save tonnes of cash on lower costs per click and eliminate wasted clicks.

CONVERTING TRAFFIC

Possibly the most underrated aspect of website optimization (Toronto or anywhere) is converting your traffic into paying clients. The bottom-line is, it’s a lot cheaper to double your conversion of traffic into customers than it is to double your traffic.

For example:

1000 visitors = $1,000/month

You convert 1% of 1000 visitors into sales = 10 sales/month

Now if you double your conversion rate, you’ll double your sales for the same cost.

1000 visitors = $1,000/month

You convert 2% of 1000 visitors into sales = 20 sales/month

How do you convert more traffic? Decide right now what you ultimately want a first-time visitor to DO on your website. If you want them to ULTIMATELY fill-in a form to request more information, then put the form up front, and remove all other distracting links and copy.

There are 100s of articles on “conversion optimization" and “website usability". Look them up. If you’re hiring a “website optimizer", he should bring up “conversion optimization" on his own, otherwise look for someone else.

ROI or RIP

The bottom-line is making you money. Your website designer or the “website optimizer" can prove a ROI by giving you a free “website optimization" evaluation report, using Yahoo’s “ROI tool", or by providing ROI case studies.

If your website designer or the “website optimizer" canNOT prove return on investment (ROI) from applying the ABC’s of website optimization (Toronto), let them RIP.