They Know Your Name - so What?
Every time I go to a networking event (and I go to a lot!), I obviously spend some time telling people there what it is that I do.
And invariably, someone will sit there listening, then a smug smile will start to spread across their face. They wait until I finish, and I know what they're going to say;
"I don't need your services. I'm already number one in Google"
I take a deep breath, as always, and say "That's fantastic! What are you number one FOR?"
The smug smile is replaced by a slight look of bewilderment.
"FOR?" they query.
"Yes" I say, "What do people type into Google to see you in the number one spot?"
Their brow crumples, they look around a bit, then they look at me with almost a look of pity.
"My company name..." they say, the tone of voice and ensuing gap leaving me under no illusion that they wanted to add the word "stupid" to that sentence.
I take a deep breath...
And then it begins - the argument as to why being found for your company name isn't the most fantastic thing in the world.
Let's think about it guys:
Scenario 1.
You meet someone out and about, and give them your business card. They pocket it, find out more about your company and decide they may want to get in touch with you.
6 months later they're at their office, and thinking "I really need to speak to that nice chap John, from that company that made handmade greetings cards. What was the name of the company? Oh yes, 'John's Handmade Greetings Cards' "
Off they toddle to Google, type in John's Handmade Greetings Cards, and hey presto! You're number one, they get in touch, and all is well with the world.
Of course, they could also have gone to their business card holder / box / drawer / corner of the room, and found you that way. The fact is that they already knew you and your company name, so it was easy to find you.
Of COURSE you should be number one for your company name - by default this should be the case, unless you have a very generic business name.
So, Scenario 2.
You meet someone out and about, and give them your business card. They pocket it, find out more aout your company and decide they may want to get in touch with you.
6 months later they're at their office, and thinking "I really need to speak to that nice chap John, from that company that made handmade greetings cards. What was the name of the company? Oh God, it's on the tip of my tongue. Now I know he was a lovely guy, and I know what his company did, but for the life of me I can't remember his company name. Now where did I put his business card?"
Now let's say they can't find your business card. Not to panic - the internet will come to the rescue, right?
Off they toddle to Google, type in "handmade greetings cards", and they find....
What do they find? Not your site. Because you're happy being top for your company name.
They find your competitors - and lots of them. And someone else gets the business.
Imagine another scenario, where the person searching has never even met you, heard of you, thought of you, and most definitely hasn't dreamed of you.
Are they going to be searching for your company name? No.
Are they going to be searching for your products? Yes.
If you are only ranked highly under your company name, will they find you? No.
So what can you do?
Right now, take a piece of paper and a pen. Split it into two halves - one half headed "Where" and the other "What".
In the "Where" part, write down the areas in which you work - eg Leicester, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire.
In the "What" part, write down what it is you do or provide - eg "SEO,search engine listings, internet marketing training, site reviews"
Thos things now form the basis of the type of search phrases you want people to find you for:
* internet marketing milton keynes
* internet marketing training milton keynes
* site reviews northampton
etc.
Now check if your site is findable for those phrases. Not sure? Visit our site at www.nikkipilkington.com and apply for our free report to find out.
If your site can't be found for the services and products that you provide, then you are missing out on visitors, and therefore on business.
Being found for your company name is good - but it's only a start. Think of all the people that know who you are. Now think of all of the people that don't. Which is the larger category? And in that case, who should you be targeting?
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Nikki Pilkington is owner of Milton Keynes based Internet Marketing Company Nikki Pilkington.com, and writes articles, hints and tips to help people looking to promote their website for free, as well as running paid e-marketing campaigns. For more of her articles visit www.nikkipilkington.com and sign up to the newsletter.
© Nikki Pilkington Please do not reproduce without either a link or permission
About the Author:Internet marketing expert Nikki Pilkington is owner of NikkiPilkington.com, an internet marketing and search engine optimisation company based in the UK, offering higher google listings, SEO, website traffic generation, Adwords management, email marketing and more.www.nikkipilkington.com
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