Wow! My Site Tune-up Is Showing Results.
Alexa is a Web information company that tracks and ranks Web sites worldwide. On their home page, you can enter a Web address and see where that site ranks in relation to millions of other sites.
When I began my site tune-up last month, my site was way down into the two millions. Ignoring my site for several years had done a lot of damage and this low ranking was the result.
Over the last few weeks, I got to work revamping elements of my site. I didn’t think there would be any quick or radical effect, but when I checked my rank on Alexa today I was surprised to find that my site had rocketed up to the 1.3 million spot. That’s an increase of well over a million positions.
This rank isn’t exactly newsworthy, since it means there are over a million sites with more traffic or a higher rank than mine. But it is noteworthy given that this represents an increase in rank of around 50 percent in a few short weeks.
So if you have ever doubted whether optimization of your site was worthwhile, put your doubts to rest.
Oh, and now when you do a search for direct mail copywriter or direct marketing copywriter, which is the business I’m in, my site is no longer down around page six. I now show up at the top of page two. Not bad for a few weeks’ work.
Will this make any difference to my business? You betcha. Most people don’t look past the first couple of pages when they’re doing a search. I’m already getting calls from people who have never heard of me before but saw my site after doing a search.
How I Gave My Freelance Site a Tune-up
You’ve heard the saying about the cobbler having holes in his shoes, right? Business people are often the last to take their own advice. And I’m as guilty as they come.
Seven years ago, I dumped my dorky old Web site and created a new site from scratch. Since I like to do things the hard way sometimes, I did it all myself. I wanted to learn HTML and other Web stuff because I knew this would become more and more important in my line of work.
So I bought a book on HTML, sketched ideas for my site, created graphics, took photos and did a little Photoshop magic, and I cranked out a new site. It was light-years ahead of my previous site and began generating business right away. I found that it did its job so well, I no longer had to send out samples or answer a lot of questions when potential clients called me. They were pre-sold and ready to do business.
The site was successful. Too successful. Because I became complacent and ignored the site for years afterward. The result? My site took a nosedive in Google search rankings and traffic stagnated. It kept on working, for sure. I had links coming in from all over the place for several of my articles and pages, especially for an article on weird postal experiments which I reprinted with permission from another writer. So despite my lack of attention, people managed to find my site and call me with business.
But by ignoring my own site, I threw away loads of potential profits. Recently, I wised up and decided to take a hard look at my site and see what could be improved. Read more
What a Successful Freelance Web Site Looks Like
A Web site is a reflection of the person who created it.
When you see a disorganized site, you can infer that the owner is probably disorganized. When you see a site that is loaded with photos of cute puppies, you can infer that the owner either has a dog or at least has a love of canines. For many people, the Web has become their face to the world. It is far more expressive and revealing than anyone could have imagined when it was being created years ago in a university as a way to share academic information.
Back then, it didn’t matter what you posted. Only a very select group would see it. But a little over a decade ago, when the Web began to become commercialized and opened up to the general public, everything changed.
What you post now is potentially seen by millions all over the world. You can get more exposure on a Web site than you can appearing on the evening news. This has raised the stakes significantly and has made creating a Web site a make or break task for many people, including freelancers.
So far in this series, we’ve looked at the benefits of having a freelance Web site, the mistakes freelancers often make with their Web sites, (like putting puppies on your site), and the essential elements to include in a Web site for freelancers. Now I want to show you my own Web site and what I’ve done to make it successful. Read more
The Elements of a Business Generating Web Site
Different freelancers will have different approaches to creating Web sites.
One will produce a huge site crammed with information, such as articles and checklists. Another will include lots of interactivity, such as polls or a blog. Another will want a lean, spartan site that is tightly focused on describing services or showing samples.
The diversity is good. You should always make your site fit your own specialty, personality, and the expectations of your prospective clients.
But the common thread running through all freelance sites is that they are (or should be) geared for generating work for your professional freelance practice. However, thinking “business” is usually the hardest part of freelancing for most people. Read more
Down and Dirty Tips for Getting Clients Fast!
Recently, I discussed what to do when your freelance business is slow. Those tips were helpful if you already have clients and an established freelance practice. But what if you’re just starting out? How do you get clients if you need work fast?
I don’t recommend that you put yourself into a position like this. But things happen, and you may find yourself needing to kick start your business. So here are a few ideas to consider.
- Work your referrals. It’s great to have people send business your way, but this takes time to work. To speed things up, simply ask people you know for names of potential clients. Contact these people and ask for more names. You keep working this chain of referrals until you find someone who needs your expertise. This won’t be to everyone’s taste. But if you’re persistent, it can work.
- Contact your “wish list.” Come up with a list of businesses you would like to work with and start making phone calls. You will probably need to talk to a few people within an organization before you find the right contact. Be pleasant and brief. Most people are willing to help direct your call if they know what you want. Don’t try to sell yourself to everyone, just ask for the person who hires freelancers. Once you reach the right person, confirm that they hire freelancers, very briefly introduce yourself, and offer to send information about your services. Later you can follow up to answer questions, set up a meeting, or schedule future contacts.
Are You Making These 7 Web Site Mistakes?
We are in the middle of a publishing and communications revolution. There has never been a time when it was easier or cheaper to put your message in front of a large audience.
Add to this the interconnectivity and search abilities provided by the Internet, and the possibilities for generating business for your freelance practice are staggering.
In a desk drawer, I have what remains of a box of floppy disks I purchased over ten years ago. I have no use for them now, but they were vital back then. As a freelance copywriter, it was the only way for me to send digital files to clients. I would save a file to the disk, put the disk in an envelope, and mail it. Two or three days later, the client would receive the disk.
My fax machine and phone were a lot more important then too. I would have to fax documents on a daily basis during a project. And communicating with a client meant calling them at their office (this was before cell phones were nearly universal) and usually leaving a message on a “machine” if the line wasn’t busy (this was also before voice mail).
Today everything is different. And the most different thing is how freelancers promote their business. Back then you’d have to print brochures and mail out samples. Today everything can be done on a Web site with a few lines of code. Read more
9 Big Benefits of a Business Web Site
In the mid 1990s, I logged into my CompuServe account and created my very first Web site. It was a big deal, because the World Wide Web was fairly new to people at the time and I was probably one of just a handful of freelancers who had a site.
Of course, it was a complete waste of time too, since just a handful of potential clients were accessing the Web back then. It was cool to have a site, but not particularly useful. I don’t remember a single client who called me because of it.
Today, that’s all changed. Just about everyone has a Web site. Saying you don’t have a site is like saying you don’t have a phone or indoor plumbing.
But just because nearly every freelancer has a site doesn’t mean that every freelancer’s site is successful. Many have one for no other reason than everyone else has one. It’s often more a matter of not wanting to explain why they don’t have a site rather than finding ways to use the site to build their business. Read more
Voice Mail: How Not to Sound Like a Clown
“Hello, this is Bigtime Client. I’m out of the office. Please leave a voice message at the beep.”
*BEEP*
“Um, yeah. This is, er, um. This is Dotty Designer calling. I was, uh, just wondering if you, you know, got the samples I sent and, uh, well maybe you didn’t look at them yet because I know you’re busy, but they’re in a big red envelope and I, er, so if you like them maybe you could, uh…”
*BEEP*
The dreaded voice mail message. It’s intimidating and merciless. It can catch you unprepared and will record every stuttering syllable as you try to string together a few intelligible sentences. More often than not, you end up sounding, shall we say, less than professional.
What’s the answer? Be prepared with a short “script.” Read more
8 Time-Eating Client Species to Avoid
After a few years of freelancing experience, you will develop a sixth sense about the people who approach you with freelance work. Within about five minutes of meeting someone or picking up the phone, you’ll be able to tell if they’re worth your time or wasting your time.
However, this skill is hard-won. While I’ve tried from the beginning to be careful, I’ve been tricked, schemed, bamboozled, and taken advantage of a number of ways. Nothing serious in the way of money, but time lost cannot be regained.
To help save you time and aggravation, I’d like to introduce you to the eight dominant species of Time Eaters. These are some of the ne’er-do-wells who lie in wait in the dark and menacing freelance jungle to feed on your valuable time. Read more
7 Steps for Killer Freelance Sales Letters
Sales letters? Yes, sales letters.
If you’re in business as a freelancer, you need to use sales letters now and then. Why? Because your Web site isn’t enough. And while e-mail is efficient, it simply doesn’t have the impact of a printed letter.
A well-written letter, printed on your letterhead and accompanied by your business card, is a powerful and personal way to introduce your freelance services to clients or offer samples of your work. A prospective client might get several hundred e-mails a day, but only a couple of letters, if any. It’s a good way to stand out.
There is an art to writing great sales letters, so you can’t expect to become an expert after reading one article. But there are time-tested tactics that can dramatically improve your chances of success. Here are seven of the most important. Read more
