WEBSITES, yes, we all need them. They are your shopfront, your validation and the first port of call for anyone ready to make a judgement about who you are, what you stand for and what you offer. That’s why you are reading this.

Once that website is in place though, what are you going to do with it? Your website needs to generate traffic, handle that traffic, and then leverage that traffic into sales. In our opinion at Mr Content, your website is not a starting point, it is an anchor to be used constructively. It keeps the ship afloat.

What do we mean by that? We mean that your website alone in a sea of other digital information is next to useless as a sales tool. If it is not positioned and indexed properly it won’t bring anyone to your screen. What generates traffic is far more important, and most people understand that this means SEO.

But what is that? It’s also nebulous concept, and frankly a bit of a con. SEO – Search Engine Optimization – is exactly that, but much misunderstood. The key is in the full name – ie, it applies only to Search Engines, which in today’s world means Google.

Where do most people start with a search for information about things they love, or things they need? They start with a Google search. That is literally people typing into the box at the top panel of a Google search. “Where to eat Chinese food in Bali”, “Where to get a suit made in Bali”, or as we had recently, “Where to find pure essential oils in Bali”. It’s a search, quite literally, of something people want or need.

Google then interprets this request based on their algorithm, and delivers a list. Where you stand as a business on this list depends on a variety of factors that can be enhanced, and this is what is termed SEO. If you can optimize your name, offering, your key words, and tidy your site so that it ticks all the algo boxes, then you’re in the money. Right?

Anyone who has ever tried using SEO optimization software like, let’s say, the Yoast plugin for WordPress websites, will ultimately tell you that this is futile. You fiddle around, make all the lights go green, but your ranking on Google never actually improves. That’s because if you’re not generating big traffic, for whatever reason, Google simply ignores you and throws down onto page 3 or 4 – or worse.

How do you get around this? Well you could listen to the ‘experts’ and start fiddling with Yoast knobs, or you could just work with the system and buy Google Ads. This at least guarantees a ranking, and it’s why “optimization” is made so hard. It’s a distraction. If you buy an ad, you are not only going to save money and time on SEO “experts”, you are actually going to get ranked. That’s why Google sells Ads, because that is ultimately what it wants you to do.

Ok, so that’s our first pitch about websites. Yes they need to look great, they need to work across platforms and have great content, but that alone won’t actively bring you customers. What does that is engaging content, great sales decks, a good database engagement and awesome aftercare service that follows up on inquiries and leads generated. This then needs to be funneled into a vertical channel that ends with a sale. And a resale. And a satisfied customer.

That’s why we take a bigger view than most.

Yes, we make great looking websites that speak your language.

Yes, we make great looking Sales Decks that get your message across.

And yes, we build databases that deliver repeat customers and we put systems in place to automate your offer and after care followup.

What we do differently is that we build all this from the ground up. Starting with your brand, your positioning in the market – in a solid legal framework – with a great, consistent story and content that expresses exactly what you do that is better than your competitor.

Branding is a big topic. Contact us for a free consultation that breaks it down for you and your business.

Check out some examples of websites we have created, here, here or here.