 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Local Companies Increase Sales with Smart Web Strategies
Designing a Web site is no longer just about making it attractive to customers. Today, the Internet is a vast collection of data that is meticulously combed through by search engines like Google and Yahoo!. In a given month, search engines like these can perform an average of 9.4 billion searches for users (according to a September 2007 study published on SearchEngineWatch.com, an online resource that monitors search engine performance). Fundamentally, if a Web site is not listed as one of the top ten search options by a search engine like Google, the more than 65 million people online are most likely not seeing the Web site. For companies, this translates to lost business and ultimately lost revenue.
“To make the most of your online presence, it really requires a marriage of good design and smart Web programming,” said Wendie Every, owner of Every Idea, one of Central Oregon’s most established marketing agencies, providing intelligent branding, award-winning creative, and results driven marketing services. “A good design now must accommodate text driven promotion for search engine optimization and striking visual content. Doing so is a critical shift in how companies have traditionally approached their Web site.”
Such a shift was top of mind for Redmond-based Kobe Beef America, the leading producer of American Wagyu Kobe beef. In August, the company was faced with redesigning their current Web site because it had begun to slip in search engine rankings and because the company was losing potential sales to competitors who had an option for customers to buy product online or as retail. Kobe Beef America’s old site lacked any e-commerce ability and the company had no retail outlet. Not to mention, Kobe Beef America needed their site to not only compete against other beef producers, but also maintain a high rank when the average consumer searched for something like “Kobe beef”. On Google, the term “Kobe beef” produces a listing of approximately 985,000 listings.
“In our industry, Kobe Beef is a common, broadly used term like Black Angus. Studies have shown that the majority of users will not look beyond the first ten to fifteen listings,” said Mark Hoegh, vice president of marketing, Kobe Beef America.
Kobe Beef America hired Every Idea and its Web partner, Smart Solutions, a Bend company that provides a one-of-a-kind Web site management suite paired with search engine optimization strategies. The companies worked together to create a new look with mouth-watering photography, a full e-commerce system to support online buying, and expert Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques.
The site launched in late August of this year. Within two to three weeks of the launch, the site had more than 1,000 unique visits with the majority of their visits sent from Google searches.
“It’s an interesting change in how any company approaches the Internet because search engines are inherently text or data driven. The search engines do not factor design into their ranking of a site,” said Mark Knowles, president of Smart Solutions.
According to Wikipedia, a web-based encyclopedia, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a Web site from search engines (like Google, Yahoo!, MSN) via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results.” Search results are then ranked and the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. “As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for. SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering (or browsing) a site.”
Currently, in a search for “Kobe Beef”, Kobe Beef of America (www.kobe-beef.com) ranks consistently in the top 1 or 2 positions. This coupled with a new design that added an easy-to-use e-commerce store, Kobe Beef America is now cashing in on online sales. The new site was supported by a strategic pay-per-click (advertising) campaign on Google, Yahoo and MSN. By November, the company experienced a 45% growth in online sales over the prior month. In December of 2007, it earned more than $22,000 in online sales.
“Any money made online is money that did not exist prior to this Web site redesign,” said Mark Hoegh. “The result of doing this redesign has now opened an additional revenue source that has already begun to positively impact our bottom line.”
This local company stands to make at least $100,000 in Web site sales during the first year the Web site is live, and that’s assuming things remain consistent. If growth each month increases exponentially, as it did in December, Kobe Beef America can expect online sales to make up at least 10 percent of their overall company sales within the first year.
“What’s different about this site redesign from most is that search engine optimization goals were considered from conception,” said Mark Knowles, Smart Solutions.
Typically, companies design a Web site with the mindset of creating print collateral or other branded materials. That is, the site would be designed first to appeal to the customer, both aesthetically and for ease of use. Unfortunately, what is graphically attractive is not necessarily what makes a site rank in search findings. Hence, companies may spend an average of $10,000 - $20,000 on a well-designed, well-branded site, but it will not rank in a simple search by a search engine.
For Smart Solutions and Every Idea, Kobe Beef America is just one in a series of local successes. The two companies recently announced a strategic business partnership that enables Every Idea to be one of the first agencies to provide comprehensive Web development, search engine optimization, and Internet marketing through the Smart Solutions’ authorized reseller program. The partnership provides a solution that enables businesses to merge excellent design with Web site and online marketing. Their customers obtain a strong online presence, take control of their content, and have expert assistance at their finger-tips. Every Idea and Smart Solutions had worked together for more than two years prior to establishing this partnership. Moving forward, the two companies will collaborate on the design and development for shared clients such as Newport Avenue Market, Desert Valley Realty, SunWest Builders, and Rohrer Manufacturing.
For more information on search engine optimization or designing for the Web, businesses can contact Every Idea or Smart Solutions locally. To view the results of their work together, anyone can visit Kobe Beef America’s new website at www.kobe-beef.com.
Return to news page
|
|
 |
|