Website / search engines

[shellbell1988]

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any tips on how I can get my website to come up on search engines, have tried and tried but still not working! Any help would be grately appreciated!!! Xx
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[Ruth Mills]

(1) Google (and other search engines) will normally require a link in to your site to exist on another site, before it will be able to find your site and index it. As search engines aren't telepathic and will only know about new sites if told about them (e.g. from links in from other sites). More links in to your site from as many different sites as possible helps here. So you could have, for example, a text based link to your site in your signature on salongeek, and that will then appear on every post you make on the site. Then there are free indexes such as Gumtree where you can advertise for free.

You could have the best search engine optimised site in the world, but it probably won't appear in Google until Google can find it via a link from another site!

(2) Make best use of your meta tags. Meta tags let you specify things like "description" and "keywords" for your site in the head section of each HTML page. The descripion should be fairly terse and to the point, e.g. Ruth's Salon - Waxing, Facials and Spray Tanning - Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK (for example). The keywords can be more detailed, e.g. if you use Berins or Perron Rigot wax and mention it on your site, then add it to the keywords. The keywords are just a comma-separated list. Dont include things in your keywords that aren't mentioned elsewhere in your site though, as this can be deemed "keyword spamming" and some search engines could reduce your ranking if you do this, so you would paradoxically appear lower down the page in the search results.

(3) Be crafty in your style of writing. e.g. you could just say "My salon is based in Shrewsbury" or you could say "My salon is based in Shrewsbury, and I also welcome clients from the wider Shropshire area and beyond, including Telford, Oswestry, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Wem, Shawbury and Church Stretton". With the latter, people who are doing a search for a salon in one of those other places will also get to see your salon in their search results (as you will have explicitly mentioned their town name on your web site). This could prove invaluable if you are the only salon in the area who offers a particular treatment or uses a particular brand of product, e.g. CND. Consequently, it is also a good idea to mention brand names of products on your site in case people are searching for a salon that offers that particular brand. Especially if it's a "prestige" brand.

(4) Make sure that all your images have "alt" tags. And that the filename has a sensible name that reflects what is in the image. Search engines can't "read" images - they can only work out what is in an image from the filename, alt text, and possibly the context of the rest of the page. So if you have a super whizzy photo of your best nail enhancements ever and it's on your web site with a filename of "Image001.jpg" or whatever, then Google will be none the wiser. But if you name the image "cnd-nail-enhancements-1.jpg" for example, and add "alt" text saying "CND Nail Enhancements" or whatever, then your image will much more likely appear in a Google image search for someone looking for nail enhancements. And while you are at it, add a copyright message with your salon name to the image too. This will both add extra advertising for your salon (when the image appears in Google image search) and deter people from stealing your image and passing it off as their own work.

Hope that helps
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[shellbell1988]

Thank u ruth! Very helpful!! Shelley xx
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[Jolicatellas]

Wow Ruth, that was very well explained! Learned some thing I didn't know from there.

Tell me. Is it true that the more people who search your site the more likely it will appear in searches?

 

[leonnib]

(1) Google (and other search engines) will normally require a link in to your site to exist on another site, before it will be able to find your site and index it. As search engines aren't telepathic and will only know about new sites if told about them (e.g. from links in from other sites). More links in to your site from as many different sites as possible helps here. So you could have, for example, a text based link to your site in your signature on salongeek, and that will then appear on every post you make on the site. Then there are free indexes such as Gumtree where you can advertise for free.

You could have the best search engine optimised site in the world, but it probably won't appear in Google until Google can find it via a link from another site!

(2) Make best use of your meta tags. Meta tags let you specify things like "description" and "keywords" for your site in the head section of each HTML page. The descripion should be fairly terse and to the point, e.g. Ruth's Salon - Waxing, Facials and Spray Tanning - Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK (for example). The keywords can be more detailed, e.g. if you use Berins or Perron Rigot wax and mention it on your site, then add it to the keywords. The keywords are just a comma-separated list. Dont include things in your keywords that aren't mentioned elsewhere in your site though, as this can be deemed "keyword spamming" and some search engines could reduce your ranking if you do this, so you would paradoxically appear lower down the page in the search results.

(3) Be crafty in your style of writing. e.g. you could just say "My salon is based in Shrewsbury" or you could say "My salon is based in Shrewsbury, and I also welcome clients from the wider Shropshire area and beyond, including Telford, Oswestry, Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Wem, Shawbury and Church Stretton". With the latter, people who are doing a search for a salon in one of those other places will also get to see your salon in their search results (as you will have explicitly mentioned their town name on your web site). This could prove invaluable if you are the only salon in the area who offers a particular treatment or uses a particular brand of product, e.g. CND. Consequently, it is also a good idea to mention brand names of products on your site in case people are searching for a salon that offers that particular brand. Especially if it's a "prestige" brand.

(4) Make sure that all your images have "alt" tags. And that the filename has a sensible name that reflects what is in the image. Search engines can't "read" images - they can only work out what is in an image from the filename, alt text, and possibly the context of the rest of the page. So if you have a super whizzy photo of your best nail enhancements ever and it's on your web site with a filename of "Image001.jpg" or whatever, then Google will be none the wiser. But if you name the image "cnd-nail-enhancements-1.jpg" for example, and add "alt" text saying "CND Nail Enhancements" or whatever, then your image will much more likely appear in a Google image search for someone looking for nail enhancements. And while you are at it, add a copyright message with your salon name to the image too. This will both add extra advertising for your salon (when the image appears in Google image search) and deter people from stealing your image and passing it off as their own work.

Hope that helps
Posted via Mobile Device

thats is great.
i know it takes a while though.

i know if you add you site to free sites and they get googled.
gumtree,vivastreet,touchlocal,brownbook.
i placed an advert with gumtree with a special offer and it come up the top of the page. so wouild definetely try gumtree in the health and beauty section and it got me a few bookings too

 

[Ruth Mills]

Tell me. Is it true that the more people who search your site the more likely it will appear in searches?

To be honest, I don't know. That would depend on the internal code and logic of the search engines themselves. And companies like Google are going to be particularly cagey about their trade secrets!

But it would certainly be possible to write some code that detects which links people click on from a search engine page, so Google could theoretically give greater weight to links that people click on more if they wanted to. I have seen similar things done for banner advertising, for example - where if someone clicks on a banner, this counts as a "click through" and will be recorded in a database so that the banner advertising company can charge more when someone actually clicks on a banner than when the banner just gets displayed on a page and doesn't get clicked on...
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[Jolicatellas]

Thanks Ruth. I've always wondered what puts someone of the top of a search list. The amount of relevant tags they have or the amount of clicks (interest) they have.

 

[Ruth Mills]

Thanks Ruth. I've always wondered what puts someone of the top of a search list. The amount of relevant tags they have or the amount of clicks (interest) they have.

With Google, I think the number of links in from other sites makes a big difference. e.g. there is something called "Google bombing" where if loads of people put in lots of links to a site using certain words, then that page will come up tops in a Google search. e.g. a few years ago, some bloggers all made a link to George W Bush's web site, using the words "village idiot" (or something like that) for the link. So someone doing a Google search for "village idiot" (or whatever it was) back then would have seen Bush's website come up as top link!!!
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[Jolicatellas]

When it comes to meta tags where is the best place to put them.

We have the 'page title', the 'description' and the 'description of your page' in html pages...

Or are meta tags over-rated and the best form, as you say Ruth, is to have links on other pages?

 

[Ruth Mills]

Meta tags should always go in the <head> section of the HTML page. The <head> section will also contain the page title, and things like links to CSS stylesheets, Javascript files, etc.
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[StudioTracker]

Your natural search listing depends on a number of things. One of which is the number of people you visit your site. However, these hits have to be from sites Google judges to be related to your site. So, for example, if someone visits your site from Salon Geek then you'll get more credit from Google than if they're on Tesco's website before they are visit yours. This is why big companies dedicate so much time to creating links on what are known as affiliate sites. This process, and the things Ruth has outlined above, are all known as Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO). There is loads of info on the web about it.

 

[Ruth Mills]

Your natural search listing depends on a number of things. One of which is the number of people you visit your site. However, these hits have to be from sites Google judges to be related to your site. So, for example, if someone visits your site from Salon Geek then you'll get more credit from Google than if they're on Tesco's website before they are visit yours. This is why big companies dedicate so much time to creating links on what are known as affiliate sites. This process, and the things Ruth has outlined above, are all known as Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO). There is loads of info on the web about it.

Yep - Google is very clever when it comes to things like that; they have probably changed their search algorithms now to counter the "Google bombing" technique I described above with President Bush...
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[Ruth Mills]

Another thing that is very useful, and ties in with search engine optimisation, is web statistics and analytics.

This is where you can record and view statistics of how many people are visiting your site, which links they are following from other sites to reach your site, and where in the world they are located (based on their IP address).

There are a number of ways of doing this.

Google offers a free tool called Google Analytics, where you can insert some code into each page of your site that will cause people's web browsers to send a request to Google each time someone visits a page on your site; Google will then store details of all the hits to your site in its database, and will generate all manner of fancy charts and graphs showing how many people are visiting your site on a month-by-month basis and whatnot.

Then there are scripts that can be run on the web server itself (without giving Google extra information about who is visiting your site) - examples being Webalizer, AWStats, Analog, etc. Web servers such as Apache can be configured to write a log file which gets updated each time someone requests a page (or other file such as an image) from your web site. Each line in the log file will contain information such as the page or file being requested, the time of the request, and the "referer" (the page that someone came from to get to your site). The web statistics scripts will then analyse this data and create graphs and statistics based on it. However this is dependent on your web host installing the relevant scripts and making sure that the web server is configured in the right way to log the necessary information.
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[Verve Designs]

Great advice so far. But one thing I will add, and it&#8217;s a pertinent one I think. DONT rely on search engines to bring business in- and don&#8217;t be disheartened if it&#8217;s not on page 1.

See a good search engine performance as a bonus.

There&#8217;s no way of "guaranteeing" you&#8217;re going to do well- for many reasons. Each site is utterly unique on how it is viewed by the engines so what works for one site MIGHT work for another- but might not.

Be aware that all of your competition might be doing exactly the same as you at the same time as you- and also be aware that any slight change of Google&#8217;s (and lets be honest, we&#8217;re talking about google here) search technology might have you plummeting before you know it- you&#8217;re putting the marketing of your site into the hands of something you have no control over.

For many smaller companies we ought to be using our websites as a reference point- in that it&#8217;s probably not going generate lots of new business from people browsing (though it CAN!)- more likely they will have seen your web address somewhere else. Or, importantly, will be searching specifically for you- following a recommendation etc.

So, with that in mind don&#8217;t be shy about plastering it everywhere, on business cards, signs, adverts whereever you promote your brand (and DO have a brand- even if its a colour you stick to).

Don&#8217;t neglect traditional marketing and don't rely on the web to bring you in business, rather use a combination and complimentary mix of the two.

 

[TweezerHappy]

Wow. Thanks for the great info Ruth.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Ruth Mills]

Great advice so far. But one thing I will add, and it’s a pertinent one I think. DONT rely on search engines to bring business in- and don’t be disheartened if it’s not on page 1.

See a good search engine performance as a bonus.

There’s no way of "guaranteeing" you’re going to do well- for many reasons. Each site is utterly unique on how it is viewed by the engines so what works for one site MIGHT work for another- but might not.

Be aware that all of your competition might be doing exactly the same as you at the same time as you- and also be aware that any slight change of Google’s (and lets be honest, we’re talking about google here) search technology might have you plummeting before you know it- you’re putting the marketing of your site into the hands of something you have no control over.

For many smaller companies we ought to be using our websites as a reference point- in that it’s probably not going generate lots of new business from people browsing (though it CAN!)- more likely they will have seen your web address somewhere else. Or, importantly, will be searching specifically for you- following a recommendation etc.

So, with that in mind don’t be shy about plastering it everywhere, on business cards, signs, adverts whereever you promote your brand (and DO have a brand- even if its a colour you stick to).

Don’t neglect traditional marketing and don't rely on the web to bring you in business, rather use a combination and complimentary mix of the two.

Very well said, Carl! Search engine optimisation is only one part of the picture; it can be a useful tool for attracting new potential clients to your web site. Hence why I said it's crucial to get the geographical information right in your web site, e.g. state where you are based, but list other towns that are close by too that clients could travel in from - particularly if you offer "niche" or more specialist treatments - e.g. some of the more paramedical treatments like permanent make-up, chemical peels, Botox, etc.

But getting hits in from search engines to your site is only one part of the picture. A potential client might come in to your site from a link from a search engine, but choose a competitor over yours if they can't find the information they need on your site easily, or the design isn't up to scratch. The whole salon industry is focused around improving people's image and making them feel good about themselves, so "image" is absolutely critical in terms of the way that salons and therapists promote themselves. And it's definitely a good idea to establish a consistent "brand" across all advertising media (just like Carl said above) - e.g. web site, business cards, flyers, price list brochures, newspaper advertisements, etc. A memorable logo and consistent colour scheme can go a long way to achieve this.

In terms of presenting information easily - I would say that easy access to a salon's contact details are vital. Ideally these should appear on every page of the site, e.g. a footer at the bottom of the page with the salon's address, phone number and email address. A dedicated "contact" page with perhaps a Google map and directions of how to get to the salon - parking arrangements, etc - can be a big help too. And a contact form (where a potential client can fill in their details on a web page) is often a useful addition as well as an email address.

Then I think it's vital to give details of all the treatments on offer at your salon - so new clients will be able to see everything that you have on offer - and existing clients might find out that you offer additional treatments that they might not have asked you about otherwise (but think of this as complementary to your printed price list brochures for existing clients). Offering your price list brochure in a printable format (e.g. PDF) for download on your web site could also be useful - as then you're allowing clients to print their own copy of your price list out - thus saving yourself printing costs! And PDF is a particularly suitable choice of file format, as it's much harder to edit than something like a Word document (so less reputable clients would be less likely to con you by attempting to alter prices in your downloadable Word document and try to blag that your prices are cheaper than they actually are).

Also it's a good idea to make the most of advertising the treatments that you do on your site. Add descriptions for each treatment that extol the benefits of the treatment and how luxurious it is (particularly useful for treatments such as facials, manicures and pedicures). And for treatments such as waxing, where there are contra-indications, an FAQ page is always a good bet too.

In the case of treatments where the artistic flair of the therapist is particularly important (such as make-up and nail enhancements), a gallery page showcasing your work is also an excellent idea - as this will give potential clients an indication of the quality to expect from you. But (like I said before), make sure you put a copyright message on each image to deter people from stealing your images and passing them off as your own work!

 

[shellbell1988]

Thanks for the great info!! x

 

[Jolicatellas]

But getting hits in from search engines to your site is only one part of the picture. A potential client might come in to your site from a link from a search engine, but choose a competitor over yours if they can't find the information they need on your site easily, or the design isn't up to scratch. The whole salon industry is focused around improving people's image and making them feel good about themselves, so "image" is absolutely critical in terms of the way that salons and therapists promote themselves. And it's definitely a good idea to establish a consistent "brand" across all advertising media (just like Carl said above) - e.g. web site, business cards, flyers, price list brochures, newspaper advertisements, etc. A memorable logo and consistent colour scheme can go a long way to achieve this.

This is really good point!! Thing is, how do you know if you're achieving this? How do you know if the colour scheme you've gone with is the 'right' colour choice? Or the logo? And then if the colour scheme is wrong... it's not consistent to change... ??

 

[Ruth Mills]

This is really good point!! Thing is, how do you know if you're achieving this? How do you know if the colour scheme you've gone with is the 'right' colour choice? Or the logo? And then if the colour scheme is wrong... it's not consistent to change... ??

I guess a lot of it you could work out from your gut instincts, e.g. if a colour scheme looks "right" to you, then it might well do to other people too - so perhaps ask your family/friends to critique your designs before committing them to print...

You're more likely to get better results if you've got at least some background in graphic design though, or if you ask a good graphic designer to do some consultancy work for you, e.g. to come up with a logo design and associated colour scheme. This is probably the best option - as asking a graphic designer (e.g. Carl) to come up with a bespoke logo and colour scheme, and to ask them for advice on making best use of this across all media (business cards, flyers, the Web, etc), will give you a far more "unique" look than going for one of the "mass market" solutions such as VistaPrint, where you'll probably end up with something that uses the same template as hundreds of other businesses.

 

[Verve Designs]

To be honest, it matters less if the colour scheme is "wrong" (because essentially its down to personal opinion and choice) than using the same colour consistently.

A brand is basically a set of ideas consistently used to reinforce a message and be memorable. Take McDonalds for example..you immediately think red and yellow. You might not like red and yellow together, but you remember who it's associated with.

The skill is gauging your target audience as to what he or she might want to see in terms of imagery and colour schemes.

There's more to it than choosing a colour or font etc, of course, and creating a brand can be as complex and as subtle as you like (and the more complex and subtle the more effective and longer-lasting) BUT everyone should have at least something approaching a "brand".