Over the past couple of months I have met several small business owners in the Scranton, PA area who have had the same questions about web design and search engine marketing, so I figured I would take a moment to share them with you. I will also provide the answers so you can become a little more knowledgeable in small business web design and online marketing.

Question #1: How come there are no sales happening at my online store?

Well that is a common myth that if you build it they will come mentality does not work in the online e-commerce world. You have to make sure your small business website is optimized with proper meta-tags and then you have to market your site online through paid and organic efforts among others.

Question #2: What is Web 2.0 and do I need it?

Web 2.0 is a term that was created to explain the next evolution or step in how we as a society use the World Wide Web. This current phase can help Scranton web designers as well as online marketers bring new customers to their clients by using social media networks and video. So yes embracing web 2.0 into your marketing plan is essential for small business online marketing success.

Question #4: What is the difference between paid and organic search?

The main difference is time. With paid search you can pay to be on the top of the search engine results by way of ads and it would be a matter of hours before you see your ads running along your competition. With organic, it might take several months to see results of link building efforts with in your small business SEO service. Either way time is what you need to be aware of when considering the right route to go.

Question #5: How big of a website do I need and do I need all that flashy intro stuff?

Google and the other search engines do take into account the size of your site when calculating rankings, but size is not everything. A well optimized small business website with only a couple of page could out rank a larger site if it had a solid number of backlinks. Being a Scranton web designer and a small business SEO professional, having a fancy intro is not great for rankings. Sure it makes the site exciting, but it all depends on the type of computer the visitor has on whether the movie plays right or hangs up the browser. You are better of with a site full of embedded videos and pictures then a flash intro.

I have to say that Scranton small business owners have come along way in understanding the internet and how it can benefit them and their business. These are only a few of the questions that I get asked on a daily basis. If you have any questions feel free to contact me through the contact form and I will be happy to help.

I wanted to let everyone know we are extremely excited to see 2008 coming and bring with it so many new and exciting opportunities in the world of small business website design. We have a lot of ideas and goals set for the new year and are looking forward to working along side you to make it all happen.

One of those goals is a little project we are putting together for the city of Scranton but we can’t give out anymore information about so you’ll just have to keep checking back in to see. We promise you’ll be impressed. Another one of our pet projects involves food, bars, parks, and web design. Curious what it can be? Again, you’ll have to wait and see.

Most importantly, our main goal is to help you build a presence online for your business. We want to see you succeed. If your business is drawing in paying customers, then we must be doing something right, as well. I hope you can see now why it is so important to us for you to show some great results.

Feel free to check in with us or just shoot us an email to see what we can do for you or if any of these projects sound like something you would be interested in getting involved with. We’re always ready to answer any and all your questions.