Many small business owners are adept at the services they provide, but less so when it comes to writing websites that attract their target market to a site. Yes, there is a wealth of information available on these topics, but there is not much that is simple, easy to understand and do, and that will actually generate business results. Most ideas require a technical assistant to execute and you may not even understand the concepts. Here are some simple ideas that almost anyone can execute that will increase the number of targeted leads you get from your website.

1) Make it easy for search engines to find and “crawl” your site. When your site is finished, submit your site to the search engines. Since information about search engine submission is constantly changing, you may need to do a little research. Find current recommendations for submitting your site and recommended sites for submitting.

2) Make the most of keywords, so your target market can find you in searches. This is a very complex and complicated area that can consume days and weeks of your time, and still leave you confused. The best resources I have discovered that show me for the first time how to clearly maximize my keywords is a book called “Get to # 1 on Google in Easy Steps.” Since reading this book, I understand how to use keywords and can optimize sites for keywords.

3) Make sure your website writing is focused on potential customers. Describe the prospects you want to attract and the problems and issues you want to solve. You won’t attract your target market by talking about yourself. Keep in mind that site visitors come to your site looking for a solution. If they are not immediately recognized in your target market description, they will leave the site within seconds of landing there. You want them to identify with your content and nod their heads thinking, “Yes, that’s me. Yes, this is how this problem hurts.” That’s the kind of description that will entice them to want to read more pages on your site to see if you have the solution they want.

4) Have a clear target market. It is quite common for business owners to believe and imagine that EVERYONE is their target market. Most service providers stick to this fantasy no matter what, even when it is obviously not a financially successful strategy. The reason you are afraid to explicitly target a market is usually an almost desperate fear of losing any potential business. However, when you take this approach, your target market does not identify with the description of your target market. Your statements are too general and don’t really apply to anyone. There is no emotion of resonance and recognition.

5) Make sure your site is easy to navigate and logical in design. It is a mistake to come up with complicated designs that are confusing and frustrating. Visitors want clear, simple, and responsive site navigation. Don’t force them to work when they visit your site, or you’ll lose them quickly.

6) Make sure readers understand the solution you provide and all the benefits they can expect to gain when selecting your solution. Don’t make the mistake of using mysterious information or going overboard and exaggerated your results. Hypo-o-meters are very well tuned these days. Keep it real.

You don’t have to be a marketing genius to drive visitors to your site. When you are writing a website to market your services, you need a combination of simple and logical common sense strategies.