Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

Maplecroft Bed and Breakfast in Barre,Vermont:

The Power of Knowing Your Niche

(Continued)

“Many of our competitors do not love the Internet the way we do so they don’t read the stuff that

we read or talk about these topics to the point of being annoying. I’m sure they don’t monitor

referrals to their site, so they continue to invest in marketing that may not be the most effective.”

After paying close attention to his online bookings and using the stats package that comes with his

hosting service, Paul made a decision: “We no longer make any real investment in print advertising.”

How does he take advantage of his “face-to-face”time with his customers? Well, he offers them an

incentive to come back: Maplecroft offers a discount for repeat customers.“We have these old

brochures and postcards featuring our inn that we leave in guest rooms.They have the URL of our

site.Most guests take them.”

“People who have been here use the website to check availability and then they call to book so

they can get that discount!”

Even though his B&B exudes old-fashioned joys like comfort, hospitality, good food,and good con-

versation, most people find him via the modern convenience of the Web.“Older people still use

travel agents to book rooms,” he says, and then adds,“The travel agents find us on the Web.”

What is Maplecroft doing right? First,Paul recognized the potential of his online customer base

and put his business in front of them via specialized travel directories,a local Yahoo! directory

listing,and even a small PPC campaign.His attention to tracking gave him the confidence to

move away from print to an advertising medium that worked better and cheaper.And he makes

sure to “close the loop” by encouraging customers to go back to the site to take advantage of spe-

cial offers.

Blogger

In recent years,

weblogs

have grown from a band of sharp-tongued outlaws to the dar-

lings of online marketing. From Stonyfield Farm Yogurt to the Republican National

Committee, it seems that everyone has a blog, or two, these days. Whether you are an

individual out to bring in an income through running ads on your site or a large busi-

ness with a blog on the site as a way to create relationships with potential clients, you

are today’s Big Thing on the Internet. Naturally, the major search engines should be

catering to your every need. But you make it plenty hard for them! Your site lives and

dies by content that changes every day, so it’s difficult for search engines—which are

also trying to index the entire rest of the Web too—to keep up. But little by little they

are catching up.

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