(web help) I really really like you guys, but...

You seem to be the only ones who go to my website(s), and its driving me crazy! While I'm grateful to get some traffic, it would be nice if potential customers looked at them too.

I submitted the sites to bunches of search engines... use internal and external links... give my images names that would come up in searches... that googly webmaster thing where I put some code into my homepage (free site won't let it on other pages)... I kinda like my layout... moved the body stuff to another site...

And still, my traffic comes from here and folks searching a type of face (like "peacock face painting") which I imagine is face painters looking for reference.

What am I missing here? How do you get customers to your site (and then to book)? Any suggestions?

So I just Googled "Indianapolis Face Painter" and I'm on the first page! I'm so confused. Help!

That is good... that means when someone is looking for a painter in Indianapolis they will see your site link.

It takes time for the bots to move you up the rankings on the search engines.

How have you been publicizing your website? Do you have it on your business cards? Have you been advertising it at all? You need to get it out there so people know to look for it.

Have you listed on the free online directories? Like the Snazaroo one?

Is it easy for people to contact you from the info on the site?

I waited 7 minutes and your site still won't load for me. Have you considered getting an exclusive hosted URL? :::hugs:::

Well I just tried again and it loaded immediately, lol. Go figure, probably something on my end. Your work is gorgeous and your site is very clean and well done! I would add your phone number to every page and consider increasing the size of the navigation menu so it's more prominent.

Honestly as much work as I poured into my website, it's Facebook that is earning me business. Do you have a fb page? I run contests for "likes", volunteer at local fundraisers where I get my name and work out there as well as connect with other locals on fb, and "like" a lot of other local artsy businesses so we can support each other and create a good bit of community exposure. HTH!

Another thing that hurts you is your site is a sub domain. This means it can rank lower in search results or not be indexed at all.

The first link above never loaded- if it is a redirect, or the same site, that will hurt your results.

The second link loaded instantly. There is not enough text for a search bot to decide how relevant your site is to the search terms it is optimized for, and it looks like MOST of the search terms you have in your key words do not appear in the rext on the page, which they need to.

I should see your contact info on every page! On the second site above, in a casual look, I cannot even find it. On the first link above, it is only on the contact page...

Some thoughts

First page finally loaded, it is a bit better but might want to keep kids face painting and semi-nude body paint photo's seperate... depends on how open minded your area is.

The back ground makes reading your page VERY difficult.

Just some helpful advice.

Thanks so much for the tips!!!! I'll be doing some updating soon, and I appreciate the help.

I am surprised though that my text is difficult to read because of the background. Is anyone else having that experience? On my end, it looks like a fairly dark background with larger-than-average white text.

I didn't have trouble reading the text. I do agree about the contact info needing to be clear and bold, and moving the body art photos to a secondary page away from children's face painting.

As for hits... most of my hits are from other painters as well. I'm thankful for other painters though, since it does help my ranking out. We are in a specialty field so we can't really expect to get a whole lot of hits... it's a very small portion of the population who needs a face painter, lol. As long as you do come up in the search engines, and those hits are giving you jobs, I think it all works out great.

Totally agree, Angie. I don't mind at all the colleague traffic. It just feels like my web site is not generating much business. Most of my bookings come from word of mouth (which I am also grateful for). So, I guess I'm just worried that I'm not maximizing the potential. I'll definitely be putting suggestions into action.

JBax wrote:

I submitted the sites to bunches of search engines... use internal and external links... give my images names that would come up in searches... that googly webmaster thing where I put some code into my homepage (free site won't let it on other pages)...

What am I missing here? How do you get customers to your site (and then to book)? Any suggestions?

OK ... some comments and questions and answers:

1) What are you using to track visitors? How do you know that your traffic is competitors?
2) Do you know all the search terms all visitors use as well as the source?
3) It's important to 'optimize' your site for specific keywords. What are the keywords you have optimized for and do you get any traffic from these?
4) It's all very well doing all the stuff you list (and hopefully more things too) .... but these are of little use unless they are designed around your market and their keywords. I looked at Indianapolis Face Painter and you came up 8th ... but the displayed listing was really poor wording ... not the wording to get 'click throughs'.
5) Getting potential custmes (suspects and prospects) to your site is a massive question .... I could tell you 30 ways another time!
6) Once you get traffic there, getting them to book is called 'conversion' and another massive topic I could also deal with later.

Look forward to your response so I can help in more specific ways

John Gordon

I love your website. I am working on mine right now, and my husband is creating a new photography website. His web designer told him to imbed as many words in your website pertaining to how you want to be found. For instance, in a black area of my background, I am creating a black text box, and in teeny, little type, with black letters, I am typing stuff like: face paint Toronto facepainter Toronto special events face paint Toronto birthday party facepainter, etc. Since it is black type on a black background, nobody can actually read it, but the search engines can find me. I just found this out yesterday and felt I must pass it along to all my fellow painters on FacePaintForum.com
xoxo
Lisa
(fesspenter)

OMG DON'T DO THAT! (Hidden text)

Embedded text means using the key words in correct english sentences as often as reasonable on a given page. This causes the search engines to index you as being relavent for those words or phrases.

HIDDEN text like you are describing will cause google to black list or block your site, and once it is blocked they may never release the domain. Also, if it is on a sub domain, they may just yank the entire site.

Don't take my word for it, check google and look for "Keyword Stuffing" and "invisble text" These were old tricks (That worked 15 years ago) used by the porn industry to get people to their sites... but all search engines have long since been aware of and blocking sites that make use of hidden text, tiny text and so on.

The Infotainer wrote:
OK ... some comments and questions and answers:

1) What are you using to track visitors? How do you know that your traffic is competitors?
2) Do you know all the search terms all visitors use as well as the source?
3) It's important to 'optimize' your site for specific keywords. What are the keywords you have optimized for and do you get any traffic from these?
4) It's all very well doing all the stuff you list (and hopefully more things too) .... but these are of little use unless they are designed around your market and their keywords. I looked at Indianapolis Face Painter and you came up 8th ... but the displayed listing was really poor wording ... not the wording to get 'click throughs'.
5) Getting potential custmes (suspects and prospects) to your site is a massive question .... I could tell you 30 ways another time!
6) Once you get traffic there, getting them to book is called 'conversion' and another massive topic I could also deal with later.

Look forward to your response so I can help in more specific ways

John Gordon

Freewebs tracks site statistics, so I get to look at the links folks are using to get to me (lots and lots from here ), the search phrases used, and where on the planet they were coming from but not the search engine they used. I'm not quite ready to pay for my site yet, and so far, I've been really happy with my free one.

As far as keywords, Indianapolis Face Painter is what I'm going for (and you're right about it not appearing enough in my text), I also used prenatal belly painting, body painting, Children's entertainer, and a few others. And by "optimized for," I'm not sure what exactly you mean, but that is what I listed on Keywords in my site settings.

I went and looked up what you were saying about the wording in the listing, and I see what you mean. Now I have to remember where I wrote that so I can fix it!

And yes, numbers 5 and 6 require a workshop!

New question: I do want to reference/link to my body painting site. I can remove the pics, but do y'all think I should keep the blurb on the homepage, or just keep it in the section in my services page?

I am so glad I asked, you all are so helpful!

Jennifer

There's no need for you to pay for web hosting - it appears that your current host is able to give you access to essential tools where you can get valuable visitor info.

If you are "going for" particular keywords and key phrases ... there's several places they MUST appear in your site for Search Engines to KNOW that this is your 'theme'. These include the Page Title Tag, Page Headline and Subheads, Opening Text, Mid Text and near End of Test ... as well as pic titles, image tags, captions, internal page links etc etc etc. This is because ...if it really was your main thrust, your main selling point ... it would really be in all these places - so Google et al want to see it there!

This is Optimizing. It's not enough (by miles) to just put these in the Tags (Site Description etc) - Google and Yahoo no longer take notice of these sas it's WAY too easy for sites to lie - when their site is not really about these. You need CONTENT and congruency around your keywords.

SO ..... if you also have others.... these will dilute the thrust (called your 'theme') ofany page ...so EACH PAGE should have a different theme ..... then you may get listed several times in the SERPS (Search Engine Results pages).

As far as the wording that displays in the SERPS (see above!) .... there's two ways to deal with this (as different search engines get these words from differen places). Some use your Description Tags ... so word these carefully ... and others use the opening words of you home page text .... so carefull word these too so that your message is COMPELLING and makes surfers click through.

ASk me any questions about numbers 5 and 6 ...... it's what I doi and glad to help!

I'll write again about your new question!

John

New question: I do want to reference/link to my body painting site. I can remove the pics, but do y'all think I should keep the blurb on the homepage, or just keep it in the section in my services page?

I'm not sure I understand your problem ...... but here goes!

It's often a danger to apper to be doing everything ... and giving customers too many choices. It can lead to indecision and people click away for an easier option. On the other hand .... if you are attracting a broad market to your main site you don't want to miss opportunities. SO the answer depends upon just how targeted and aggressive your marketing is for driving specific niche traffic to each site. That's the BEST way ... but you may not yet be doing this.

I think that I'd minimise the content on your site but put a strong image and headline and link to your specialised site.Then you'llcreate more space for more content on your main theme .... which you need anyway.

John