Diversity has helped my business grow.

The thing I've learned over the years is it's not so bad to do and develop a number of related skills.
Which means being able to offer clients different but related services. This has been a particularly challenging year but by being able to do web development, Search Engine Optimization and graphic design work, when one area is slow another area heats up. If no areas are hot then we go out and play: ) Can't wait for that to happen!
I made a serious effort to develop more skills as I went along so that I could grow even when the economy is tight.
Along the way, clients have asked for a particular need and if it made sense, I went out and provided it for them and learned by doing it. Don't get me wrong, If I can't do something at a very high professional level, I will bring in an expert in that field. There is something to be said for being a specialist but to offer 3 services sometimes is better than one. So diversify and gain new skills and new business.

Simplify your web site experience.

Web sites in general have become so overloaded with information that they are confusing to look at.

Especially small business web sites that want to put out everything they do and the kitchen sink.

This is an era of specialization. So lead with what you specialize in. Simplify your site so the viewer knows how to get to what they are looking for easily. Get rid of clutter. What would you like them to do once they get there? Is there a process in place for them to follow?

How can you make the site easy to navigate. Provide a call to action. A really good web site has that all planned out before it is even constructed.

It's the Fall, time to review your marketing material. Your web site should be one of your major marketing tools. Take a good hard look at it and determine if there is a process in place for viewers once they land on it. Promote your one specialty and simplify, simplify, simplify. I'm sure you will get much better results.

Is organic SEO really important?

Organic SEO is more important than Pay Per Clicks by a long shot.

First of all, it needs to be done anyway, regardless of whether you have a PPC campaign going or not.

There is a credibility issue with paid ads. Viewers are more likely to click on a general listing than an ad on the top or side of the search page.

In general, you will pay less overall for the organic optimization than for bidding on keywords.

You should have your web site optimized by a professional because there are so many tools available and knowledge of their usefulness is critical. Unless of course, you want to purchase them and have the time to learn how to use them yourself.

It isn't just formulaic, there is a certain amount of creative judgement involved. Things change by the minute so a professional, if he or she is good, will be on top of current trends.

Why not try organic first before you spend money on PPC? You may get the results you want. You can always add the paid campaign to increase what is happening naturally.