I’ve noticed a trend lately that is a little disturbing.  This trend is a slow and steady decay of rankings for static websites with very few, if any, regular updates.

The reason for this decline is a recent emphasis by the major search engines to not only serve up the most relevant search results, but the most recent as well.  And if  your site isn’t updated with current, relevant information then you’re losing the game to a site that is.

The sad part is that this is something that could be fixed with very little effort and very little expense.

There are a number of excellent, open-source (free!) content management systems available to the small business owner.  If you have some technical skills you can make the switch yourself.  Otherwise, you’ll need to hire someone to help migrate your site to a new platform and teach you how to add new content quickly and easily.

Costs for this can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on how many pages you currently have on your site, what functionality you want and whether or not you use a template or have a new design created for you.

Here are a few of the top open-source content management systems available today.

• WordPress (my favorite)
• Joomla
• Drupal
• Dot Net Nuke
• Expression Engine

I’m sure there are lots of others that are very good but these are the ones we have had experience with.

And if you need some help converting your site give me a call.  I’ll be glad to take a look at it and give you a quote.

Photo Credit: Dinosaur Jr. by desdeaquinet on Flikr

Now through the end of December 2009, we are offering a special deal on our small business websites.  As I mentioned in our December Monthly Marketing Newsletter, if you sign up with us before the end of the year for a new website for your business we will allow you to pay it out over 7 months with absolutely no interest.

All of the sites we create are built on the WordPress blogging platform and are very search engine friendly right out of the box.  We will install a complete set of our recommended plugins and show you exactly how to use it to maximize your web presence. We’ll also set it up so that it integrates seamlessly with your social media profiles on Twitter and Facebook.

WordPress is so easy to use.  If you can send an email or write a letter on your computer you already know how to use it.

The price is going up on January 1st, so if you have been thinking about a new website, don’t waste another minute.

Thanks for visiting our site. I hope you enjoyed the interview we did with Kyle Hunt at Remodel Buddy, a marketing coach company for remodelers and home improvement professionals.  Below are some helpful links and additional information for improving your online presence as a contractor.

The most important thing to start with is to claim your local business listings in Google, Yahoo and Bing. Below are the links to do just that. Each of them are free so there’s no excuse for not doing this right away.

Google:

Here’s the link to look up your business.

Once you have claimed your listing you will need to verify your information. Google will provide you with a PIN by phone or by regular mail. Once you receive your PIN you will need to log into the Local Business Center and verify your listing.

Yahoo:

You will need to go here to sign up for your Yahoo Local Business Listing. You will need a Yahoo login, so if you don’t have one, you’ll have the ability to sign up during the process.

Bing:

You will need to go here to claim your Microsoft Map listing. You will need a Windows Live ID, so if you don’t already have one, get one of those first.

We also have our own Local Search Engine Business Profiles that are very well optimized for local search. Approximately 90% of them are on the front page of Google for their primary keyword phrases. For a limited time, we are offering a 50% discount for the first year. After that, it will automatically renew each year for $99.

We also recommend that you get your business listed in as many relevant online business directories as you can. You can find a multitude of free directories in which to list your business, but many of them will be of little value to your business.

There are also a handfull of paid directories (along with a couple of free ones) that we recommend. Below is a list of those directories along with a link to get signed up.

• DMOZ – http://dmoz.org/add.html – free
• Yahoo Directory – https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/ – $299/yr.
• Business.com Directory – http://www.business.com/info/advertisewithus.asp – $299/yr.
• Best of the Web – http://botw.org/helpcenter/submitcommercial.aspx – $99.95/yr.
• Go Guides – http://www.goguides.org/addurl.html – $69.95/yr.
• Joe Ant – http://www.joeant.com/suggest.html – $39.99/yr.
• Rubber Stamped – http://www.rubberstamped.org/add-url-front.htm – $39.95/yr.
• Illumirate – http://www.illumirate.com/add_your_site_exp.cfm – free
• Wow Directory – http://www.wowdirectory.com/howtoadd.php – free
• Skaffe – http://www.skaffe.com/info/addurl.php – $44.99/yr.
• Massive Links – http://www.massivelinks.com/ – $29.99/yr.
• Starting Point – http://www.stpt.com/directory/ – $99/yr.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to do this yourself you can take advantage of our Link Building Program and we’ll take care of everything for you.

Don’t forget about doing a few press releases.  The two sites we recommend are PRWeb and FreePressRelease.com.  As I mentioned on the podcast, PRWeb seems to give you a little more exposure and a lot more flexibility, but you will benefit regardless of which one you choose.

If you have your own web site already and you’re not getting the traffic you want or generating the leads you want, you may want to consider one of our SEO Plans. After all, that’s our specialty and we’re proud to say that every single site we have worked on has gotten front page placement in Google, Yahoo and Bing.

And lastly, if you don’t have your own website, what are you waiting for? Every single day people in your town are searching for your services online. If you’re not there, you’re losing money. For a very reasonable fee we can set you up with a small business website and blog of your own, one that you can add content to and edit as often as you please.

To your success!

Ken Partain (follow me on Twitter)

Our questions of the day today comes from Al Ferriulo of Ferriulo & Associates, a provider of Health Insurance Plans for people throughout Texas.

Here’s the answer to your question, Al.

What is better from an SEO standpoint, creating a blog with it’s own unique website, or incorporating it as a page within your current website?

This is a question I had to address for my own business.  For several years I had a blog separate from my main website.  About two months ago I relaunched my main web site as a blog on the WordPress platform.

The reason I did this is so I could have one domain where people could get information about our company and the search engine optimization plans we offer while still having the ability to blog and connect with our readers through their comments.

From an SEO perspective this accomplishes two things:

We are continually adding content to our main site, which the search engines love,

Any new links to our blog posts count as deep links to our domain.

Google puts a lot of emphasis on incoming links when ranking a page, while Yahoo and Bing, though they also factor incoming links into their rankings, they tend to put more emphasis on the content.

So, by having our web site and blog on one domain, it helps our own SEO efforts and helps to solidify our rankings.

I feel that incorporating your blog into your website is the best way to go from an SEO perspective.

To your success!

Ken Partain

Follow me on Twitter!