SEO Strategy: Establishing The Objective

by Victor J. McCoy

One of things I find consistently in business pursuits and in life, is that there must be an objective for what I pursue. That objective must have some type of benefit for me and/or others. Knowing that our business has an objective denotes that everything we do must work in concert with that objective. With that said, why would you Search Engine Optimization not have one?

That objective must be clear, manageable and achievable. How will your SEO fit into your overall plans. Are you trying to direct more traffic to your website to increase sales, to sell a certain product, or to establish your brand? Whatever the case my be you will need a plan. It does not have to be complex. The simpler the better in some cases. Your specific goals will determine how you must approach your project. Plan out what strategies you will need to implement and how and when they will be implemented - as well as who will implement them. How that information will be reported is also very important. It should always measure itself against the stated objective. It can be comparative with previous months, industry standards and your direct competitors. With new information you may have to adjust you tactical steps towards you objective. So, establish the objective and execute.

Keep Calm and Stay Focused

by Victor J. McCoy

Being unorganized, and the lack of focus is one sure way to destroy your business. Lack of focus in business can be costly, wasteful and demoralizing. In business and life having a level of organization can allow you to be more effective and efficient even in the middle of what seems to be a hectic situation. Below are a list of things I believe will help keep you focused.

1. Having a list of task to be completed during the day can help you to focus. Check them off when you complete them. Be proactive.
2. Make a list of things you can delegate and then delegate them.
3. Stop answering every call you receive. Set aside a time during the day to return calls.
4. Organize your work before you get started.
5. Have a quiet period during the day - 10 minutes at least to just calm down and think. It can be in the car, at your desk but not at lunch. That's time to re-energize and relax a little
6. Stay away from office gossip. That can be a brain-drain, and a big waste of time.
7. Be sensitive to the timing of events/actions.
8. Stop letting other people control your time. Take charge of your time.
9. Stop getting involved. You cannot be part of every organization, committee, board, etc. that request you presence. Let some of the go.
10. Get an accountability partner.
11. Connect with diligent and organized people.
12. End inappropriate relationships. I've seen this in so many organizations and it is very destructive and a big waste of time.
13. Learn how to have fun. You must learn to relax, do something fun and refresh yourself. It will greatly help your focus. Just don't overdue it.

Many business owners complain about being "too busy", or having too little time to do certain things. As a business owner you cannot afford to be too busy or have little time to do important task. Its time to start working smarter not harder - however you define harder. Being focused allows us to accomplish more in the same amount of time or less with less the stress. Somehow, we've confused hard work with productive work. For example you can mow a 2 acre lawn with a push mower and work really hard to get it done in a couple of hours or you can use the riding mower and cut that time in half while not working as hard. Save the energy for something else that may require physical labor.

If we're going to work smarter we must know what that looks like. You may say, "I'm not organized". If you are not willing to become organized you may be saying "I'm out of business".

What are some of the things you do to remain

The Forgotten Website

by Victor J. McCoy


Okay, you've spent money developing your website. Maybe not a lot but you spent money and time developing a website for your organization. You where pleased with the design, told your associates to take a look at it with much excitement. Now that the website has been up for a while it is now dormant. No edits. The same pictures you started with - have not been changed. The content has not been updated since the site was launched. In some cases the person that was supposed to make the updates cannot be contacted, or no longer has the time. You could make updates if you could only locate the password to access the website, but you cannot find the password so you let it go. How about this one, the business no longer exists but the website is still live. If we scroll to the bottom of your website will we see it dated 3, 4, or 5 years ago?

If someone where to ask you how many visits does your website average every month? What would you say? If asked, would you be able to produce a website traffic report to discuss the analytics?

There are thousands of websites on the Internet that fit this profile in one way or another. But, what does this say about your organization? What does this communicate to those that visit your website? Why invest limited resources in a project only to let it lay dormant? Maybe the question should be asked, what did you need a website for? Just a thought.

Goal-Setting Theory

In the late 1960's, Edwin Locke proposed that intentions to work toward a goal are a major source of work motivation. That is, goals tell us what needs to be done and how much effort will need to be expended. Specific goals can increase our performance and focus. It has been found that difficult goals increase performance as opposed to easy goals; and that feedback leads to higher performance than does nonfeedback. Therefore, it is good for business owners to have someone that can objectively view their business model and their performance over a period of time and provide encouragement and correction when necessary. But first, they must understand the goal and the dynamics that surround the decision to pursue the goal. Setting goals for the sake of setting them will lead to stagnation in life and business.Goal setting with tactical steps that move toward the goal is good strategy.

For example, when a business owner says we "need to sell 500 unites of this product in order to breakeven at the end of the month" a specific goal has been stated, with a timetable, with desired results. From that point, he begins to communicate the goal to the responsible business unit. The goal must be communicated and understood by all involved. Organizing, and planning take place within leadership and execution set into motion by those responsible. Weekly feedback is given to those executing the daily task and the desired goal is being pursued.

When the company has a specific goal to acomplish motivation to work can be increased tremendously.

So, here are 7 Steps to setting goals for your business:

1. Understand the purpose for setting the goal
2. Be specific
3. Understand the who or what needs to happen to achieve the goal
4. How much effort is required, am I (or we) capable
5. Who is going to provide the feedback necessary
6. What type of timeframe is needed, is it reasonable
7. Can others benefit from the accomplishment of this goal

These are but a few. If you would like to add to these steps please do. I would love to hear from you.