Imagine that moment, when a person (or a couple) is looking at the choices available for them online and wonder - what is the deal breaking information they need to book yours above and beyond one of the competition?

And, this thought could relate to any business. So many times, we sell to people what we think is important (the benefits) when really; it’s about what they see as the benefits. For example, satellite TV on holiday is not at all important for me, but has proved important for two different families. For one, it was a deal clincher when I told that that I was installing it.

Of course, now, when I sell that benefit online, will it put off the people that don’t want it? I know I will need to phrase it accordingly.

With so many people having so many different things that flick their switch, optimizing how you sell and what you focus on as the benefits is very important.

And, this is doubly important when you see that they have so much choice - especially online. My villa is on a complex of 27. Within 2km I can imagine there are approximately 2,000 other private villas. Take the whole island and you probably end up in the millions.

Hence, the need to niche and the need to make the deal before someone else does by appealing to your customer with the right ‘deal making’ information.

Of course, this goes back to my point the other day: The more you niche your sales offering, the more chance you have to appeal. So, with a private pool, large enclosed area and now satellite TV, I know that I just need to keep pushing the young family aspect.

One last thought: They are building a golf course near the villa. How much effort vs. reward would there be in building a completely different website that focussed the villa on golf?
How much further can you niche and focus your sales offering?

It’s almost as if I have been saying this is the way to do it, but not practicing what I preach. But the good stuff is very good:

• This website is doing amazing for our Escape client  - Magic Mitre - one product.
• As has Projector Lamp Experts with pay-per click - a niche market.
• Then there is the villa in Pervolia website - finally taking hold after two years offering a specific vacation destination.
• Finally, there is Basingstoke Business News, a personal project that is getting local (and global) attention for the right reasons.

Basingstoke Business News takes minimal effort to maintain, but the medium-to-long term value will show growth, especially if I can develop the site. Of course, I have the luxury of not having to make money from it, but that is a point in itself.  I offer what many local people want in terms of what I do in my day job (I build websites). Is it the fact that I offer business news for free (people can get that diluted from anywhere on the web), or that if I bring it together and add value, I get attention. Oh, by the way, I can help you market your business online.

The point is, the more the web gets diluted, the more people will want specifics, hence the popularity of The Long Tail I guess. It used to be that you could get attention on-line - and you still can. But, is it for the right thing and is there any gold at the end of that particular rainbow?

I tend to be quite pessimistic with a new website. Firstly, from to my experiences, and more so now because the web is getting more competitive everyday, thus, it’s getting harder. It sets expectation at an appropriate level and, of course, no one wants to hear that.

No one wants to hear that it may take six months to start getting decent levels of organic traffic and it may also take hard work adding new content and gaining attention.

Yes, you get the odd ’story of success’ and ‘how I built 10,000 users in 20 days’ kind of thing and those guys work tirelessly to make that happen - usually only once. You also have to ask yourself - how long does that last? How real and sustainable is that traffic, and how relevant?

With billions of web pages out there - what makes you so special? And, how relevant are you?

By focusing on adding value to your website audience you are starting a mating ritual, you are showing that you give a damn and that you may well be the company to solve their problem in exchange for cash. But, if it’s all just sell, sell, sell… it will be bye, bye, bye.

Just as SEO has hit the streets - more and more people seem to be in the ‘know’ - the focus has moved back to a more generalized marketing approach, which is where it should be.

As the search market becomes more mature (and more saturated) it’s gonna get harder unless you take a longer-term approach. Look at e-commerce: Now the high street big boys have woken up, they are beginning to dominate the middle ground; and that’s on top of Amazon.

Unfortunately, too many people I speak to at the moment are looking for quick fix in terms of what they want from their web results - especially the harder B2B service market.

No pain no gain - it’s effort versus reward. It’s like going on a diet. You can quick fix in the short-term but the only way for long term success is to change your whole approach to food and excercise.

Which is why social media is becoming more important to marketers. Who are you more likely to believe - a company, or your friend’s review?

Tools like Facebook are bringing peers together and they can share their purchasing experiences quicker and easier than ever before.

So surely, pure marketing therefore comes from how good you actually are - from you customers perspective!

I just logged on and started chatting with a pal…

While I was writing it I was reminded of a small piece on website I did about four years ago - since long forgotten - about niche marketing a holiday home.

I believe this approach works better than ever, but ultimately includes some extra work in the short-term. I do think it offers better value though long-term.

A specific Title tag and Description tag for each important web page is essential. Not only for optimization, but also for what displays in the search results. Your Title and Description effectively work as an advert - yes, you have been found and your listing still comes up but there nine other natural search listings and up to 11 paid for adverts - you need to stand out.

It’s something I always wondered about and often had to refine some tags a month in after they had listed and I knew what they looked like.

But now, some guys I work with have created a neat tool for checking how your meta title and description will look in a search engine…

It’s simple and cute but does the business.

You can now buy the seo book as a proper paperback directly online for just £9.99

Lulu is a great website. Upload your print-ready PDF, chose a format and decide on your price.