The key to online success is specialization and niche marketing. There, I’ve said it and I won’t take it back! You’ve heard endless advice whispered from every corner of the web and shouted from the rooftops by every major web marketing guru. Now I’m offering it myself in the hope that I finally get it! I’m as guilty as any webmaster of jumping at the latest affiliate program that offers “200 PERCENT PAYOUT” or leaping on the “Submit your site to SIX MILLION SEARCH ENGINES” banner I see on every site.
Let’s get real. Successful web sites are tightly focused and highly specialized. I’ve seen some small business web sites offering jewelry, toys and free web hosting service on one page and links to their mom’s home page beside an advertisement from Giant.com worldwide composting service. When a visitor lands on pages like this they can only be slightly amused and move on to a site that reflects THEIR interests, not yours.
The way to catch the attention and business you are after is to offer a clearly focused, highly specialized source of ONE (1), that is a SINGLE, and I mean UNIQUE, not widespread but UNRIVALED and EXCEPTIONAL subject with product to MATCH.
You can sell car parts for European cars but not 4-Wheelers. Become the single source for whatever tightly focused idea you want but don’t mix apples and oranges in marketing or you’ll lose the customer that was interested before you confused them with too many options.
That means that if you are selling golf equipment from your website that you have a great opportunity to talk about golf by providing a forum or “Chat with the Golf Pro.” Post a course map of Pebble Beach but don’t discuss a Super Bowl! Even cater to golfers with disabilities but don’t sell food. You’ll sell golf cleats, golf balls, golf clubs, golf carts, golf clothing, golf books, golf videos, golf magazines and even golf novelty and joke items but not baseball cards!
Your goal is to be seen as One-Stop-Golf-Shop.com with advice, links (no pun intended), products, discussion, a golf related e-zine, golf tours, golf tips and techniques, golf lessons and golf course directories. If you have even the slightest inclination to start offering phone service because you saw a text link telling you you’ll become rich overnight then it’s time to turn off the computer and get some sleep.
Which I better do myself so I can dream of the Golf site I’m designing this week for my friend who golfs from his wheel chair!
Mike Banks Valentine operates SEOptimism, Offering SEO training of
in-house content managers http://seoptimism.com/SEO_Staff_Training.htm
as well as the Small Business Ecommerce Tutorial at
http://WebSite101.com and blogs about SEO at http://RealitySEO.com
where this article appears with live links to SMO stories, buttons, blog posts and examples.
