Don’t give up, differentiate!

So I sat down on Monday to get started on keyword research and develop a strategy for making this site, and ultimately my business, successful in the Burlington, VT area.  I knew I wanted to provide services in the web design and marketing field, but had not put in much thought beyond that.  What I found in my research was initially very frustrating, but on further inspection, is a huge opportunity.

The first thing I did on Monday was sit down at my computer, pull up Google, and search for the best term I could think of to find my business:

• “Burlington VT Web Design“: 82,000 Results, 10 Results in the Local Business Results, and 8 Sponsored Results

I almost gave up right there.   How could I possibly outrank all the established players in the search engines?  After all, I am a one man startup trying to compete against established firms like Propeller Media Works, Athena Consulting, Eternity Web, Union Street Media, and the lot?  At that point something shiny rolled across the floor and distracted, I was done for the night.

Cut to Wednesday night at Ruben James, reading Seven Days and drinking a beer with my good pal Pete Bruhn.  I flipped past an ad for Girlington Garage and the obvious dawned on me.  I needed to differentiate.  Don’t go head-to-head with the big guys, find a niche.

I knew I wanted to work with small businesses in Burlington because entrepreneurs serving their community  is something I totally support.  In addition, it occurred to me that most established Burlington businesses that want a website probably have one.  So at that moment, I decided to stop targeting the businesses out there looking for a new website, and start targeting businesses that were not happy with their current website. I would this group  solutions that would make their website a profitable tool.

So I’m back at the desk tonight doing countless more Google searches, here are a few:

• “Burlington VT SEO“: 32,700 Results, 3 Results in the Local Business Results, and NO Sponsored Results
• “Burlington VT Adwords“: 3,950 Results, NO Results in the Local Business Results, and 1 Sponsored Results (Google Advertising Adwords)
• “Burlington VT SEM“: 24,500 Results, NO Results in the Local Business Results, and 1 Sponsored Results
• I am sure you get the picture…

Less competition, higher rankings, more customers.

I could make you a brand new website, but wouldn’t you rather see results from your existing website first? So I’ll stop blabbing and get to the meat: I’m going to be focus on acquiring my clients by ranking for targeted phrases surrounding the following services…

1. Search Engine Optimization – Reach the front page of Google results, maybe the top result.
2. Search Engine Marketing – Adwords and other paid advertising campaigns.
3. Email Marketing – Opt-in email campaigns, inbox marketing.
4. E-Commerce – Let’s set up a shopping cart, sales process, and move some product.
5. Social Media – I’ll pimp your profile to help you reach new customers
6. Website Design – The site your cousin made sucks. Lets start from scratch.

In closing, I just want to …. shiny object, brb