Ok, it’s time to point out an ugly truth that affects a ton of marketing. We don’t like being the ones to do it, but we care about you too much to just sit back and let you waste all your hard work. Hey, it’s no one’s fault, and we’ve all done it at one point or another, usually early on in our business infancy. It’s the tendency to slap something together, throw it up on the internet, clap yourself on the back and leave it there for God knows how long. It hurts us to watch because it usually leads to a bad disappointment for good people who just don’t know better. Maybe it’s a website you haven’t updated in ages, and are slowly killing your SEO in the process. Maybe it’s your blog you haven’t posted to in 6 months. Or, maybe it’s your banner ads, put together without rhyme or reason. The latter is our focus for today, or more specifically, why your banner ad is falling flat. 

When I sit down for an initial meeting with a client to talk about their their business, I ask them what their digital marketing goals are. The common response is, "To rank #1 in Google at X keyword." Which I usually follow up with "Why?" The look I get is usually a bit dumbfounded, as if I obviously don't know the answer to the easiest question on earth. Think about it, why would you want your business to rank #1 on Google? The response I like the most is, "Because if we are ranking #1, that means we are doing good." Doing good at what? It's clear that many people equate a #1 ranking as an indicator of success, but sometimes I have to push my clients to think deeper. Success isn't measured in ranking for one keyword-- rankings don't equal money. Leads, sales or conversions equal money. In all honesty the need to rank #1 for that top keyword is closer to a middle school popularity contest than a measure of success. Step outside of the competitive mindset that Google has created and really think about your business. How is the success of your website really measured? What does your website need to do to help your company?