These Website Performance Blog posts address various website performance issues, including search engine optimization, visitor preferences, user content development, keyword selection and targeting specific business goals. The writer, John M. Corbett, is president of Corbett Research Group, Inc., developers of online directories and websites for the master artisans, exclusively, since 1999. He is also author of a number of magazine articles about the custom building and restoration artisans.

CASE STUDY: DEVELOP PRODUCTIVE WEB CONTENT
A case study demonstrating how to use website structure of the website to target the specific concerns of both the Search Engine and of the Qualified Visitor. These concerns are expressed as Keyword Phrases.

GOOGLE+ & GOOGLE SEARCH - - FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH
If you participate on Google+, Google will help you in the search results. It's a quid pro quo because they want you to use Google+. Don't take it from me, get it from the horses mouth.

ARE YOU A PERSON OR COMPANY TO GOOGLE+?
The Big Google+ News is that they recently allowed you to create a Google+ page for your brand or company. So the Question is, now that you CAN create a page for your company, SHOULD you?

GOOGLE+ F.A.Q.
Google+ is a new and important part of your overall Google search engine strategy. Participation even just a little bit on Google+ will make a difference in the quality and quantity of your website referrals.

GOOGLE - - YOUR BEST FRIEND
You may have heard it said that if you want your website to produce more leads, Google is your Best Friend. So why would you say "No" when your Best Friend offers you two very powerful tools, FOR FREE?

LINK SWAPS - - YES OR NO?
Do you get form letter emails from friendly young people like "Ashton", "Lily" and "Isabel" inviting you to swap links with their websites? Should you participate? What are the risks? And are there good alternatives?

THE THREE (3) STEP CURE FOR BAD CLIENTS
You're probably painfully aware of the BAD CLIENTS out there: Owners who want projects at less than your cost . . . GC's who play games with your final payment. You can't survive with clients like this.

THREE (3) ACTIONABLE NOTES FOR GOOGLE+
Unlike all other "social media", Google+ has significant influence on your Google search rankings. So if you care about referrals from Google, I suggest that you get on board with Google+.

USE YOUR WEBSITE TO TARGET THE HIGH END CLIENT
To target the HIGH END building and restoration client through your website, address your message to the HIGHEST common denominator. Keep his concerns in mind from the very first sentence on your home page.

MAKING SENSE OF WEBSITE STATISTICS
Excuse me for going on again about server statistics, but I keep getting questions, and I want to be sure that you understand what stats matter and what do not.

BUILD WEBSITE TRAFFIC WITH NATURAL SEARCH
Natural, Organic and FREE, these are all good things, right? When it comes to search, they are better than good, they are the BEST form of marketing there is on the planet Earth, because...

TEST YOUR WEBSITE WITH KEYWORD RANKINGS
In uncertain economic times, how are you to know if a drop in web traffic represents a website problem or is just a symptom of reduced overall economic activity? That's where KEYWORD RANKINGS can be useful, because the search engine is ranking your web pages on quality relative to other websites, not to previous traffic benchmarks.

POSITION YOUR COMPANY FOR THE UPTURN IN BUILDING RENOVATION
Has a recovery begun for the building renovation market? A study by Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies seems to offer a hopeful sign.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG
Some of our custom building and restoration clients have asked if they should publish a Blog on their website. They have heard that a Blog is one way to furnish the good written content needed to engage website Visitors and to get Search Engine referrals.

CREATE YOUR OWN LEAD GENERATING TEXT WITH THESE NINE QUESTIONS
Even if you're not a professional writer, it's easy to create Quality Content. Just WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, in a natural way! WHAT you say is more important than HOW you say it.

GET MORE LEADS WITH THE MIGHTY PAGEVIEW
Unless the "Visitor" finds what he or she wants, that Visitor is just a stat and not a lead. That's where the lowly and unsung (but mighty!) Pageview comes in.

8 SURPRISE BENEFITS OF A HARD WORKING WEBSITE
We have all heard that an optimized website will get more traffic and, presumably, produce more leads. But so what? How does that benefit you? We asked OUR clients what were the most unanticipated, practical benefits of a search engine compliant, owner friendly website.

TWO QUESTIONS TO ASK A WEBSITE DEVELOPER
You can spend lots of money on a website that looks beautiful - but which produces few leads and sells no projects. Not all web developers consider measurable performance to be part of their job.

DEFINING "GOOD, RELEVANT CONTENT"
You know the Search Engines are the way to draw new qualified web traffic to your website at low cost, but how do you put them to work for you? Simply by understanding that the Search Engines win when they bring your Prospect useful, relevant information.

FIND THE KEYWORDS THAT WORK BEST FOR YOU
In a tough market, your website must be built around the Keyword search terms used by your ISC (Ideal, Superior Client) when she/he is looking for you in Google.

HELP GOOGLE HELP YOU
Since the advent of Google, there is no longer any need to deal with bad clients unless you like to. You and your ideal, superior client are now living just a desktop apart.

OUR 9-ITEM TEST for YOUR WEBSITE
How can you make sure your Qualified Prospect will actually read your carefully crafted message? You can't let your website baffle or annoy either your Prospect or the Search Engines.

HINTS TO CONVERT VISITORS TO CALLERS
Your home page has only a few seconds to communicate to your Visitor/prospect the relevance of your professionalism, efficiency, and skills to his/her needs. (That "back" button is never far away!) Your Visitor is as busy as you are and won't make the effort if you make her or him work extra hard to get information.

FIVE TAGGING TIPS for WEBSITE PAGES
Use the natural keyword variations that your Visitor and the Search Engines expect in good writing. Avoid "over optimizing" your tags and text by repetition of a very few keywords.

FIVE NOTES ABOUT LINKING
Incoming links from important, relevant websites help the Search Engines to confirm the importance and relevance of your web page. Important, relevant incoming links can help build ranking for your website.

NINE COMMON WEBSITE MISTAKES
If the Search Engines can't easily tell what your website is about, they will bury it too deep in the search results to be found by your Prospect. Focused, relevant content is the gold standard of the web.

HOW TO THINK LIKE A SEARCH ENGINE
You know you have a wonderful website, but do the Search Engines know it? Your carefully crafted online message won't close a sale if no one ever sees it.