This time of year I really start thinking about traffic.
It’s ski season, which means that I spend a lot of time sitting in a car between my house and the ski slopes.
Some days, you just cruise along and the road conditions are dry and everybody is cruising along with no problems.
Other days the spring snow begins dumping on the road and you get caught in bumper to bumper, sliding everywhere and hoping that the guy with bald tires doesn’t drive too fast and crash into somebody.
In Colorado, they’re talking about taking a special barrier that would sit in the middle of the highway, and move to the left or right – creating a lane for the part of the highway that was busiest. So in the mornings, it would move to create a westbound lane. In the afternoon, the barrier would move and create an eastbound lane.
Traffic is really important, because it’s how we get from one place to another.
And it works exactly the same on the web.
People are trying to get from one place to another all the time, 24/7, on the web. They’re searching, they’re talking with their friends on Facebook, they’re emailing, and they are listening to podcasts.
And a million other things.
One thing is for certain: If you’re not inserting yourself into the traffic flow, you’re missing out BIG TIME.
I don’t want you to miss out on the traffic you deserve.
For a long time, customers have been asking me to create a single resource that they can refer to, to make sense of all the places on the internet where you can get traffic. It’s finally here.
You asked, I delivered. I’ve created this special resource that you can print out, and refer to as you work to create content and increase your website
traffic. Or just as an idea generator.
Or even as a start to a strategic plan to double your sales this year.
And I’m giving it to you for no cost at all.
Traffic equals leads, and leads equals sales.
And that goes for an internet only business, or a local mom and pop shop.
I’ll be covering more on this in the near future.
Reach for the top (of Google),
-Wally
P.S. – Be sure to take a minute and download this awesome resource. I spent a couple months tracking all this down for you, and you’re really going to like it: 18 Proven Ways To Get More Website Traffic
More money is spent on advertising on the day of the Super Bowl than any other day.
So as a direct response marketer, I always find it interesting to see what people are throwing tons of dollars at – and whether they’re doing a good job with their ads.
One ad really surprised me. Did you see this one?
Google was advertising their search engine!
This really blew me away.
They had a video where they searched all sorts of search terms…telling the story of a person who travels abroad, falls in love with a French girl, creates a long distance relationship, and eventually marries her and has a baby! It’s crazy.
Here it is:
But the really crazy thing was how they told the story through nothing but Google searches.
That’s when it hit me for the 17 millionth time.
Google is the fulcrum point of our internet experience. This may or may not be true a few years from now, but right now Google IS the starting place on the Internet, for almost everyone.
Which brings up a good point.
People search. It’s how they find things.
70% of searches now include a city, and 30% of those searches are taking place on a mobile device.
What does this mean?
This means that if you’re spending money on a phone book, you’re wasting your money.
It means that if you’re not showing up in local searches, you’re losing sales.
And it means that if you’re not keeping up with your ranking on Google, you’re falling behind.
So make sure that you’re taking steps to put yourself in the traffic flow, so that you can keep business coming in the door and keep cashing those checks.
2010 is finally here, and I hope you’ve had a chance to take a few days off and hang out with your family and friends.
Over the past couple weeks I personally went into hibernation, and tried to stay away from technology as much as possible. It’s tougher than I thought to get away.
There’s a ton of chatter out there and it seems like especially around the holidays, that everyone is trying to get your attention.
And now that we’ve gotten over the hump of the holidays, there is a lot of optimism in the air, and a lot of predictions for the next decade.
One of my clients told me that “2010 is going to be a great year for those who work hard”.
And another one told me that in sacred numerology, 2009 was a really hard year but 2010 has a lot more going for it.
Take it for what you will, but I have a good feeling about 2010 and the start of a new decade.
There’s also a lot of information floating around about using social media to make a ton of money. I’ve been in the social media game for a couple years, but really hit it hard in 2009.
I started Twittering (sorry, tweeting), Facebooking, Linked-inning, and all the good stuff. Maybe you have too.
And like any experiment, I gave it some time and started to take note of what was working and what was not working.
There were some bumps along the way.
There were some surprises.
But if there is one major lesson that I learned, it was
this:
What you put into it, you get out of it. That’s the simple truth.
Funny, I should have known that already.
Honestly, I don’t spend a lot of time on Twitter. It’s kinda a time suck. Same with Facebook. But both of these resources contributed to strengthening current relationships, reopening old relationships, and even getting a couple of sales.
But they’re just tools. Just like a hammer.
You can use a hammer to build a fence, or you can use it to smash a window.
Or you can let it rust in the garage.
Same goes for your online reputation.
Whenever a new system is created for getting more website traffic, building your e-business, or simply increasing your conversion rate – you always hear how it is the game changer of the century.
Stuff like “This is finally the missing step to you being an internet millionaire. This is finally the missing piece to your exit strategy from your current job.”
And on and on.
But what heppens in the real world is that we get busy, and we don’t use the tools at our disposal.
Then you end up not getting the results you want.
Trust me, I’ve made this mistake. I’ve purchased books and courses (and systems) that have sat on the shelf, collecting dust.
But I’ve also found that when I crack the books open and really start to apply myself, the results come faster and faster.
So there’s a choice for the new year. Sit on the shelf, collecting dust. Or take action.
Which will it be for you?
Let’s resolve to take action and kick butt in 2010.
This morning when I woke up, got to the office and checked my email, my good buddy Doug sent me something really interesting. He said that Subaru (the car company) had broken all of their sales records for the year.
In a year filled with horror stories of car companies going out of business, here’s something that you never hear about – a car company finishing the year with a record breaker.
Now I’m not surprised one bit.
My first car was a Subaru. My second car was a Subaru. Guess what I drive right now?
A Subaru.
But that’s not really the point. The point is that here’s a car company who is doing the BEST they’ve ever done, and standing tall while other huge names are falling (or being bailed out) around them.
It’s incredibly instructive for us as business owners.
The question becomes, what did they do to have their best year ever?
The secret is simpler than you might guess.
Did they ask for a ton of government handouts? No.
Did they give away the store with a bunch of discounts to customers? No.
Did they hand out huge incentives to their sales people? No.
Here’s all they did.
They asked their customers how they could improve. They asked their customers what they wanted. And then, get this – they gave it to them!
Often times, especially when we get busy, we find ourselves searching for a really incredible answer. But when you step back, the fog clears and the answers are incredibly simple.
Think if GM had followed this rule for the last 30 years. They’d probably be in a lot better shape, and we might even be able to drive a 2010 Pontiac around…
The great news is that you and I can begin to follow the simple rule of listening and then providing our customers what they want right now.
So to that end, I would love to hear from you. Just a quick note telling me what you’d like to learn more about in 2010 – and how I can help you succeed faster online.
Leave a message on the blog or shoot me an email.
Enjoy the solstice, and be sure to take a little quiet that you deserve.
Let’s all listen a little closer to our clients, and make 2010 a record breaker for us, together.
Onward and upward,
-Wally
P.S. – Stay tuned for some really cool changes on the Wally the Web Guy front in 2010. I’ve been working on a lot of really cool stuff that I haven’t told you about yet, that will give you access to more customers, increase your sales with less work, and much more…guaranteed.
P.P.S. – Be sure to shoot me a quick one liner about how I can serve you better next year. The Japanese secret of continuous improvement begins with a single keystroke.
It’s a day before one of the best holidays ever – thanksgiving. It’s great because of the food, and it’s great because of the football, but the best part is giving thanks for the blessings you’re fortunate enough to have.
So I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to YOU.
Without us being connected, I would not be able to do what I love for a living. So thank you for being who you are, and for being on my email list.
I’ve posted this video on my blog today because I think you’ll really enjoy it.
I wanted to share this with you because I think that it is really amazing when you consider all the levels that things and people are connected on. From the atomic level to the business level to the personal level, everything is energy moving around in space, evolving. It’s pretty far out.
On the web, businesses that are connected flourish. Those who are not connected, do not.
And it’s all about being connected, and being thankful for those connections.
Have a great thanksgiving!
-Wally
P.S. – Have a nice turkey day, and be sure to take a walk after dinner and enjoy your surroundings. Cheers!
Today’s message is all meat and potatoes, stuff you can use right away.
I’m going to keep this one pretty short and sweet, cut right to the point. Things are getting busy this time of year, and regardless of what we’ve been hearing in the media – business is picking up out there. Big time. So let’s be prepared.
Today I’m going to give you a five question pop quiz, and you can put your website through the following test. Let me know how you score.
Test 1: How fast does your website load?
Did you know that you have only seven seconds before a visitor decides to stick around your site, or leave?
And if your website isn’t showing up after four seconds – four seconds! – 33% of people leave your site. Most never return.
Test 2: Does your website have a specific call to action, or is it putting people on overload?
Too much information makes people glaze over, fall asleep, and leave your site.
On the other hand, a simple, targeted site that solves the exact problem that your visitor is experience – makes tons of money. Keep it simple, keep it targeted, and don’t confuse your visitor. This tip alone can change your entire business.
Test 3: Is your website missing a consistent feel?
Although many sub-par designers miss this important point, consistency throughout your website is an absolute must. Look at Yahoo, CNN, the BBC – sites with thousands upon thousands of pages – and they all have a consistent navigation, a consistent look to headlines, and a consistent branding.
By allowing people to find what they want – and fast – within a consistent feel, you’re increasing mindshare. And increased mindshare means increased business for you.
Test 4: Does your website render the same on all web browsers?
This one is often overlooked by designers. Mac guys build sites that look good on Mac. PC guys build sites that look good on Internet Explorer. But what about the 300 Million people (and growing) who are visiting your site on an iPhone?
Or Google Chrome?
Web browsers can make a poorly programmed website look terrible. But the visitor only thinks that YOU look terrible.
Make sure your site looks the same on all browsers. (This is just one of the guarantees offered with every Wally the Web Guy
website.)
Test 5: Does your website look out of date?
When somebody visits your website, do they say “man, that is so 2005?”.
Hairstyles change. Car styles change. Even Time and Newsweek magazine have updated their look. It’s part of the game.
Eight years ago, everybody had a fancy flash intro. Then people realized that you lost visitors by making them watch the same thing every time they showed up. Then a couple years ago everything had a “web 2.0” look.
Staying fresh, and focused on serving your visitors never goes out of date. But if you’re stuck in 2005, it might be time to look at an update.
If your site scored poorly on any of these questions, it is probably time be time to invest in some improvement.
A good place to begin is to have a look at Your Custom Website Critique and Action Plan. Here you’ll be taken through an in-depth analysis of your current web properties, and given a concrete path on fast forward to massive ROI. That’s music to any business owner’s ears.
Reach for the top,
-Wally
P.S. – Factoid of the day: Amazon.com has determined that for every 100ms increase (that would be milliseconds) in time that your site takes to load, you lose 1% in sales. Simple math is: Slow site, no sales. You can fix that here.
It was only two years ago, but in some ways it feels like a lifetime ago. In other ways it feels like just yesterday.
I walked into a meeting filled with my colleagues, and I was on fire. I could feel the energy flowing up and down my spine and was ready to light that room up.
It was my meeting to run, and my project to fulfill as fast as possible.
Sitting around me in a conference room were managers, interns, and other fellow coworkers, and we were discussing the fastest and easiest way to implement a new software system.
I will never forget the clarity of that moment. A question would arise, and I would answer. Another question would arise, and I would answer.
I remember getting frustrated, noticing that while the clarity that I was experiencing inside my own mind was crystal clear, the energy surrounding me was scattered and confused.
Finally I stood up and said, “Any time you are thinking about what action to take, ask yourself a simple question.”
I was met with slightly frightened and confused stares. I continued.
“The question is – am I making my life easier? If the answer is no, toss the idea out and kick it to the curb. Then move on.”
More blank stares. That moment was crystallizing.
Within myself, I was thinking of a very simple but super important concept. Making your life easier gets rid of tension. No more tension means you can move faster.
And moving faster, doing the right action, equals effectiveness.
Pretty simple, right?
I was caught in a corporate boardroom though, and was the only guy in the room with incentive to make things easier.
The blank stares of confusion told me all I had to know. In my moment of clarity, I realized that while inside of myself was a clear vision of action, the people I had surrounded myself with did not share the vision, the energy, or the desire. It was time for me to move on.
So I quit my job and was gone a few short days later.
It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
Since then I’ve worked with tons of amazing individuals, and have continued to grow in leaps and bounds. And I’m talking on the business level and much more importantly, on the spiritual level.
What changed?
There is a huge reason that I was met with a room full of blank stares.
It’s taken me two whole years to figure it out, and as soon as I did, I felt like I should share it with you.
My inner picture of who I was changed. My inner picture of success changed. And my inner view of the world outside changed.
If you only look from the outside and the date that I left the “job” world forever, you would think I was a crazy person.
It was November 1, 2007 – the first day of the worst recession in 80 years.
Why would anybody give up a steady job at a good company, with great benefits and nice people to work with? I mean, isn’t that what you’re supposed to look for?
Something big had shifted, and I just figured out what it’s called.
It’s called the inner economy.
This is not my own term, somebody else came up with it. But it’s what creates the entire outer economy.
Think about this. Your inner thoughts and desires are transformed into value and service, and then transformed into money. All of the stuff outside, first starts as a simple thought.
The outer economy is truly a reflection of each of our own individual contributions that originate from each of us, in the inner economy. Inside first, outside second.
Far out, right?
Maybe you’ve never thought of this before. I encourage you to take a look inside at your own inner economy.
What do you have to offer that nobody else does in the entire world?
How can you serve more people in a mutually beneficial way?
What types of rewards do you deserve for your own contribution to the world?
These are the type of questions that I’ve asked myself, and for the first time have been brave enough to share with you.
I hope you’ll ask them. They’ve changed my life.
Stay true,
-Wally
P.S. – If this email resonates with you on any level, I encourage you to consider signing up for your own Idea Critique and Action Plan. This is just a small scratch of the surface of what I’ll cover in great depth with you in person. Click here.
P.P.S. – Even if you’re just a little bit interested, I encourage you to still give the Idea Critique and Action Plan a try. There’s a money back guarantee so the risk is really all on me, and it’s a lot of fun and incredibly valuable for both of us.
A couple of weeks ago I visited some friends in Portland, Oregon for the first time. It was a blast. We visited the Pacific coast, ate a bunch of seafood, and got to check out the city too.
One of the things we did on our trip was visit the world famous Powell’s book store.
This place is amazing. We’re talking an entire city block that
is dedicated to books. 3 or 4 stories high, and full of
books, books, books. It was awesome.
My friends and I walked around all sorts of color coded sections, looking for business books, science books, romance books (not for me), and whatever else we could find. It was a blast, because as we walked and looked for certain types of books, we’d talk about what we’d read recently, and what was good, bad, and ugly in the book world.
The best part about Powell’s though is that there is literally nobody in the world that can compete with them. They provide a unique experience that nobody else can duplicate, and for that, they’re remembered, talked about, and continue to thrive.
You and your business are the same way. There is literally nobody in the entire world who is just like you, and who can provide the services in the unique and caring way that you do.
That’s the good news.
The possible good news is that people are going to talk about you and your business, whether you like it or not. And the way they talk about it will determine whether they’re sending a referral your way, or sending somebody to your competition.
What you may not know is that there are ways to control this conversation. It’s all about how you position yourself in other people’s minds.
A few weeks ago I had lunch with a friend of mine and asked him a simple, yet profound question. Within days, he had come up with a business name and his first “elevator speech”.
Now when people ask him what he does, he’s able to position himself in their minds, and get people talking about him in the right way.
He’s unique, and he communicates it so that others will talk highly of him and refer people his way.
Make sure that you’re doing the same thing. This is just a small portion of what you can walk away with in short time with the Idea Critique and Action Plan.
We’ll go over what your unique talents and abilities are, and how you can offer it profitably to the world.
Most importantly, you’ll walk away with a plan to take your unique abilities and talents to the world, the web, and the marketplace in such a way that has generated millions of dollars for entrepreneurs of all stripes – and you’ll save a lot of time getting to the next level of success.
It’s been a couple weeks since I wrote, sorry to be out of touch.
A lot of great things happened in the last couple weeks, which I want to share with you.
One happened just this morning.
Woke up to an overcast day, and a bit of a chill to the air.
First day of October, and it’s definitely autumn in Fort Collins. Rumor has it that tonight there’s going to be a freeze, which will be the first time since May.
So I walked around the side of the house to check on the tomato garden. Green, red, and orange – there were a lot of those beauties. And it is time to harvest.
Instead of hopping straight on the computer like I normally do, I took a giant silver bowl outside and started filling it up with large, red, ripe tomatoes. And it felt really good.
Brought them inside, and it was tomatoes for breakfast. It will be tomatoes for lunch and dinner too, for a couple of days. Lots of bounty.
That’s the thing about harvest season. You work and work for a long time, and you seem to be making it nowhere. You plant, and you water, and you wait. Sometimes you weed, or sometimes you watch the weeds grow. Sometimes you don’t even get anything out of your garden.
With a little patience though, the right sun, water, and the right knowledge – look out. The bounty can be so great that you need help to harvest and enjoy all of it. And it turns into a huge celebration.
Working on your online business can be the same way. You work and work on your message, your website, and getting people to keep coming back for more. Sometimes it feels like you’re getting nowhere and that you should give up.
But if you give up, you are guaranteed to get nothing. If you keep churning, and working on your business though, and never give up – there’s no way you can lose.
Eventually, you’ll have a harvest so great that you need help to enjoy all of it.
It all starts with the right knowledge. With the right knowledge, you can plant the seeds to grow your business the way that you want it to be, and set yourself up for a bounty.
There are two ways to quickly expand your knowledge that I’ve discovered which are guaranteed to set you up for a great harvest.
One easy way to easily get the right knowledge is to listen to informative CDs in your car, or on your iPod. You can drive around and get the equivalent of a college degree each year, simply by listening to learning material.
Or maybe you go for a long walk and do your learning at the same time – now that’s efficiency.
Next thing you know, you’re pumped up, putting that knowledge into action, and setting yourself up for a bountiful harvest.
Another easy way to vastly expand your knowledge and speed up your time to harvest, is to ask a lot of questions to the right people. People who’ve been there, done that, and are interested in sharing.
There’s a lot of wisdom out there, I’ve found, if you just ask and then listen. And as the saying goes, “you reap what you sow”.
As we enter the last quarter of the year, enjoy this time of harvest. And be sure to continue planting seeds of knowledge in your own self and others. It’s always a good time to learn.
A couple of weeks ago while I was in Tampa, Florida, I was standing in the hallway talking to a lady about her experiences with feng shui. (Or Fung Schway as I like to call it sometimes.)
She told me a story of how she had taken the clutter out of her office, which then resulted in taking the clutter out of her business. And then she went whole hog and spent a few days decluttering her entire house.
Another guy was walking by, and heard this story, and began telling of his own experience with feng shui in his office.
For one, he acts much like a business monk, and doesn’t really let most people come to his office. But on the rare occasion that somebody does come in, they always do the same thing.
They walk in. They stop. And they look around, wide eyed with a jolt of energy and ask, “What is it about this place?”
It’s the positive, flowing energy.
Each of these folks had taken note of the importance of placement of items, colors that give them power, and the images that surround them - and the positive results that it has on the flow of your personal energy.
And that’s a really important thing to be aware of. After all, everything – including you – is made of energy in its various forms.
Even money itself is a form of energy.
It took me over 20 years to discover this.
When the flow of energy is increased, your productivity increases effortlessly, and life’s blessings seem to come towards you rather than having to chase after them.
Feng shui is a science, one that has been around for thousands of years. And the beautiful thing about something like feng shui is that if you follow the rules, the results will follow.
Feng shui on the web works the same way. With the right placement of items, the right colors, and the right images – the positive energy that comes to your business will become limitless.
It all begins right here, with you deciding that it is time to tap into the science of thousands of years, and begin a new flow of energy into your bank account.
P.P.S. — Declutter your office, declutter your mind. Let me know if you’ve had any similar experiences with feng shui. I’ve heard so many cool stories of what it’s done for people, and I would love to hear yours too.
