This is a new Daily Golden Nugget Format. As of today we are opening our Nuggets to anyone who is on our email list. From now on you will receive the unabridged versions of the Nuggets. Remember you can remove yourself from our email list at any time by simply clicking reply and telling us to remove you.
SEO Seminars at Trade Shows
JCK Las Vegas officially opens today. Of course Luxury at JCK started a few days ago, but most jewelers arrived yesterday and today.
Undoubtedly every trade show you attend now (JCK, Smart Show, regional show, buying group) has website companies that tout how great their services is, and there are website seminars from experts.
If you have the opportunity to attend a seminar, please do. Always strive to broaden your internet education. On May 31, 2011, Rob Bates, Senior Editor with JCK Online, published an article explain how far behind in technology the majority of jewelry stores are. This needs to change, you need to change.
However, there are pitfalls to what you may learn at trade shows. First, be warned that not all website companies are created equal. Recently we've analyzed a few prominent jewelry website companies that are creating cookie cutter websites with the same content. There are even manufacturers that are providing free websites if you spend their required product buy-in amount.
These manufactures and cookie cutter website companies have figured out how to make affordable website for jewelers. Very affordable by simply adding a custom About Us page, colors and a logo. The affordable website never attracts visitors from search engine optimization. The cookie cutter and identical information provided is nullifying many SEO efforts because dozens and even hundreds of jewelry stores have the same sites!
It's really a shame, and a waste of website development money.
Please be warned about the seminars you will attend too. There are very few SEO experts that have specific experience in online jewelry websites and associated marketing. Many techniques employed by SEO experts for other businesses simply do not work for the jewelry industry. We know because we work closely with many SEO experts and compare notes all the time for our own education and research.
As we've said before: Think For Yourself, Question Authority.
Not everything you learn at a trade show will work. Everything you learn needs to be tested with your own website because, for example, what works in Seattle, Washington will not work in Tampa, Florida. Local customers think differently in different from region to region inside every country.
Another word of caution: When it comes to SEO please do not listen to your best friends. You may enjoy the time you spend with colleagues during trade shows, but please do not use any of the SEO techniques they recommend. If they successfully employ SEO on their website it's because they found a good balance of ranking signals.
No single SEO technique operates in a vacuum. It takes a long time to find the balance with your SEO. Small changes to your title tags, navigation menus and what you say on your home page may have disastrous results to your local SEO ranking.
Please carefully weigh all the website options you learn at a trade show. Don't simply accept the "trade show special" for a website. Remember that website and SEO work is all labor based. "Trade Show Special" for a website is synonymous for "We'll work less time for you." There is no cookie cutter solution for a website.
If you're looking for a website special please feel free to call Sapphire Collaborative (www.sapphirecollaborative.com) at 888-872-0274 if within the USA and Canada or at +1 973 413 8211 if you're in Europe.
Have a good show, and TFYQA.
