Offline biz site SEO question

JustMint · 03-03-2010, 06:47 PM

Hi Guys,

I'm planning a new site for my offline business services. Thing is, there are 2 different areas I work in. One is TV and Video production services, the other will be offline/online marketing for bricks and mortar businesses.

I'm really keen to keep one company and domain name, and operate all these services from here.

Obviously I want to optimize the site effectively for both and need some advice. Here's some questions I've come up with while researching this:

Most search traffic I can individually optimize relevant pages for - yes? That is, if someone's searching for video production for example, they'll land on that particular page of my site, etc. Same for when I'm backlinking etc.

However, what about the absolute first/front page of the site - say for people coming straight in to the base URL? I've seen sites where the first page offers you the choice to click through to the "side" of the company you want (here's an example: Welcome To Good Day Solar) - is this a good idea, or bad for SEO?

The other option would be one front page with all the services laid out from the start - is this any better? (I'd prefer not to do this as think it's too confusing for some new visitors - gives them too much choice etc)

One last question - some of the higher end film production companies here have these artistically elaborate sites which give you a sometimes up to 30 second countdown while they load (!!), to then show a video/graphics reel playing, and then eventually give you an option to either click through again (!!) or finally lay out the site menu to chose from (usually animated etc). I presume that while this stuff looks clever, it's really bad for SEO etc?

Oh, I'm planning a wordpress site if that's relevant.

Would love to hear any opinions from all the experts here - thanks.

MikevanderHeijden · 03-03-2010, 07:59 PM

Hi JustMint,

You'd be suprised how many times this question has come up. The main idea would be to silo your content, so tv/production lives in one area and your marketing in another area. That way you can have a primary landing page for both services (which you will then optimise for the most searched for keyword).

The homepage, I tend to never optimise for anything much but my brand/business name, as it doesnt make sense to try and rank your home page for a variety of keywords as you want the most relevant page to show up when someone types in "your keyword".

As for the pre-loader, I would advise against it.. Personally I get annoyed if I have to wait for something to load. I just want to get to the page and see the information.

Hope this helped.

JustMint · 03-04-2010, 12:49 AM

Thanks Mike - that's just the sort of advice i was looking for.

So if I do have homepage - let it just be to direct the visitor to one silo or another? If I'm understanding correctly that makes perfect sense - like the example I used in my question.

Thanks again.

03-03-2010, 06:47 PM	#1
JustMint HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia & London, UK Posts: 119 Thanks: 34 Thanked 19 Times in 13 Posts	Offline biz site SEO question Hi Guys, I'm planning a new site for my offline business services. Thing is, there are 2 different areas I work in. One is TV and Video production services, the other will be offline/online marketing for bricks and mortar businesses. I'm really keen to keep one company and domain name, and operate all these services from here. Obviously I want to optimize the site effectively for both and need some advice. Here's some questions I've come up with while researching this: Most search traffic I can individually optimize relevant pages for - yes? That is, if someone's searching for video production for example, they'll land on that particular page of my site, etc. Same for when I'm backlinking etc. However, what about the absolute first/front page of the site - say for people coming straight in to the base URL? I've seen sites where the first page offers you the choice to click through to the "side" of the company you want (here's an example: Welcome To Good Day Solar) - is this a good idea, or bad for SEO? The other option would be one front page with all the services laid out from the start - is this any better? (I'd prefer not to do this as think it's too confusing for some new visitors - gives them too much choice etc) One last question - some of the higher end film production companies here have these artistically elaborate sites which give you a sometimes up to 30 second countdown while they load (!!), to then show a video/graphics reel playing, and then eventually give you an option to either click through again (!!) or finally lay out the site menu to chose from (usually animated etc). I presume that while this stuff looks clever, it's really bad for SEO etc? Oh, I'm planning a wordpress site if that's relevant. Would love to hear any opinions from all the experts here - thanks.

03-03-2010, 07:59 PM	#2
MikevanderHeijden Search Engine Ninja War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cairns, Australia Posts: 47 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Offline biz site SEO question Hi JustMint, You'd be suprised how many times this question has come up. The main idea would be to silo your content, so tv/production lives in one area and your marketing in another area. That way you can have a primary landing page for both services (which you will then optimise for the most searched for keyword). The homepage, I tend to never optimise for anything much but my brand/business name, as it doesnt make sense to try and rank your home page for a variety of keywords as you want the most relevant page to show up when someone types in "your keyword". As for the pre-loader, I would advise against it.. Personally I get annoyed if I have to wait for something to load. I just want to get to the page and see the information. Hope this helped.

03-04-2010, 12:49 AM	#3
JustMint HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia & London, UK Posts: 119 Thanks: 34 Thanked 19 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Offline biz site SEO question Thanks Mike - that's just the sort of advice i was looking for. So if I do have homepage - let it just be to direct the visitor to one silo or another? If I'm understanding correctly that makes perfect sense - like the example I used in my question. Thanks again.