Control freak

The internet is full of control issues and people who have control issues. Google wants to "put you in control" by controlling what you see (they say the algorithms benefit you but really?). Social media
websites are just as bad - think of the big change Facebook made awhile back when they started telling you what your "top stories" were.  And then there is the whole privacy thing: what you think is private really isn't.

Then there are all the websites that compete for the same impressions (eyeballs) and dollars you're trying to capture. There are all the new technology gadgets that seem to dictate how your information will be displayed on mobile devices for example.

In all  my years of working on the internet, one thing remains constant, people want to have control of what happens once their website is launched: top rankings in search, exposure through links, social media traffic etc. And the irony is, those are all things that cannot be controlled.  Oh you can try to influence them, but you can't control them.  The only thing you can control is the website itself.

If Bing, Google & Yahoo didn't exist, if there were no social media channels - would your website give visitors the informational value and the ease of use to cultivate sales? What is there on your website that makes it worth visiting... more than once?

Websites that do well in search, for the most part, have quality content that's worth reading and re-reading as people research choices.  Websites that go viral have web content that is worth sharing Website that convert visitors to customers are all easy to use, give a direct path to the conversions.

Funny thing - the website is often neglected when it comes to cultivating and nurturing a professional looking, clean functioning, quality content driven website.  A quick search in the deep results pages  and you'll see dozens of websites languishing with little attention from their owners.  Like plants, a little attention goes a long way.

So if you want to "control" over the top ranking, viral social sharing, and getting more leads or sales you have to work on the one thing you can control: the website itself.  Keep the content current, include new information that will help people choose your company. Treat your website like the most important component of any internet marketing campaign - because it is!