Treat #1 – 3 Ways to Prepare Your Website for Trick-or-Treaters

This is an entry in our HALLoween Blog series. Each week leading up to Halloween 2010 we will treat you with internet marketing topics that have a fun and spooky flare.

Okay, so people aren’t really getting candy when they visit your website, but they are looking for and expecting good, useful content. Using similar techniques to prepare for trick-or-treaters to visit your home on Halloween you can also encourage more visitors to come to your website.

    1. Keep the Lights On – Optimizing your website allows you to be found online.

Everyone knows that if you don’t want trick-or-treaters you turn off the lights and pretend like you aren’t home. But if you do want them you have to give them a sign that you want them to visit when they are walking down your street. The same goes for your website. One of the best ways to let people know you’re there when they are looking for information is to optimize your website for search engines. When people are using search engines to find information that your business provides, you want to be found.

Trick-or-Treater
photo credit: Clover_1
    1. Give out the “Good Candy” –  Helpful content gives users what they are seeking.

This doesn’t mean you always have to give out the King Size Snickers bars, but you can’t be the house on the street that gives out pens or raisins. Think about the candy in this example as the content on your site. You have to live up to the expectations of your visitors with content that they are looking for and what they will like and find useful. You also want to be known for having the good content. I remember when I was in the 4th grade and there was a house that gave trick-or-treaters jumbo whoopie pies (sorry to non-New Englanders who have never had one of these delicious treats). I didn’t expect to get a whoopie pie but was surprised and excited that I did. Word spread fast and the house quickly ran out. Each year after that the “whoopie pie” house was always the first stop on our route. Similarly, you want your website to have content that people want and you also want to show authority and thought leadership to keep your website in the top of people’s mind.

    1. Be Memorable –  Reveal what makes your company unique and distinguish your company from its competition.

Like the example above; the house that gave us whoopie pies did something different and unexpected, they exceeded expectations and became memorable. You want the same for your website. Think about what makes you unique and how you can convey that to your website visitors. Some of the houses on our trick-or-treating route were memorable because the owners dressed up in costumes  and others because they had elaborate decorations. They weren’t all memorable for the same reason. Whether its your exceptional customer service, technical expertise, or industry experience; make sure you demonstrate to your visitors what sets you apart from your competitors.

What do you do when you prepare for trick-or-treaters that you could use  as a similar technique to encourage your website visitors?

See how Hall can help increase your demand.