A smaller business can really level the playing field against larger competitors by optimizing its Web site for search. That's what Cathy Hillen-Rulloda did for her small florist business, Avante Gardens, and now the search engines are giving her business the attention it deserves.
Avante Gardens, a small florist in Anaheim, Calif., has been around for nearly 25 years. But in the past year, sales are up 20% over the year before. What changed?
In a word, search.
Actually, there are a few more processes like blogging, a POS system, and a new e-commerce platform, but the biggest difference has been optimizing the company's Web site for search.
Cathy Hillen-Rulloda, owner and design director at Avante Gardens, pioneered the company's search efforts, educating herself by visiting various sites and blogs and constantly making changes based on what was working and what wasn't.
Don't Miss: Hillen-Rulloda's Search Toolkit
"I could see the Web was going to be important in terms of visibility in our company," says Hillen-Rulloda. "I needed to get my brain around this."
That she did. An emphasis on Web content, keywords, and blogging has propelled Avante Gardens to where every growing business wants to be: the top of a Google natural search result -- which is an organic unpaid search as opposed to pay per click ads.
"If you go to Google and type in "florist Anaheim, Ca", Avante Gardens is the first in the natural Google search," says Hillen-Rulloda.
A search for "florists Anaheim, Ca" has Avante Gardens in the second position in Yahoo's local search results. It is also in the fourth position in Yahoo's natural search results.
"It is free to be listed in the local business center -- to a certain point and then there's a modest fee -- and it amazes me that more businesses don't use this," says Hillen-Rulloda. "There is a lot of opportunity and smaller businesses don't take advantage of these opportunities that are free or very affordable."
Rebecca Lieb, former VP and editor in chief, and currently editorial consultant to The ClickZ Network, agrees. Lieb is in the process of writing a book on search, 50 Truths About Search Engine Optimization, due out in early 2009, and she believes that search levels the playing field enabling smaller businesses to compete with larger companies. "Right now is a great time [to get into search] because nobody is buying keywords. Most small and midsize businesses don't realize they can do this," she says.
Hillen-Rulloda does. Avante Gardens also does pay-per-click ads and sponsored links, but she is careful to target those ads to local people searching the Web. That can be done by targeting Internet service providers in a designated geographic area. "We don't want to waste money," she says. "I won't purchase a keyword like flowers. It makes more sense to target the local market."
Local and Smaller Businesses Get Big Results
That Avante Gardens is a local, small business makes search optimization crucial, and effective, for the company. Large businesses, notes Hillen-Rulloda, can afford to spread their message all over, but a smaller business can pick its battle and focus just on the consumer that it wants.
Don't Miss: Make the Search Engines Find Your Web Site
This becomes more significant when given the nature of the floral industry today. Avante Gardens is competing against a number of huge, national florists that are essentially call centers that use local brokers to fill their orders -- and pay those local florists about 65% of every dollar. "I wanted to stand out," she says. "I didn't want to be beholden to national companies. I didn't want to be in a McFlower world. I wanted that dynamic interface with customers, not with a call center."
Next Page: Realizing the Power Of The Web Pays Off
