StyleNet News
How Long Does It Take to Show Up in Google
If you're getting a new or improved website for your salon or day spa, you may be wondering how long does it take to get found on the Internet? Since there are literally hundreds of places to get found, I wanted to address the most likely place that your prospects will use: Google.
Contrary to what many people think, Google does not know everything that's on the Internet instantly. If you goto Google and search for a "salon in Nashville," Google does not actually look at salon websites at that moment. They simply check their own database at that moment. Their database is essentially a copy of what they've found on the Internet. To build their copy of the Internet, Google has robots (sometimes called spiders) that wander around the web, looking for new websites, new web pages and changes to existing web pages. Once they find something new, they add it to their database.
Google usually takes between a few days and a few weeks to find new information on the Internet. They check important, established websites like cnn.com and usatoday.com every few minutes but they might check a typical salon website only 1-2 times per month.
Here's 3 major factors that can make Google check your website more often and will get new changes into Google more quickly:
You've had an existing website.
Your website has been updated more frequently, for a longer period of time
Many other websites (blogs, TV/News sites, Business Association sites...) link to your website.
And here's some things that can make Google check less frequently:
You've got no existing website and have just started a new one.
You've got a website that is unreadable by Google (like a Flash website).
You've got a website that contains little or no personalized text & information.
You've got a website that doesn't get updated with new info on it regularly.
Few or no other established websites link to your website.
So what's the short answer to how long does it take to show up in Google? Typical is a couple weeks to a couple months but if you don't have the right website, you might NEVER show up in Google.
If you've got a StyleNet website, we've done alot of things to help you show up quickly in search engines. It can still take some patience but you will get found and you will start getting new customers from your website. And it's all because you had the vision to get an effective, affordable salon website form StyleNet!
How to Show Up Better in Google for Salons & Spas
Can a website be a great tool for day spa and hair salon marketing? Can the right website really help you get new customers?
If it's a StyleNet website, the answer is yes.
Spa and salon websites from StyleNet are automatically optimized to get found in Google and other major search engines. If you want to make sure your site is doing well, here's 4 things you need to do:
Personalize the text on your salon website - Your homepage and every other page start out with text pre-written by StyleNet. Take a few minutes to rewrite the text or Google won't show you as much love as they can. Need help with writing? Just ask, we'll help you for free!
Write nice descriptions of your services - Your prospects want to learn about your services and so does Google. Write a nice long description of each service (at least a few sentences) and StyleNet can automatically feed Google techno-related things it likes such as anchor text, optimized density ratios, topical relevance, url structure, heading tags, blah, blah, blah... That's the stuff we focus on so you can focus on your business.
Get other websites to link to your website - A link from your local Chamber of Commerce or BBB's website can help you show up better in Google. The more links you get from other websites, the better you'll show up in the major search engines.
Claim your salon or spa in the Google Local Business Directory - Unless you're brand new, Google already knows about you... even if you don't have a website yet. First, read about the Google LBC. Then take a few minutes to verify your listing and enhance what Google says about you.
Need help with writing? Want a personalized review of your website and what you need to do to show up better in Google? Give us a call anytime. StyleNet will help you for free!
Google Personalized Search
Possibly the biggest change ever in how Google works just happened. In effect, every person that uses Google will now be seeing different results.
Google is now personalizing the results you see based on 2 primary things: 1) Your Location & 2) Your Web History. What you see will be different than what everyone else sees.
For salons & spas, it makes the question "where do I rank on Google?" harder to answer & less important. For people using Google to find things, it can make it easier to find things you've found before. But on the flip side, it might be harder to find new stuff.
Google has been taking your location into account for some time. For example, if you search for Burger King, Google assumes you want to find a restaurant close to you instead 700 miles away. Makes sense, right?
Taking your Web Browsing History into account is much newer. In the past, Google has ONLY tracked how you use Google & other websites if you're logged into Google (via GMail, Google Accounts, Google Calandar or one of the other Google tools that require you to login). The new change means that they will track and use your web usage history even if you're not logged in to Google.
The bottom line is that you can't expcet what you see on Google to be the same as what someone else sees. So what should you do?
First, don't get hung up on where you rank for something on Google.
Second, focus on results: Is your website getting visitors? Are you getting customers because of your website? If you're not asking new customers how they found you, it's time to start.
A StyleNet website can be the best investment you make. As your web partner, we've made sure that your website is built in a Google-Friendly way. Most salon websites are not.
If your website ins't getting the results you need, we can help. Just give us a call at 888-595-0676. We'll do a review of your situation to see how we can help you make more money with your website.
