show results , and a little bit of writing or content . When you make website viewers go elsewhere on the internet to find out more information , you are doing your horses a grand injustice . Besides , it ’ s not that hard to tell everyone why you love your horses so much , now is it ?
MAKE SURE TO MAKE IT
10 ) PERSONAL AND INCLUDE AN ABOUT US PAGE- You would be surprised to see how many people click into your “ About Us ” page . People want to KNOW who they are buying from . So make that page in particular personal : list your interests and some fun facts , maybe some of your favorite achievements . Also you will get brownie points for adding personal touches throughout your website .
ARTICLES- If you are knowledgeable and creditable about a subject
11 ) then write about it ! Add it in an article section of your website . This will boost in you in Google as a valuable resource . For instance if you raise appaloosas , write an article explaining appaloosa genetics . If you like to show , explain how to fill out your show entry forms . If you train horses , write about teaching a horse to back up .
VIDEOS- Videos are a fun extra
12 ) to add to your site that will make you more attractive to viewers . Especially for sales horses ! Film videos of a horse at liberty ( running around in a pen ), and then in-hand walking towards the camera and away from the camera ( to display correctness of legs ) and opening the mouth to show the bite . If you are selling a driving horse , upload a video of that horse executing a walk , figure 8 trot , whoa , and back up . I ’ ve found ( for my own purposes ) that when a selection of good quality photos plus some videos are offered on a horse , I get less ‘ curious ’ emails from people requesting more photos ( which can be annoying !).
TESTIMONIALS- Testimonials are
13 ) another perfect addition to your website . This adds to your credibility and builds client trust . As a general rule of business you should strive for a happy client every time , BUT we have all heard horror stories of dishonest horse sellers . Separate yourself from the crowd with a testimonial / review page .
BREEDING PROGRAM- Telling
14 ) your audience about your breeding program is something new that is starting to become trendy . Benjamin Franklin once said , “ If you fail to plan , you are planning to fail ”. Your breeding program is information people want to know . Why are you crossing this line , to that line — what are you trying to create ? Share what you ’ ve achieved so far and what is the next step in your program . What is the proof of your success ? If you are starting the first generation of your program , iterate your dreams and goals and the change you hope to see in 5 , 10 , 15 years . This step may be something you haven ’ t done yet but is extremely important for anyone who breeds horses .
THE MAGIC OF A HOMEPAGE-
15 ) Your homepage is hardwired to be the most-clicked spot on your website . Did you know , when someone searches “ miniature horses Alberta ” in Google it will bring up a list of the most relevant , popular , and updated farm websites in Alberta ? Sometimes if a website is really relevant ( but out of province / state ), it will pop up in those searches . Imagine having a website so powerful that when you search for “ miniature horses Canada ” your website is on the first page in Google ! Your home page is a good spot to put News , Events , show string information or links to topics of interest within your website ( i . e . - “ check out our new article ” or “ the babies are here ! Click here to see our foal page ”).
Being within the first page of Google is extremely important to your website . Think about this , when was the last time you searched for something on Google and clicked through page 2 , 3 , 4 of the search results to find what you were looking for ? Probably a long , long time ago . If your website isn ’ t on the first page of Google then think about all of the potential viewers ( and business ) you are missing out on . Good luck !
SUMMER 2016 Miniature Horse World 7