Three Tips to Increase Your Website Traffic

Do you know how many web visitors you have?  How do people find your website?  If you are trying to drive customers to your website or have a website and aren’t getting much traffic, here are three fairly easy (and free) things you might try.

1.  Google It. This first tip actually includes two tips so you get more bang for your buck. 

Google Analytics.  If you are not using Google Analytics, set up an account to track your website statistics.  It’s free, easy and provides layers of information.   offers free tools for tracking website visits, key search words, and many more statistics to help increase your web traffic.  One feature that we use is the list of keyword searches.  This allows you to see how people are searching to find your website. There are numerous resources on Search Engine Optimization available, but this is an easy reference so you can start incorporating those phrases into your web content.  For example, say you have an Italian restaurant in Yakima and you call it a Bistro.  You see that in your searches ‘Italian Restaurant Yakima’ is one of the top searches, so you find ways to incorporate that phrase in your website.

Google Places.  “Claim your Google Place!”.  Google is a location based search, so if you want to increase your placement in Google searches, which in turn, leads to more visitors, make sure to set up a Google Place page.  It’s also easy and free, although not as quick.  Google actually verifies that it is a ‘real’ location.  This can be a little more challenging for home based businesses and it takes about a month before you see your map location on a Google search, but it’s worth your time.

2.  Links, Social Media & Networking.  Make sure you have your website on your business cards and on your electronic signature.  Use your methods of correspondence and posting to include links to your website, for example, we include recent blog posts or events in our e-newsletters.Set up a Facebook ‘business page’ and LinkedIn account to drive visitors to your website.  You can also use your personal Facebook to encourage your friends and acquaintances to ‘Like’ your page.  CAUTION:  Be advised that if you set up a business as a ‘person’ page, Facebook can actually remove that page without telling you and you will lose all your contacts (friends)!  Other businesses with legitimate business pages can report businesses-as-people pages to Facebook.  If you have a ‘friend’ page, now is a good time to migrate to a ‘fan’ page while you can encourage your existing ‘friends’ to become ‘fans’.

3.  Blog.  If you haven’t started a blog but want to, we recommend building up some posts before you go live with it.  Also, it’s a great idea to develop an editorial calendar with topics that correspond to your core messages and/or services.  Finally, one of the most important pieces of blog advice I would offer is that if you are going to start a blog, you must commit to actually writing it.  How many times have you seen an enewsletter come in, click on the link to read the company blog, only to be disappointed that the most recent post was in 2009?  It’s not only discouraging as a reader to waste a few clicks, but it makes you wonder if the company is staying current on other issues and trends.  How can they know what’s going on if they don’t keep their own website current?

 

These are just a couple of suggestions that I have seen firsthand help increase traffic to YakimaValley.biz. A website is a constantly evolving project and it can be overwhelming; it can also be one of your fastest growing sources of new customers and a good investment.

On Tap: Start-Up Advice from a Craft Brew Artisan

Yakima Craft Brewing.  Just Good Beer…  Sometimes a business name and slogan says exactly what it needs to.  Jeff Winn, founder of Yakima Craft Brewing, recently spoke at the monthly Entrepreneur Spotlight and educated the audience on the craft brewing and hop industry, where the name of Yakima’s only brewery (for now, we hope) came from and where they are today.

Winn explained how Yakima Craft Brewing got started.  He and his family were living in Portland, he was working in the high tech corporate world, brewing beer at home that people raved about.  After his 40th birthday, he decided to take the plunge, quit his job and relocate to the origin of craft brewing, hops and coincidentally, his wife.  It also helped that Yakima is equidistant from two of the largest craft beer markets, Portland and Seattle.

Winn noted that the craft brewing industry only makes up 5% of the beer industry by volume, but 10% in sales (dollars), meaning that there is a larger profit margin for craft beer compared to mass produced.  Even more importantly, craft beer has weathered the recession fairly well, and is now seeing an increase in the female market sector, which is virtually untapped for marketing potential.  Winn says, “As people discover craft beer, they just can’t go back.”

A lot of thought went into his business name – Yakima, where Bert Grant’s is credited with opening the nation’s first post-prohibition brewpub in 1982 and where 75% of the nation’s hops are produced; Craft, which he explains making beer is an ‘art’ or craft; and Brewing, which is the manufacturing process of making beer.  The slogan is simpler yet, Just Good Beer, but sums up nicely what their mission is.

Winn acknowledges that he developed a business plan and still uses it as a working document, and even more, that his projections were fairly close to actual revenues and expenses.  Jeff contacted our office in 2008 and we were honestly very excited that he was seriously considering starting a brewing company in Yakima County.  After we talked with him, we were even more impressed; he had a solid business plan, knew the business and most important, knew the amount of money he needed and was relying on bootstrap financing.

As fortune would have it, Jeff was able to make two important connections with the former Grant’s Brewing.  He was able to connect with Chris Swedin, who had worked for Bert Grant and he was able to get a hold of some of Grant’s original brewing equipment, which he still uses today.  Jeff and Chris are the two person team that not only brew the beer, but bottle, label and market as well.

The biggest challenge they are facing right now is that they simply cannot brew enough beer to satisfy demand.  Some would argue that this is a GOOD problem to have, and they weren’t discounting how happy they were that the product sells as fast as they can make it; however their only step to expand the brewing capacity is to completely dismantle the existing operation and purchase all new production equipment.  This is not only expensive but a major challenge when they have to still supply product to their customers!   They are still relying on raising funds among family and friends and committed to remaining a Limited Liability Partnership.  For them, maintaining that governance and control is very important, rather than opening up to a large group of investors.

Jeff has some frank advice for start-up companies.  The first comment is that, ‘Most owners don’t get paid’.  He commented that he and Chris often work 60-80 physically-demanding hours a week; pouring any profits back into the company.  The second thing Winn stresses is that entrepreneurs have to be passionate and have the passion to live and dream the business.  It’s easy to see why Yakima Craft Brewing is a success; you hear the passion and determination when Jeff talks about their beer and craft brewing in Yakima.  Jeff and Chris are taking a slow, yet realistic, approach to growth.  They have seen other companies create a lot of product, while at the same time creating a lot of debt and they chose to go the opposite route.  “Start small, develop a reputation, improve quality, expand when you need it”, says Winn.

Aside from being a craft brew ‘artist’, Jeff is also a graphic artist.  Jeff designs all the labels and he and Chris come up with the names for each variety.  They have a great philosophy and it carries into their product.  One of the first rules of the business is to use hops grown in the Yakima Valley.  The other rule is that they don’t brew to the market; they brew the type of beer that they like, and hope other people like it.  Again, that passion rings true.  One of the recent labels is the 1982, a tribute to the year Grant started brewing in Yakima.

If you haven’t had the chance to try Yakima’s only craft beer, visit their tap room for a pint and snack; a word of advice though, go early.  Since adding a small tap room onto the production facility, it has been busy every night.  Jeff sums up the last three years by saying ‘There is nothing better than the beer business’. We are so excited to see Yakima Craft Brewing succeed; Jeff’s philosophy, commitment to the craft and community and smart business sense is refreshing.

Are you Paying the Right Wage?

Ever wonder what an average wage is for billing clerk?  How about a truck driver or machinist?  If you want to know what the average wages (or salaries) are for particular positions in Yakima County you will find the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual wage estimates helpful.  Each year the Bureau posts average wages for hundreds of positions.

There are layers of statistics and rates.  One interesting item is also the number of positions in each classification.  This can be helpful for entrepreneurs that are looking to start a business in a certain field.  The sample below shows the overall statistics for a computer programmer. When you are on the website, if you click on that job, it will take you to even more detailed information about computer programmers, including national estimates, types of industries jobs are available, what states pay the most and which industries have the highest paying positions in the field.

Click here  to get 2010 wage estimates for Yakima County.

City of Yakima Initiates Small Business Lending Program

The City of Yakima is jump-starting a new business lending program called the Grow Yakima Fund.  Yakima is working with the National Development Council (NDC) to administer the new loan program which is designed to support local small businesses.  Michael Morales, Assistant City Manager, comments that, “The city is fortunate to participate in this program.  It’s a win-win by helping the city economy grow and small businesses expand that might not otherwise be able to.”

The requirements are not different than what a conventional lender might require, however the financing terms can be more attractive to small businesses.   Key features of how the Grow Yakima program differs from conventional lenders are:

• Longer Terms – Using repayment schedules up to 25 years that give the borrower smaller monthly loan payments
• Larger Loans – Providing loan amounts ranging from $100,000 to $2 million
• Lower Down Payments – Allowing higher loan-to-value ratios to preserve the business’s equity and maximize growth potential
• Lower Interest Rate – Providing lower interest rates to enhance community development rather than corporate profit
• Better Structure – Matching the term of the loan to the life of the assets being financed, ensuring debt service does not exceed available cash flow.

According to the the Grow America Fund (GAF) website, “The GAF operates as a community development lender to support the creation of jobs and the expansion of eligible small businesses in underserved areas, particularly minority and women-owned businesses.  The financing provided is partially guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration under GAF’s Small Business Lending Company license, and GAF has Preferred Lender status nationwide.”

This program provides Yakima small businesses an excellent opportunity to access capital, in turn creating jobs and growing our local economy. If you would like more information on starting a business or financing your business expansion, please call or email me.

Four Ways New Vision Helps Local Business Grow

You may have noticed recent changes on the website to incorporate local industry resources in addition to entrepreneur resources.  We found that many topics overlapped and applied to both people that want to start a business and our local companies that want to grow and expand in our County.  New Vision can help your company start and grow in Yakima County.

There are numerous resources and tools in our toolkit, but here are four key ways we can help:

1.  Tools and tax incentives for expanding companies.

From financing tools, industrial site assistance or state incentive programs, we can provide information to help guide your expansion.  We can help navigate the territory of government-backed loans, inform you about state tax credit programs for hiring new employees and assist with the industrial revenue bond process. 

2.  Workforce training and education.

New Vision works closely with the Workforce Development Council, other training partners, local colleges and universities and local industry to offer a variety of training courses, based on industry demand.  One request that arose from my visits with local manufacturers was the need to train new supervisors.  Out of that input, we recently offered a series of training classes for new supervisors; the classes were so popular we had to add an additional session.  In all we had over 60 employees from 19 different companies attend one or all of the four part series.

We also frequently inform members of our association and subscribers to our Industry and Entrepreneur E-News of upcoming educational events.  These are often included in the events page of the website.

One additional resource is to collaborate with our local industry and educational partners to allow a company to take advantage of one of the State’s Workforce Training Programs.  We have aided quite a few local companies with the State Job Skills Program and are currently working on a project with the Customized Training Program for one of our large manufacturers.

3.  Talent Attraction – Recruiting and retaining key employees to Yakima County

Our office is helping local employers recruit and retain key technical and professional employees to the region.  The talent attraction effort is anchored by two new websites that complement one another:  LiveYakimaValley, a comprehensive county-wide lifestyle website and WorkYakimaValley, a job exchange portal.  We have held numerous training sessions to develop a stable of regional ambassadors to help new residents get comfortable in the area and have also organized a number of very successful new employee receptions to introduce new citizens to local leaders.

4.  Leadership on Community Issues

New Vision administers the Yakima County SIED fund that helps fund public utility improvements that support expanding companies and paves the way for new business facilities.  We are also actively involved in the redevelopment project of the former Boise Cascade Mill site.

One call to our office (575.1140)can yield quick, confidential assistance.  Often times, we can connect you with the person or agency best suited to your question.  We are here to help local companies and look forward to talking with you.