Here is an interview with Ray Gonzalez of 9Second Technologies. This web design and marketing company has some pretty big name clients under its belt. Find out what techniques they have discovered are important to their online strategy.

Could you tell us a little bit of background about yourself?

My name is Ray Gonzalez. I have lived in Tampa Florida for about 8 years. I am originally from Rochester Michigan a suburb of Detroit.

Before moving to Florida I owned and operated a successful landscape construction company for 3 and a half years.

Before getting into landscape construction I was a Regional Sales Manager for a fortune 500 company. Before that I was a salesman, team leader or sales manager.

When I first arrived in Florida I worked selling software and training for IT professionals.

Soon after that, the dot.com craze hit me and I knew I had to be part of it. I started selling web sites and related services at a dot-com. From there I helped to found 9Second Technologies, Inc.

Can you describe your business for me?

There are two sides to 9Second Technologies, Inc.

On one hand we are a complete web development and Technology Company and the other hand we are a full service Marketing Agency offering online and offline marketing solutions.

Our services include:

• Strategic planning and research
• Intranet, extranet and website development
• Online marketing/Search Engine Optimization
• Public Relations
• Copywriting
• E-commerce development
• Web hosting
• Content management
• Brand/Logo Design
• Print/Promotion
• Illustration
• Software Development

Can you give us an idea of the size of your business?

We have 9 employees. We are a small company with plans of staying small yet highly specialized.

How long has your business been on the internet?

We have had an Online presence for about 6 years.

How and why did you decide to go online?

9Second Technologies was born out of a need for ethical web development companies who delivered quality web sites that actually generated an increase in business for the client.

As employees for over two years in the Internet industry and literally speaking to thousands of business owners across the country, my partner Cindy Russell and I worked for one of those so-called dot.com companies selling web sites and related services.

The day before they went bust we found out that the services we were selling weren't being delivered. A total of about 30,000 people were scammed including 300 fellow employees and us.

The day after the company we worked for went defunct we started 9Second Technologies. No money, No computer and no website; only a passion and a desire to offer clients a "real solution" when taking their own business to the Web.

What's the main function of your web site?

Our web site takes a very educational approach; we believe that by educating our clients they can maximize their return on investment.

The main function is to generate highly qualified and targeted leads through education.

Our site is also design "persuasively". By that I mean we have tried to set up the navigation and the content to persuade the visitor to take a "call to action".
That can be in the form of a phone call, email, and newsletter sign-up, or filling out a form.

Your website copy is one of the most critical elements of a successful website. Ultimately it is up to the sales team to follow up on website leads, but considering you only have 9 seconds to capture your Internet audience or any marketing audience for that matter, our web site plays a huge role.

What was your thought behind how you wanted your site to look?

We designed our site to look professional and sleek while remaining extremely informative and user friendly. We don't incorporate a lot of flashy graphics and other things that take away from user experience and can confuse a page. The glory days of the Internet are gone and consumers are much more savvy. You have to offer them more than just a pretty page. How long did it take to start seeing some results?

Within 3 weeks we started seeing results. We were actually offering search engine optimization before we even had a web site. Our web site was designed around the search engine optimization campaign. That way your site comes out strong right out of the gate. For most companies optimization and marketing are an after thought.

Has your business benefited from the internet, if so how much business is related to the site?

85% of our business is Internet related. When we started 9Seconds everything we did was Internet related. Over the years many of our clients started asking for printed and promotional materials, public relations and help with news and press releases. At first we just referred them to our vendors, now we do it all in house.

How is most of the traffic generated to your site?

About 90% of all of our traffic comes directly from the search engines. We also utilize strategic links, networking groups and message boards. Another great way to get exposure is by writing and submitting articles to various sites and newsletter. It help establish you as an authority in your field and adds to your credibility.

Can you give us an idea of how much traffic your site generates?

Only 5,000 to 6,000 unique visitors per month however our site is designed to generate highly targeted and qualified traffic. Our primary focus is our conversion and to maximize our efficiency.

What role, if any do you have in the design and maintenance of your site?

I had a say in the design, but it was pretty much up to the designers. They came up with several looks and we narrowed it down from there. Originally I was responsible for all of the maintenance but as business picked up, I started to get pulled in different directions. So we decided to build our current site, where the entire site utilizes our proprietary content management program, thereby eliminating the need for any technical knowledge to changes or updates. We have assigned several team members to be responsible for keeping the site current based on their areas of expertise.

How much time and money has gone into the site?

We have over 500 hours into the design and development of our current web site. This has been the most extensive site to date. Our hourly rate for web development is $175 so roughly $90,000 retail.

We spent about 250 hours on developing the optimization campaign. Our hourly rate for optimization is $125; with the search engine registration fees we have invested around $40,000.

We spend between 30 and 40 hours a month maintaining the web site and the optimization campaign. Approximately $5000 a month.

Was there much of a learning curve for you as far as the internet and web sites were concerned?

My background was in sales and marketing. I worked for one of those so-called dot.com companies selling web sites and related services. The day the company went bust my partner Cindy Russell and I started 9Second Technologies.

Being one of the top producing sales rep I thought I knew everything it took to be successful on the internet.

Boy was I wrong.

The first year we were in business were really devoted to learning the search engines and everything we could on search engine optimization and Internet marketing. It wasn't until we did our homework that we started seeing real positive results.

Is there any mistake(s) you made along the way with the site that you learned from?

I would say the biggest mistake that we made with our web site was focusing 100% of our marketing efforts online. It takes much more than just search engine marketing and search engine optimization to be successful online. Most online business owners forget about offline marketing. Now we market both online and offline.

Get involved with your local community and charities. Business will increase simply by getting involved. In our beginning we were so focused on the business we forgot how important being out in front of the community is vitally important.

How quickly was it profitable for you?

We were fortunate that with in 60 days of launching our first web site, several large web design firms contracted us to provide search engine optimization for their clients. We then took those profits and invested them into our second site and now our current web site. Like any other business we have our ups and downs but we always strive to move forward, never move back. But we continue to be profitable even in the lazy economy. It just takes a little more hard work.

What software or web sites do you use pretty frequently for your business?

I use Google religiously. However, since I am an SEO (search engine optimization specialist) I am in and out of each of the major search engine everyday. To keep current I belong to several forums, networking and news groups, I read a variety of newsletters and press release daily.

Do you test results on your web page?

We track everything very thoroughly. We are constantly analyzing the data, search patterns and trends, along with tracking each users movement through our site. From there will tweak our current site, once technology moves to the next level will actually create a whole new web site.

Is there any other advice you would give to a small business web site owner?

I think the one thing I would say is that whatever you do make sure you do it right. To many companies make claims they cant back up. I always want to be able to deliver what I say and then some.

Thank you very much for your time Ray and best wishes with your business.

Important Points Worth Noting

9Second Technologies has focused their site to be persuasive in creating a "call to action" from any visitors to their site. The intent is to get a visitor to: Call them Send an email Signup for a newsletter Fill out a contact form It is essential to keep the intent of your web site in mind as you design it. Don't make it just a random collection of information, have a goal in mind and develope the site to focus on that goal. They recognize the importance of ad copy. If you don't immediately get your visitors attention, it is a lost opportunity because they will be clicking on something else. Any flashy or distracting elements from their pages have been removed. This helps visitors focus on their message so that they can convert them into customers better. Search Engine Optimization plays an important part in their marketing. 9Second Technologies relies almost exclusively on their search engine placement to get visitors to their site. Submitting Articles to Newsletters has helped bring them traffic. They've learned not to focus their marketing exclusively online. The very valid point is made that many companies forget about offline marketing for their sites which can also play an important part in a businesses success. 9 Seconds does a lot of testing of the results from their web site. They keep an eye on what is working and what doesn't. They then adapt their site accordingly.

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