The World Floor Covering Association said that online traffic to its consumer site at wfca.org has "doubled, even tripled" recently due partly to a search engine optimization (SEO) initiative the trade group launched during the first quarter of this year. Partnering with Pleasanton, Calif.-based LocalSEOGuide, the WFCA created a browsable directory of members that is visible to all search engines, including Google and Yahoo.
“Our online dealer locator feature serves as a platform through which we are able to steer customers ready to buy flooring to our many local retail members across the country,” said D. Christopher Davis, WFCA's president and CEO. “As such, our No. 1 priority is to continually improve the volume and quality of traffic to our site. Just weeks after the program launched we saw a sizable increase in organic traffic to our site and the retail member locator. Our SEO program has helped to ensure that wfca.org retail listings often rank in the top five results for many local search queries, which has led to more consumer eyeballs and visits than we ever expected.”
Andrew Shotland, owner of LocalSEOGuide, said the benefits of optimizing WFCA's website for search engines are many. “In addition to strategic search engine positioning afforded by our SEO program, search engine users have a high degree of trust for association websites and .org websites in general,” Shotland noted. “The results show that when a person sees the WFCA site appear in a Google search, they are much more likely to click on the WFCA link than a link to a more commercial site. When they find a member in the retail directory, that trust is passed on to that member.”
Creating Your Space, a joint venture of Bridgeway Interactive and WFCA, which developed and manages wfca.org, also offers dealers SEO technology, the WFCA said. Available in Premium, Elite and Elite Custom models, each version "offers a distinct level of customization, advanced tools and product information," the company said. For more information, visit www.creatingyourspace.com.
