Search Engine Optimization Web Design & Usability Internet Marketing
What Makes an Effective Website?
If you have a website, you have a purpose for it - whether it be an online marketing brochure, sales site with full shopping cart functionality or just a place to share your thoughts. Interfaces range from pure content to sophisticated user interfaces integrating Flash and Dreamweaver for an overall artistic effect. Some are designed to be a form of entertainment.
Regardless what your website is meant to do, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start building or rebuilding (as is so often the case).
This first website objective is a call to action or focus. You need to nail down your narrow and specific focus before you ever start building and keep that in mind throughout every step of the process. Let's face it, no matter how good your idea is, someone has probably had it before. Within the millions of websites out there, the few visitors you're lucky enough to attract will only spend a few seconds deciding whether they'll stick around. It's your job within those few seconds to communicate exactly why you are there and what you are offering. A focus.
The best way to develop a focus is to put it in writing. A mission statement of sort. Develop a 15- 25 word positioning statement that guides all your development (or redevelopment) activity.
Here's an exercise. Determine a handful of "keywords" that describe your business. For example, if you are a landscaper, then your keywords may be "landscaping", "lawn mowing", and "yard maintenance". Search these terms on Google and see what sites come up on the first page. You don't need to click on them. Just read the descriptions below each site on the Google results.
What words are they using? What phrases do you see repeated?
Make a list. Try to think of other words you can add to this list. You are going to use this list in all your optimization, in developing your metatags and your content. Keep it safe.
Now think about what you want your description to say. When your site finally arrives at the top of search engines, what's the message you want to send to the world? Use your keywords and phrases to develop this description.
Now you have established a mission statement and a keyword-rich description of your business. Figure out where you want to display it prominently on your homepage. It should be one of the first things visitors see when they land on your website. A This same description should be included in your metatags as your site description. That way, the search engines know exactly what your site is about and if your site shows up in a search results page, that description will show up as part of your listing.
This is where the process may get beyond you and you should call in the experts if you're not one-hundred percent sure of what you're doing. Be warned, if you have already started to appear on search engines, even if you're not on the first page, changing your metatags could dramatically impact your ranking. Be careful!
Now that we've sufficiently scare you, let's talk about your second objective, which is depth. Like focus, the depth of your site will effect how visitors react to your site as well as how search engines catalog you.
It's very easy to build depth. Just be redundant and build more content using your keywords and phrases than you ever thought possible. It's going to sound funny all in one reading, but when you place it around your site in boxes and other information portals, you'll see that it serves to catch different reader's eyes and hopefully adds to the overall stickiness of the site. The idea is to satisfy the reader's need almost immediately and somehow get them to trust you as a valuable resource. Give them information!
Now, in addition to capturing the reader's attention, all this content is going to help rank your site with search engines as well. Google uses complicated algorithms to assess different websites and the largest component of these complex calculations is an evaluation of content. You need a narrow focus and a lot of content to get ranked higher within your area of expertise.
Content development is a skill set touted by experts in the industry. It comes from many years experience and a deep understanding of how search engines search for content. Consider hiring a content development specialist to help you develop the right text defining your business and implementing a superior use of your keywords and phrases.
The third objective is to make your site sticky. We already mentioned this word above, and it's probably one of the hottest buzz words in the industry. It means, simply keeping a visitor on the site (like a fly caught in the web). It's not uncommon for a site to attract a visitor, but lose them in just a few moments.
How do you avoid losing visitors? They must see immediate value when they visit your site - something that will benefit them right away. They need to see something they can use to make their own lives or businesses better. Another hot buzzword is "value -first marketing", the idea that people have been over-marketed and are thusly skeptical of clever marketing slogans. We overcome this skepticism with value and a sign of trustworthiness.
We address these needs by telling a visitor what they can expect from you as soon as they land on your site. Give them information. Maybe you can provide a tool or calculator of some kind. Offer a discount or a free subscription. Entertain them with videos or interactivity. Whatever fits your business, capture your visitor within seconds and guide them to your message.
And then, the trick is keeping them on the hook. Don't just develop a good homepage, keep thinking about your mission statement throughout the flow of the site and always remember that your goal is to keep them at your URL. Don't direct their attention away ever.
There are experts in implementing stickiness, a marketing art form that is often developed of many years. Consider hiring a web development firm that specializes in Internet Marketing for optimum effectiveness.
Once you have accomplished the site you want with sufficient focus, depth and stickiness, be sure to watch your progress by monitoring the site through your analytics platform and make adjustment regularly to keep up with the ever-changing search engine advancements. Or, hire a firm to monitor for you and maintain your position at the top of search engines.
Regardless what your website is meant to do, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start building or rebuilding (as is so often the case).
This first website objective is a call to action or focus. You need to nail down your narrow and specific focus before you ever start building and keep that in mind throughout every step of the process. Let's face it, no matter how good your idea is, someone has probably had it before. Within the millions of websites out there, the few visitors you're lucky enough to attract will only spend a few seconds deciding whether they'll stick around. It's your job within those few seconds to communicate exactly why you are there and what you are offering. A focus.
The best way to develop a focus is to put it in writing. A mission statement of sort. Develop a 15- 25 word positioning statement that guides all your development (or redevelopment) activity.
Here's an exercise. Determine a handful of "keywords" that describe your business. For example, if you are a landscaper, then your keywords may be "landscaping", "lawn mowing", and "yard maintenance". Search these terms on Google and see what sites come up on the first page. You don't need to click on them. Just read the descriptions below each site on the Google results.
What words are they using? What phrases do you see repeated?
Make a list. Try to think of other words you can add to this list. You are going to use this list in all your optimization, in developing your metatags and your content. Keep it safe.
Now think about what you want your description to say. When your site finally arrives at the top of search engines, what's the message you want to send to the world? Use your keywords and phrases to develop this description.
Now you have established a mission statement and a keyword-rich description of your business. Figure out where you want to display it prominently on your homepage. It should be one of the first things visitors see when they land on your website. A This same description should be included in your metatags as your site description. That way, the search engines know exactly what your site is about and if your site shows up in a search results page, that description will show up as part of your listing.
This is where the process may get beyond you and you should call in the experts if you're not one-hundred percent sure of what you're doing. Be warned, if you have already started to appear on search engines, even if you're not on the first page, changing your metatags could dramatically impact your ranking. Be careful!
Now that we've sufficiently scare you, let's talk about your second objective, which is depth. Like focus, the depth of your site will effect how visitors react to your site as well as how search engines catalog you.
It's very easy to build depth. Just be redundant and build more content using your keywords and phrases than you ever thought possible. It's going to sound funny all in one reading, but when you place it around your site in boxes and other information portals, you'll see that it serves to catch different reader's eyes and hopefully adds to the overall stickiness of the site. The idea is to satisfy the reader's need almost immediately and somehow get them to trust you as a valuable resource. Give them information!
Now, in addition to capturing the reader's attention, all this content is going to help rank your site with search engines as well. Google uses complicated algorithms to assess different websites and the largest component of these complex calculations is an evaluation of content. You need a narrow focus and a lot of content to get ranked higher within your area of expertise.
Content development is a skill set touted by experts in the industry. It comes from many years experience and a deep understanding of how search engines search for content. Consider hiring a content development specialist to help you develop the right text defining your business and implementing a superior use of your keywords and phrases.
The third objective is to make your site sticky. We already mentioned this word above, and it's probably one of the hottest buzz words in the industry. It means, simply keeping a visitor on the site (like a fly caught in the web). It's not uncommon for a site to attract a visitor, but lose them in just a few moments.
How do you avoid losing visitors? They must see immediate value when they visit your site - something that will benefit them right away. They need to see something they can use to make their own lives or businesses better. Another hot buzzword is "value -first marketing", the idea that people have been over-marketed and are thusly skeptical of clever marketing slogans. We overcome this skepticism with value and a sign of trustworthiness.
We address these needs by telling a visitor what they can expect from you as soon as they land on your site. Give them information. Maybe you can provide a tool or calculator of some kind. Offer a discount or a free subscription. Entertain them with videos or interactivity. Whatever fits your business, capture your visitor within seconds and guide them to your message.
And then, the trick is keeping them on the hook. Don't just develop a good homepage, keep thinking about your mission statement throughout the flow of the site and always remember that your goal is to keep them at your URL. Don't direct their attention away ever.
There are experts in implementing stickiness, a marketing art form that is often developed of many years. Consider hiring a web development firm that specializes in Internet Marketing for optimum effectiveness.
Once you have accomplished the site you want with sufficient focus, depth and stickiness, be sure to watch your progress by monitoring the site through your analytics platform and make adjustment regularly to keep up with the ever-changing search engine advancements. Or, hire a firm to monitor for you and maintain your position at the top of search engines.
