Website Design, Search Engine Optimization

The other day I was talking to a lawyer friend and she asked me how to promote her business on the “internet”?

Since every business is different and the business model for one in the same field can be different for another there are a few basics or first steps to think about. My first thoughts without seeing the website:

• The content of the site - should not be about you, but what can you do for me (the viewer looking for your services) and what sets you apart. Testimonials are great, examples about how you helped your clients without being too specific. How do you work? How long will it take?
  
• How focused and user friendly is the site - is the information easy to find, there is a rule nothing should be more than two clicks away.
  
• Do you get the results you want to see when searching for your business on the search engines? Where are the SE’s getting the information on your site for their listings?
  
• There are key word reports that list how people search and what terms they are using. With this information you can focuse the content without sounding corney.
  
• How often is your site updated? Do you personally refer clients to use your website as a working tool? If someone (a client) has a legal question would they think to go to your website for the answer? Books on the subject, links to information on the internet. Your website could become the hub for expert opinion.
  
• As a lawyer, most of your clients may be local, where do you rank for a local search?  Are you in the local directories? When someone does a local search and your name is listed what page do they come to? .
  
• While your doing the tuneup on your website, start some online news and press releases that will link back to your site. Check out PRWeb http://www.prweb.com/ . Make sure you truly have news or something to report.

This week I received a phone call from a very nice gentleman that sells books as a hobby. His desire is to have a web site to sell his small collection of books (a very small collection. He admitted to not having much knowledge on how all of this works and the costs. I think many of us have hobbies that we consider one time or another in developing a web site (at least I do) such as art, photography, jewelry to name a few. He also wanted to show up on the search engines (don’t we all).

My recommendations to this gentleman with his very small (and I mean small) collection of books follows. The book business as you may or may not know especially on the internet is VERY competitive. But, there are many avenues out there for getting your inventory on the internet quickly without maintaining a web site. For books and many other products, Amazon offers what they call Z-shops. For a monthly fee you actually have your own store on Amazon that you can refer people to, http://www.amazon.com/shops/niteowl. How many people know about these shops on Amazon? This I have often wondered.

What is the advantage to selling books on Amazon or with an eBay Store. If you have never sold anything on the internet before it is a good way to get your feet wet and determine if this is what you want to do. Amazon handles all the billing and communications. Rarely do you communicate with the buyers. They do have a listing fee, only charged when you sell a book, and they take a commission. Therefore part of your profits are going to Amazon for their service, but where else are you going to get the traffic they can provide, billing service (no credit card fees), easy listing tools.

As a small bookseller your chances of getting found on the search engines are relatively slim for such a competitive category. Maybe check out some of the portals that are offered, like Yahoo Stores and get started with one them as your hobby grows. Doing business on the internet is not cheap and you will find yourself spending more time and money developing a web site rather than supporting your hobby, when you can have immediate sales gratification.

Still not convinced? Then list your items in two areas, start building your dream web site, but also have a store with an outside vendor. When you make a sale, slip a little note to your buyer with the item giving them information about your web site. Save their email addresses and start building a data base for email newsletters. Who knows before you know it your hobby may be the next AMAZON!

Some people may be confused over difference between a search engine and a directory. Why is it important to be in both?  To the everyday computer user it may seem transparent. What about those phone calls or emails that tell you they will submit your website to a “bazillion” search engines. Do they really mean search engines and are there really a “bazillion” of them out there? Next time they call I would ask them that question.

I hate to admit it, but I am addicted to Google. Soon someone will develop a twelve step program for us Google addicts.

I find myself researching for hours who shows up on what page for certain key words and why. Luckily this is my business, but it has almost become a nightly game. Key words are only the beginning of the array tools Google offers; most of them in Beta version and free. I guess we can thank all the advertisers that use PPC (pay per click), they have made many of the tools and Google opportunities available to us.

Sometimes (a lot of the time) I feel guilty about the time I spend at night/day on Google, as a mother of three beautiful teenage boys, what am I doing spending my time on Google. They are probably glad that I have something else to do other than bothering them and; I am not one of those parents that can brag about how well my kids are doing in school. Shame on me.

It seems like not a day goes by in my life that Google is not in the news. What was it today, “Google Defends its Stand on Search in China”, and there will be something new tomorrow. Tonight I have decided to dedicate a category on my new and exciting Blog to the Google Gods (the day before Good Friday and a full moon, what could be more fitting).

Learn how to get a GMail account. (This may change over time but for April 2006 this is the rule)

GMail

First you need (must) have a gmail account, this is key to all most all of Gooooooooogle’s tools.

Below is the url to get a Google account:
https://www.google.com/accounts/SmsMailSignup1
For some reason they have decided to give out invitations when you give them your mobile phone number. I know many of you may be skeptical, but I would do it. Don’t worry. If you don’t want to give them your mobile phone number, then send me an email, toniCarr@gmail.com, I have some invites I would be glad to give out to interested parties.

See this page on Google for information to sign up without the invitation code or a mobile phone:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?ctx=mobile&answer=22245&hl=en
You will need to have an invite.

A recent study on Search Engine User Behavior “found that 62% of search engine users click on a search result within the first page of results, and a full 90% of users click on a result within the first three pages of search results.” The last study was done in 2002, when the statistics reflected 48% and 81%, respectively. As a search engine marketer this once again reveals the importance behind appearing on the first few pages of search results.My question would be are users learning to dig deeper for more personalized results and are the search engines providing the users with better results?

This study, supported by iProspect (a search engine marketing firm) along with Jupiter Research, also revealed that searchers are not only loyal to a specific search engine but they’re increasingly using lengthier queries. Most searchers, 82% stay with the same search engine after an unsuccessful search and try again with more or different keywords versus changing search engines. “Just 68% stayed with the same engine in 2002.” We are now seeing a new brand loyalty to search engines. It sounds like the search tool bars are working, I know it does for me.

This study also found that 36% of the searchers polled believe that companies whose websites are returned at the top of the search results are the top companies in their field. Slightly more (39%) felt neutral on this question. But then 25% said that top search engine rankings had nothing to do with market or brand leadership. Searchers are becoming more seasoned and doing more personalized research. Therefore getting your web site to be spidered deeper so that it will be found for these customized searches is even more important. The information also supports gaining a better understanding of who and how your clients are finding you.

For the entire article and more statistics you may read the article at:
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3598011

Click this link for a full copy of the Search Engine User Behavior Study .

Many times the re-design of a web site will be very simple and may only include, a new look, additional content or new sections of information. But for many web site owners new technology is key and since technologies are constantly changing there are many different choices. One example of technology may be adding Flash or animation. This is not recommended for search engine optimization, but small flash animations maybe added to enhance the content. Flash along with a framed web site are not search engine friendly. Another option may include accepting payments or adding a shopping cart, this may be accomplished simply with a PayPal button or a customized shopping cart to fit your product and inventory needs.

Thinking about technologies:

1. Who in your organization will be responsible for the technical issues? Are you depending on the web site designer to help make these decisions?
2. What platform (operating system) and browsers are you targeting? Are your users in a specialized field or are your end users the general public?
3. How do you expect new technologies to enhance the user experience? What return are you hoping to achieve? Are there specific technologies you are considering? Describe these technologies in great detail even if you are not sure what they are called. List web sites where you have seen the technologies  used and refer to your experiences.
4. Will the web site re-design include a password protected area?
5. Will there be a need for e-commerce or secured transactions? Do you already offer transactions online? If so how would this site be different?
6. What other specific programming needs may your site require such as:
1. Online training
2. Personalized Search
3. Audio or audio and video
4. User Forum – networking, creating a community
5. Blog

Marketing Your Web Site:

For some reason clients tend to think about marketing their web site after the web site has been designed and launched. Marketing should be woven through out the web site design process. Many of my clients have call me and proudly announce they just launched a new web site and want to do search engine optimization. Sometimes they are disappointed to realize that some of the work they have done should be altered or reorganized. This will be another area for examination; but for now these are a few points to consider:

1. Do you have an existing or planned marketing strategy to promote the web site redesign? What are your short term marketing plans, 6-12 mos., (if any) for the newly designed web site?
2. How do your current users find out about your website?
3. What key words would prompt a listing on the search engines? Has anyone ever found your current site on the search engines? What pages on your site currently show up on the search engines and how will they redirected to the new site?
4. Do you offer incentives to customers to visit your website? Do you have coupons or are you part of a referral network? Do you have a newsletter?
5. How will your web site stay current? How often will it need to be updated and who will be responsible for these updates?

This is the second of a three part series on how to redesign your web site.
Part one is Web Site Design and Now a Redesign!

The next steps to achieve the best web site redesign, we first will look at some of the reasons for updating a web site.  Technology is always changing, the architecture is outdated and it is important that your web business is perceived differently than what was accepted before. As more people use the internet your visitors change throughout time and they become more sophisticated and have higher expectations for a web experience. Another problem I see more often is the amount of information on a site outgrows the architecture and the site no longer navigates effortlessly or intuitively. Then the competition becomes more sophisticated and you are losing market share along with your rankings on the search engines. These new web sites are now being perceived as the authority in your industry. It is also time to review what you want your visitors to do when they get to your site. Below are some additional points to consider for a web site redesign. These are growing pains that plague all of us.

Who are your visitors:

1. Who is your typical visitor? Describe them; what do they use the web for? Think about the demographics of each type of visitor. Are you attracting these visitors?
2. What type of action would you like your visitors to take? Do you want them to call, make a purchase, fill out a form . . .
3. What do you offer your visitors? (Discounts, customer service, great products)
4. How many people are currently visiting your web site? Are you paying for those visitors with a PPC program? How are your visitors finding you?
5. What key words would a visitor use to find your services? Do you use those targeted key words throughout your web site?

What is the perception of your business, both on and offline:

1. Think about your site and how a visitor will perceive your new site? Is this any different from your current site? Is this any different from how your business is viewed offline?
2. How is your business different from your competitors? Who are your competitors? List at least 5 URL’s of your competitors.
3. List the URL’s of web sites that you like for any reason. List any web sites that you think may be similar in size and have content that matches your future business needs. The URL’s that you list do not have to be the same type of business. The information gathered will communicate to your web site designer visually how you want to be perceived.

Content - how will your business be found:

1. Have you analyzed the targeted key words that a visitor would use to find your services?  
2. Who will approve the new content? Are you going to use an outside provider to develop the content? Does this person have internet writing experience and will it contain your targeted key words to help market your web site?
3. Will the visuals (logos, images, charts, graphs) enhance your written content? Describe these elements and which will be used from the current web site. Will a graphic artist need to be employed to update your visuals?
4. Do you have a site map for the projected new site? How has this changed from the old site?

Now that we have analyzed the visitors, competition and content, next we will analyze what new technologies will fit your web site structure. How will visitors find your new site, what are your marketing tactics.

I have been designing web sites for over eight years. When I first got started in the web site design business, web sites were very simple and most people felt they did not need one. Today the tables have truly turned and virtually everyone will agree that they need some sort of a web presence. In the beginning, most sites were uncharted territory for my clients; most of them had not gone there before and were trailblazers. Many of them were not sure why they wanted a web site but felt it was a good business decision. Today the majority of my web site design cliental have a web site and are now looking for a redesign.

Most businesses change over time and the business model and focus also changes, but the web site lags behind. The beauty of working on a redesign is the knowledge that has been gained from the current web site, and the existing content that can be expanded on.

What should you think about if you are contemplating a redesign of your web site?

1. What is your budget? A redesign can take as much time as building a site from the ground up. Know your budget.
2. What have you learned from your current web site? Does it promote a favorable experience?
   What is successful and what is not?
3. If you could make a change to your web site today what would that change be?
4. Have you conducted usability testing on your current site, or discussed with some of your users/clients what works and what could change?
5. How important is your current look, feel and branding. Maybe this is a good time time to change those components.

What are your reasons for a redesign?

1. Do you have a new business strategy, is your current site outmoded? Have you added new services or do you have a different audience/cliental?
2. What is your primary objective with your online marketing for this redesign? What is secondary and your long and short term goals.
3. What areas of your business can improve with the new web site design?

In order to get the best site for your time and money be prepared to do planning work up front. Many of us are very impatient and feel that since we have a web site the redesign is a no brainer. Sometimes the more we know the harder it is to communicate to the designer. I will continue this with more details and ideas to identify how to get the most out of your next web site design.

Adding good quality information (content) to your web site is never a waste of time. The process of SEO is really making an investment in your site and business. The goal is to make your web site the “authority” on your product and services. Once you get known by the engines for that kind of content, other sites will start linking to your site (boosting your popularity) as a great source of reference. The search engines will view the site as quality content, due to the popularity in linking, and the site can be depended on, therefore the site improves in rankings. SEO is really about making your site the best it can be.

The goal of SEO is to optimize the entire site so that it’s the best it can be for the search engines as well as your users (viewers). My job (as SEO) is to help it to be found in the engines for  lots of  phrases that relate to it, but as you know I can’t simply *place* a site in the engines for a specific keyword, in a certain position. That is where PPC (pay per click) comes in.

Within your content you want to analyze the key words on each page, that are relevant to your business. This will help your potential customers to find you and educate them about your goods or services. SEO does not happen over night and it really is a process, the rules are always changing and what works one day may not work another. From my experience good quality “content is king” and it will remain that way. Adding links within your content using key words gives you that extra needed boost. It is never a waste of time.