Posted on 10th December 2011 by suem in Understand Your Website
blog, business websites, CT Website Design, website design
When clients come to us for their business website design, the first part of the process is spending some time defining their website goals. It is important to be able to communicate to your developer what you are trying to achieve with your new site. No design and development company expects you to be the expert, nor do they want you to be. Just take some time, with colleagues if need be, and look at sites within your industry. Find what you like and what you don’t and bounce around a few questions. If you have a clear idea of your goals, the people creating your site will be more likely to realize your vision smoothly and in a timely manner.
What is the purpose for your site?
The average business is looking for better visibility to help sell their products or services. A non-profit could be trying to boost donations. No matter what industry you’re in, you will want to provide information to site visitors and gather their information as well.
Who is your customer and why should they choose you?
You most likely have some idea of your demographic. The goal is to make them want to do business with you. With possibly hundreds of sites on the Internet within your industry, your goal is to stand out from the rest. If you are able to identify what that is, a good design and development company will create the design or functionality to convey that to site visitors.
What image would you like to convey?
The majority of consumers are beginning their search for products and services online. You have about 9 seconds to make a good impression. It is important the site is visually appealing but it’s crucial that your customer can see exactly who you are and what you have to offer.
What is your budget?
Make a website wish list. Start with the things you can’t live without and go from there. The size of and functionality within your website will determine the cost. Bringing your list to the company creating the site will ensure that you first get everything you need and then you can determine what extras you can afford.
Who will be updating maintaining your site?
Adding fresh content to your site is a must. Assign someone within your organization to be responsible for this on a regular basis. Consistent updating is not only important for search engine optimization, but it shows potential clientele that you are enthusiastic about your company and interested in sharing information with them.
What are your business goals for the future?
Be sure your site is able to grow with your business. As additional pages or added functionality is needed, you don’t want to have to start from scratch. Most new websites are created in a content management format. If your web design company is suggesting a static website, you may want to think twice.
Posted on 29th July 2010 by suem in SEO Tips
blog, CT Website Design, SEO, website design
You have a new business website that was well designed and built correctly for organic SEO. Good job. Now What? To be sure your site continues to climb in rankings or maintains the good rankings it has, it is not a time to rest on your laurels. Marketing your website doesn’t have to be expensive but it will take some work on your part. If you have a budget set aside for marketing your website, you can certainly hire an SEO service. Just be sure they don’t use black hat techniques. Although you may see an initial increase in search engine rankings, your site could be penalized or even banned completely from their database. There are several ways to promote your web presence and increase SEO in an ethical manner that can provide long-term positive results.
- Link Building – There are two kinds of links, reciprocal or non-reciprocal. You can achieve reciprocal links by contacting other businesses that are relevant but not in direct competition with yours and choose companies with good search engine rankings. This can be a difficult sell if your website is new and has low rankings but it is worth trying. You can create non-reciprocal links by submitting articles or press releases with relevant content to online repositories for syndication.
- Blogging – Search engines love fresh new content. The great thing about blogging is you are free to state opinions and write about whatever you like. Just try not to get carried away. The more relevant your blog content is to your business, the greater chance of it helping promote your website. You can also submit your blog to online blog sites and forums.
- Social Networking – Social networking is a great way to increase SEO but they only work if you work them. If you have anyone on staff (the younger generation seems to be exceptionally savvy in this area) that can devote some time daily to your Twitter, Facebook or Linked-In accounts, it can have a great pay-off. Because this is something that needs daily upkeep, hiring outside help in this area can become very costly.
- Updating and Editing Content – Check your websites content often and update as necessary. Be sure to repair any broken links and add special promotions or news. Always edit out what search engine crawlers don’t like and add what they do.
- Email Signatures – Think of how may email you send out in a day. Include all business and contact information with live links to your URL. Don’t miss a free opportunity to promote your business..
- Press releases & Articles submission – Once again fresh new content and link building opportunities. There are many sites on the web where you can submit articles for syndication at no cost.
Google Analytics is a great tool to examine your website’s overall health. It will enable you monitor site traffic; find broken links, and is a good way to see the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. You do need a Gmail account to sign up but both are free services from Google. They also have paid services like Google Adwords accounts to further market your business website.
