Below are some things that every Webmaster should know and what you (with a business and web site) should make sure your webmaster knows. If not, then you need to think about changing webmasters.
It is most important YOU own your web site and not your Webmaster. When you choose a domain name, YOU must be the person buying it. If your Webmaster says they can do it for you to save you time, then you will NOT be the owner.
Navigation is extremely important: If your poentenial customer visits your site and gets lost because there is no navigation, they probably will go away and not come back. People want to know where they are and how to get back to home or some other page.
Making sure your web site is enhanced for Search Engines
Google - “Sites' positions in our search results are determined based on a number of factors designed to provide end-users with helpful, accurate search results.”
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value.
How many hits, links and pages (best if have at least 5 pages).
Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search.
Frames are not good for the search engines; it is difficult for them to find information to pass in a search.
Meta Tags – description and keywords
Should be different on each page of your web site.
Title Tag – different for each page of your web site.
Flash – search engines skip over flash movies. Try to keep flash programs small, don’t take up the entire page and do not use a flash intro.
Key words, words and more words – Search Engines go to the largest and boldest words first.
Images can be picked up if they have an alt tag. This is the description you see when you hold your mouse over it.
It is best if your site is in XHTML and using CSS and conforms to the World Wide Web Consortium Standards (www.w3.org).
Content developers should make content understandable and navigable. This includes not only making the language clear and simple, but also providing understandable mechanisms for navigating within and between pages.
Quality Guidelines (described in Google) can prevent your site from being penalized and not showing up at all. Your webmaster should know these.
Are you doing what it takes to market your business online and attract new customers? These strategies will get you started:
Articles: Do you know what your target audience interested in? Write informative articles on topics your prospects are searching for, and don't forget to include links so they can click-through to your Web site.
Press Releases: Make your own news. You don't have to release a new product or acquire a large new customer to have a reason to publish press releases about your company online. You just need an angle. Stay informed of new trends in your industry and tie them to your product.
Web Site: Nearly every business has a Web site. So what? If it isn't engaging, visitors are gone in a few seconds. Make sure the content is compelling and includes a clear call to action. Offer a free special report, how-to guide, or other valuable information to entice prospects to sign-up for your newsletter.
Newsletters: Speaking of newsletters, what are you doing to stay in touch with customers and prospects? Newsletters keep your business on their radar screens. It's a friendly reminder that provides information on topics of interest to them. You're reading this, aren't you?
Videos: Don't forget about video marketing. Videos are easy to create and they personalize your business. It's one of the most immediate ways to connect with a prospect. If you can make a video that shows your product at work, even better. Tag the video with your keywords and post it on video sites. You may be surprised by the response.
Case Studies: Tell a story. You can talk about the features and benefits of your product until you're blue in the face. Your prospect may be impressed but not convinced. A true story about how you solved a problem for a customer can go a long way.
Social Media: Make sure you're offering value and not just another sales pitch to the people in your social networks (keep the "salesy" post to one out of every five posts).
Blogs: A blog makes your business personal. It also builds your reputation. Know your target audience and write blog posts that appeal to their interests.
Doing all of this at once can be overwhelming. But don't worry. You don't have to do it all at once. You just need a proactive strategy. The question to ask yourself is, "What is my competition doing and how can I do it better?"
Answer that, and then write great content that attracts qualified prospects to your Web site.
If you're too busy or don't have the expertise to write content that converts, we should talk.
Call 714.335.5677 or email info@NovoWriting.com. Visit us online at www.NovoWriting.com.
