IMPROVE YOUR WEB SITE

FOR MORE SALES AND BUSINESS GROWTH

Likewise, only experienced web developers can properly lay out files, code and pages for robust yet simplified performance that balances competing requirements for marketing and functionality.

A website should comply with W3C standards to be properly viewable on the latest upgraded browsers and future versions, as well as to be readable by search engines. New browsers don't work well with old code, misaligning output. Older code will confuse and stop the spiders, leaving your site partly invisible to the world, stopping search engine spiders from completing the search for text content.

A website should help improve the image of a company, while enabling on-going testing of advertising and promotion to improve the site. Ads and traffic building require testing, and alternative "hooks", landing pages, sections and gateways to reach and motivate target segments of your market. But search engines downgrade importance (quality) of keywords which do not match ad text copy which should match keywords in the landing page.

Few companies can continuously pay the top prices for top paid position in competitive keywords, and must depend partly on "organic" ranking. This is especially true if the company wants to grow. Growth requires more ad copy testing, alternative gateways, hooks and key phrases in the pages' body content. To promote only by paid clicks, banners and links/reviews can be difficult on the budget. Site promotion is a large subject highly related to the site design. Failure to plan and improve can make Pay per click advertising ineffective with few conversions. That is too expensive to neglect, in two ways.

The most common mistakes companies make include listening to amateurs and wanna-be experts, using CMS site generators-Wordpress, "100% Flash sites", frames and images which search engines can't read, instead of text, and focusing too much on looks, not enough on visitor targets. Some of the most successful web sites in the world are relatively plain or almost ugly. Expert Jerry McGovern did a great Article on this back in 2006 (article no longer online) "Are websites judged in the blink of an eye?". They have simple headings, lots of text and links. See the example he used for a plain site that was and is a top seller in Europe, Ryanair.com

An image or flash-based site is almost un-maintainable and very difficult to change. Avoid the temptation to focus only on looks while ignoring maintainability.

As important as fundamental marketing requirements above is ease of use (usability) and navigation, and functionality. Too many designs make the most important functions hard to find, such as unreadable pull down lists instead of nice big "REQUEST MORE INFORMATION" or "CONTACT US", "ORDER NOW" or "DEALERS LIST" buttons.

Study Buyer Types - Market Segments / Target Audiences.
Give EACH type paths through the site and sections or pages specifically for them.
Never forget the most effective famous short ads of all times in your headings: "Corn Sufferers- Relief Overnite!"
That reminds us to name the target and their problem, offer a benefit and interest them. Let visitors "drill down", Find and JUMP quickly to their area of interest.

The few buyers who enjoy reading a lot of text (analyzers - engineer types) can be sent to sub-page text which also rates high in search engines. Most visitors want bullets, summaries, testimonials, samples of work or product, where and how to easily try or find out more of their specific question (objection), and to be told what is best and to buy now (or miss out on a sale, limited product, etc.). Your favorite target is one looking for "FIND A DEALER" or "BUY NOW".

Most web sites can be improved in basics of art and design, as in colors, textures, logos, images and involving small videos. Nothing works quite as well as "walk on" spokespersons with a brief strong "elevator pitch" of how you are better, why they should buy here. But failure to do walk-ons and pictures professionally can backfire. TEST the appeal. Professional custom graphics say you are a bigger committed company that does things well. But it is expensive. NEVER buy videos, logos, graphics or images without talking to your web designer first!! Get pointers and get the right format and density !

Nothing needs to be improved more than how the marketing ad copy-content matches the business strategy. These are on-going improvements to both strategy and webs-site, each helping the other. Just as a business strategy goes through "iterations" or cycles to match the market with the resources of the business, a similar process goes on in internet markets and landscape.

Web success is difficult and most fail. See our page on Better Web Strategy.

The internet marketplace is different than the regular market. The gaps and strengths and threats and opportunities are different, so the positioning is a changing compromise between the real world and the web world which depends on the business itself. This is not for amateurs. It takes knowledgeable, sophisticated experienced management and web developers.

For web business growth and web success, you need a web design for growth and easy maintenance--- by someone with the type of knowledge and experience above. You can only find all that at BG Design. If you are serious about business, contact us.

Copyright 2009-2013 R J Sandlin. All Rights Reserved. Do not copy or distribute for any reason without express written permission. Unauthorized use of this page is your agreement to pay $50,000 for each such occurrence. (We prosecute violations of our copyright).

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