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Optimizing your Website in 2009

 

Times are changing rapidly and so should your website. In order to get the maximum return on your website investment you should keep it up-to-date and optimize it at least annually. What does it mean to optimize your web site? Optimizing your web site means to get it ready for the search engines robots, easily obtained information that visitors need and this in return will help bring you more business.

What does it take!

There are so many things that you need to do to get your web site ready. But by far, the most important thing and least expensive is to make the content search engine friendly. Techy stuff like Flash animation, cool downloads, and special programming adds minimal value to people finding you and will not keep your audience at your site. Once they find you, they will stay if they "quickly" find what they are looking for. The "3" click rule.

"Content is key" If you do not have interesting content, no one will want to read what you have to say nor will they want to buy what you have to sell. You must grab their attention quickly, within the first paragraph or two. Also, the content on your site is what the search engines use to push visitors to your site. Your content is the most important part of your site, by far and search engine robots are becoming more sophisticated everyday.

With that being said, take time to review your site on a yearly basis and get 3rd party feedback. Active/popular search terms change regularly and what was once a "hot" term may now mean nothing or is rarely used. Here are some of the questions you should ask:

  • Is it easy on the eyes & to contact you?
  • Is your navigation clear and easy to use?
  • What's new that you can add or update?
  • Can your visitor find everything within a couple of clicks?
  • Is it clear what you do?

The point of it all is to get a visitor to become a customer by making it easy to find you and giving them the info they need in an appealing manner. We do this by easily giving them the information they need which results in them doing business with you. Ultimately you are looking to:

  • Start a trusting relationship with your visitor to convert them to customers
  • Get their contact information for follow up and lead generation
  • If you sell products, you want them to purchase something
  • Bookmark your site as a valued resource to return to in the future & often.
   
 

Here are the top 10 Do's and Don'ts:

 

  1. Flash intros: Save Flash for special applications and some main pages but don't make a mini-movie intro.
  2. No page counters: this almost always is a negative and cheapens your site
  3. Make effective use of every title bar: The title tag of your web-page (the uppermost part of your browser) displays the name of the page you're on. It's also a way to let the search engines know what your site is about. Use your keywords in the title effectively.
  4. No blinking or flashing text: most people find this annoying and it adds no value to your site.
  5. Don't use plug-in's or ask your user to download something: with all the viruses out today, users are leery to download things and this will cause them to leave your site and miss your message.
  6. Don't use frames in your design: If you didn't already hear by now, search engines don't like framed pages. Search engines find it difficult to search frames for content and may cause your target visitor to not get to your site
  7. Content is Key: Above all, capture your audience. Make sure your content conveys the "feeling" and message you would like to project. Key search terms & phrases need to be current with the times.
  8. Use White Space: Don't try to fill in every single white space on the page. Give your words room.
  9. Under construction pages: Our opinion is that an under construction page is a must. It is the start of your brand and once posted, it will start the registration process with the search engines so that when your site goes live you will have a running start.
  10. Use Standard Link Colors: Believe it or not, using regular link colors like blue for a new link and magenta for a visited link will make your website easier to navigate and less confusing to your visitor. We are creatures of habit and certain colors make us feel more comfortable.

We hope these tips help you differentiate your web site/business from the oceans of sites.

 

Would you like more information

Contact

 

Tina Hamrick
hamrick@sjkberinger.com
VP of Operations and Partner
SJK Beringer Group, Inc.
Your Local Business & IT Experts
SJKBeringer.com
Corp Off: 440-356-3636 Ext 237
Corp. Fax: 440-353-1824


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