Posts filed under 'Web Strategy'
Business Leader Magazine
Interview with Thomas Young
June 25th, 2007
When should a company consider using a professional Website and what is a reasonable cost range?
Just about everyone in business today needs a Website. There are few exceptions and those that are exceptions know it. Cost ranges are all over the board, from a college intern that will do it for free to a high-end ad agency that will charge a million dollars. You should be able to do a lot for under $20,000. Our average Website is around $10,000.
What makes a good business Website? What are the most common mistakes you see in Web design?
Meeting site visitor needs makes a great Website. Major mistakes are common on the Web because people do not understand a Website is part of a strategic marketing plan and not just a pretty design or IT department’s pet project. The biggest mistake is putting design or technology staff in charge of the Website. Marketing should manage the Website.
What are the keys to driving traffic to your site? What should a beginner know about this?
First, tell people about your Website and second learn about and use search engines. Google has much content and this is a great starting point. Driving people to a Website only happens if there is value on the site. Both search engines and Web users recognize value and reward you for it.
How good are blogs and e-zines at driving people to a Website?
The big three of online content distribution are blogs, podcasts and Webinars. These tools will drive people to your Website because they are search engine friendly and people will find the site so they can get access to valuable content. Email is also a great tool for driving traffic. Excellent email content gets read and bad emails get deleted.
What are the costs/benefits of tracking of Website traffic and conversion rates? Are there any products you recommend?
This is not an option, if you are serious about tracking your Website’s effectiveness. Your site must have conversion goals and strategies to measure. Google Analytics is the best tool on the market and it’s free!
June 26th, 2007
If you have a chance, you must listen to the interview with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs from last month’s D5 conference. These two guys are THE leaders in technology. Here are two major points that came out of these discussions:
- We don’t really know where technology is going because some of the best ideas have not been thought yet.
- People will continue to move towards technology to make their lives easier and improve the quality of their lives.
What can Website marketers learn from this?
New ideas that will do the following for your Website visitors:
- Save them time and money
- Make life less complicated
- Help them do their job better
- Improve the quality of their lives (have fun)
Both Gates and Jobs made a lot of speculations on where things are going, but the fundamental items above mixed with great new ideas will drive success in technology and on your Website.
How can your Website do these things?
Tom Young - June 2007
June 13th, 2007
Our Website, IntutiveWebsites.com, lays this out pretty well, but I want to stress a couple things about how important our four-step process is to getting results from Web marketing efforts. These four steps came out of eight years of work in Web marketing. Firstly, we are giving away this knowledge, free of charge and not holding back on what works. The second point is that it really does work! Here is a brief overview of each step and key action items.
Step One: Get a Strategy
Most Websites don’t have a strategy and are developed for the wrong reasons. Strategies include:
- Generating leads for the sales team
- Building an online email list
- Selling direct through the Website
- Developing a competitive advantage
- Branding the company
To make sure you are on the right strategy, get feedback from your customers and prospects.
Step Two: Build a Website
After you have talked to customers and you know what they want, build a Website that gives them what they want. Make this site VERY easy to use.
Step Three: Drive Traffic
Here are the basics of driving traffic:
- Use all offline methods you can
- Search engine optimization and ads in Google and Yahoo
- Emails from your own list
- Partnerships with other Websites
- Podcasts, blogs and webinars
Step Four: Measure Conversions and ROI
What are the results of the first three steps? Use Web stats and your conversion plan to measure all this on a regular basis.
If you have a successful business, then follow these steps for guaranteed results.
By: Tom Young
May 25th, 2007
It is common for marketing professionals to confuse the two strategies of conversions and branding in their Internet marketing and Website design efforts. There are very clear differences between the two. Branding is the thought that you leave in the minds of your target market and how you position yourself different from competitors. Conversions are the act and process of generating a lead or direct sale from your Website. As a rule of thumb, larger and well-established businesses are more concerned with branding, or gaining market share through perception on the Web, think Coke and Pepsi, whereas the smaller to medium sized firms are more concerned with getting leads or direct sales.
When smaller firms heavily brand their business online with high-end graphics and design elements, they run the major risk of loosing valuable conversions. When larger firms focus too much on generating conversion on their Website, they run the risk of loosing market share due to weak branding.
The key lesson to learn for the vast majority of companies on the Web is this: Do not let branding efforts get in the way of conversions.
Tom
September 26th, 2006
There are many similarities between building a house and building a Website. An effective Web marketing plan is very much like the process of building and maintaining a new home. However, Web marketers and developers do not always follow these guidelines.
Here is how they are alike. You must decide where your house is located and where your Website is hosted. You must also develop a blue print and floor plans for your new house, just as you develop a site map for your Website navigation. Budgets and staff are assigned to their various specialties and many details are covered whether it is a house or a Website you are building. The house is decorated and furnishings are added along with landscaping. Graphics, photos and other visual elements are added to a Website. A house must have a solid foundation and effective heating, water and electrical systems. A Website needs a solid technical foundation and fluid interactive tools.
A house must be maintained and improved upon or it falls apart over time. Websites also must constantly be evaluated and updated and maintained or they to will deteriorate over time. This is where many Websites fall short. Be proud of your Website, as you are with your home and keep it updated and fresh. Keep in mind that your Website will have many more visitors than your house!
At some point the site, and your house, will be in need of an overhaul to keep them fresh and interesting to you and visitors. Here is where a house and a Website differ; a Website needs a new look at least every one or two years and most houses can go longer than that. The problem is many people let their Websites go much longer than they should. This is usually the case because people do not see their Website as a fluid and evolving process. Even though your new home’s construction will finally end, a Website is always under construction!
Tom
June 7th, 2006
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