No matter how good a web design is, your website will fail unless you heed this advice. The key to a good website is providing great information that visitors are looking for, in ways they want to see/hear it, and having an honest and friendly tone that builds a relationship. Sounds simple doesn’t it?
In traditional branding terms, in the long run a brand is just a name. In the short term, the brand needs a unique idea or concept. It needs to “own” a word in the mind, ideally first in it’s class (think Amazon, eBay etc.). After time that uniqueness disappears.(Esso verses Petro Canada, Seven 11 verses Mac’s Milk etc.). Branding does take time. With the Internet’s constant birth of the new, I’m in full agreement with putting your company in the title tag if the purpose is building branding. Repetition as well as seeing that company’s name together with the other title tags pairs the two in a persons mind. Many times you’ll see a company name/logo with a positioning tag line underneath it, which sort of acts the same way a title tag would. Or on radio, linking the company name with a sound. Duracell, “the copper top battery” uses both.(Did you hear the ringing in your minds ear?). Internet marketing involves building web standard compliant websites, optimizing for search engines while also incorporating relevant marketing laws.
Although we are extremely happy from the many calls we receive from frantic business owners whose web designer has gone out of business, disappeared or plain ignored them, I starting to become disturbed. Bad experiences with web designers give the web design business a bad name. People don’t know who to trust. Please business people of the world listen up. Use a professional web design company that does web design day in, day out. There are too many variables and changes in the website/search engine world to use what I call “a dabbler”. It’s your business and a website is a vital part of it. A bad website can actually cost you money. Would you use a part time real estate agent to sell your business? If you run a professional business yourself, what do you think of those that “dabble” in your industry? Use a professional. Not only will it save you money in the long run, with a proper website design coupled with an Internet marketing strategy, you’ll actually make money.