CMS Web Solutions

Web Design is a profession, like being an accountant, lawyer or engineer. The difference is that currently in this country it is not regulated. Instead the market forces are at work. It’s a wild west out there.

Businesses of all sizes are discovering that websites are more than an online brochure. Their website is a communication hub viewed by prospects, customers, employees, researchers - anyone who is interested. They are discovering that if they do it right, they can have the undivided attention of another person, reviewing information provided by the business. Maybe they’ll even get feedback.

If a business does an effective job of positioning their website on search engines they can capture niche markets from right under the noses of their large competitors. But, Seth Godin, in a recent post identified one of the major issues. He said  “Marketing online takes too much measurement, patience, creativity, technical knowledge, flexibility, speed and authenticity.”

Creating an effective communication hub isn’t about throwing up a simple brochure website. It takes what Seth spoke of. The smart businesses see that. Do you?

When we first sit down with a client to strategize their web presence, there are many variables clients don’t think about. Often to them their website is the visual skin of their website.  But there is so much more if a client wants results.

For instance we ask them how important it is to be found on search engines like Google. If the answer is “very”, we explain to them that we’ll have to build the website in a way that is “search engine friendly”. This means careful consideration as to how a website is constructed.

Google is vision impaired.  The same way a person with vision loss uses a text reader to read a website, in a matter of speaking, so does Google via robots, known affectionately as “bots”. Bots and text readers read text in a certain order. So when building a website, the web designer needs to write the code in a way that sets the context for the reader including Google.  Thought and strategy need to go into the layout, title, headlines, copy, navigation and more.  Google doesn’t read Flash nor do all browsers or handheld devices.

What I tell clients is that they, and we, don’t count. It’s the target audience that dictates what should be in a website and how it needs to be presented.  What do they want to see and how do they need to see it?  When search engines are important, you need to consider them one of your target audiences.  Websites are more than the visual you see.  They are more about the 80% of a website you don’t see.

Yesterday I spoke with a business owner who has been in business for 28 years. Over the years I’ve seen his ads everywhere. He was a bit embarrassed to tell me that only recently did he start asking people & recording how they heard about them. Now he moves his marketing dollars where he gets the greatest return. Makes perfect sense doesn’t it? Then why don’t businesses do it?

I hear lots of excuses:  “I don’t have the time”, “I forget”, “staff doesn’t ask”,  etc. etc. I shudder to think how much money has been wasted on bad advertising choices. If you have a problem, make it a procedure, and it won’t be a problem any more.

One idea is to use your website to measure as it’s a natural measurement tool. Create an online coupon that you direct people to e.g. www.mycompanyname.ca/fryingpanoffer. Have them print out the coupon or get a secret word, then advertise it in a marketing vehicle you are testing.

Put a measurement tool on your website and see if customers are actually visiting that page. Have different pages for different vehicles.  Also ensure you check the websites that are referring visitors to your site. I’ve reviewed this information with clients only to have them realize this is the first time they’ve actually seen return for some of their advertising dollar. Some are shocked at what they see.

Remember:  measure, analyze, adjust.  Marketing is a constantly evolving and changing process. You just need to observe a company called Google to realize the truth in that statement

The answer is quite simple: It’s were you get the greatest return on your marketing investment. But how do you know where you get your best return? You measure current marketing activity and adjust. If you don’t measure you can’t manage. Marketing is an ongoing process, not a destination. What works today, doesn’t necessarily work tomorrow. You only need to look at the declining state of traditional print advertising.  A growing number of businesses are shifting marketing dollars over to internet marketing. But even they make the mistake of not measuring when a website is a perfect data gathering tool. The smart business people I know measure, whether it’s their business plan, marketing, operations etc. They then review and adjust based on data. As data indicates problem tends, solutions can be implemented. If you struggle measuring use a little saying I’ve been using for years: “if you have a problem, make it a procedure and you won’t have the problem anymore.”

I recently gave a 2 ½ hour seminar entitled “Keys to an effective Business Website” and heard myself utter the words Golden Perspective, a term which I made up years ago. It simply means coming from the audience’s perspective rather than yours. Many in the audience slapped their foreheads when they understood it in the context of web design. It’s vital when optimizing a website for search engines like Google. Ignoring the rule hurts your search results. For example, an automobile dealer might prefer to use the words “pre-owned vehicles” rather than “used cars”. But people search on used cars, not pre-owned cars, so their website wouldn’t come up. So take a closer look at your website and all the places you come in contact with your target audience and review them from the golden perspective.

In a very short time, websites have become the “window to a business”. People now do most of their research online. Everyone, including prospective customers and potential employees, now judge a company by their website. But business owners are still just scratching the surface of this incredible communications tool. With strategic thinking, their website can be designed to capture specific niches in the marketplace, accelerate the sales process, and reduce operating costs. Sales and service people can reduce their road time. Videos can be inserted for product demonstrations. Websites can be used to measure effectiveness of marketing programs. They can measure what people are actually interested about on the website and adjust their offline marketing. And you know the really eye opening fact? Business websites are still in their infancy. Get ready. You haven’t seen anything yet!

The thing I love most about computers is that people communicate one-to-one through them no matter where they are in the world. What an incredible opportunity for having someone’s undivided attention! But the internet also makes us speed up. So we need to communicate information faster. Our brains process visuals quicker than words.With most having high speed, video is a wonderful and emerging tool that businesses need to take advantage of. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? So why aren’t more businesses doing it?

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?

A study of 40 million emails revealed that the emails that got opened more frequently were in fact ones that simply described in the subject line what was inside the email. Sales type headlines simply didn’t get opened. Ensure when people agree to receive your emails/newsletter that they are clear what they will expect to receive. Then just use the subject line to tell them what’s inside.

Being a website designer in Durham is …interesting. Because we get to visit many different businesses around Durham, we see how they are actually using their websites. It’s amazing how only a few businesses really “get” how important the website is to their business. Those that have understood have benefited a great deal. In fact, they are now asking us what else they can do and “what’s next?”. The short answer is to find other niches, build a website, optimize and capture other business.