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Emotionally |
Top Seven Ways to Tune up your
Website
Hopefully
your business is booming, or perhaps it's a little slower
than usual. Either
way, it's always a good time to take stock of what's working
for you, and
what needs some attention - including your Web site!
Here are my
suggestions for a great tune-up audit - take a fresh look at
your site and
your promotional strategy with these pointers: 1. Is
your site appealing
to all your markets? Do you have
different potential buyers for different aspects of your
products and
services? Is there content on your site that’s designed for
each of these?
Have you considered whether your Web audience might be
different from your
traditional markets, and if so, whether you can exploit that?
2. Does
your content
engage your visitors? Your site
should be written from your visitors’ point of view, not
yours. Does your
home page clearly recognize why the reader might be there -
what’s in it for
them, and why they should care? What are the problems or
issues that they
might have, and how will you solve them? 3. Do you
make your case? If you claim
that your products or services achieve results, do you have
clear content on
your site that substantiates this? Do you have case studies,
sample client
lists, and testimonials from happy customers? Third party
endorsements are
worth far more than your own promotional text, and they
should be spread
throughout your site, not relegated to a separate page that
few visitors will
go to. 4. Do you
position
yourself as an expert? One of the
most effective ways to get exposure is to publish articles,
and white papers
around your area of expertise. Even if you sell widgets, you
can help people
get the most out of using them! Articles on your site will be
picked up by
the search engines, and you can also offer them to
publications that your
target markets read - always with a link back, or reference
to your site, of
course. 5. Do you
ask for the
business? Whatever the
outcomes that you want from your site, you need to ask for
it. Too many Web
pages end weakly, with no clear calls to action. Don’t make
your visitors
have to work to decide what to do next - they won’t! Every
page on your site
should have a strategy - invite the visitor to interact with
you, or go to
the next page, but make it easy and obvious. 6. Do you
have a
diversified promotional strategy? Don’t depend
on free search engines to get you traffic. Are you exploring
other ways of
promoting your site - such as using your content and
articles, advertising in
e-zines, appending a signature file to your e-mail, regularly
sending updates
to your database, and ensuring that your traditional
marketing is integrated
with your online activities? 7. Are
you reviewing your
traffic analysis? Last, but
really key - your Website traffic reports will tell you
what’s working and
what isn’t. Without this information, you’re really shooting
in the dark - what
if you were to find that the majority of your hard-earned
visitors never go
beyond your home page? This isn’t an
exhaustive list, but it's a good start. I hope that your Web
site passes the
test! © Philippa
Gamse, 2008. All
rights reserved.
Byline Are
there ways to make
your Website more effective? If you'd
like to know when I add new articles, or update the ones here
(which I do on
a regular basis), join my mailing
list. And, if
you still have a burning question about e- business strategy
or Internet
marketing that you don't see answered on this site, just
ask me! |
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