New Website Construction / Existing Website Refresh

It may be time to update your existing website or create a new site from scratch. Fundamental points to consider are:

Responsive Design

The new trend is towards a site that can adapt to different viewing platforms such as smart phones or tablets. This technique is called “Responsive Design”.

You can see this in use on this website. Take a look at this site through your smart phone. You will see the site design creates a comfortable viewing and navigation for a small screen. View this same site on a computer monitor and change the size of your browser. In each circumstance the website will adjust the content to easily view and navigate the website.

Use of Media to Drive the Story

The more engaging the content is on your website, the better the chance the viewer will remain and refer others as well. Relevant photos, video, infographics, etc. that reinforce the messaging provides a powerful way to enhance comprehension and retention.  

User Experience and Active Conversation

One of the most powerful examples that I have encountered in all my time in digital marketing is a multi media digital story created in late 2012 by New York Times entitled Snow Fall – Avalanche at Tunnel Creek (take a look on a computer monitor… please note that the design preceded mobile viewing capability). This creation utilizes combinations of media, web design, engaging content that draws the reader in. What is interesting is, I am not really all that enthusiastic about avalanches, but the User Experience is so compelling, it causes me to be drawn back to it.

At the time it was created it was groundbreaking and state-of-the-art web storytelling. Since the Times article was created many of the web provider services such as Wix, Squarespace, and Wordpress have adopted and recently made available to the web designer the features used in the story allowing it to be readily applied to new designs if the designer knows how to access and use it.

Conversations and Call to Action

For most website applications, the primary objective is to create a resonating experience that results in the individual wanting to know more or specifically take action. With web design it is important to incorporate easy routes for the reader to move the conversation to the next level. This is known as the “Call to Action”.

The most common is the response button. For me, that would be the button below inviting you to contact me directly to discuss details of web optimization and digital marketing techniques.

This should be common and strategically placed on just about every page on your site.  It can be subtle, but it needs to be convenient for the reader.

Conversation is important. A Blog can be incorporated into your site allowing you to expand on key points regarding your offering/advice or instruct on aspects that further refine the subject matter making it relevant to the reader. From there, a well written Blog can ignite an exchange with visitors through a comments section. It is a powerful opportunity to develop confidence and trust. If the information is good, many times the customers will become your advocate by passing on the information and encourage interaction.

Get Found

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Being found on the internet can happen in many different ways. Simply talking to someone or providing your web address on your marketing material is an excellent start. The advantage of the digital medium is it can be designed to work in parallel with your face-to-face and promotional efforts.

One of the goals of designing a website is to make it easily discovered. Google is the most commonly known search engine that folks will use to find something or research something that they have interest in. The objective for your site appear in a search query. Ideally, your website would appear on the first page of the results.  

A few years back I had an opportunity to sit in on a presentation by CEO of Google Sundar Pichai  he presented to a roomful of fellow marketers. The subject of his presentation was “how does Google rank websites for priority placement on searches”. I’ll spare you the details with the exception that he summarized to the audience to “simply create good, unique, and valuable content”.

Combine this with a site design that is easy to navigate and find the information. Sundar described actions that anyone can take to up the chances of appearing early in the listings of the search results. This is commonly referred to “Organic Search”. With careful crafting of the content on your site you can achieve results without paying companies like Google to improve your chances of discovery.

In addition to generating and refining good content, it is important to weave into the information key words and phrasing that accurately describes what you are presenting while also matching up with possible search queries entered from interested individuals. You need to have an understanding of who your likely customers are and what they are likely to search for. If you don’t already understand who these folks are, it will be important to take the time to do so.

Combining Organic Search techniques with services like “Pay-Per-Click” can greatly amplify the results of being discovered in searches conducted on the web. Before considering this option, it is important to have applied the rigors of creating good content that is unique and properly constructed for SEO effectiveness.

Let Me Help You Get There

Everything that I have described here is possible for you to do yourself. This is especially true in assembling the actual information unique to your enterprise. However, it may not be practical or cost effective to distract you from the core competences of your organization.

Let’s take a moment to discuss how I may able to assist you in creating a powerful digital presence that will work alongside you.