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Is your website saying everything it should?  Your website’s purpose is to attract, inform and inspire visitors and customers to keep coming back. Many times, too much attention is placed on visual design and functionality, that the actual content of a site is often overlooked. In the end, positioning your company as the right choice for your customers all comes down to what you say, and how clearly you say it.  Is your site content achieving all it can? There are four key ways to tell.

Is it short and concise?

Studies show that cutting the content of a website in half increases readability and reader interest  levels by about 60% - being concise pays off!  Since most web readers scan websites (79% of readers in fact) vs reading the complete page (just 16% of readers) it’s vital that information be presented in a clear, direct manner, and any information not vital to the reader be removed.  So, how do you tell if your web page copy needs a trim? If the majority of your pages will require scrolling to accommodate text, it’s time to start the editing process.

Is it organized?

Content organization is another factor that can hinder or help a reader’s ability to understand your message. Ensure readers find the information they need by organizing your web content using headings and sub-headings, bullet points, highlighted key words. Use short paragraphs containing only one theme or idea to keep content easy to digest and scan over.  Try the inverted pyramid writing style – start each page or section with the conclusion to tell readers upfront what the page is about, then focus on how to go about achieving those end results.

Is it up to date?

The key difference between the internet and almost every other form of communication method is the speed at which it changes.  Web visitors expect information to be relevant to the moment, and can easily find more up-to-date information from one of your competitors, if your own content is outdated. Your web content should reflect current facts about your services and products, your industry and your business - no prospect will come to you with their business based on outdated pricing, service offerings. If a potential customer dismisses you as an option based on your outdated website content, you will have lost business that could otherwise have been yours.

Is it perfect?

Visitors can find hundreds of alternatives to your business – in an instant. If your website appears outdated, has poor spelling and grammar or links that don’t work properly, it communicates sloppiness and a lack of professionalism. There’s no excuse for a website that doesn’t meet acceptable communication standards. Proof read, spell check, and edit - then do it again to make sure each web page reflects your company’s unique expertise in your industry.

Your website is a 24-hour business card, always available with the ability to attract or repel prospective customers at any time of day, anywhere in the world.  Not only does it need an attractive design, intuitive navigation and functionality, web readers need the right content to makes decision-making easier. Review your website, then give us a call to make the most of your online business investment!

Your website is your most important marketing tool that will always be evolving – you shouldn’t think of it as a one-time investment but rather as a chance to connect with customers look for you and your services, every day.

Does it really matter how great your website looks if nobody sees it?

Planning and implementing a search engine optimization strategy is a key part of the design, development and maintenance of your website. It may seem confusing, but it really just means designing, writing, and html coding your website so that it’s more likely to appear at the top of search results when potential customers type in keywords and phrases that relate to your business when they conduct online searches. This can be accomplished by considering the search engines and directories that offer the greatest amount of potential traffic, like Google and Yahoo, and creating the proper setting and meeting the right conditions to get their attention.

1. Keys to Success

Search engines and directories identify and index your website’s content by comparing and matching keywords frequently used in your site to those entered by an individual doing an online search.  

However, a mishmash of keywords at the expense of a good, clear sales message isn’t going to help. You need good marketing copy that sounds great, emphasizes benefits and uses keyword phrases. Proper online copywriting and site structure is an art form unto itself, so be sure to get professional support.

2. The Right Tags

If you want to promote sales of your product or service, it’s safe to say your competitors want to also — and they’ll probably use a lot of the same words and phrases as you. So, how will a search engine or directory choose which site to list above the others?

They’ll look beyond your keywords to each of the html tags on your site, things like alternate text placed on images and the text within your website. These “tags” are markers that contain keywords in the actual source code of your website that search engines crawl (read) through to support prominent ranking on search engines and directories.

3. The First Impression

Directories such as Yahoo categorize websites. When your website is submitted to the various search engines and directories it is vital that the site description clearly identifies a type or classification that best represents your business so prospects will look for it in their online search. So, the site description for your men’s clothing store might read, "quality men’s clothing, shirts, pants and high quality suits, retail, Toronto, New York and Montreal".

4. Directing Traffic

Creating an XML or HTML Sitemap will ensure that every page on your website can be found and indexed, particularly those that are located deeper down in the website as these are not as easily reachable by direct linking or navigation. Today’s new web tools enable SEO specialists to organize and prioritize site content, insert appropriate title tags, and recode web pages to make them increasingly search engine friendly.

5. It's Who You Know

When someone is famous, a lot of people know about them, when a website is important, more pages on the web will link to it. Reciprocal web page linking between websites is a very important part of the search engine optimization process. Google, for example, uses various link popularity algorithms to rank website relevance. It‘s important to build as many quality links to your site as you can, through link exchange directories or by exchanging links privately.

6. Reaching Out

Reaching out to prospects and customers is a must, no matter how well executed your search engine optimization campaign is. Online marketing tactics like newsletters, press releases, articles, blog posts and taking advantage of social media sites will aid with search engine optimization because they contain a wide variety of keywords to be picked up by search engines and directories, each of which can and should link back to your website. They may also be passed on and forwarded to other people easily, exposing your business and your website to numerous new prospects with whom you otherwise would not have connected with.

In addition, frequent changes and updates to websites (such as the posting of a new blog post or press release) create greater visibility as search engines continually seek out new information.

As important as it is, search engine optimization is simply another means of helping potential customers find your web site. It isn’t a substitute for solid content, the right messages, great design and a well planned online and offline marketing strategy. The most important thing is to ensure your website has the basics:

• Simple, cleanly coded design that loads quickly and is organized well
• User-friendly, intuitive navigation
• Unique Titles and Meta tags to help search engines identify relevant keyword phrases, and
• Internal and external links that accurately describe what can be found in the site

With all of these elements in place, your site has the chance for high rankings for a variety of keyword phrases in major search engines and directories. Because search engines and directories look for the same things you do when you search online: easy-to-access information in a clear and concise language.

The process of ranking highly in the search engines can take a significant investment of your time, and, because your competitors are striving for the same positioning that you are, your search engine strategy will require constant adjustment in order to maintain and improve rankings.

Are you trying to get more out of your website? Let c-Seven Media help you set and achieve your online goals, to help you get the most out of your business!

Your website’s home page is more often than not the very first place a user (and potential customer) will land, via a search result or referral or from any other method. It’s imperative that you fill the first few seconds of that user’s visit with a relevant message, or you’ll very likely have lost them as a potential consumer of your product or service.

Your home page can be used to effectively tell a visitor what you do, what service or product you provide, and most importantly, what your business can offer someone that nobody else can. Typically this can be done with powerful visuals and a short, compact message or tagline about the key benefits of choosing your business over another.

This special message needs to be featured as the most prominent and dominating piece of information on your home page, and most definitely needs to be placed above the fold (the area of a web page that can be viewed without scrolling, most commonly referring to a size of the screen usually no greater than 578 pixels high – based on the use of a 19” monitor. With the increase in monitor resolution this number is slowly getting larger).

Have a current special offer for a product? Display it! Use a slideshow or web sized advertisement to draw attention to your feature, and include a link to learn more about that offer where applicable. Guiding the user from your home page to the page they’re looking for with ease is what the web is all about, and it should be the goal of any business with a website.

The power of your home page doesn’t end there however. Below your feature there is prime real estate for additional services and messages. The area below your key message can be used for many purposes, from displaying a list of recent news, press releases or blog posts, to the inclusion of other featured services or products from your company that may not be as important as your main feature, but can still be used to direct web traffic to other parts of your website. Additional uses include testimonials, featuring service case studies, videos and more! The possibilities are truly endless.

To summarize, a home page has become more than a space for the simple ‘Welcome to my website’ message that is still so common. Your home page is very often the most important part of your site, and when treated as such, your business will reap the benefits and you’ll see web traffic and a better return on your online investment.

Want to learn more about creating an optimized home page for your business? Contact c-Seven Media today to find out how you can capture and keep a visitor’s attention.

This post is meant to serve as a basic guideline for website managers or anyone responsible for updating or creating content for their CMS-based website. These tips are for people with little to no experience working with a CMS, and will ensure that your content translates gracefully onto the web, while still maintaining a maximum level of usability and ensuring consistency across all of the pages on your site.

The web uses the RGB color model. CMYK and Spot colors typically translate well, however website managers must be aware that the web uses only the RGB color model, and translating CMYK and Spot colors (from a print project for example) to RGB might change the look of your website or not achieve the color or look you may have been going for.

Many clients and end users (the ones making the updates to their sites using a CMS) are not at all familiar with design principles or html and cascading style sheets (css, used for web page styling – basic and advanced). So, for example creating custom font styles (classes) for use in the middle of a paragraph would require the creation of custom classes, and while this can be done and set up initially, if the user ever needs to edit or add similar classes to other elements of a site, they likely will not know how to. Keeping the design simple is best.

Keep designs simple. Avoid different font size/color/style for one word in a paragraph; keep styles consistent. Generally, a website should have a heading style, a sub heading style, and the general text style. This way the end user editing the website doesn’t have to learn html & css to figure out how to keep the website looking consistent, and is therefore able to present a more professional online presence to anyone visiting the site. The sample below is a basic example of the efficient and standard  way of formatting type for the web, very similar to print design and production practices.

Only use web safe fonts: These are fonts that are supported across all major browsers. A basic list of web safe fonts may be found here: http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html

Today many new websites are built using powerful web tools like content management systems, and now people of varying skill levels are able to add new content to their sites with ease. When you find yourself in this position, keep in mind these basic tips, and if you have any questions or comments about your site, feel free to contact us to discuss them.

Social Media sites like Facebook are not just for your kids.

Facebook has quickly become THE place on the web to socialize. Their traffic statistics are very impressive, and are growing everyday. You can start to take advantage of Facebook by creating a page for your business.   

Here are the basic Facebook Applications for Business pages (things you will want to take advantage of for sure!):

• Discussion Boards: Enable your fans to get their ideas out into the open. Discussion boards let you know exactly what your fans and customers think and want.
• Events: Organize gatherings or let people know about your upcoming business events.
• Information: Manage settings for the Information application.
• Notes: Share your business news or engage your fans through written entries.
• Photos: Upload photos to your page and allow your fans to share photos  on your page also.
• Reviews: Fans and customers can leave honest opinions about your business.
• Video: A high-quality video platform for pages on Facebook.
• Wall: The Wall is an open forum for your fans or friends to leave comments, thoughts, and ideas about you on your Page or Profile.

When you have successfully created a Business Page on Facebook you can link to it from your own Web site, e-mail campaigns, or encourage your own personal Facebook friends to become a fan of your page. Remember, when a personal friend becomes a new fan, that message is displayed as a notification to all of your friend's friends. Similar to word-of-mouth marketing, this is a great way to bring Facebook users to your new Business page.