With this post I am beginning a new series that will address the importance of creating Web Accessible Websites and the things to consider when doing so. The main reasons Web designers should consider Web Accessibility in their projects are as follows:
Compliance with regulatory and legal requirements
Exposure to more people: people with disabilities and seniors
Exposure to more situations: new places, new devices
Better design and implementation
Cost savings
It makes you look good
Enlightened self interest.
Interest in Accessibility is not a new concept as the W3C established the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) with guidelines being finalized in 1999. For more information you can check out the WAI Website.
In this WPN interview with Matt Bailey from SiteLogic, Abby Johnson gathers his perspective on using Social Media and its fit in a Marketing Plan.
Matt brings up a really valid point, that you should know how you are going to use Social Media in your business and that it should be identified in your Marketing Plan. I could not agree more as endless Twitter post are not only going to get annoying for your followers, but will be a waste of your efforts. If you are going to utilize Social Media in your Marketing efforts, you need to have a clear plan as to what you hope to accomplish and which of the many Social Media applications you are going to use in that effort. I would not use more that just a couple as it can become very time consuming and you will be unable to put your best foot forward in any one of them if you spread yourself to thin.
Set up an account separate from your personal Facebook
Keep in mind your Facebook profile will eventually be indexed by the Search Engines like Google so make sure your profile information is professional and directs people to your Website, your Blog and other Social Media applications you use
Send a message to your personal Friends list to become a Fan of your new business listing
You should set a goal to post at least 2 to 3 times per week in your business listing, something relevant to your business, your industry, your community, or start a Discussion on a related business topic
If you find an interesting article related to your industry, post it on your Facebook
Don’t just promote what you have on Sale, your Fan’s will get tired of it
Put a link to your Facebook business profile from your business Website
Put a link to your Website on your Facebook business profile
Link your Facebook to your Twitter
I know I have probably left something out, so if you comment on this post, please feel free to add ways that you use Facebook in your business.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is designed for making connections with others in your industry or related industries and not so much a Social platform like Facebook or MySpace. It is more about Networking and exchange of ideas.
Link your WordPress blog to LinkedIn so your post will appear in your listing
Join related Industry/Discussion groups that are available in LinkedIn and be active in those groups
Post a link to your LinkedIn profile on your Website and email signature
If you use LinkedIn, please comment on how you use it in your business.
Twitter
Set-Up your Twitter ID as a Keyword related to your business as the other complimentary tools that people use and index your ID using that keyword
Put your logo, photograph or other related business information as your background for your profile
Follow only people that might have some relevancy in your industry, community or company, don’t go out and follow everyone like it is some kind of competition to see who can gain the most Followers
Post at least once a day something relevant to your business like a link to an industry related article, a special Sale, community news, company event.
If you have a restaurant, you can post your daily lunch special as your Followers can opt in to receive your Tweets on their cellphone
Link to your Twitter account from your Website and email signature
If you use Twitter for your business, please comment on how you use it.
Social Media applications are a good way to stay in touch with your customers and to potentially create new business with your contacts, Fans, Friends, Followers. You do need to address how and what you will use these applications for in your Business and Marketing Plans. Just like fresh content is required for your Website if you expect it to do well, so is it important to Social Media. It is a way for you to become an authority figure in your industry and to build relationships with other businesses who may refer business to you. You can advertise in Facebook as well which can be directed toward a Market and may very well be a tool to add in your mix.
Back in October of last year, I made my first post with the concept of “Do-It-Yourself” tips for Web Design. This is the last post in that series that is titled “Keep Your Site Updated And Monitor The Traffic” and happens to be the very thing that many new Website owners fail to consider in their Website management. Here are a few things to consider for why and how you should be keeping your site updated:
The Search Engines put an extreme amount of value to new content which will show up in the Google Page Rank as one of the many factors Google considers in assigning importance to a particular Web page. For competitive Keyword Phrases, those pages with a higher Google Page Rank of at least a 5 or better will generally hold their positions in the top listings over time.
Update or add new text content at least monthly to any page that you expect to be competitive in the search results. If you have an e-commerce site, you can simply have a monthly text ad that you change each month. Use keyword rich text in that ad (keyword phrases that would be used in a search for your site).
Develop a Sitemap page that list all the pages in your Website, their priority of importance to you and when they were last updated. Submit this Sitemap page to the Search Engines for indexing when it is initially developed. The important thing here is to make sure you keep your Sitemap updated with the current dates that each page was changed. I will make a “How To Develop A Sitemap” post in the future as this topic is one in itself and beyond the scope for this article.
Create a Blog for your Website and post articles with links back to your main site.
Use RSS feeds written in PHP or HTML on a page that you want to keep competitive in the search results.
Make a post with a link to the page with new content to your site in Twitter and Facebook or any other Social Media network you may use.
Use Google Analytics to track your Website traffic which will tell you how many visitors have come to your site, which pages have been viewed, which keywords they have used, which sites referred them to yours and other important information. You can also use a Professional Search Engine Marketing specialist like myself to provide you with this information as well as many others things to assist you in your Marketing efforts.
The easiest way for the average person to “Do-It-Yourself” in keeping your site updated is to use items 2 and 6 above. I would also consider having a professional develop a Site Map, a Blog, and integrate an RSS feed into your site as they are additional ways to provide and promote new content. I cannot say enough how important new content is your Google ranking and to search engines as a whole in the results that they return to a user. Don’t let your site go stagnant, work with it periodically to keep it in the running.
I came across this nice video and article about “Giving Your Business A Dose of Passion” by Abby Johnson:
She discusses, Accountability, Sharpening Skills and Becoming an Expert as ways to revive the passion for your business. I would agree and add a couple of things to provide yourself some additional power:
Accountability - Ask yourself: Are you promoting your business daily? If not, you should by attending business/community events such as your local Chamber events where you can network. You should Blog, use Twitter and other Social Media tools to promote your products, services and just simply yourself as an Expert.
Sharpen Your Skills - Ask yourself: Are you educating yourself daily? If not, you should be following your industry journals, checking on your competitors to see what they are up to or taking an online course or two. CPA’s, Teachers and many professionals are required to take Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) in order to stay informed about current trends and to remain certified. If you want to stay ahead of the game, you should be educating yourself daily!
Become An Expert - Part of educating yourself will lead you to this point of Becoming An Expert, but I would add, you need your current and future customers or clients to know that you have become an expert in your field. Use Enewsletters, Blogs, Twitter, Social Media and Articles to write about subjects in your industry. Not to brag about how great your are as an individual, but to provide useful information about your industry or areas of your business. In your postings, provide links back to your Website or other articles you have made which will not only help in creating additional traffic for you, but to really promote your business. You want to become an Authority Figure in your industry which creates respect and return business or following.
Abby’s article got me thinking again and helped to provide some juice to recover from a slow Holiday season for me, so I would recommend viewing her video and reading the article.
Are you using Google Voice for your business? If not, you should be! I use it to create a second number that clients can use from an area that would otherwise be a Toll call for them. The nice part is, it is totally FREE! One of the many nice features of the service is that the Google Number will forward and ring on multiple devices like your cellphone, business number and home number all at the same time if you want. You can also send SMS/Text messages from your PC to any number that will accept them. The features are numerous, check it out and watch this video about the services from WebProNews with Abby Johnson:
This is a continuation from my October 31, 2009 blog post. Next on the agenda is to optimize your site for the Search Engines and natural search results. Here are a few steps you can take to assure your Website will make the best presentation in the Search Engine query results:
Keyword Selection - Keywords or Keyword Phrases are what is used in a Search Engine query to find items of interest. If I were going to find information concerning “shoes”, I could use that word or narrow the results I expect to receive by using “mens shoes”. Using Keyword Phrases rather than single words will reduce the number of competitors and increase your opportunity of appearing in the top 30 search results. You can use Google AdWords External Keyword tool to assist you in selecting quality keywords and phrases. Use Keywords or Keyword Phrases with the fewest number of competitors and the most search volume.
Keyword Placement - Place the Keywords you identified in the Title tag, Header tag, Alt tag and 2 to 3 times in your Body text. Use 1 to 3 keywords per Website page and no more, as you do not want the text to appear like “spam”. The Search Engines will treat “Spam” text negatively in the search results. Make sure the Keyword placement is natural and the text still reads well.
Develop a Sitemap - Develop a Sitemap for your Website which list all of its pages. Sitemaps help the Search Engines to Index all of the pages of your Website. The best format is to use XML. Use this example for what to include and the format for your Sitemap.
Submit to Search Engines - Submit your Website and Sitemap to Google, Bing, and Yahoo. You will need to sign-up for accounts with each to have access to their Webmaster Tools and the ability to submit your Sitemap to them. You can submit your Website to the other minor Search Engines, but often times, that will only help to increase your email spam. In reality, about 85% of of all Searches are performed through Google, so I would put most my optimization efforts there.
Build Quality Backlinks - Build quality Backlinks from other Websites to yours. Quality means Websites that have a Google Page Rank of 4 or above. The Google Toolbar for Firefox has a Page Rank tool which displays the Google Page Rank for the Website that appears in your browser window. Including your Keywords as the Link Text is best. Obtain Links from different sources, not just from all the same Website.
Update With New Content - Keep your site updated with new content at least monthly, but weekly is preferred. Develop a Blog to assist in this effort. Many Web Hosting companies will have WordPress available for you to use or can install it for you. WordPress is one of the most popular Open Source Blog software programs available so it has many resouces on the Internet for you to learn how to use it. You may also use other tools like Quick Blogcast® to develop your Blog which could be a little easier to use and manage. Search Engines look for new and relevant content in their periodic indexing of your Website. Updated and New content will provide you with a better Ranking and bring them back more often to re-index your site.
In summary, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process where you optimize your Website to compete for top placement in Keyword search results. You can use many Search Engine Marketing (SEM) tools, but you must also use SEO if you expect to have long-term success in your efforts. Keywords, Backlinks and New Content are the keys to that success!
This is a more detailed continuation from my October 31, 2009 post. Tip #3 is to make sure you use a quality and reputable Web Hosting company for your Website. Below is a list of things you should take into consideration before selecting your Web Hosting company:
Select a reputable company or reseller company. Is this company known on the Web and have stood the test of time like Yahoo or GoDaddy. Hosting companies and Internet businesses for that matter can come and go so make sure they have been around awhile. Length of time in business does not guarantee they will always be there, but you will be more likely to find reviews of the company. If they are a reseller, find out if the Hosting Company is a known company. Google the business name and look for reviews about them. Check out the CNET reviews as one of your sources.
Compare the Bandwidth and Storage space you are allowed for the price by each Hosting company you are considering and the Plans they offer. If you have a lot of photographic content, video content or animation within your site, you may require more bandwidth and storage.
If you are developing an E-commerce Website, make sure you select a Hosting Plan which includes PHP and MySQL so that your Shopping Cart will be able to function. I would consult with your Website developer before you make any decisions in this area unless you are using a “Do-It-Yourself” tool like Quick Shopping Cart ® to develop your product catalog.
If you are developing an E-commerce Website, make sure you have an SSL Certificate so your customer transactions will be processed securely. You will most likely have to consult with your Web Developer or Hosting company concerning this item to make sure it is activated properly within your site.
Does the potential Hosting company offer annual payment plans so you will have the opportunity to save money in the long-term.
In summary, the most important things about Web Hosting is that they are reputable, have the Bandwidth and Storage you require for your Website at the right price and provide decent enough customer service so if you do have issues, you can get it resolved easily.
This is a continuation from my October 31, 2009 blog post. You should take some time in selecting a Domain Name for a couple of reasons:
The Domain Name is a representation of your business and could provide a potential client/customer with a look at your professionalism. For example, a domain like lovedtoys.com might be better than usedtoys.com.
While Domain Names with your business name are good for Branding, it would be better to select a Domain with a quality keyword or phrase. If your business is not already a well known entity in the Market for your products or services, selecting a Domain Name with quality keywords could provide you with a better listing result in searches using those keywords. I recommend consulting with an SEO/SEM for the best keyword selection for your Domain Name.
Select a Domain Name with as few letters as possible and easy to remember as many of your clients/customers will hopefully return to your site. They may not have Bookmarked or added your site to their Favorites, so they will need to remember your Domain Name or use a search engine.
Try to avoid using other derivatives of successful Domain Names. For example, if addidas.net was available, don’t use it in hopes a getting some of the traffic from users who type in the incorrect information. For one thing, Addidas would probably sue you for Trademark infringement, but most importantly, people using that Domain are most likely not looking for your site. There has been a lot of discussion in the industry over Domain Names and Keywords, some winners and some losers in legal battles. I would suggest just not making yourself the subject of one.
You can find a variety of tools available out there for selecting Keywords to use in your Domain Name selection such as Google Adwords and software that performs that function, but I would recommend seeing a professional SEO/SEM. If you were going to fight a legal battle you would most likely find an attorney. If you were going to have surgery, you would find a Medical Doctor. Selecting a Domain Name is an important process as well, so consult with a professional who will assist you to enjoy a successful business presence on the Web!
If you are believing all the Media or are taking all the negative in about how bad things are in the economy, you are doing yourself an injustice. Many a business has gone through the cyclical flow of our economy without a hitch. While it is true that some have failed, many have survived to become more efficient and solid. Some businesses have been started in an economic downturn with some being a great success! Why can’t this be you, the successful story? Well it can! We don’t know the whole story of the financials of failing companies and I imagine if you did, the reasons would be clear. I spent over 25 years in the corporate world in Accounting and watched companies come and go. Businesses and the population as a whole were more than worried during the 1980’s when double digit inflation was taxing our world. Look at what came out of that later, the DOW at 14,000 points! Did it burst, yes, as we all know and have experienced! Will it recover again, heck yes!
Any way, watch this video I found at Small Business News on “Marketing Opportunities In A Down Economy”:
Then check out the blog post at Small Business Newz for further information. It is a great video and article!
This post is a continuation from my October 31, 2009 post. Tip #1 is about using WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) HTML editors. They include those that you can purchase such Dreamweaver, Contribute, FrontPage and Coffee Cup or many FREE editors such as Dynamic HTML Editor or Eclipse. You can Google Visual HTML Editor and cruise around to see what you can find. No matter which editor you choose, realize that they are not perfect in their code creation. HTML or Hypertext Markup Language is just that, a Markup language that for the most part just provides the style and location of text and images on a page for a Website. The more sophisticated editors such as Dreamweaver can create a site that incorporates other scripting such as Javascript, CSS and even FLASH along with the HTML. As the editors get more sophisticated, the more training in the use of the software that is required.
No matter which editor you select, you should take the time to pick up some basic books on HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Not so much to become an expert, but to learn some basics so you can understand a little about the code that is being created by the editor. In this way, if something goes astray, you can take a look at the underlying coding the editor has created, and just maybe find what might be causing your issue.
Even though I am formerly trained with all the coding, I will work in a split view, both visual and code so I can take advantage of both worlds while making sure I am in the correct locations for editing and placement of certain things. Let’s face it, in many respects it is faster to let the editor do the work rather than typing in a long string of code manually, but I do keep an eye on it and can place things or correct things as I go along.
A basic series of books you can use are the SAMS “Teach Yourself…..” that all relate to Web Design. They will not make you an expert by all means, but they are pretty straight forward and provide you with a good foundation for learning some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript which are the most used languages in the HTML Visual Editors you will find.
You might be wondering, what makes you an authority on the subjects you Blog about? Well, it comes down to this: * Bachelor's of Science Degree - Management; * 70 Continuing ducation Units In Web Design; Certifications in Web Design; * 25 Plus Years Experience In Corporate Accounting; * 10 Plus Years In Retail Management;* Succeeded and Failed Running My Own Business. I don't really call myself an Authority, just someone with a variety of experience and thoughts about what has worked for me and my clients. One thing is certain, there is a ton of information out there on the Internet and we all should take in what we can to self educate and move forward in our businesses!