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How to Instantly Communicate Your Website Message

Doug Williams @ 5:58 am

This blog entry was posted on February 3, 2012.

Website visitors are time-strapped multi-taskers with an ultra short attention span. They arrive in scan mode and look around for up to 3 seconds before hitting the back button and resuming their search.

The messaging on your home page needs to be crystal clear and compelling if you want to capture your visitor’s attention. If you are unclear about what you do (and where you do it) you can kiss that potential client goodbye.

Can you adequately express the entirety of your business in a split second? Can you create a snapshot of your business in just a few words? To be successful, this is a must.

  1. Keep it Simple: If you over communicate with everything that you do or can do, you create a fuzzy message. The more complicated your message, the longer and harder it will be to understand. Instead create a laser focused headline that captures your core message.
  2. Page Headline: There is nothing more powerful than a strong headline. Don’t waste it on “Welcome to My Website.” Instead choose “Denver Plumber, We Come to You 24/7.” This type of message communicates to both visitors and search engines.
  3. Benefits, Not Features: Features are facts and descriptions of what you do. Benefits answer the question “What’s in it for me?” Would you rather visit a dentist “whose services include implant, cosmetic and pediatric dentistry.” Or one that promises “We create beautiful smiles that last a lifetime.”
  4. Visual images: Communicate your message and support your page headlines with compelling pictures or graphics. Visual images communicate at an emotional level and drive your message home. Page headline, images and content should work together.
  5. Action Messaging: Answer the question “what now?” After you present your primary home page message; use action messaging to clarify and encourage action. Prompt visitors to buy, sign-up, call or request a quote. You want to encourage people to take the next step.

For more information on conversion rate optimization

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Filed under: Conversion Rate Optimization



The Web Doubled in Size during 2011

Doug Williams @ 4:56 am

This blog entry was posted on January 31, 2012.

The Internet is a living, growing, dynamic web of websites and information. It more than doubled in size in 2011 reaching a size of over 582 million websites according to Netcraft who keeps track of this.

78.3% of people in the US now use the web according to Internet World Stats. They perform 578 million searches per day, with 65.4% of these occurring on Google according to ComScore.

Where is the next big frontier in Internet Marketing? It is clearly in the area of mobile. Please enjoy the infographic below which pieces together what has happened in the last 5 years and predictions for mobile.

World Wide Web Infographic

World Wide Web Infographic

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Filed under: Internet Marketing



Get More Clicks From Your Call to Action

Doug Williams @ 6:04 am

This blog entry was posted on January 27, 2012.

Conversion Rate is critical for your website. You can drive traffic, but if they don’t take action, what good is it? What is your website’s conversion rate? A clear and compelling call to action is the key to boosting website conversions.

Your call-to-action needs to answer three questions.

  • What? What should they do? What action do you want them to take? Buy? Request a quote? Make an appointment? Sign-up?
  • Why? Why should they do it? How will it benefit them?
  • How? How do they take action? What is the next step?

5 attributes of a great call to action

  1. Compelling: Make sure it satisfies a real need your visitor has. Use action oriented phrases such a “Buy Now” or “Join Today.”
  2. Visible: Location is very important. Make it clearly visible and above the fold. Use colors that make it stand out. On your home page, the upper right quadrant is prime territory for your call to action. It is more easily seen there.
  3. Clarity: Keep it simple. Use short bulleted phrases. Don’t clutter it up with too much text. Use simple graphics. Use ample white space.
  4. Urgency: Create a sense of urgency to encourage immediate action. Limit the time or the quantity. Have an expiration date or label it as a limited time offer. You could make the offer available for the first 30 buyers.
  5. Incentive: Offer a premium or reward for taking immediate action. This could be “Act now and receive…” Use an incentive that will appeal to your best buyer. This will help attract your targeted customer.

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Filed under: Conversion Rate Optimization



Use Your Website to Differentiate Your Business

Doug Williams @ 6:49 pm

This blog entry was posted on January 24, 2012.

Show that your company is the logical one to do business with. Build your company story into your website to differentiate your business from your competition.  The idea is to educate buyers and to reset their buying criteria. This is sometimes called education based marketing.

  1. Messaging: Position your company as the leader that protects buyers from hidden dangers in your market. Educate web visitors on hidden trends and problems in making purchases in your market. What problems occur when people purchase from others. Show you are part of the solution.
  2. Advantages: Use your home page to explain the advantages of using your company over your competition. Use your company story to help explain the differences.
  3. Tell Your Story: Build your company story into the About Us page. Tell your story about how your approach to the market is different and innovative, helping clients navigate the hidden dangers that your competitors ignore.
  4. Header Animation: Tell your story using an animated header. Show the dangers and your solution to the problem in a short 3-4 scene sequence. This is usually placed on the home page.
  5. Free Report: Create a free report that can be used as a sign-up incentive for building your email list. The title should be attention grabbing and appeal to your target audience.
  6. Email Marketing Campaign: Once someone subscribes to your email list, follow up with a series of educational emails delivered by sequential auto responders. This could be every 2-3 days or once a week. Use your company story as a basis of writing these emails.
  7. Short Video Segments: Create 1-2 minute videos that inform and educate. When presented by your CEO, it puts a friendly face on the company. Videos on your site are great attention getters.

Empire Research Group is a market research company that helps businesses develop their own differentiating company story with a product they term “Core Story”.

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Filed under: Conversion Rate Optimization



How Real is the Internet Generation Gap?

Doug Williams @ 5:37 am

This blog entry was posted on January 20, 2012.

How do the different generations interact with the Internet? Baby boomers and older will say “I want to meet someone and shake their hand before we do business.” Someone younger will say “I need to see their website and check them out with online research before I will do business with them.”

Are younger Internet users reckless? Are older Internet users overly concerned with security when offline transactions are fraught with a high risk?

Gen Y or Milliennials (18-33 years) are more likely to access the Internet wirelessly on their phone or laptop. They are more likely to use instant messaging, social networking sites, listen to music online and read blogs. This is according to a 2010 Pew Internet study.

Even though Gen Y’s like to read blogs, they are less likely to write a blog posting than they did in 2006. Blogging is increasing in popularity with older generations.

Gen Ys are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop. Desktop computers are most popular with adults ages 35-65.

Gen X (34 – 45 years) and Baby Boomers (46-66 years) are more likely to visit government websites and get financial information online. Searching for health information was done mostly by adults is now the third most popular online activity for all internet users 18 and older.

12-17 year olds are 42% more likely to text a friend than to call them on their cell phone. They are even less likely to talk to them face to face. These teens are 5X more likely to text than use email. This is according to another Pew Internet study.

All generations seem to regularly use email, seek out health information, get news online, book travel, rate or review products / services and make online charitable donations. Watching videos continues to grow by all age groups. The number of adult internet users who watch video online jumped in the past two years, from 52% in May 2008 to 66% in May 2010.

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Filed under: Internet Marketing



Creating a Connection with Your Website Visitor

Doug Williams @ 8:35 am

This blog entry was posted on January 17, 2012.

As a marketer you want your visitor to interact with your website in a certain way. Business websites are built to convince visitors to take action. They won’t take any action though if they don’t trust your website. Building trust is an emotional response. Trust is built at a subliminal level.

  1. Visual Impression: The single most important factor is first impression. Does your website look professional, organized and credible? People do judge a book by its cover.
  2. Best Buyer: To connect with your visitor, you need to completely understand your client (or potential client). What is their motivation to seek you out? What problem are they trying to solve? What are they worried about? What interests and inspires your best buyers?
  3. Clear Communication: Good communication comes from a deep understanding. It comes from using a shared language, a shared vocabulary, imagery, symbols and behavior. Content on your site needs to be both useful and aligned with the needs of your visitors.
  4. Message Clarity: Is your site’s message clear at a glance? Is it easy to navigate? Is the text and pages formatted for scanning? Does your page headline clearly announce your purpose?
  5. Tone: Does your writing use humor or fear or anger in communicating? Do you impress with your expertise? Is it lighthearted and playful? Is it filled with humor, satire and wit? How you write creates an emotional bond with your readers.

You are building rapport and they become your allies. They need a reason to trust you so you need to make your website trustworthy.

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Filed under: Conversion Rate Optimization



Seven Domain Name Selection Best Practices

Doug Williams @ 5:07 am

This blog entry was posted on January 13, 2012.

Selecting a domain name is as much about branding as is creating a logo for your business. Your domain should be memorable, recognizable and easy to type out.

  1. Name Recognition: In most cases the domain name should match the company name. This may mean the full company name (wellsfargo.com, or bestbuy.com) oe using a recognizable abbreviation such as IBM.com or HP.com. You can also choose a keyword driven domain like GiftBaskets.com which is owned by Hayneedle Inc.
  2. Choose a dot-Com: People naturally think first of a .COM before a .NET, .INFO or .BIZ. That is because in the US, 73% of all domains registered are .COM. If you use something other than a .COM, it forces you to emphasize the end (.NET or .BIZ) of your domain instead of the name itself when marketing. This hurts your branding strategy.
  3. Keep it Short: This makes it easier to type. Don’t sacrifice making it memorable though. I made this mistake when I formed my company Doug Williams and Associates. I chose the domain dwassoc.com. This was a short name that no one could remember. I later went out and purchased dougwilliams.com which worked much better.
  4. Easy to Type: Avoid the use of hyphens because people will forget to type them in. If your domain purpose is strictly for SEO, hyphens are fine. Including numbers makes your domain harder to type. Easy to remember should outweigh easy to type.
  5. Older: Buying existing domains can be a good idea. Search for domains that have had a website for several years and have a good number of inbound links. This can be an effective way of getting a jump start on instant search engine rankings. You will pay extra, but this can be money well.
  6. Check Copyright: Avoid copyright infringement by checking copyright.gov. Your domain name should be relevant to your business name or business model (products, services) to be defensible against infringement.
  7. Check History: Check the Wayback machine to see what other site may have been on that domain. Sometimes these past sites may cause a problem for your future website. We had one client that purchased a short domain name for a children’s motivational site only to later discover that the site once was home to a porn website.

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Filed under: Internet Marketing



What is the Difference Between SEO Solicitations and Snake Oil Sales?

Doug Williams @ 6:30 am

This blog entry was posted on January 10, 2012.

In the days of the Wild West, salesmen would make wild claims that untested elixirs would provide miracle cures and instant relief. These false claims and worthless guarantees all became known as “snake oil.” The phrase came from a lotion reportedly made from the Chinese Water Snake that would cure joint pain and almost anything else.

Many SEO sales people also make wild unsubstantiated claims for wild cures for website traffic. How do you separate the charlatans from the real deal?

If you are like me, you receive unsolicited spam emails promising miracle traffic for your website. These will include promises of a #1 position in the SERPs, massive traffic or secret methods that only they have access to. Usually I just laugh to myself as I read these emails and hit DELETE.

But what about the poor business owner that receives these emails and is desperate to get more leads from his website? They don’t know enough to separate the scam from the real SEO.

Real SEO is not magic. Real SEO is a methodical process. It is about attracting people interested in what you sell. It must be highly relevant. The keyword phrases need to have enough search volume to make them worthwhile and not just “vanity phrases.”

SEO sales needs to be a consultative type sale where the buyer is educated, an initial keyword search done to determine level of competition and the website should be audited for technical problems.

What should you ask a SEO sales person?

  1. Will they tell you their SEO process? It shouldn’t be a secret.
  2. Ask for example of what they have done for others.
  3. Ask for references that you can talk to.
  4. Look at their own website(s), do they have great rankings?
  5. Do they help you with a linking strategy? What is it?

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Filed under: SEO Strategies



24 Things to Include in an Optometry Website

Doug Williams @ 5:02 am

This blog entry was posted on January 6, 2012.

I am working on a project to help optometrists create websites that will best serve their patients. I identified 24 features that could be included in an optometrist website. I then created a survey asking people to rate the importance of the 24 features on a scale of 1 to 5. 1=very important, 3=neutral, 5=very unimportant. I had 43 responses. Results are listed from most important to least important from survey results.

  1. Professional website design (Not one that looks amateurish) (Avg. rating =1.59)
  2. Office hours posted on website (Avg. rating =1.66)
  3. Listing of available services (Avg. rating =1.73)
  4. Background on doctor(s) including credentials, education (Avg. rating =1.73)
  5. Information on insurances that are accepted (Avg. rating =1.75)
  6. Phone number and address prominently on every page. (Avg. rating =1.84)
  7. Driving directions and map (Avg. rating =1.93)
  8. Ability to pay for services via credit cards (Avg. rating =2.02)
  9. Information on eye diseases and treatments (Avg. rating =2.04)
  10. Good FAQ page (Avg. rating =2.09)
  11. Ability to increase font size to make reading of site easier (Avg. rating =2.13)
  12. Book appointments online (Avg. rating =2.20)
  13. Bill pay online (Avg. rating =2.22)
  14. Photos of Doctor and staff (Avg. rating =2.25)
  15. Financing options available (Avg. rating =2.34)
  16. Listing of professional associations or logos (Avg. rating =2.34)
  17. Printable new patient forms (Avg. rating =2.36)
  18. Background information on staff (Avg. rating =2.36)
  19. Buy contact lenses online (Avg. rating =2.57)
  20. Photos of office (inside and outside) (Avg. rating =2.59)
  21. Links to news stories on the doctor(s) (Avg. rating =2.61)
  22. Privacy policy (Avg. rating =2.63)
  23. Links to online reviews such as Yelp or Google (Avg. rating =2.75)
  24. Links to social media sites (Facebook, twitter) (Avg. rating =3.36)

In addition to ratings on the 24 features, I received suggestions for over 20 additional items. I have created a second, more comprehensive survey. Your participation would be appreciated.

Link to new updated survey: Optometrist Web Marketing Survey (2012)

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Filed under: Internet Marketing



Our 10 Most Popular 2011 Internet Marketing Articles

Doug Williams @ 5:45 am

This blog entry was posted on January 3, 2012.

These are our top ten blog postings for 2011. What did others find most interesting? These had the most visits, views and searches.

  1. Mobile Website Design Best Practices: Discusses the 4 most important design considerations for designing a mobile website. These include simplifying content, valid markup, designing for smartphones and trends in display sizes.
  2. Review of GoToMeeting Vs Join.Me: Comparison of the business standard online meeting software with the new free Join.Me that has become very popular this last year.
  3. How to Write an About-Us Page For Your Business: How to instructions for writing a compelling About-Us page for your website. Includes writing tips and what information to include.
  4. How To Test Your Site Using Web Based Mobile Emulators: What will your website look like on the iPad or iPhone? Listing and links to four online mobile emulators.
  5. How To SEO Secure HTTPS Pages: HTTPS are secure pages that allows encrypted information to be transferred over the web. This requires special SEO considerations and has some limitations.
  6. Create Microsites as an SEO Strategy: How to use focused, single topic websites as part of your SEO effort on your main website. Gives examples of how to deploy this strategy.
  7. Mobile SEO: Mobile Results Are Different Than Desktop Web Results: Discusses why mobile search results are different and how to optimize a mobile website taking these factors into consideration.
  8. 7 Website Trust Logos, What They Mean and Where You Can Get Them: Seven of the most popular logos or seals that you can add to your website to increase visitor trust. Where you can get them and how much they cost.
  9. Top 100 Most Searched for Business Services: Listing of the top 100 B2B keyword phrases. These are the high volume phrases from many different market segments. These are B2B services such as accounting, temporary personnel, etc
  10. Website Footer Best Practices: Explains why footer navigation is important to SEO and website visitors. Explains how to deploy it on both large and small websites.

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Filed under: Internet Marketing



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