Business Website Advice

Save this list of 10 things to do for your holiday break. Business owners often work on their website over the holiday break. That’s right, while staff play and read junk novel on the beach, website owners plan a new website or revise and rewrite pages.  Here’s a list of things to keep in mind while you work on your website.

1. First and foremost. Verify that the main keyword phrases  you have built your website around are still the ones most used by your target market.  Re-read my post on SEO and Research. 
2. Improve your Google ranking by making sure, at a minimum, the ‘keyword search phrase’ is in the title meta tag and matches the top main heading on the page. 
3. Be sure each page of your website focuses on only one - uno - 1 - ein - how else do I stress it - only ONE, keyword search phrase per website page.  Then implement it in each of the places I tell you about on my free download SEO Guidelines.  After saying that I will no doubt see clusters of phrases on pages built in 2010, this is my nightmare.  Applause to those who read, listen and do what I say - you shall inherit improved rankings.
4. Look at your homepage as if you’ve never seen it before.  Divide a blank paper into two columns. On the left, write down what you see as you scan your homepage. Start in the upper left, look at it all, describe each part.  Now, on the right column, write down what backstory or subtext (hidden message) that homepage features communicates to the visitor. For example, the bee in my logo looks playful, colourful with a subtle message that this isn’t a highbrow stuffy website. The photo “Hi there I’m Kath” shows a mature female. Message being this is not the stereotypical male geekspeak place. 
5. Now look at each website page through the eyes of your first time visitor. Write down what you see.  Try not to see all the reasons and justifications of why you have written and shown what you have put there.  Instead, be brave and look at what your first time visitor sees. 
6. To convert lookers to buyers you need to earn visitor confidence. How do you show you are trustworthy and they are safe (their contact details, credit card, time)?  Make a list of what features on what page you communicate your are trust-able and your visitor is safe.  Repeat these in more than one place. You cannot overkill.  Visitors don’t look at each page so you need to repeat some things.  Look for:  photos of: owners, staff, person on the phone, shop front, Google map with directions, privacy policy, product or service guarantee, membership in industry association, testimonials from real people.
7. Content - take a closer look at what your words say.  The internet is still driven by people looking for information.  What questions do you answer? What is the quality of your info?  How much background do you give? Do yo answer the most common questions?  How generous are you high-value detail?  Background reading on page content:  Good Intentions: about bad info creating high bounce rates (above 60-70 on your Google Analytics).  Also my recent scathing tirad about too much copywriting marketing hype.
8. Photo check.  Does each photo have an ‘alt tag’ that focuses on the keyword search phrase for that page?  If no, create a To Do List for your web designer (that might be you, I know). Go through page by page, identify the photo, write a short phrase related to the title meta tag for that page…assuming you have already done step 1 and 2 at the top of this list.  If no to that too, forget this one and get busy on 1 and 2.  Everything starts there.
9. Be easy.  When going through 1-8, keep questioning - Is this easy? Whatever you are asking your visitor to do must be easy.  Easy to navigate, easy to find info, easy to locate, easy to trust, easy to learn how to do whatever. Being easy increases the likelihood they will stay with you instead of jumping ship to your competitor.  Show you are easy with “3 Steps to…”  An easy to use website implies you’ll be easy to deal with if they take it one step closer and become your client/customer.
10. Mock user test. One way to truly test #9 is have a friend navigate your website while you watch and take notes. It’s even more helpful if they narrate what they are thinking. Some businesses pay pros to do this user-testing for them with a panel of target market net visitors.  You can do this for the promise of chocolates or lunch.  Don’t be tempted to jump in and tell them what they are doing wrong or where they’ll find x and z.  You just take notes while you watch. It’s an eye opener.  You buy lunch afterwards and don’t pout at what you learn.  I speak from experience with this one.

Please don’t spend all your holiday time focused on your website. Stop. Refresh. Renew on a liberal dose of family and friends. 

I’ll be back in the new year cracking the whip on getting your internet presence cued up.�

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