February 05 2010

Web-content Conundrum




The Web consumes content like a teenager at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lots and lots of content makes you more search engine friendly, helps establish your knowledge and expertise, explains in detail what you offer, and justifies that offer with all the explanations, statistics, and rationale you can muster. The problem is nobody reads it.

Well that’s not exactly true: some people read every scrap of information on your site; they just happen to be the tire-kickers, the people looking for ways to get stuff they don’t have to pay for, or they’re competitors looking for ways to copy what you do, or worse find something wrong. This is definitely a dilemma that needs to be addressed.

The Answer Lies In The Questions

The answer is obviously not to eliminate all the good stuff you’ve worked so hard to create, or to bury it where nobody will ever see it. When it comes to Web-content ask yourself:

1. Is our content meaningful and relevant, or is it just hype and bunkum?

2. Is our content understandable by our audience, or is it so inarticulate that people just give up, even when they are desperate to find out what you have to say?

3. Does our content hold our audience’s attention? Does it just explain, or does it engage, excite, and entertain while at the same time persuade on both a rationale and emotional level?

4. Is our content so intimidating and technical that it leads to more confusion and questions than answers?

5. Is our most important content buried in volumes of extraneous information or advertising copy, making it difficult to access and understand?

If any of these questions describe the text-based information on your website, then perhaps you need to find a way to make that important information more useful to your clients, not just search engines spiders.

When it comes to website content there are five things you need to keep in mind in order to make that content meaningful: Relevance, Clarity, Effectiveness, Memorability, and Personality.

Relevance

The Appropriateness of The Material

The material on your website has to be relevant, it is good for search engine indexing and it is good for establishing your expertise and trustworthiness, a quality that is an absolute necessity in a Web-based business environment, but exactly what constitutes relevant content?

In order for content to be relevant it must serve your overall marketing agenda and at the same time it must be useful to your target audience.

If your goal is to generate long-term clients by establishing a relationship with your website visitors then that relationship has to be symbiotic, that is, it must benefit both you and the your prospective clients. There are far too many websites around that are based on the P.T. Barnum principle that everyone is a sucker and can be conned. At the other end of the spectrum there are also way too many sites that are nothing more than catalogs, a kind of, here it is, take it or leave it approach. Then there are the sites that offer pages and pages of specifications and features that confuse more than clarify. And finally there are the websites that are nothing more than business cards or display ads, an approach that says to the visitor that you are too cheap, too lazy, or too unimaginative to bother creating an appropriate marketing website.

The fact that search engines seek out relevant content is merely a positive by-product of good content, it is not the ultimate marketing objective, which should be to open up a communication with your audience and start a productive and profitable relationship.

Clarity

The Ability To Be Understood

Is there anything more important than being understood? I assume you have a website because you want to promote and expand your business, but if visitors do not understand who you are, what you do, and why they should pay you to provide them with a product or service, then exactly what are you doing?

Being understood sounds like a simple thing, but it is not. Ask yourself, to whom am I trying to communicate? Is it a search engine robot or a real person? If your main concern is the ever changing search engine indexing machinery then you risk the danger of not being completely understood by the people who visit your website.

There is a certain comfort in dealing with the illusion of certainty that speaks to the mechanics of search engine optimization: all you have to do is follow the rules and you’ll be successful. The problem is the game is fixed and the rules keep changing, and more importantly it’s the wrong audience. Any order you ever generated was from a real person and if real people don’t understand your marketing message, then all that traffic to your site is wasted.

Effectiveness

The Ability to Serve Your Marketing Objectives

Being clear and to the point is important but it doesn’t necessarily make your site effective. Dragnet’s Sergeant Friday may have wanted, ‘just the facts, nothing but the facts’ but in the real world people need more.

People are busy and they do not want to waste their time on things that have no meaning for them, and that is the key. Things become meaningful when they engage while they enlighten, educate while they entertain, and persuade while they present. People spend hours upon hours on the Web doing things that could be considered a waste of time and non productive, so the idea that people will not invest their time on your website is just plain wrong. If they won’t spend the time, then they aren’t really interested or your presentation stinks.

What makes the Web such a powerful marketing tool is its multimedia capability, the opportunity to communicate using text, images, motion graphics, video, and sound (audio) design. And of all these delivery options the two most effective communication techniques are video and sound (audio) design.

Memorability

The Ability To Stick In Your Audience’s Minds

Clarity and effectiveness are vital but if people don’t remember who you are, all your hard work will be lost. Maybe you’ve convinced your audience that your way is the answer, but if they don’t remember it was you that told them, then you’ve wasted the opportunity.

There are lots of sites around that expect instant response. They present their material and expect you to press a button and give them money. It’s not that this can’t happen, but it certainly is not what usually happens.

How many times have you wished you could remember that website that had that thing that you didn’t need then but you need now? Not every potential customer is ready to buy right away, and if they forget who you are, someone else will benefit from your effort.

Let’s put it another way, sales is like sex, while marketing is like a seduction. If you’re not prepared to invest in romancing your audience, they’ll immediately forget you exist and the sale will go to the business that gets remembered.

In order to create that memory, your website has to be an experience, an experience that resonates and entertains by delivering your marketing message with style and flair, using real human beings, analogy, and the classic story format in a professionally executed performance.

Personality

The Ability To Distinguish You From The Competition

Every business has a personality, an image, an identity that is the sum total of every experience anyone who has ever had contact with your company has ever had. Success online and offline depends on how well you manage that personality.

Your website is part of your public face and in many cases it is your only public face. Your business is not what you sell and it is not you, it is a separate and distinct entity that needs to be treated like a precocious child in need of care and feeding, and development.

Personality starts with a point-of-view and an attitude strong enough to make an impact. And the more mundane your offering, the more important it is to make a statement. Victoria’s Secret has little trouble grabbing people’s attention, but if it’s sandpaper you sell, you better try harder. We especially see this identity crisis with distributors, whose own personality often gets sublimated to the major brands they carry.

Perhaps you remember the J. Peterman character from the old Seinfeld television show. The character was played by, actor and voice-over specialist, John O’Hurley, who is nothing like the real J. Peterman. But the characterization was so strong, and so memorable, that O’Hurley was able to single-handedly rescue the company from financial trouble.

If you’re looking to create a Web-personality as effective as John O’Hurley’s J. Peterman, you should consider adding a video or audio host to your Web-presentation, one that engages your audience’s attention and captures their collective imagination.

A Final Thought

At the end of the day there is one thing about websites that should guide you in your decisions as to what you present and how, and that is simply, websites are for people not search engines. If the people coming to your website don’t hear what you have to say, understand what you’re offering, and remember who you are, then your website isn’t doing what it needs to do for your business.

December 22 2009

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December 01 2009

Choosing & Using Drupal Modules for Maximum Performance

Basic Drupal web design using the core Drupal CMS (content management system) is enough to create a small website with limited functionality, but the framework is favored for its vast adaptability and unique, functional programming options.  However, it often takes knowing more than your basic programming to effectively utilize Drupal modules and customizations.

A World Of Options—Drupal Modules

The core PHP framework that is Drupal will build a basic, functional website. It is often enough for users seeking to construct small personal websites with limited usability.But the real opportunity for Drupal sites lies in Drupal customization and the use of specific, hand-picked Drupal modules.

It is the Drupal modules that provide the added benefit of additional functions. These add-on features are the codes and programs that allow you to include the specific features and functions that are needed for your site.

Drupal modules provide a great many additional options. It is difficult to say how many options and opportunities those modules provide, as there are always new Drupal modules being built and endless options to combine modules and functions for more features and flexibility. However, for all but the most basic Drupal sites the modules are key—they are, in effect, what really makes or breaks a great, usable, user-friendly and functional Drupal web design.

More Options With Drupal Customization

The other beautiful thing about the Drupal CMS PHP is that it is an open source code. That means that the code is disclosed to the user, and can be changed and modified at will. In fact, it is this very feature that has resulted in the wide flexibility and many options the enhanced Drupal core and Drupal modules provide.

In practice, what this means for Drupal web design is that the possibilities with Drupal customization are limited only by the knowledge, creativity, and expertise of the person overseeing the Drupal web design. A talented programmer or designer can modify a single Drupal module code over and over and come out with a completely unique feature every time. In addition, he or she can also use the core functional programs and still create a customized graphic design, creating an even greater opportunity to stand out from the web crowd.

Stand Out With Drupal Customization

Together, the Drupal modules and Drupal customization options provide nearly unlimited possibilities for the talented web designer. Admittedly, these customization options are something that is beyond the average user, but a number of professional web designers have embraced the opportunities that Drupal presents for them. By combining the high functionality of the core Drupal CMS with the unlimited capabilities of Drupal modules and Drupal customizations, web designers have changed the face of website design today.

Your best chance for a truly unique, attractive, and ultra-functional Drupal CMS website is to work with an expert in the field. To maximize your Drupal web design, find a Drupal expert who can present you with an array of possibilities, capturing and combining the core functionality and additional features that Drupal customization and Drupal module selection have to offer.

Author bio:-This article was written by Steve Morris. Mr. Morris runs New Media, a drupal web design Company located in downtown Denver, Colorado (http://www.NewMediaDenver.com). Newmediadenver offers Web design denver, drupal web development , Web development, Internet marketing.

November 30 2009

Drupal Development Services are Available to You Now!

On your own or as support, with or without programming or technical knowledge, the benefits of building your website with Drupal PHP are available to you. By accessing Drupal development services you can build an attractive, very high-functioning website complete with all the unique possibilities Drupal customization has to offer.

Drupal Development A Possibility For Every Website Owner

One of the things that is often said of the Drupal CMS is that it is available for use to anyone—even people without programming knowledge.While this is essentially true, it is not always as simple in practice.

If you are one who has tried to build your own website with Drupal and come up against perplexing roadblocks or unexplained difficulties, you are one who can readily accept that not everyone is capable of developing a website using Drupal. And while it is true that you quite possibly could learn enough of the basics with time and research, those are premium resources that are very hard to come by.

Not everyone finds Drupal development to be an easy thing. Moreover, not everyone has an interest in being their own Drupal designer. For many, the only thing that attracts them to Drupal is the attractiveness and functionality offered by Drupal CMS frameworks. The actual work of programming and development is something best left to professionals.

The beauty of the Drupal PHP is that it knows no bounds. It is a free web design application that enjoys the benefit of many, many practical and expert minds behind it, but it is also a system that comes with plenty of professional support in the Drupal web design community. Certainly, this is much more than a program that is used to save a few dollars on software code. Drupal PHP is a program whose reputation was built on its functionality and flexibility. And whether it is time or expertise that you lack, you, too, can enjoy those benefits—all you need is to locate a team of affordable, experienced Drupal specialists.

Finding Drupal Specialists And Drupal Development Services

Many web design businesses have added Drupal development services to their list of available services. They have recognized the usefulness of the Drupal PHP (often using it themselves), and recognized the need for true support and professional Drupal design services.

Some of the best website development firms are now offering Drupal development services. As you look for a web design expert, look for a team of Drupal specialists. Be sure that that team can offer all the services that you will require from start to finish. For example, be sure that you have available to you the services to cover:

• A Drupal designer; if you will be paying for your services, you want to know that you are working with a Drupal designer who can build not only a great functioning site, but a great looking one as well.

• Drupal customization; the beauty of Drupal is that you can add and subtract to build the website that you need.You will need a programmer who is skilled in Drupal customization to maximize the usefulness of the Drupal PHP.

• Ongoing support; since Drupal PHP is developed by volunteers, there is no tech support team immediately available. You will have to rely on the Drupal specialists you choose to help you with technical issues right away, as Drupal community support can take days.

Furthermore, you’ll want to consider your future needs when you choose Drupal specialists. Drupal is always growing, always changing, and always improving. It can be a lot to keep up with unless your career is web design.

Drupal is an option for every site owner. When you can’t do it yourself, you’ll need to rely on a team of expert Drupal specialists. You’ll want to choose that team wisely so that you are ensured of getting all the Drupal development services and support that you need now and in the months and years to come.

 

Author bio:-This article was written by Steve Morris. Mr. Morris runs New Media, a drupal web design Company located in downtown Denver, Colorado (http://www.NewMediaDenver.com). Newmediadenver offers Web design denver, drupal web development , Web development, Internet marketing.

 

November 11 2009

Web Content Management Systems – Required For Best Website Management

Building and maintaining a web site is a lot of work; one of the tools that can make it significantly easier is a dedicated content management system.The server site utilities which are used to manage your site’s cascading style sheets in an centralized interface is straightforwardly a content management system. There are various other abilities like upload content, allow visitor creation of contents, and even manage libraries of graphics, affiliate program links, etc., can be seen in sophisticated content management system.

While there is a technical layer to using a content management system, the essence of one is that you can buy something “off the shelf” to get your web site up and running rather than paying for a custom developer to write one for you. The requirement of a content management becomes mandatory once the number of pages you run increases.  By adopting common installation strategy for a content management system it becomes easier for meeting the clients requirements like upgrading the existing web site  with blog-style software or making the website more interactive.

If you’re maintaining web sites for clients, the point of a content management system is that now your client can do the mind numbingly tedious bits of posting new content; it no longer comes to your inbox to be sorted, formatted and posted, when those operations can take longer for the applications to load than it does to do the operation in question. If you’re maintaining your own web site, a content management system does you more good the more you intend to update a site. Lots of sites are still holding to the 1996 model of company web sites four pages that never ever change.  No doubt your web site will get good responses or traffic provided it is updated periodically with new web content and making it attractive.  This burden of maintaining your website can be accomplished by content management system makes that easier for you to do less overhead and less work.

Choosing the right content management system means looking at what you intend to do with your web site. In a nutshell, your choices come down to the following:

Hire someone to write one for you. This can get pricey, fast. If all you’re looking for is a front page blog, avoid this one WordPress or Movable Type do it better and are free. If you’re looking for something more detailed, like on site whiteboards or version tracking of submitted articles, or deadline management for freelance contributors, then a custom content management system is worth looking into. Buy (or license) a commercial package. If you’re doing enterprise grade IT work, a commercial package with support might be your best bet. There is chance to utilize the opportunity to choose the content management packages that are offered by your hosting provider for your own business.

Though you are installing an open source package with a right price, but setting and smooth running need a competent technical expertise. If you’re running on a hosting server with shared hosting environments, you may have to get your hosting provider to install it and set it up for you. All the above points will help you in choosing a right content management system as per your requirements.

November 11 2009

Website Designing- an Important Web Promotional Tool

With entrepreneurs switching over to online business keeping in view the easy accessibility as well as the time flexibility it is essential that their website which encases the products & services of your business should be presentable and well maintained. Howsoever outstanding the products and services might be, the success is not assured without the website being optimized. Many factors are responsible for your website to become successful & web designing is one such factor. Web designing is a practice of perceiving, planning, representing, and carrying out of electronic media content through internet. Web design is much more than learning or making use of HTML or CSS language. To develop new web pages which look good is an important aspect of web designing.

The role of web design in updating your website:

The web design plays an important role in retaining the existing customers as well as attracting the new ones. Though web content plays a very significant role in website optimization, web design lays a ground to attract as well as encourage the customers at the very onset to move to your website. Your website should be designed in such a way that it should appear simple yet detailed, attractive, user friendly & easy navigation. Apart from generating targeted traffic to your site, web design provides branding to the products & services of your business.

Some important guidelines before designing a website:

Website designing is a tedious job and requires expertise of a professional web designer. It is therefore important to follow certain guidelines before designing a website.

• Inclusion of meaningful ALT text is required keeping in mind the blind visitors. Without the ALT text your website could not be used by the blind visitors as the text is read to them by the screen saver.

• The first thing to be kept in mind while designing your website is the use of right color combination which could relate with your company & its product.

• Placement of external links makes your site more informative which in turn makes your visitors return back to your site.

• It is advisable to use a sitemap in the web design of your website if it is too lengthy so as to enable the readers to easily track whatever they are looking for.

• The web content is also an important aspect of web design. Without an unique, fresh & informative content your website would not get promoted.

October 28 2009

How To Get Free Web Design Advertising

If you are on a small budget there are a lot of free ways you can use on the Internet to advertise your business. Yes that is right! You don’t have to pay anything and they are the same solutions that companies pay thousands of dollars to do. So if you have some time, you can get ready to generate your own traffic for free!

Content

First of all you need to make sure your web design has the right content. Your content should be unique and interesting to your audience.  Give people something they are interested learning something that will bring them back for more. Your text needs the right keywords repeated in a certain density.  Only use about 1 keyword for every 100 words. This will help with search engines for your ranking. Do not repeat the same keywords too much. Search engine could see it as spam!

Blogging

Blogging is a great starting point for free. There are many of free services on the web that allow you to publish a blog. If you already have your  business web site then you can work the web design with the blog so it is a part of your site. When you write a blog be sure it is related to your business, then includes as much  inbound links possible to your website.

Press Releases

Press Releases are another way to promote for your business, writing press releases about upcoming events and other big happenings. This way you can get the word out and create hype about the business. Press releases can be sent to media outlets like newspapers, radio stations, news stations, and such.

Bookmarking

Bookmarking is a perfect way to bring more traffic to your site and get the word out about the fact that you exist. You can bookmark every single page on your website and this will ensure you get some traffic and will create a site rank.

Social Networking

The idea is that social networks like  Linkedin , Myspace and Facebook are similar to search engines, where the goal is to ensure that the most relevant and interesting content bubbles up to the top. On sites like Digg it means having enough votes from the community to move your news article to their front page, while on a site like MySpace, your measure of popularity is all about how many friends you can get. if you build relationships with other community members. Even though becoming an active member on these sites will help you get more traffic to you website , it is a great strategy for promoting your own material.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many techniques you can use to get free advertising for your web presence, There is no reason to leave out any opportunity, however if you don’t have the time, it is highly recommended to ask for an search engine optimization (SEO) expert that understands well your business model.

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