The Importance of Search Engine Optimization for Your Site

Search Engine Optimization is important because it helps to make your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand. Although search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, it is difficult for them to process a web page the same way a person does. SEO helps the search engines determine what each page is about, and how it may be helpful to a user.

All major search engines operate on the same principles—automated search bots crawl through your website, follow links and index content, and store this information in in massive databases. The data is retrieved and displayed when a users initiates a search.

Consider these facts:

• 70-80% of users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the organic results.
• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
The rules of SEO and organic search marketing are constantly changing. In the past, SEO specialists focused their attention on keyword-rich content, meta title tags that accurately describe your product or service, and inbound links from other relevant websites. Today, SEO is driven by fresh, updated content where search engines are giving more credit to those who demonstrate authority and expertise in their industry which is reflected by certain keywords, and by articles and blogs.

The Importance of Social Media
One of the most neglected components of SEO is the alignment of your search engine optimization strategy with social media activity. Google analyzes Facebook "shares" and Twitter posts for determining search rankings, so a powerful online social presence is important for your business to get noticed. Social Media Optimization is not a one time process, but an ongoing campaign that constantly drives quality visitors to your site.

In order to work, SEO must be a continuous process. It's not enough to build and optimize a website, you need to commit to a strategy that includes an on-going plan to regularly add original content and integrate social media sites.

Web Site Design: Planning Your Home Page

A well-constructed home page will project a good first impression to all who visit your website.

All websites are organized around a home page that serves as a logical point of entry into the rest of your site. The home page sits at the top of the hierarchical chart of pages, and helps to divide your audience and provide clear pathways to their particular area of interest.

It is important that your home page clearly communicates your site's purpose, and provide all of the major options available on your site. Information on your home page should be visible "above the fold", and the content should focus on what your site offers that is of value to the visitor, and how it differs from your competition.

When a visitor arrives at your site, the first thing they do is scan your home page for links and major headings. Requiring visitors to read large passages of text can slow them down, or frustrate them to the point of leaving your site, so your website home page should enable easy navigation so that visitors can quickly browse for information they want without any hassles.

Invest a little time planning the organizational structure of your home page and think about who your audience is, and what they would expect to see on your site. Successful sites inform, engage and meet visitor expectations.

How Vital Is Brand Consistency?

Consistency is one of the most important cornerstones in maintaining brand strength, but it can be compromised easily. Often, consistent branding falls victim to uncertainty during organizational change or shifts in marketing strategy.

Your brand is the component of your company or product that resonates emotionally with your customers and prospects. Strong, effective branding helps customers build an attachment to your company or product beyond features, benefits or price.

A well-defined and consistent brand, then, allows the marketplace to rely on your brand to deliver a specific, consistent experience during interactions with your company. And that results in stronger customer loyalty and ultimately, consumer trust.

But brand consistency isn’t limited to how a product should look, or how it’s perceived.

Brand consistency is all about the touch points of your brand. It requires constant monitoring and response in the following areas:

•        Employee-customer exchanges, whether in person, by telephone, fax or e-mail
•       Website
•        Social media Video
•        Product attributes, such as packaging, product functionality, features and benefits
•        Warranty/customer service policies
•        Advertising – all forms
•      Print collateral (print matter and stationery)
•        Product manuals, inserts, directions
•        Physical locations of headquarters or offices
•        Trade show booths and graphics
•        Distribution sources
•        Public relations

When branding vacillates toward inconsistency, consumers report a sense of uncertainty and a lack of confidence in products and services attached to that brand.  

In fact, experts maintain that poor branding is more detrimental than no branding at all.

Elements of a Good Website

A good website has well-written, relevant content that is regularly updated, and a design that is intuitive and easy to use. However, many businesses struggle to build and maintain a strong web presence because they do not fully understand what makes a website successful.

A Good Website Has:

• A tagline clearly identifies what you do
• Consistent design and navigation on all pages
• Clear hierarchy of information
• Footer links at the bottom of every page
• Keywords that identify what your business does
• Easy-to-find contact information
• A method for gathering user data
• Content that is relevant, informative and motivates a visitor to act
• High rankings with major search engines

View Visionary's Portfolio of Website Designs

Proper Evaluation is Crucial in Achieving Your Website Goals

Effectively measuring site performance will enable you to accurately gauge ROI, and will aid in future decisions and strategy for evolving your site. Google Analytics is the most widely used website statistics service. The basic service is free of charge and a premium version is available for a fee. Google Analytics generates detailed statistics about the visits to your website.

Tracking visits is vitally important for a deeper analysis of your website. When you can reliably track visits, the additional statistics you can derive are some of the most informative and interesting.
A few are:

• Number of visits
• Average number of requests per visit
• Average duration of a visit
• Top referring organizations
• Top entry pages
• Top page durations
• Top exit pages
• Top referring URL’s
• Average number of users per day
• Most active day of the week

Planning a Successful Website

A successful website must have clearly identified goals and compelling content that encourages your audience to explore deeper into your site. In addition, the site must be easy to navigate and attractively designed to complement your content. Here are important considerations when planning your site:

Site Planning
When planning the organizational framework of the website, there are 3 concepts that require your attention:

1. What the audience wants from you
2. What you want to say
3. How you arrange the content to best meet your audience’s needs

Site Content
Most content on the Web is gathered in short passages. Users appreciate short “chunks” of information that can be located and scanned quickly. This method translates well to the Web for several reasons:

1. Few Web users spend time reading long passages of text on-screen
2. Chunking can help organize and present information in a uniform format
3. Concise chunks of information are better suited to the computer screen. Long pages tend to disorient readers and require users to scroll long distances.

The content should focus on potential and current client’s needs. People visiting your site are only concerned with their needs—not necessarily what you have to offer. Copy should reflect the true business value that you deliver to your clients.

Site Design
The design of your site should offer relief to the eye by striking a balance between text and graphic elements. Photos can reinforce the text message as well as add a more “personal” element that would breathe life into your site.

Consistency
A consistent approach to layout and navigation allows users to adapt quickly to the site design and predict with confidence the location of information and navigation controls across the pages of your Web site. Omnipresent logos and contact information should be consistently displayed on all pages of the site.

Compelling Choices
Never assume your visitors will click past the home page. They’ve arrived at your site somehow and for some reason. Now give them several compelling choices to encourage them to click further into the site before

Web Site Conventions Enhance User Experience

Without being taught, we learn to read a newspaper - the large bold text is a headline, the text under a photograph is a caption; these elements are called "conventions". Conventions are a set of accepted standards and norms that make it easier for people to process information. When it comes to the web, conventions are essential because they help visitors “feel at home” when visiting your website. Most websites adhere to a few important conventions and yours should to. The most common conventions are:


The logo should be at the top left corner of the page
This is the first place people will look to identify the site they are on.

Your logo should link back to your homepage
By clicking on the logo, visitors should expect to go back to your website home page.

Links are underlined and in a different color than regular text
Links are usually underlined and blue, but it has become common practice to match the color scheme of the site.

The navigation is consistent and predictable throughout the site
Consistent navigation means that it is always at the same place, usually across the top (horizontally) or along the left side (vertically).

Conventions are visual shortcuts, capable of conveying complex information with the simplest visual cues.