Consumers are going mobile, and fast. If your business isn’t, it could be missing out on potential revenue from the increasing number of consumers using their phones to decide where to direct their spending.
Website Users Still Have the Need for Speed
Website visitors are demanding fast-loading sites, just like they did in the 90s. But are they getting it? Despite faster Internet connections, users complain websites are still too slow, suggest tests conducted by usability specialist Jakob Nielsen.
Using ‘Coming Soon’ Pages to Kick-Start Online Marketing
‘Coming soon’ pages are a highly effective way to initiate online branding and presence. Yet, most businesses overlook this valuable marketing opportunity.
View Point: To Flash or Not to Flash?
Flash intros were once prevalent on the Web. They’re animations presented to visitors when they arrive at a website. Here’s an example. To help determine whether they’re a fad of the past, or provide website owners and visitors value, we asked web designers and developers:
Should businesses consider Flash intros for their websites?
Outdated SEO Tactic: Search Engine Submissions
While it was once a requisite SEO tactic, submitting a website to search engines is no longer required. Still, several SEO companies continue to aggressively promote search engine submission services.
Search engines like Google now have the ability to quickly and easily discover and index new websites and content through links. So, to get discovered, you just need to get some links pointing to your website.
The Best Copywriters Understand Keywords
The best web content copywriters understand keywords, which are the foundation to a successful website.
Keywords drive desired traffic to websites, and can help engage and convert visitors into customers. Unfortunately, when businesses hire uninformed web content copywriters, many opportunities are missed.
There are basically three types of keywords a business can target:
1. Keywords for browsing
These are generic terms that people often use when they start the search process. While it’s difficult to attain top 10 positions on search engines for terms such as web design, it can gain a business broad exposure on an international scope. But don’t expect high conversion rates, as most of these people have just started their search, and might just be looking for free tips and ideas.
2. Keywords for comparing
Now the person searching has some insight and is starting to look at particular products or services. For instance, a person might type in website designer and start browsing portfolios, rates, specialties, processes, and so on. They’re likely at least semi-serious prospects.
3. Keywords for buying
At this stage, the person has a good idea of what he wants to purchase, so he might type in web designer New York, or ecommerce web designer, or even ecommerce web designer in New York. He’s specific, and more than likely ready to invest.
But, remember, while keywords can bring prospects to your website, you have to deliver your message with impact. Otherwise visitors will be quick to leave your site, and find your competition.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Slams Bing
Google CEO Eric Schmidt slammed Microsoft’s new search engine Bing on Fox Business Network this week.
Here are some highlights from Schmidt:
“It’s not the first (search-engine market) entry for Microsoft. They do this about once a year. From Bing’s perspective, they have a bunch of new ideas and there are some things that are missing. We think search is about comprehensiveness, freshness, the scale and size of what we do. And it’s difficult for them to copy that…”
“(We’re) actually not (spending more money in response to Microsoft’s advertising blitz), given the name. But the fact of the matter is that we are spending all of our time on exactly what we’ve always done, which is innovation. I don’t think Bing’s arrival has changed what we’re doing. We are about search, we’re about making things enormously successful, by virtue of innovation…”
“You earn (the No. 1 spot). You don’t buy it with ads. You earn it, and you earn it customer by customer, search by search, answer by answer. And we believe that today we beat our competitors because we’re so focuses on comprehensiveness, speed, freshness and having the depth that people really care about.”
Schmidt is free to share his views, but ultimately it’s the market’s opinion that counts. So far, Google seems safe, but Yahoo might start losing sleep soon.
Read more at Seattle P-I.
Web Writers Should be Broad and Specific
When it comes to search engine optimization, web writers should target a few short, broad terms as well as several longer, more specific keyword phrases.
It makes sense when you consider an iProspect report that revealed when an initial search is unsuccessful, 82% of search engine users will re-launch their search using the same search engine, adding more keywords to refine their subsequent search.
Broad keywords can draw great numbers of visitors, however, they can be difficult to attain. To achieve high rankings for general terms in competitive markets, a web writer could require a small army of SEO analysts and programmers.
Longer, more specific search terms are less competitive, which makes it easier to attain higher rankings. Moreover, the detailed search terms — also known as long-tail keywords — often produce more qualified traffic and higher conversion rates.
That’s because searchers who type in more specific terms are deeper into the sales cycle, and are more likely to reach for their wallets.
.Pro Domains Break Language Barriers on the Web
If you’re looking to expand your reach with .pro domains, consider the fact that the .pro domain extension transcends language barriers.
Indeed, these three letters begin the word professional in many different languages:
- Albanian–profesional
- Catalan—professional
- Croatian—profesionalne
- Danish—professionel
- Dutch—professionele
- English—professional
- Estonian—professionaalne
- Filipino—propesyunal
- French—professionnel
- Galician—profesional
- German–professionelle
- Indonesian—profesional
- Italian—professionale
- Latvian—profesionālās
- Lithuanian—profesinės
- Maltese—professjonali
- Norwegian—profesjonell
- Portuguese—profissional
- Romanian—profesional
- Spanish—profesional
So, if you’re looking to buy .pro domains, think big. Think internationally.
.Pro domains are available at select hosting companies, such as Network Solutions.
Search Engine Optimization: Don’t Deceive
Despite the perception of so many business owners, search engine optimization is not about tricking search engines to get anyone and everyone to your website.
It’s about building an effective online marketing strategy that delivers a flow of highly targeted prospects who are seeking what you offer.
Yet, so many business owners think more traffic — any traffic — is the key to their success on the Web. Sure, it looks impressive when reviewing Google Analytics. But the wrong traffic will do little for a company’s bottom line.
For more insight, read Good Traffic, Bad Traffic.
