SDG Web Agency Blog

There is a long list as to why websites fail, but I think by giving you just the top 3 reasons why your website fails, the rest won't matter, its broken. Act on it!

#1 Top Reason Your Website Failed - No Call-to-Action

You got them on your site, now what do you want them to do. What's the one thing you want visitors to do when they go to your site? Here's how you can make it so:

• Have an obvious button that takes the visitor to the next page YOU want them to go.
• Have an obvious button for each page unless its the final destination.
• If its not a link, any downloadable stuff, needs to be obvious as well.

#2 Top Reason Your Website Failed - Too Much Going On

Just imagine 3 people talking to you at the same time. Some websites out there do the exact thing, they put too much information "above the fold" with different colors and images, getting you to see everything all at the same time. Here's what you need to do:

• Prioritize your information, the top being the most important, from left to right.
• Minimize your images. Use it intentionally and let it complement, rather than just decorate.
• Minimize your text. People don't read much on the web. Keep it short and simple.

#3 Top Reason Your Website Failed - Lacking Credibility or Authority

You may have a great looking site that gives users a proper flow to get them to the ultimate page on your site, but if you can't convert the user into a customer, or a buyer, then you've failed. Most of the time, the reason why that happens is because you don't answer the question, "Who are these guys?" Here are some tips to increase credibility:

• Answer the question, "Who are you?".
• Have a way for users to contact you. An email or phone number would be nice, especially an address, if possible.
• Answer the question, "Why should I trust you?".
• Provide valuable information that is useful to the user.
• Spread the message and get guests posts or interviews with the media.
• Provide real to life testimonies.

Hope that helps.

So things with #GetSocialBrevard is coming along pretty good. But its no time to relax and ride the wave, lets keep building this thing up. If you haven't heard about what's been going on. Basically, a bunch of Brevardians have been meeting monthly (last 2 months) for the purpose of "getting social". Its not your normal networking event. Here we talk about "Social Media", and how we can benefit from it, and how we can help Brevard, so to speak, get on the bandwagon of social media.

Watch the video below to find out more: (Thanks to our friend Ivy, co-founder of Your Simple Media):

So next month, at Duran Golf, we'll be meeting again, and for 30 minutes or so, I'll be going over the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success, from the book, "The Go-Giver", by Bob Burg & John Mann, and how it applies to social media.

Why come? Aside from the great connections, the food, and learning about Social Media and how it can apply to your business, we want you to be a part of a new movement here in Brevard. This movement is founded on the Go-Giver laws, and that's why we're addressing it on the next #Tweetup. Yes its a #tweetup as well.

We'll be at the Duran Golf Club from 6 to 8pm, on November 11, 2010. See yah there!

REGISTER NOW via Eventbrite

Here's last month's #GetSocialBrevard photo gallery on Facebook.

Obviously, as a business owner or an employee of a company, your main goal eventually, is for your business to make money. Our opinion, is that if your website is not making you money, then its costing you money. Plain and simple.

This blog is not here to convince you whether a website is crucial to your marketing. That's for another blog. Hopefully, you do know its importance, and want to continue on reading, to make sure your website is not costing you money.

What does a costly website looks like:

• Old Content - is one of the biggest plagues of websites have out there. Content does not have to be that old, the content (images, text, documents) can be a few weeks or a few months old, but once the content needs to be changed, and it does not, it becomes useless. Unusable content does not benefit your users, when they leave your site they become misinformed. This misinformation can cost your company money and not to mention a lost of credibility, something that is hard to earn to begin with, when it comes to winning new customers.

• Information Absence - means the lack of information on a website for users that need it. So think decisively, what kind of information do your visitors or prospective customers need from your website about your product and/or service? Instead of having them call you directly, make it available for easy access. This method can save you time and money from having someone answer phones to common questions that can be on your site. Do leave some data for the imagination, so they are encouraged to complete an inquiry. So use your better judgment on that regard.

• Poor Design - is not just about the look and feel, but how the site is laid out and where the information is placed, and how users access the information. On the aesthetics part, the overuse of color, images, and text can overwhelm users. Making the site too busy too look at. It's like having a bunch of pictures tightly spread on the floor, all of them trying to grab your attention all at once. Information architecture & usability both deal with how the information flows from left to right, up and then down. Tell your story systematically and strategically.

• No Control - entails the website owners having to call or ask a web designer for minor changes to the website. Hourly costs can accumulate, eventually costing you a fortune over time. Why not have a CMS or SaaS be setup that allows you to control some aspects of the site, so you can change content, post a blog, create a news article and so forth? More control, saves you money over time.

• Confusing Navigation - can get users frustrated and confused, making them leave your site quicker than anything else. Navigation menus, sub-menus and links need to be consistent, recognizable, clickable and readable.

• Choose Stock Images Wisely - or they can convey a lack of professionalism and credibility. Choose images that complement your page and not be used just for decoration. Everything needs to have a purpose for being there especially when it comes to images. But use sparingly. Refrain at all costs from using clip art, pixelated or distorted images, and images that can be offensive or deemed inappropriate.

• Inefficient Data System - has to do with data that is captured by online forms that contain valuable customer information but cannot be viewed or arranged to your liking. Obtaining the data is one thing, now organizing it and structuring it so it can be manipulated to provide you with statistical data, can save you valuable time when making business intelligence decisions for your business. Give your data meaning, by knowing who your customers really are.

• Taxing E-Commerce - is a term that would be described as having an e-commerce website that makes it hard for buyers to find a product, view their cart, and pay efficiently. Making customers jump hoops can make a difference between making a sale or not, so make sure it is easy to buy from your website. An easy sale is a good sale, you want more good sales.

• Not Search Engine Friendly - is a website that search engines do not like, thus making your site invisible to your audience. If no one knows you exist, they will not buy from you. Make sure that your website is search engine friendly by choosing a web design firm or web designer that knows how to create search engine friendly websites.

• Blind Advertising - entails website owners that spend money on advertising their site on 3rd party sites or on search engines, but when their ads are clicked on, the page either does not work, is not relevant to the ad, or just plain not captivating visitors from doing what their suppose to do, which is to convert them to a customer. Stop advertising and fix your website first.

• Built By Inexperienced - is another unfortunate and highly practiced method. Often times this route is provoked by the initiative of trying to save money, and its a legitimate reason. If you are going to take this route, choose someone with experience, preferably someone that practices common web design standards. Ask for proof of work, and ask them many questions, this usually reveals experience.

In conclusion, an unsuccessful site is a costly site. So if you are practicing these methods, make sure to hire a professional to fix your website. Your website is a cost-effective marketing tool, that is available for all to see, 24/7, without the need of an hourly or salary based employee watching or running it. So take advantage of this digital medium that has made many companies successful.

Hire a professional web design firm that will build your website and turn it into a well oiled online business machine.

This is what every customer who wants a website ask. How much does a web site cost? And not to say it's not a legitimate question, because it is. The only problem is, it may not be the right question. It's like asking a used car salesman, how much a car is? Of course he would say, "Well what type of car are you looking for?" and a bunch of other related questions that ultimately would lead to the car, they would recommend for the specifications or choices you just told them.

How Much Does A Website Really Cost?? Well that depends, on these factors:

• Experience of the Web Firm/Web Designer - how much real experience does your web site firm/web designer have? The more experience, the more costly they would be (Hourly rates start around $50 - $125). Factors to consider as well, a fully staffed web design firm has it's benefits, but you are most likely to pay top dollar for your site, a freelance web designer are often less expensive. A growing trend for web firms, is a company with a flexible team of professionals. A hire by demand kind of team. There are pros and cons for each as you can imagine, it just depends on the scope of your site.
• Strategic Design Elements - we are talking about visual elements contained within the site. Well designed sites not only have appealing and custom graphics, but they are also well structured. So combine compelling design elements, usability considerations, and call-to-action approaches, this stage of development can take considerable time. This can also determine the success and failure of a site, whether or not it appeals and meets user expectations.
• Flash Animation - is great feature when used properly. Create compelling animations with sound, moving video and graphics, and capture your audience. Depending on the length of the animation, and it's complexity (sound, buttons, and transitions), this can be a hefty price to pay to have on your site.
• CMS & SaaS Solutions -CMS stands for Content Management System, which is an application in which can use to create, edit and manage your site's content. There are many CMS's out there, and they all vary in capability, cost, ease of use, cost of ownership, etc. SaaS stands for Software as a Service, which is a paid license service for robust and turnkey applications. They are more robust and often are more complex than a CMS. Depending on what you get, prices vary and so are the features. Some of the common features are content management, blogs, photo galleries, article management, search feature, e-commerce, bookings and more.
• Custom Application - are custom built websites that are built often times from scratch or a software framework. This type of website building allows site owners to get exactly what they want in terms of how a website works and functions.This type of venture requires great capital to build at first and some to maintain as well. The advantages are huge, but the costs can often detract most businesses.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - is a type of service that enables your website to be found by search engines. The process or techniques to do this, vary for each SEO firm, some are legitimate others are not. The concept of "built and they will come" does not apply with the web. So building a website is just the beginning. Getting it found by your target market is another. This is just one aspect of internet marketing.
• Internet Marketing - is required and often neglected as part of the web design process, due to the importance of driving traffic to your site. Whether you choose an SEO route, as mentioned earlier, or PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising method, which entails paying to be on search engines through chosen keywords, or Banner advertising, in which an ad is placed on a third-party site once clicked on goes to the specified page within your site.
• Social Media Marketing - is a fairly new internet marketing method, but quickly gaining momentum, due to the overwhelming response and interaction between social media sites such as LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, MySpace.com, and YouTube.com, to name a few. The difference between this type of advertising, is trying to make it less obvious that it is one. This requires further explanation on another blog, but lets leave you with this thought; social media marketing is all about the user having dynamic interaction with a site and choosing to be so.

Now that we have laid out most of the major factors that can affect the cost of a website, it is up to you to choose what you want included. So talk with your web design firm/web designer and discuss your goals and objectives, and the options or factors that are applicable to you. Depending on what you want on your site, how you want it done and what makes it work behind the scenes, affects the cost of your website. So get multiple quotes that outline the cost and you figure out what approach you want.

Building a website is much more than just having a few pages with information about your company and the products and services it offers. Your website needs to be an extension of your business tied in with your overall marketing plan.

Your website can be the first thing your potential customer sees of your business, so ask yourself:

• Does your website reflect your company image?
• Does it tie in with your other marketing ventures?
• Is the information on the site accurate?
• Is your website selling your product or service effectively?

Here are some characteristics of a Web Business:

• All company communications reflect on your website and in all your marketing efforts
• Branding consistency is apparent (Is your message the same in all media?)
• Content on your site needs to be worth looking at and is constantly changing and growing
• Capture visitor information (Got a Newsletter sign-up or Contact Form)
• Data is compiled and analyzed for strategic business decisions
• Give Customers a voice (Forums, Comments, Blog, etc)
• Voice out strategically and get feedback immediately (Newsletter Marketing Reporting)
• Sell with confidence (Well organized products and services with Call-to-Actions)
• Search Engines can actually find you online (Especially locally!)

Your website needs to be working for you on a daily basis, earning you money and increasing in value for your company.

Stay tuned to find out more about building a web business, or contact us today.

Don't Just Survive, But Thrive

Yes, the US economy is not looking good, that means your business may need to take precautions to handle the slow flow of business, if you haven't already. As a web design firm. Here are a few tips that can help your business in these trying times.

A Hard working Web Site Can Save

Here are some simple tips that can help save your business:

1. If you can do the changes, do it yourself, why pay a web designer $$$ (Need a CMS?)
   • Update your site where you can make simple text changes yourself, or manage your store products easily with a website that gives you control. Without a Content Management System (CMS), you are burning money away.
2. Provide good content that saves you time (FAQ's help customers find what they need)
   • Does your website provide useful information that your customers can easily access and find? Have an FAQ area, a Forum for open discussion, or a help center area so that customers are not taking up your precious time on the phones.
3. Improve Customer Relations (Stay connected with your customers, or your competitors will)
   • Cost of acquiring new customers is higher than keeping one. So invest in your customers. Keep yourself in their radars by sending them useful and timely newsletters by email.
4. Get famous and become a Social Butterfly (Is your website search engine friendly?)
   • Believe it for not, having a blog, is not just about your escape to talk, but you can use it to get your customers engaged and excited about your product and service, while at the same time, giving your site the traffic it needs. Write carefully and strategic. It needs to be interesting.

Stay tuned more tips coming soon.

Do you want to have more control and effectiveness? Contact us today, and get a free no-obligation web site consultation and we'll help you save your business by using internet technology that is cost-effective.