In 2009 we doubled the revenue at SEO Aware. As of June of this year we have already doubled what we made in 2009. What we have found is that our consulting services are helping companies move in effective directions that help them convert. We are showing them ways to draw in a larger audience that is interested in the services they provide. We are using more Sociology and Psychology to increase our odds of converting and it is working. (There will be many blog posts focused on this in the future)

If you examine goals and needs, research, plan out your online marketing and then combine it with the right type of website and SEO you have a winning combination. You are not only meeting goals, but also creating an effective presence online, driving in the right kind of traffic and converting.

Hey “Experts”, the days of just a website with no focus or just some “SEO” sprinkled on a website are over!

SEO Aware sees the results of non-focused websites and really bad SEO. We won’t participate. We believe we have to give clients what they need and that often includes a lot of direction to meet their goals. They need well-structured websites, effective online marketing, truly good and real SEO and a company that doesn’t just take their money because it is available…only take the money if you can make a difference.

Just a late night thought,

Melissa

Learn about our Monthly Consulting Services

I talk to people all the time that say that they LOVE their all Flash website and refuse to change it. I agree that many are attractive, but if people cannot see your site what is the point of having one? Some people may not have Flash on their computer and guess what? They can’t see your site…

What I see on my iPhone with an all Flash site...see a phone number?

On my iPhone I can’t see your site at all (see pic). So, if I am out and trying to get your number and I go to your all Flash website I can’t see your phone number!  THIS is a big problem for you…if you are hoping for business because I will just find someone else online to call  – someone with a visible phone number!

Some things to consider:

• You can have a pretty site with moving elements without Flash
• You can have Flash within your site, but still have areas that are indexable by the search engines and viewable to people without Flash (see our home page).
• If you MUST have an all Flash site there are steps you can take to help people without Flash see your site. Talk to your designer.
• Content is crucial when hoping to rank for different keyword phrases. If the search engines can’t see it you kind of just shot your self in the foot.

Melissa

If you own a restaurant and you want to have a successful website there are some “musts” SEO Aware recommends and also includes in our clients’ websites. Our suggestions:

1. You need your dinner and lunch menus on your site and that they be completely readable. They should also mimic your current menus so people can easily find their favorite dish.
2. A printable take-out menu - By offering a printable take-out menu you not only allow people to easily order your food, you also save money on printing and save time on phone calls. PDFs are always nice.
3. An idiot-proof website – It must be simple and and easy to use. People will not work harder than they have to. Make it simple for them!
4. Directions, a map and a picture of your restaurant - You cannot assume everyone that hits your site is going to know where you are located or what your restaurant looks like. You need to have a map, directions/link to directions and a picture so people will recognize your restaurant as they drive by.
5. A blog- If you have a blog you can announce dinner specials, special theme nights, add news, have pictures and videos and promote your restaurant in anyway you want. Social media and blogs can compliment each other.
6. A website you can edit your self – If a change needs to be made wouldn’t it be nice if you could just login and quickly make a change? Sometimes changes need to be made immediately. You should have that ability.
7. A Facebook fan widget - We all know that Facebook can send businesses new clientele. A Facebook widget allows people to see friends that are a fan of your restaurant. This can create trust and send more customers your way.  It is also an easy way to promote your restaurant! However, please make sure the widget is visible on your website; don’t put it where no one will see it!
8. An optimized website – Your site should be optimized for the types of food your offer, special dishes, where you are located (in detail), your phone number and of course your business name.
9. A very visible phone number on every page – If you want people to call you for reservations and questions it should be easy to find your phone number.
10. “All Prices are Subject to Change” - One thing that is happening for many restaurants right now is that the cost of tomatoes have gone up due to all the freezes. Situations like this can cause your menu prices to go up, but you don’t need people arguing with you that your menu says one price, but your site says another. With “All Prices are Subject to Change” on every page you avoid this problem.

It is important to say that not all sites are created equal. Often we are called for help and we just can’t optimize a restaurant site or help it succeed without creating a new one. This is not because we want to make money; it is because we would be taking your money knowing that we couldn’t help you. This is not SEO Aware’s policy.

Good luck and advertise your restaurant effectively online. Let us know if you need help .

Melissa – SEO Aware

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The yellow pages phone directories magically arrived in my neighborhood. I looked at the book sitting in my drive way, picked it up, and immediately tossed it in my recycling bin! That got wondering how many other people immediately throw out their yellow pages phone directory. So, I decided I would investigate this on the day before trash pickup.

Here’s what I found with 10 of my neighbors:

• 8 out of 10 had immediately put their yellow pages directories in the recycling bin.
• 1 out of 10 hates to pick them up. Therefore, his is still sitting by his front door.
• 1 out of 10 kept the book. They haven’t used it lately, but have used one in the past.

I know what you’re thinking, “you must live in a young neighborhood.” Actually, besides my wife and me, everyone in the neighborhood is over 50. In fact, three of the households are over 70. Yes, one of the over 70 were the ones to keep and use the book.

Advertising in Yellow Pages Phone Directories is Expensive

My point isn’t really to discuss how many yellow pages phone directories are thrown out. Having negotiated (if that’s what you call it) yellow book advertising prices for clients, I know how expensive it is to place an ad in the yellow book phone directories. Plus, it’s the same game every year. “We’ll give you the next size ad for the same cost as your last ad would cost this year.” That’s their gimmick. Your ad get’s bigger every year. The bigger it is the more it costs.

Let’s do some math:

• $12,000 – A full page ad can run you $1ooo per month. I’ve read that a full page ad in Manhattan can be as much as $10,000 per month or $120,000 for a year. That’s only one ad. What if you need to run full page ads in multiple categories? More ads cost more money.
• 3 yellow pages phone directories. Most communities have at least three major yellow book phone directories. I say “major” since there are a lot of small independent yellow pages phone directories being peddled.
• $36,000 to advertise in your Recycling Bin. That’s a lot of money to spend advertising in everyone’s recycling bin.

What should you spend your advertising dollars on?

Business should invest on a good Internet marketing campaign. Why? Well the Internet is where the majority of consumers find a business. In fact, I tell a lot of my clients to slowly cut back on their yellow pages advertising as their internet presence grows. Here’s what every Internet plan should include:

• A good website! Your website is on 24/7 and does not end up in your prospective customers recycling bin. Plus, a good website is a fraction of what you’d pay in yellow pages advertising.
• Optimization for your Website! What good is a website if no one can find it? Businesses invest good money in their website and forget to invest in search engine optimization. Again, a good SEO package can cost pennies on the dollar when compared to the cost of a full page ad in a yellow pages directory.
• A good email marketing campaign. You can connect with your customers directly with an email marketing campaign. Unlike yellow pages ads, you can target a different product/service every time you send an email.

Stop advertising in recycling bins and start advertising on the Internet.

Watch as I ask two guys if they’ve ever seen a yellow pages phone directory.

Opinion by  Jeff Brooks at SEO Aware

SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday – On-Site Over Optimization from Scott Willoughby on Vimeo.
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If you are small to medium sized business there are somethings you need to really think about when you are thinking about a budget for a new Web site. I have had many discussions with my Web designer and she has pointed out a lot of great points that I would like to share. She and I both get calls from people that say they want something really cheap and believe me, I understand, but if you look at the big picture getting a Web site for $1,500-3,000 is really a steal.

Some Things to Consider:

• How much do you spend each year on newspaper ads, magazine ads and other forms of advertising?
• What is the ROI for each of form of advertising you choose to invest in?
• Both of us have had people call and say well I spent $2,500 2 1/2 years ago. Why should I have to pay again? Well, how much advertising did you get out of that $2,500? Spending another $2,000-2,500 is not throwing your money away, you are just basically paying for more advertising.
• Web sites are very successful forms of advertisement when they are done right. There is no doubt about this. It is perhaps your best tool for reaching potential clients and customers.
• When you are looking for the right office building or office space for your business is your main concern getting a cheap place? OR are you looking for something that is attractive and that will serve as a foundation for your business. Are you looking for something that will instill trust with potential clients and give the appearance of pure professionalism? What do you need when choosing an office space? What is important? You should be looking for the above factors when choosing a Web site. You won’t get everything you need for cheap. You may have to adjust your advertising budget one month or one year and invest in a good Web site that will function well for you in the future, but do it right the first time. I will save you money in the long run.
• Cheap is fine. We all want things for cheap, but what is cheap? So you spend $2,000 for a local magazine advertisement that might boost your ego, but will it bring you any business? In comparison $2,000 for a properly coded, functional Web site that has all the features you need is cheap! It will last a lot longer than your magazine ad and it could reach an unlimited amount of people.
• How much do you spend on Starbucks or some other restaurant each month? Skip starbucks for 2 months and give more money to your Web site.
• A business Web site is a crucial part of your success. It solidifies you as a professional (well, depending on how good, cheap or terrible it looks).

Getting a Cheap Web Site Should Not Be A Priority; Functionality and Proper Coding Should

Proper and clean coding does nothing but benefit the Web site and your business. I don’t think I need to go over this aspect again. Functionality is also important and “Functionality” can apply to how easy the site is to use and can also apply to the various functions a Web site offers to the business. I am focusing on the latter in this case. Every business needs different functions to effectively promote their business. Some may need a blog built into the site and some may need a news section with an RSS feed. Some may need a blog that automatically takes posts and turns them into a newsletter that is distributed to clients and potential clients, while others may need easy to navigate staff directories that companies can modify at any time. Functions vary and the options are limitless, but you can’t get these things for cheap.

YOU CAN SAVE MONEY BY choosing a Web design company that has all of the options you need, but doesn’t insist you pay for them all at once. Think modular. Maybe you don’t need login areas for clients at this time, but you want the blog and newsletter option now. Doesn’t it make more sense to spend an extra $500-1,000 to have a site that can easily and affordably be added to later? You don’t want to spend $1,000 now, but in 6 months have to pay $2,500 to redo the site just to be able to add the options you wanted orginally.

My Main Point

My main point is that nothing great in this world is cheap. We all want cheap and we all need it in this economy, but you can’t think cheap with your Web site. Your Web site, in my opinion, is the most important advertising and marketing tool you have. It should be done right. Think about the functions you really want and come up with a real budget that will give your business what it needs to succeed. You may have to cut back somewhere else. Cut back on the stuff that brings nothing back to you and put that money into an attractive, functional Web Site that will help your business grow.

On a side note…

I have discussed GoDaddy’s Website Tonight as a very cheap and affordable option for getting a Web site. Is this the best option for everyone? No. I discuss it because in this economy I am finding businesses and sole proprietors that have an extremely small budget and need something really cheap to get started. I understand that, because I have been there myself. It is a great option and a great starting point, but it is in no way the right option for everyone.

Have a Happy Day

Melissa – SEOAware.com

Sarasota, Florida

UPDATE: We recommend WordPress…unlimited Website options, but if you need help with Website Tonight please continue reading.

I get a tremendous amount of traffic from people researching GoDaddy’s Website Tonight. Some are looking for reviews, but most are looking for ways to customize or change something on their site. So I went through my stats and copied about 100 questions. Many are the same and I am going to try and answer them all for you in this post. Wish me luck

Properties Page

If you are on a page you are designing look up to your Website Tonight toolbar. You will see a drop down area that lets you choose which page you want to work on. Right next to that you will see “Show Properties”. Click on that.

“Adding meta tags to Website tonight”— “Changing Title tags in Website Tonight”

You have access to the title-tag (browser title in this program), description and keywords in your properties section. All the meta tag areas are listed with boxes where you can customize your meta tags for each page. There is also a place for custom meta tags.

“How can I change the URL?”

In your properties page you will see an area called “Filename”. You can change your url structure there. Remember to use dashed instead of underscores as the program automactically does.

“What is Heading Title in the Properties Page?”

On each Website Tonight template there is a section on each page that replicated whatever you named the page. If you delete the text in the Heading Title on the properties page the program won’t autogenerate text for that section.

“How do I customize my XML sitemap?”

At the bottom of your properties page you will see “Sitemap Details”. Here you can choose frequency and priority for each page. OR if you exit the designer you can click on “manage” (top green bar) and then click on “google sitemap” here you will see every page of you site and can choose the frequency and priority.

“How do I add Google Analytics to Website Tonight?”

Go to your footer and then go up to “insert” and click on Script. This will open up a box, enter your Google Analytics code here and click “OK”. For whatever reason if I use the editor it right justify the script box it places the code where Google wants it.

XML Sitemap

You don’t have to create one, the program automatically creates one and updates the sitemap as you add or delete pages. You can choose your frequency and priority in the properties page of each site OR if you exit the designer you can click on “manage” (top green bar) and then click on “google sitemap” here you will see every page of you site and can choose the frequency and priority.

Organizing Your Site and Navigation Structure

If you are out of the design section you can click on “manage” and then “organize site”. When that page opens you will see all the pages of your site. You can drag and drop pages to create subpages and it is here that you can tell the program which pages to publish and which not to publish. You can organize your main navigation here, but there is an easier way to do that…

Modifying Navigation Order and “Why is the navigation not the same for every page?”

Go to your home page. If you look up to the toolbar you will see some pages that say “Page”, “Insert” and Options”. You want to be on “Page” and there you will see “Edit Navigation”. Here you can use the up and down arrows to move pages. If it is at the bottom and you want it near the top and you have 15 pages it is quicker to delete it and then go back to the top and reinsert the page/button.

You have 5 options for each navigation button:

• Email- add an email address here
• Forum- in case you paid for a forum for your site
• Page – Which ever page you want it to go to
• Upload- you can link to a PDF, Word file etc
• URL- You can link out of your site.

OK, AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BOX you will see two options:

1. Copy Menu buttons across all pages
2. Add or delete menu buttons when adding or deleting pages

Think about these carefully! If you are creating a new site you just want to get your main navigation in place for those page then use the the “copy menu” option. If you are creating a new page that is going to end up being a subpage of another uncheck “add or delete menu…”. When you use the organize site option subpages never end up being an issue, but it is up to you if you want to check or uncheck this box.

“How do I Change the Header Pic in Website Tonight?”

You can be in any page for this, but you must be in the design section. If you look up to the toolbar you will see some pages that say “Page”, “Insert” and Options”. You want to be on “Page” and then click on “edit template images”. Here you will be able to see all the template images and change them. Website Tonight does have an image library you can use.

“How Do I Add a Page in Website Tonight?”, “How do I delete a page?”

You have two options. You can go to “organize site” and add a page or if you are within the designer If you look up to the toolbar you will see some pages that say “Page”, “Insert” and Options”. You want to be on “Page” and then you can see “Add Page”. Click on it, name it, choose a page layout and click ok and you are done. You can delete pages in the organize site section.

“Can I insert flash?”

Yes, choose the page you want to add flash to look up to the toolbar you will see some pages that say “Page”, “Insert” and Options”. Click on “insert”. Here you can insert, Flash, scripts, RSS feeds, images, forms, tables, date, calender, video and music.

“Do I have to pay monthly?”

No, actually you pay for the year in advance. You can pay for up to three years. Use a coupon code

“How do I Crop and Resize a photo?”

Well, you cannot crop. You can resize a photo in that it looks smaller than it did, but if you have a 1 MB photo it is still going to be 1 MB. Resize your photos offline with a photo editing program and if possible save for the Web so the page will load faster.

“How do I wrap text around a picture?”

Once you have a photo inserted click on it. A box will pop up and give you several options:

• You can define width and height
• You can add a border and determine its width
• Choose a border color
• Add padding veritcally and horizontally
• Wrap text to the left, right or on either side of the photo
• You can rotate and flip images and also change the hue, saturation, contrast, brightness etc.
• You can add text to the photo
• Alt text

“How do I add Alt tags?”

See the question above. There is an “alt text” option within the image properties menu.

“How do I add an Internal Link?”

Highlight your text and then go up to your tool bar. There is a small grey vertical box with an arrow. Hover over it and it a box with options will pop out. You will see the “create link” icon; click on that.

You have options

• E-mail
• URL
• Page
• Upload
• Anchor

“Open in new window” is an option with a check box.

Preview- “What does it do”, “it doesn’t work”

Preview allows you to look at the site and play with all the links before you publish it for the first time or it can let you see changes before you publish. It is a nice feature that allows you to double check. Sometimes a pop-up blocker will stop the preview from working.

“How do I use Backup/Restore?”

If you mess something up you just go to the “manage” button outside of the designer, click on “Backup/Restore” and then choose the date of the last save.

“How do I use the Built in Google Webmaster Tools?”

Once you launch your site exit the designer and then look at the bottom of the page. Click on Google Webmaster Tools and click “accept” to create a new account. Here you can automatically verify your site and submit your sitemap.

“What about a 404 Error Page?”

Go to your hosting settings at the bottom of the page. Click settings and “404 error behavior”. You have 3 options to choose from:

1. Make my 404 Page my Home Page
2. Use Custom 404 Error Page: (i.e. YourPage.html)
3. Use GoDaddy.com, Inc.’s Default 404 Error Page

“How do I change the font in the navigation?”

You want to be at the page that shows up first when you login in to Website Tonight. In the green navigation click on “advanced style options”. Here you will see the coding of the site. You can copy the area you want to change and then paste it in the box below. Change whatever you want and check “Apply” and then click “OK”.

“How Do I Change the Background Color?, Text Color?, Navigation Color? Link Color?”

You want to be at the page that shows up first when you login in to Website Tonight. In the green navigation click on “advanced color options”. You can change any of the following:

• Body Background:
• Header Title Text:
• Sub-header Title Text:
• Page Title Text:
• Footer Text:
• Hyperlinks Text:
• Hyperlinks Mouse-over Text:
• Hyperlinks Visited Text:
• Navigation Text:
• Navigation Mouse-over Text:
• Navigation Visited Text

You can add color codes, click a color or choose an RGB.

“I chose a template and now I hate it. How can I change it?”

You want to be at the page that shows up first when you login in to Website Tonight. In the green navigation click on “template and color”. Choose any template or color option and the site will change and typically the text remains, but copy it just in case.

“I want a login page for clients”

You can have password protected page, but the page can only have one password. You can also tell Google ignore the page.

“Where do I upload files?”

You want to be at the page that shows up first when you login in to Website Tonight. In the green navigation click on “Manage” and then “Upload Files and Images”. You can upload here, but you can also upload images when you click “insert image” within the site designer.

“examples of Website Tonight”

• SarasotaHomes4Sale.com
• SarasotaFloridaRealEstate.co.uk
• AlertProtectiveServices.com
• Pacific Rim Restaurant- redesign coming soon
• Bangkok Restaurant Sarasota – not completed
• Sarasota Printing- 301 Kwikie
• SRQ Web Design – Sarasota

Please feel free to ask questions and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. If you have Godaddy Coupon codes please comment with a link to your site.

Related Articles:
Staff Member For Website Tonight Help

UPDATE: We recommend WordPress…unlimited Website options, but if you need help with Website Tonight please continue reading.

Well, anyone that knows me knows I like to save money. Louis Vuitton purses and laptop cases are the exception . Anyway, I believe that no matter how much money you have saving money should be a priority. When I first started out I did not want to spend much money on anything. I found Website Tonight and it was actually affordable, so I tried it out. Originally there were not many options, but now the options are fantastic. So, I am going to review what I love about Website Tonight and you can make your own conclusions.

My Website Tonight Favorites

The Templates are Customizable

You can customize your look completely by adding graphical or photo headers, choosing colors, changing the look of the navigation and with CSS change the font colors, link colors, navigation text, rollovers and more. It is simple and quick and every Web site can look different. No one needs to know the site is actually a template. You also have access to the CSS code to change things up and really customize.

AFFORDABLE

Here is a great example of something that is affordable:

• Unlimited pages
• 4 GB of disk space
• 200 GB of Bandwidth
• 1,000 email addresses
• Unlimited email forwarding
• Free SSL Certificate
• Price-12 mo: $11.69/mo 24 mo: $11.04/mo 3 6 mo: $10.39/mo then add a 20% off coupon code

Options

• You can add and delete content blocks easily
• You have 16 different page layouts to choose from
• With a click you can add javascripts, subscripts, superscripts…
• With a click you can add forms, tables, flash, RSS feeds, predefined extras, calender, date and time stamp, scrolling marquee (Some people actually still use these…), hit counters and photo albums
• Easy photo adding and resizing (no cropping) within the CMS. You can also quickly tell the system how to wrap text, choose a border color and width and add captions
• Easy to add video
• Easy to upload PDFs and Word docs
• So easy to add anchors
• Simple to add outbound links (a no follow option is not available yet, but I emailed about it). You do have access the HTML off every page so you can add it.
• The system is set up to allow you to link page to page within the site, which makes it easy if you are to make changes later.
• You can edit navigation very easily and tell it to link out of the site, within the site and add links to email. You can have different navigation for different pages if you would like.
• You an create shared blocks to add to other pages and save tons of time. When you change one they all change…so simple.
• Complete text editing and options to choose from
• You can preview non-stop and see what a site will look like and how it will function live. Fix all the problems before you launch
• You can add custom meta tags within the properties area
• You can add a forum, a guestbook, a quick shopping cart, a flash intro page (DON’T)
• You can have password protected pages
• Publish only selected pages
• They have a massive photo gallery you can choose from to increase the visual appeal of your Web site.

Must Haves

• Backup restore- say you go in and screw something up, just restore…all fixed
• You can drag and drop content blocks…move them around easily
• Google Webmaster Tools is built in
• Killer Free Stats- tells you tons
• An organize site section that lets you drag and drop to create subpages and main pages
• In the properties area you have full access to each page’s title-tags, description and keywords
• A Google sitemap/XML sitemap section that lets you quickly see and change the settings for each page
• Say you design the whole thing and then want to change templates, change it and all your stuff remains. Your text, photos etc.
• A password vault makes things much easier for everyone
• 404 Error Behavior options
• DNS Manager within the CMS
• Coding is pretty clean.

XML Sitemap

The CMS allows the user to choose settings per page for the XML Sitemap which automatically updates when you add pages. So simple

Template Designs

There are many templates to choose from, the key is to not look at one and assume your site has to look like the template. Just choose a layout…navigation above the header graphic, below the header graphic, side navigation etc. There are many photo design options. Just choose and customize. People tell me all the time that they want a site that is not link anyone else’s. What is funny is that I see sites all day that are built on the template in Dreamweaver. The looks is just different. This is the same thing.

My Experience With Website Tonight

I have now customized over 150 Web sites with Website Tonight. I even made a business out of it. I started a few businesses with the templates and they have done stunningly well in the search engines. In fact, they have passed up and stayed above the sites done by local Web designers. Follow Google’s guidelines, optimize and work on your backlinks and you will kick butt in all the search engines.

Are there things I would like to see added? Yes and I tell them that. A search box would be nice, a no follow option, more template designs, an easier way to add the Yahoo and MSN meta tag and a more effective shopping cart…so far everything I have emailed or talked with the Website Tonight team about has happened. They stay up on changes and they want the sites to be compliant with search engine guidelines.

Why Bring Website Tonight Up?

Well, I get anywhere from 20-50 hits a day from people researching the product and more importantly it is affordable! So darn affordable and right now America, as you know, isn’t doing so well economically. All businesses need a Web site and this is a way to get one that is effective, optimizable, affordable and easy to maintain. I show businesses how to use the software and they never have to pay me again. The site is theirs- they can update, add pages with a click, organize, add pictures. Additionally, if I get hit by a truck the site is in their name and GoDaddy has really good customer support, they will help you with any problem you have 24/7. GoDaddy handles any problem and clients don’t have to pay me anything!

You can afford a Web site. There are many affordable options, but this one is super affordable. If you are interested go to www.GoDaddy.com

Melissa- SEO Aware – Sarasota, Florida.

I keep seeing the same situation over and over, super intelligent people have a great idea and create a Web site, blog or interactive Web solution. Often the ideas are fantastic, but Web users come across the site and look around a bit and don’t get it. Why? Because there is no clarity. If you have an idea and you create a Web site, an interactive site, or whatever else, please do not design the site focusing strictly on what you want and/or what you envision as spectacular.

You need to design the site and make the purpose or idea of the site clear to anyone that comes along. Do not assume visitors are going to get your acronyms or the purpose of your logo because they won’t unless you explain it in some way. Often a simple sentence explaining the purpose of the site is enough. Creativity is a great thing, but people still need and want clarification. They do not want to work or think too much to figure out what they should be doing on a site.

If you offer a new kind of service or if you are creating a social networking site or if you are creating something different than the average industry sites, please keep in mind that it is your job to clearly depict the purpose of the site. I, for one, won’t bother if you don’t. I do not have time to mess around and figure out why I should bother and I know many agree with me.

Make the purpose of your site clear and simple and explain the benefits of using your site. Then market it.

Melissa- SEOAware.com

The Trust Factors

SEO Aware believes you should be focused on creating trust with potential, and current, clients. Web users look at a Web site and in about 3-5 seconds determine if they want to stay or leave.

The appearance of your Web site is the 1st Trust Factor. A professional and/or visually appealing Web site can begin to create trust. I am sure you go to sites that are not as modern or as professional as you would like and as a result you do not trust the site and back out of the site. The look of the Web site is the first chance you have to sell, so we feel having the right look is crucially important. Hire a Web designer that understands webmaster guidelines and has a portfolio of visually appealing websites.

The 2nd Trust Factor really comes from how easy it is to find information within a site and how easy it is to use a Web site. Keep the word “usability” in mind. If a Web user has to search all over and becomes frustrated with the site they will leave. It is your responsibility as a business owner to make the site is as easy to use as possible. People, by nature, will not work harder than they have to and often it is easier to just leave a Web site and find one that is easy to navigate. Irritation does not increase trust in your company.

The 3rd Trust Factor comes from the text. Web design is not just about the Web site, but also how easy it is to find and be able to read the text. The text needs to be as visually attractive as everything else. When Web designers contact me about writing text for clients I always ask to see the look of the site. I plan the text around the room I will have to write. I try to create eye-pleasing text to enhance the attractiveness and usability of the site.

Think of a cake; when you are thinking about buying a cake you are looking at the appearance. Would you want a cake where the “Happy Birthday” is too hard to read or off to the side where it doesn’t fit? Your Web site is not different; it is the outside beauty that sells what is within- your services and products.

So, those are SEO Aware’s 3 Basic Trust Factors of Web Design. If you cannot create trust through the Web you are not going to make money. FYI, I didn’t focus on text that sells because that is not the focus of this post; the right kind of Web site is.  Today all business can obtain an affordable and attractive Web site. Please feel free to contact me if you need a Web site and are unsure of your options.

Melissa Fach- SEOAware.com