Accelerate Your Website into 2009

27th November 2008

You may have a website that has been in existence for some time; years even, and may generate the odd enquiry here and there.

The internet is the main hub used for searching for most products and services. It’s time to harness this powerful medium and increase your business using your web presence.

This can be achieved by following these steps:

  • Self analysis
  • Compare your self image
  • Spread the word

Self Analysis

It’s the same with your website as it is with personal development. To better yourself it takes a pinch of self analysis to work out what areas need to be improved.

The self analysis I am referring to is in the form of website statistics and analytics. These tools will assist in finding out the following:

  • Currently how many visitors are you getting to your website
  • How are people currently finding you
  • What search terms are you being found on search engines with
  • Which pages are getting the most visits
  • Which pages are people leaving your website on
  • How people generally navigate your website

Once this information has been gathered you can then target areas of your website that require attention. Common areas include:

  • Enhancing your content so that your website is being found within search engines under the correct search terms.
  • Making your website compatible with all browsers to help capture the widest audience possible.
  • Making your website simple to navigate.
  • Making sure your website architecture is in the most logical structure.
  • Tapping into the website’s busier pages to help progress the user to a successful transaction whether this is making contact or a purchase.

If this type of analysis is used effectively, this alone can increase business activity.

There is a plethora of tools available to help obtain this information including the following:

Compare your self image

Due to the nature of search engines, your competitors are situated closer to you than ever before. It’s almost like having a whole row of shops in one high street all selling the same products.

With this in mind, it is important to check out what your competitors are doing and how they present themselves on the web.

Professional web design and content will definitely provide more confidence within your prospects compared to a badly made website.

Key characteristics of a professional website include:

  • Hi Quality imagery
  • Well thought out cosmetics and colouring
  • The latest standards compliant coding
  • Cross browser compatibility enabling your website to look great in all browsers and not like ‘screen vomit’ in the less popular ones.
  • Clear navigation
  • Logical content architecture
  • Ease of use

Spread the word

If your website is looking great then let everyone know about it.

The second most important factor in getting the exposure your website deserves within search engines (your website being the first)  is using Inbound links. Inbound links is as simple as having descriptive links on subject related websites that point back to your site.

Now, this may sound easier than it actually is as straight away, subject related websites are usually your competitors’.

With this challenge in mind it’s important to find qualifying websites that will not think you are crazy for asking the unthinkable!

A great tool to locate such websites is Yahoo’s Site Explorer.

Once you have a list of potential websites then the real work begins… making contact with the website owners and providing them with the most effective description and link to your website.

A great article to refer to is Search Engine Optimization for Site Owners and Small Businesses – Inbound Links.

Other related areas that deserve to be focused on in exposing your website effectively are:

  • Subject Related Reciprocal Links
    A reciprocal link is where website 1 links to website 2 and website 2 links back to website 1.
  • Quality Directory links
    Directory links can be a useful source of inbound links though shouldn’t compensate for high quality linkages.
  • Quality Outbound links
    Outbound links are links on your website that reference pages on an external website.

URLs in this Article

  1. Google Analytics
    www.google.com/analytics
  2. Click Tale – Record – Watch – Understand
    http://www.clicktale.com
  3. Stat Counter
    http://www.statcounter.com
  4. Woopra
    www.woopra.com
  5. Yahoo Site Explorer
    http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com
  6. Search Engine Optimization for Site Owners and Small Businesses – Inbound Links
    http://www.seo-blog.com/outbound-links.php

  • "The overall design of the website is so professional. We have had many positive comments and I am sure it will help qualify prospects into customers. We look forward to working with you in the future."
    Silverstone Brewing Company Ltd
  • "Thank you for such a great intuitive online management reporting application. It has proven to be such a great success with our clients and has become an integral part of our core services."
    Greenstar UK
  • "IMCA technical services are, as always, cheerfully provided by Design and Online Ltd. We would like to acknowledge the support they have given us whilst restructuring the IMCA websites."
    IMC Association