9
•Introduction
•Websites
oWhat is a Website?
oWhen do I need one?
oWhere do I get one and how much do they cost?
oHow to Get the Most Out of Your Website
•Landing Pages
oWhat is a landing page?
oWhen do I need one?
oWhere do I get one and how much do they cost?
oHow to Get the Most Out of Your Landing Page
•Which One(s) Should You Choose?
As we’ve begun to explore various online platforms, we’ve seen a couple of patterns emerge — namely the need for an online presence for the product or service you are actually selling. When it comes to building your online business, this presence acts as the foundation for monetization. For instance, if you are launching a virtual office, you are going to need a way for customers to find you AND contact you. If you are selling a virtual or physical product, you are going to need a platform to exchange the goods for money. These are both done through a Website.
While there are opportunities to monetize your passions without having your own Website, such as using eBay, Amazon, Etsy, etc., I recommend having a Web presence of your own for a couple of reasons…
First, by having a Website you are adding a layer of credibility between you and your customers by showing that you have an established entity from which you are selling your goods. Think of a street peddler selling a piece of jewelry versus a store selling the exact same piece. Most people would opt to trust the store over the peddler, even if the product or service was the same. Consumers want the sense of credibility and the option to get to know the seller a bit more. This is NOT to say that you shouldn’t take advantage of the various channels available to you outside of your Website. In fact, I encourage you to leverage as many quality channels as you can. If you are selling an eBook on Amazon for instance, why not give your potential customers an opportunity to learn more about the author by linking to your Website? Remember that with the Internet, consumers are far more informed and less likely to make impulse purchases than ever in history. There are too many opportunities for them to do their homework and find the best value. Imagine someone browsing through Amazon and being torn between two books on how to knit the perfect blanket. The first book they come across (your competitor’s) has no Website available for them to learn more. Then they come across your profile, which links to your Website. From there they can, not only see knitting examples, screenshots of the book, and a detailed outline of the chapters, but they can also read more about you (the author) and contact you directly. Which book would you choose if you were conflicted?
Another reason to have your own Website is to sell your product without having to pay commissions to online retailers. Amazon and other retailers are amazing platforms that will likely reach far more customers than you can imagine (when leveraged correctly); however, they do take commissions on sales since you are using their platform and accessing their network, so why not minimize that whenever possible. This comes into play in a couple of scenarios:
1. Someone comes across your Website organically to purchases your book (or other product) at FULL retail price — no commissions. If you didn’t have a Website, that purchase would never have happened; and
2. Your friends/family/networks (including social media networks) are excited to purchase your book (or other product) and ask you where they can find it — do you send them to Amazon and take a cut on the price to pay out commissions? OR, do you send them to your own Website where there’s no distraction, an easy checkout process, and you get full retail price? I tend to lean towards the latter. Again, this is not to say you shouldn’t leverage other channels when trying to sell your good. Just make sure you are maximizing your efforts.
Hopefully by now you see the advantage to having your own Website. You may be thinking, “They’re a lot of work, time, and money. Besides, I don’t know the first thing about Websites”. Well, we’ve got great news for you. Having your own Website is easier, quicker and less expensive that you may be thinking! And, we’ll help you along the way.
Ok, so maybe this one is a bit easy, but for those who want a quick technical lesson, a Website is nothing more than a location connected to the Internet (or private network) that maintains a collection of Web pages. Those Web pages are accessed by a URL, or Web address, and consist of various markup languages that help display the text in a cohesive manner and help the Web page behave in a particular way.
Websites can be grouped into two broad categories: static and interactive. Interactive Websites are part of the newer age sites that allow for engagement between the owner and visitors; whereas, static sites only deliver and/or collect information without any interactivity.
There are various types of Websites, such as:
•eCommerce
•informational
•Weblogs (blogs)
•community
•social networking
•Webmail, and so on
There are endless micro-categories, but I think you get the gist. So how does a Website relate to your online business? Well, as I covered in great detail, you’re going to need one in order to deliver your value proposition to your customers and collect money.
In short — always. In this day and age, a company without a Web presence is pretty much doomed. The real question you need to ask yourself is, “Does my business need a full scale Website or might there be an abbreviated alternative?” Let’s make it even easier on ourselves and ask a follow-up question: Can my business work effectively with a just a landing page? If you know the answer is yes, you’re free to skip ahead, although I encourage you to hang around anyway. If you’re not sure, here’s some questions that, if answered “yes” to, may sufficiently help you determine if a full-scale Website is right for your online business
•Do I plan to sell more than one product?
•Am I reviewing products?
•Does my image or brand matter to the business?
•Is my business service-based?
If you answered yes to one or more of the questions, a full-blown Website is probably for you. Unless otherwise stated, a landing page may not be enough.
You have two options to obtain a Website: purchase one or create one yourself (there is a nice hybrid solution that I will also discuss). The former is probably the easiest, while the latter is probably the best economically. Depending on your level of “tech-xpertise," you may find that one works better for you as well. The good news for all the non-techies, is that creating your own Website is now easier (and cheaper) than ever. There are many services out there that provide drag-and-drop solutions that even our grandparents could master in no time.
One of the most obvious methods to getting a Website is to pay a professional to build one for you. For most, this is the easiest because they don’t know the first thing about building their own. Depending on the functionality, esthetic appeal, and type of company or consultant you are working with, this route might cost you anywhere from $500 to $10,000+. eCommerce sites tend to be on the higher end of this spectrum and will cost you a minimum of $2500 for a well-made site.
If you decide to explore this route, I recommend vetting small-to-medium-sized agencies that are willing to work on a payment plan or focus on smaller businesses. Larger agencies tend to be far more expensive and less in tune with their clients. Virtual agencies are also a great alternative, because they don’t carry the overhead that the brick-and-mortar folk do. My agency, Invata Global Marketing, does just that.
Creating your own Website is a great option, especially if you have a technical acumen and/or are on a budget. As I alluded to before however, you do NOT have to be a technical expert to build your own Website. This method can cost you anywhere from $0 to $500, depending on the functionality of the site and/or how resourceful you are. There are two main groups that creating your own site can be categorized into: traditional and Website as a service. The former is great if you want a lot of diversity, control over your site and hosting, and less expense overall. Most can be created in the $0-100 range.
The latter is a great option when you are looking for ease of use, super user-friendly options, and less of a headache dealing with multiple companies. This is especially the case when running an eCommerce platform, because all of the hosting and eCommerce tools are in the same place. Some also have the added benefit of managing the server on which the Website sits, something that may or may not be available with some hosting providers. These tend to run about $10 to $40 per month.
Here are a few options that I recommend:
•Shopify — packages start at $14 per month and includes a free 2-week trial
•BigCommerce — packages start at $27 per month and includes a free 15-day trial
•Squarespace — packages start at $8 per month and includes a free 2-week trial
•Magento — free community edition (but requires some tech savvy-ness)
One of our favorite approaches, especially for new entrepreneurs, is to go with a hybrid strategy: use a Website template. A template, or theme, is basically the look and feel of the Website that is pre-created for you and has a spectrum of features available to customize the site to your liking. Many of the Websites you see today are using a template of some sort; they come in all shapes and sizes and are fairly customizable. In this case you would pick an eCommerce platform that suits your business and budget, and then find a theme that was created for that platform. There are many eCommerce platforms available and even more themes made for each platform. The costs can vary dramatically depending on the combination, but can still be implemented for under $50. Depending on how resourceful you are, there are free themes available that can be used with free eCommerce platforms like Zen Cart, giving you a brand new Website for free.
Ok, so you have your Website, now what? How do you get the most out of it (beyond marketing)? In a word: optimize. Your Website needs to optimized for both visitors AND search engines.
The first thing you should consider, the “Golden Rule," is that your Website should never be built for you. As selfless as it sounds (and needs to be), your Website should be built with your visitors (and future customers) in mind. Your visitors will be your source of income and there’s only one chance to make a first (and lasting) impression. It is in your best interest to make sure that impression is as good as it can be. Having a user-centric approach is probably the most important step to getting the most out of your Website. While each of the subsequent steps have user-centric “features," the concept goes far beyond what they have listed. Think of what you expect of any Website that you visit with a purpose and implement that into your own. The more you can create each aspect of your Website from the eyes of the consumer, the more engaging it will be. Here are some additional must-haves for you and your visitors to get the most out of your Website.
What are the goals of your Website? Are you trying to collect leads? Do you sell products? Knowing how each of your Website goals supports your business goals will help you measure your success and determine if you are effectively achieving them.
Your CTA needs to be clear enough for any user to understand what they are supposed to do, whether it’s sign up for a newsletter, “Call now," or purchase your product. If a fourth grader can’t follow the instructions on your Website without help, chances are your customers won’t either.
Website usability can be an extremely complex process to perfect and can even be considered an art, but there are some basic rules that will help you get the most out of your Website:
•Navigation - Navigation should be both intuitive and consistent for your users. When designing a Website from the ground up, this is where professionals will often start, because it serves as the backbone of the site. Think of a city building roads without a map -- it just doesn’t work well. Navigation should guide users through your sales or lead funnel and needs to follow a cohesive pattern. In addition, it should be the same across all pages. Visitors don’t always start on your homepage, so each page should reflect the same . Lastly, break down your content into major categories that will make sense to your audience and limit the titles that go across the top of each page (and put subcategories into a drop-down) **PRO Tip: Use your logo as a link to your homepage, as this is what most people expect.
•Readability - Text should be easy to read and not concealed by images or similar colors. Yellow text on a white background, for instance, would not only hurt one’s eyes (for those willing to read it), but may also create the opportunity for someone to miss out on important information. Also, size does matter — aim for at least 16 pixels for most font styles. This is the equivalent to a 12-point font at arms length. By the time someone is 40 years old, only half the light gets through the retina as it did at the age of 20 and by 60, that number drops to 20%. In addition, nearly 1/10 of Americans have a visual impairment of some sort, furthering the need to make your Website legible. **PRO Tip: Forgo the fancy fonts in the body of your Website. Despite your love for Comic Sans or some cursive fonts, no one wants to read an entire Web page in that font. Leave it to logos, titles, headings, and in some cases, links.
•Write for the Web - Similar to readability, writing for the Web is important because it allows a user to consume your content better. Don’t squish the lines of your text so close together that they can’t breathe. Each line should have about half the space that your font takes up, or roughly 6-8 pixels. Also, do not, I repeat, do not write a novel on each page. If you have a lot of content, it needs to be broken up into logical portions that are easy to digest. If it can be put into bullets, bullet it (rather than putting it into paragraph form). If an image can explain better than 100 words, use it. In a day and age where people want their information faster and easier, you are going to lose your audience with a text-heavy Website.
•Link identification - If you are going to link to something, either internal to your Website or somewhere else, your audience needs to be aware that the link exists. For most users, it’s common sense that a bold, underlined portion of Website text has a good chance of being a link. You would be surprised however, at the number of sites that do not properly execute on this simple, yet important step. It becomes especially important when those links = dollars. If you are selling via affiliate links for instance, they had better stand out.
•Limit distractions - Distractions are a big no-no when it comes to usability, because they go against the very grain that I am trying to instill. Whether the goal of your Website is to make money selling products, collect leads or promote a service, the more distractions a visitor has, the less likely you are to make a sale. Don’t flood your site with flashing ads and “cool” widgets that don’t serve your core purpose.
•Optimize for mobile - This one is a no-brainer. In 2013, mobile device usage officially passed desktop usage for Internet access and is climbing at an alarming rate. Every Website at this point should be optimized for mobile viewing, period.
Especially true for bloggers, engaging content is a crucial piece to the puzzle, because it keeps visitors on your site longer and keeps them coming back for more. Readership = revenue and whether you are using copy, video, or imagery, it needs to be compelling. If your Website is used to sell a product or service (or even gain leads), the content becomes the one piece of the puzzle that helps people understand what they should do (buy your product) and how they should do it (“Click Here to Buy”).
People are visual creatures by nature and the advancements in technology have increased the consumption of images by an inordinate amount. In fact, according to Google Trends, the use of visualized information on the Internet has increased 9900% since just 2007. Further, they demand higher quality images than ever before. Take for instance these product shots of patio chairs; which would you find more visually appealing and be more likely to purchase?
Ok, so maybe the example is a bit exaggerated, but there are some good points to be taken away. First, the quality of the first image is far greater than the second. With proper lighting, most smartphones can take near-professional images, so there is no need for poor imagery — even on a budget. Second, the ambiance of the first is much more appealing than the second. It has a clean background without any unneeded debris or distractions. It also has a welcoming essence to it. If people can picture themselves in or with your product, they are MUCH more likely to buy.
Ok, let’s go back to our original tip about making and knowing your goals. Any effort without purpose is worthless and any purpose without measure is hopeless. It’s like throwing darts — with a blindfold — and hoping for good results. It just doesn’t work unless you have incredible luck. And if you do, I applaud you, for it’s better to be lucky than good. BUT, for those of us who like to improve our odds and enhance our luck, monitoring and analyzing your Website (and business) goals helps optimize your efforts and save you money in the long run.
The next thing you need to do is optimize your Website for Google and other search engines, otherwise known as search engine optimization (SEO). When someone is searching for a product or service, only the sites that show up in search results will receive visitors to their Websites. Here are a few SEO strategies that will improve your search engine results:
Keyword Research - SEO has changed dramatically over the years, but keyword research has maintained its importance throughout. After all, most elements of SEO contain some aspect of keyword placement. Whether you are a Website newbie or a seasoned marketer, keyword research should be first on your to-do list. Here are some keyword tools that will help you get started:
•Google Keyword Planner - Probably the easiest and most widely used keyword research tool. It requires a Google Adwords account, which you can get for free
•SEMRush - An advanced paid tool that allows you to see which keywords your competitors are targeting
•Ubersuggest - A free and simple tool to help develop keyword suggestions based specifically on Web search, shopping, video, or news
•Wordtracker Keyword Tool - A paid tool that helps suggest keywords and write optimized content (comes with 7-day trial)
•Moz Keyword Difficulty and SERP Analysis Tool - An advanced paid tool that allows you to see how competitive keywords are (comes with 30-day trial)
•WordStream - A basic and simple tool to research keywords based on search volume and competition
If you’re just looking to get started, I suggest beginning with Google Keyword Planner and then dabbling with some of the paid tools. Some of the paid tools do have some really neat features that you can’t get with the free ones. Meta keywords are arguably dead elements of SEO and won’t improve your search results; however, it certainly can