5 ways you can use your website to speed past your competitors
DESCRIPTION
5 Ways You Can Use Your Website to Speed Past Your Competitors. Your website should service itself as a source of information, but you need to utilize your site to generate sales, revenue and speed past your competitors.TRANSCRIPT
5 Ways You Can Use Your Website to Speed Past Your Competitors
Bloomington Business Expo - April 17, 2008
What’s the Game Plan?What’s the Game Plan?
1. Why You Should Use Your Website to Speed Past Your Competitors
3. How You Can Achieve This Goal
5. What You Will Take Back to Your Office Today
Why You Should Use Your
Website To Speed Past Your
Competitors
Who Loves
?
What Are the Stats?
Percentage of Americans using the internet on a daily basis:
1995: 9%2000: 57%2005: 74%2007: 79%
In 2007 that is 178 million daily users in the US.*
*Harris Interactive Case Study: Nov. 2007 **PEW Internet & American Life Study: April, 2006
45% of users say the internet helped them make a big decision in the last 2 years.**
What Are the Stats?
Online Retail Spending
Continues to Increase
CNN Money, Jan. 2008
What Does This Mean?
This means the internet is not:• Just a passing fad• Just for teenagers
• Just for sports stats & email
This means that the internet is:• A reliable source for information
• A trusted source of purchases• Part of American Life
What Does This Mean For You?
Ask the same questions for your website.You are your website. Your website is you.
How Do People See You?
• How Do They Present Themselves?
• Can They Be Trusted?
• Do They Convey a Sense of Expertise?
• Are They Likable?
5 Ways You Can Use Your Website
to Speed Past Your Competitors
1st Gear: Audience
2nd Gear: Design
3rd Gear: Navigation
4th Gear: Marketing
5th Gear: Site Analysis
Let’s Gain Some Speed
1st Gear: Know Your Audience & Your Site
1st Gear
What are the actionable items that you expect your customers to take on your site?
Hold Your Website Accountable
What do you expect from your website?
How will you convince them to take that desired action?
They are impatient.
Internet User Behavior
They make quick decisions.
They scan pages instead of read them.
You Have 4 Seconds
1st Gear
2nd Gear: Design, Messaging
SimplicityKeep it simple stupid.Don’t make me think.
MessagingSpeak directly to your customer.Use the proper language, terminology.
CommunicationDon’t just decorate!The core function of your site.
3rd Gear: Usability, Navigation
Easy to Navigate•Is there any way for a user to be confused while navigating your site? •Is every piece of information or product easy to find?
Clear, Concise Information•Have you highlighted the most important information first?•Can there be any mistake about who you are and what you have to offer?
Stimulating & Interesting•Does your content inspire people to explore your site?•Does your content inspire people to return to your site?
Painfully Obvious Call-to-Action•Do users know EXACTLY what you want them to do?
3rd Gear
3rd Gear
Bad
Good
Your Website
4th Gear: Attracting Your Audience
If you build it, that doesn’t mean they will come.
4th Gear
How To Drive Traffic To Your Website
4th Gear
Search Engine Optimization• Meta tags• Keyword-rich text• Site map
Paid Search Marketing• Google AdWords• Yahoo Search Marching• MSN adCenter
Social Networking• Facebook• Myspace• LinkedIn
Blogging/Viral Marketing• Company blog• Video content• Catchy articles
4th Gear
4th Gear
When should you start being more competitive and drive more traffic to your website?
NOW
5th Gear: Reporting, Site Analysis
Why Use Analytics?
• Where do users go on your site?• What content are they viewing?• Where/when do they leave?• How long do they stay on your site?• How did they get there in the first place?
Use this information to make your website better!
There are numerous analytics tools:
• Omniture
• Coremetrics
• Metasun
• Google Analytics
5th Gear
Overdrive!
Tools that allow you to review (or spy on!) your competition:
www.Compete.com
www.Quantcast.com
www.Spyfu.com
Summary
• Know who your audience is and speak to them directly.
• Make your site a part of your client’s everyday life.
•Your website is a living organism, treat it accordingly!
• If you are firing on all of these cylinders then you’ll have no problems speeding past your competition!
Helpful Resources
Paid Search AdvertisingThe Adventures of PPC Herowww.ppchero.com
Search Engine OptimizationSEOMozwww.seomoz.org
Website Design BasicsDesigns from Scratchwww.webdesignfromscratch.com
General Website Marketing/DevelopmentSearch Engine Landwww.searchengineland.com
Want to do more, faster?
• Hanapin has experts in:– Search engine optimization– Pay per click– Website design
