Energize Your Business Website

1. Energize Your Business Website Nancy Leve, Owner/Partner Virtual Fundamentals 954-562-5951

2. THE INTERNET Changed Everything Virtual Fundamentals 2013

3. Virtual Fundamentals 2013

4. Your Online Reputation Are you managing it ? Virtual Fundamentals 2013

5. Keep Track of Your Reputation Virtual Fundamentals 2013

6. Your Online Billboard Authority: Known in Industry Expertise: Specialty Niche Relevance: Testimonials Competence: Videos CHOOSE ME Virtual Fundamentals 2013

7. 4 shared foursquare My Space scribd issuo forums Google Local Bing Local Instagram Yahoo Listings Yelp Del.icio.us Stumble Upon Online directory listings Digg Podcasts Webinars Online press releases eBooks G+ MerchantCircle Slide Share Twitter Guest Blogs Facebook LinkedIn profile & groups Your Website Content Pinterest Manta Email marketing YouTube Video Cornerstone of Internet Marketing Virtual Fundamentals 2013

8. Why a Website • Your online identity • Like Yellow pages in the past • customer has a problem and wants it fixed • To provide lots of information • To serve your customers • Inexpensive but powerful sales & communication tool • Always accessible • No weather, geography or store closing restrictions

9. Step One: Domain name • URL: Uniform resource locator (address) • http://www.company name.com • confusion: case insensitive • Expertsexchange might be better as experts-exchange • Is registered (annual fee) allows you exclusive right of use • Highly wanted names - expensive, others $10/year • Business.com sold for $7.5 million in 1999 • AsSeenOnTv.com in 2000 for $5.1 million

10. Domain Search

11. Domain Availability: WhoIs.net

12. Step 2: Web hosting services • Server: Like large computer you lease • stores your web site so people can access over the internet • if it goes down – your site goes down • Shared hosting: Upgrading to dedicated server may be necessary • Prices per month vary • Additional items may be upgrade (add’l pages) • Don’t be upsold to lots of extras • Longer contract holds you captive

13. What you want to know • Blog or forum capability • Email through the domain name • Reviews by users • Call tech support before you buy- response time • Supports WordPress or other web design platform • Tutorials for use (check YouTube)

14. Web Hosting Comparisons

15. iPageControl Panel

16. Step 3: How to Build it • Learn HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) • software language used on Internet’s World Wide Web • Has a site generator application that is easy to learn • Weebly, Squarespace, Yola, Jigsy, Yola. • Can use WordPress

17. Building a web site using a web professional (developer/designer) • Price varies a lot • Freelance websites: elance.com, etc. • Downside: • Don’t write copy • Need direction on ‘look’ • Held hostage • Updates handled when available with half hour minimum • Can’t move YOUR website

18. Can I Build it? • Yes. Benefits • You have control • Lower price • See example: www.weebly.com

20. Step 4: Type of Site • Promotion/information/customer support • Adjunct source of sales revenue (Target) • Retail operation (Amazon)

21. Step 5: Add Fresh Relevant Content Virtual Fundamentals 2013

22. Step 5: Content • Strategy: SEO • Keywords • Brainstorm • Think like your customer • Use as bullets, paragraph headers, page names • Repeat in text as often as possible and in different ways • Have a blog • Distribute content widely

23. Step 5:Content • What’s the call to action • Answer this question. I want the person who visits my website to ________________ • At a minimum – you want their business card • Set an appointment • Buy your product • Every page leads them to take that action

24. Step 5: Content • It is King: establishes credibility • Review competitors • Straight forward, compelling and professional • no technological jargon/ industry abbreviations • People are busy/impatient. When on web – highly activated state – not reading…scanning. Break up long blocks of text with headings or images • Provide contact information on every page

25. Content: It’s All About Me • Why… Benefits Virtual Fundamentals 2013

26. Basic Business Information • Should reflect as accurately as possible, what your business is all about, what you do, how you do it and why you are better at it • How to contact you • Methods of payment you take • Locations and hours • Answers to frequently asked questions

27. Standard Website Pages • Home • About Us • Products/services • Pricing • FAQs • Testimonials • Contact Us

28. Step 6:The Look • First impression of your company: Professional, Fun, Funky • Depends on your target audience/brand • Theme of low cost bargain or high roller (different look) • Better to not have one than have one that makes your company look bad • Advanced graphics slows page load time • Simple (too much creates anxiety) and intuitive • Users prefer a standard look • Eg. Car w/o steering wheel -no

29. Look of the Copy • Verdana & Georgia fonts developed for web • Good readability in all sizes • Use bullets when possible • People are scanning more than actually reading • Don’t use I/we; use You • Tight concise copy without wasted words • Use ALL CAPS selectively • Don’t underline (seems like a link) • 50-75 characters per line

30. Step 7: Navigation • Where will the customer find the information they want • Simple • Across the top is current preferred

31. Navigation and Site Flow • Provide different information on different pages • Make it easy for them to find the answers to their questions • Am I on the right website for my issue

32. Home Page • Introduction • Most general info • Keep important info above the fold • Sets the look for consistency throughout • Establishes navigation

35. Step 7:Test Drive • How do consumers use it • Sit and watch someone navigate the site • What questions do users have • Get lots of family and friends to give feedback • It doesn’t need to be perfect to start

36. Step 8: Building site traffic • How to get people to your website • If you build it, they won’t just come • YOU Build Your Audience • promote web site address all the time and on every thing • Business cards, letterhead, bags, gift cards, cash register receipts, signature of your emails, brochures, automated phone messages, newsletters • social media marketing: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn • Get on listings: Yelp and free yellow pages listings • Viral marketing (YouTube, emails, blogs, etc.)

37. SEO: Search Engine Optimization • People find you from search engines • Paid vs organic vsGoogle Places • Page rank on search engines is important • Listings order based on SE crawlers and complicated mathematical algorithms • Variety of methods increase prominence • Relevance= appropriate keywords, authority=links • Can hire a Search Engine Optimizer or become more knowledgeable – www.SEOBook.com

38. Step 9: Google Analytics Virtual Fundamentals 2013

39. Track your traffic • Are you getting people to web site • Google Analytics – free • Number of site visitors (unique) • Where the traffic is coming from • Bounce rate (time duration of site visitor on your site) • Impact of promotions/ marketing efforts

40. Google Analytics

41. What is working in driving traffic

42. Step 10: Making money via site • Selling a product or service on-line • Paypal, Google Checkout, Merchant Accounts • Affiliate marketing • Advertising revenue: add Google’s Adsense Ads.

43. Road Map: Ten Steps • Step 1: Available domain name • Step 2: Hosting site • Step 3: Who will build it • Step 4: Website type: information, adjunct selling, retail • Step 5: Copy

44. Ten Steps • Step 6: The Look • Step 7: Navigation – pages • Step 8: Test drive • Step 9: Build traffic • Step 10: Track visitors Ongoing: Revise, update and improve