Now is the time to grow your business while others are just waiting for the tough times to pass. Opportunities abound with many of your competitors going out of business or at least in deep hibernation. You just need to understand that yesterday’s tactics no longer work in today’s marketplace. These are the steps you should follow.

Reassess: Your market has probably shifted. Which of your products, markets and customers are the most profitable and have the greatest growth potential? This may mean getting rid of services and products or even customers that are not profitable or ones that consume large amounts of your time without a payoff.

Shift: Focus your marketing budget on advertising that provides the greatest value and results. For most businesses this means shifting away from traditional advertising to online advertising. Update your existing website or add a new niche website for a business segment you want to focus on.

Optimize: Where ever you are spending your marketing budget, optimize for maximum results and return on your investment. Optimize your website for organic search. Optimize your PPC campaigns with landing page design and test different ads. Optimize radio ads and measure leads from each commercial.

Create a Buzz: Promote your business using non-advertising methods. Build your own PR campaigns to announce new products or company directions. Publish your own press releases on sites like prnewswire.com. Start a blog. Add your company to Facebook.

Measure: Your bias has to be toward results. The nice thing about the web is that everything is measurable. Don’t be afraid to try new things as long as they don’t require large investments and long term commitments. If something doesn’t work, then stop and try something else.

Website conversion starts with a clear plan or purpose for your website. Once you decide what you want to accomplish,  then apply the 4 steps of  simplify, message, visuals and action. These 4 steps allow you to apply the basics of website usability, combined this with a clear path to action. These 4 steps will  boost your website conversion.

1. Simplify: Your website should be focused on your purpose and not provide too many options for your visitor.  You have just a few seconds to capture their attention. Your design should not distract, navigation should be simple and clear and your buying process must be easy. It takes time to simplify and remove distractions.
2. Message: Your message must be clear and persuasive. Stay on topic and prove to your customers that you can solve their problem and meet their expectations. A clear message engages your visitor and builds rapport and trust. Eliminate their doubts with promises, testimonials and guarantees.
3. Visuals: Format your content for scanning so they can quickly see your offer. Add accent graphics to dress up your page. Include professional product images so visitors can visualize owning it. If you are selling a physical product, get quality pictures on a white background. Great product images have been known to increase conversions as much as 300%.
4. Action: Apply a clear and effective call to action that is visible above the fold. Tell you visitor politely yet firmly what it is that they need to do. Make your offer have a high perceived value that they can’t afford to pass up. Add some sort of time sensitive special offer so they are less inclined to procrastinate on their decision.

Once you apply these 4 steps to your website, you will need to monitor the results. Don’t be afraid to keep making changes and improvements to your site until you achieve the results you are after.

Help me select my final cover design, title and finalize the topics you would most want to see covered in this book. I have a draft version complete and I am busy doing edits and re-writing. I am about two weeks away from completion and I would very much like your opinions as I make my final book decisions.

3 Design Concepts

The Book: This book is written for business owners and senior management with beginning to intermediate web marketing skills. It is an overview book that focuses on strategies to get the best business results. It is meant to give the business owner the tools they need to direct their company’s web marketing to maximize results. It is packed with proven strategies that get fast results.

I have 3 cover designs to choose from and several possible book titles to choose from. My current working book title is Website Marketing Mastery, but I am looking at alternative titles. I would like your input before I make the final book decisions. In exchange for your opinions, I will send an advance copy of the book to you in an ebook format.

Please complete the following survey and if you would like a copy of the ebook, please supply your email address. I will respect your privacy and your email addresses will not be placed on any email marketing lists.

Please take the book survey

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a Federal law that is meant to eliminate discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It is usually applied to physical facilities. But does it apply to websites? This question is expected to be played out and defined in the courts over the next few years.

There have been a number of lawsuits about website accessibility for the blind and visually impaired.

Target.com: In 2006, the National Federation of the Blind, brought suit against Target. The suit charges that Target failed to make their ecommerce website accessible to the blind. The case focuses on the alleged lack of descriptive “alt” tags in Target’s HTML, making the site difficult to navigate with screen reading software. The use of image maps is also claimed to make the website inaccessible. In August 2008, Target agreed to pay damages of up to $6 million to the NFB as part of a settlement.

A key court decision that came out of the early motions for this case was that the court held that websites such as Target.com are required by California law to be accessible to the handicapped. They therefore allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

AOL.com: Previously, in 1999, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) filed a complaint against America Online (AOL) in federal district court alleging that AOL violated Title III of the ADA. AOL elected to make changes to their website rather than fight a court battle.

Online Tax Filing: In April 2000, the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) filed an ADA lawsuit against the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, which provided links to four inaccessible online tax filing services on its Internal Revenue Service’s official Web site. They were accused of discrimination because of its use of anti-spammer CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). The four tax filing services (Intuit, HDVest, H&R Block, and CioCia) voluntarily agreed to begin making their Web sites accessible to the sight-impaired in time for the next tax season.

Southwest Airlines: in 2002, a federal court ruled that a website was not a place of “public accommodation” and dismissed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines. The judge’s conclusion was that the Americans for Disabilities Act applied to “physical spaces, such as restaurants and cinemas”.

An accessible website has another major benefit. Search engines “read” your site like the blind and visually impaired, looking for text in links, images, and content. Well-designed accessible sites help search engines visit your site and gather the information they need to rank the page in search results.

The question of ADA coverage of Internet sites will undoubtedly continue to be a closely watched issue. Expect more lawsuits, especially for larger, more prominent corporations.

A thorough website analysis will look at both SEO and usability factors in a website. A SEO analysis measures a website’s ability to get traffic through the search engines. A usability analysis measures how easy the website is to use once a visitor arrives.

User friendly websites make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for and have higher conversion rates. The first few seconds of the user experience on a website are the most critical. This is what creates a lasting impression of your company.

Usability Checklist

Initial Impression

• Did the page load quickly?
• Images optimized for fast loading?
• Flash optimized for fast loading?
• No automatically starting audio?
• Industry appropriate look and feel to site.
• Clear call to action on home page?
• Clear understandable layout for first time visitors?
• No use of pop-up windows?

Navigation / Links

• Site wide uniform backbone?
• In a logical flow?
• Do link names match page names?
• Clearly understandable names?
• Check for broken links
• Site wide search?
• Returning visitors see change in hyperlink color
• Breadcrumb navigation on larger sites
• Does logo link to home page?
• Backbone navigation at the bottom of each page?

Content

• Is information presented clearly?
• Inverted pyramid writing style? Start with conclusion.
• Visitor focused rather than on company?
• Solves a need?
• Text easy to scan?
• Written in active not passive words.
• Check for misspelled words.
• Forms designed for easy entry
• Not using PDF’s for content (OK for manuals and ebooks)

Accessibility

• Adjustable font sizes (for people with poor eyesight).
• Descriptive ALT text in images (blind users)
• HTML validation (W3C)
• Browser test all major browsers
• Site map present
• Provide redundant text links for image links or image maps

Security / Trust

• Privacy policy
• Terms of use
• Refund policy
• Testimonials
• FAQ / Sales support
• Digital certificate / data security
• Copyright statement on every page?
• Well written “about us” page
• Address and phone number on contact page

Business is about relationships between people. Making a good impression can make the difference of getting the next contract… or not. Building relationships is about common sense and following business etiquette. It isn’t about outspending your competition.

1. Be responsive: Respond to emails within 24 hours and to phone calls within 4 hours. Even if you don’t have an answer, respond with an acknowledgment and a commitment of when you can have an answer. Responding quickly is a key difference for successful companies.
2. Give your full attention: When you take a call or attend a meeting, be fully engaged. Don’t multitask and only be partially there. Don’t look answer emails and only respond with one word answers. This sends the message that you really don’t care.
3. Eye contact: When you meet with customers or employees, look them in the eye. Show them what they are saying is important and that their opinions matter. Don’t take phone calls or other interruptions which send the message that they are unimportant.
4. Voice messages: Leave clear and to the point voice messages. Give your phone number clearly at the end of the message along with a good time you can be reached. Do everything you can to avoid the game of phone tag. If possible leave a question that the other person could answer in a voice message if they should miss connecting with you.
5. Respect people you meet: If you trade business cards with someone at a meeting or connect with someone on LinkedIn, it is OK to start a conversation or greet them with a call. It is not OK to spam them with email solicitations or launch into an unsolicited sales pitch.
6. Clear and concise emails: Time is limited and respect the other person’s time. Emails should be short with one or two paragraphs. There should be a clear and descriptive subject that describes what you are after. If you respond to an email about a different subject, change the subject accordingly. Use the spell check that comes with your email system.
7. Do a little extra: Follow up with handwritten cards, remember their spouse’s name or some other event. You can keep notes in your Outlook contacts or use a Customer relationship management system (CRM). Invite them to dinner or do something else to make it personal.

Business is far too competitive to risk making a bad impression… especially when it is not hard to make a positive impression. The ideas for this blog were inspired from the 2007 business Week article Rules for Making a Good Impression.

Do you get your news online or from the morning paper? Fewer people are reading the printed newspapers today. After all why would you want to see day old news? People go online or listen to broadcast radio or TV to stay in touch.

1. Speed: Printed news and information is outdated. It takes a day to prepare, print and distribute newspapers. Magazines can take a month. On the web, news stories can be found just minutes after they happen.
2. Space limitations: Space is limited in newspapers. Each page in a newspaper must be paid for by advertising revenue. When advertising revenue falls, the number of pages must decrease. There are no space limitations on web publishing.
3. Cost limitations: Newspapers are much more expensive to produce and distribute than online news. Distribution costs for newspapers continue to escalate with fuel and labor costs. These same barriers don’t exist for web.
4. Browse vs. Search: In printed newspapers and magazines you browse to find what you want to read. It is a slower and more relaxed way to get your news. Today people want to Google their questions and get instant answers. The web allows this, printed news doesn’t.
5. Environmental: Printed newspapers and magazines have an environmental cost and cast a measurable carbon footprint. Even with extensive recycling efforts there are high costs of fuel and labor with paper recycling.

Printed newspapers and magazines are dying, while online sources for news and opinions are flourishing. Blogs, online news and social media have replaced printed newspapers and magazines.

The web has the advantages of being almost instantaneous, flexible or unlimited amount of space and providing a free source of news. We are seeing an end of an era for printed news as we continue to move into the Internet Information Age.

Email can sometimes be an afterthought. You got free email service with a domain purchase/website hosting package? Cool! You’ve always wanted your own bigboss@bossenterprises.com email address. But have you ever thought of what kind of email service you’ll be receiving? And if you had the choice of choosing between POP3 email service or IMAP, which would you go with?

It’s important to know the differences between the two, because they really dictate how you will be checking and working with your email.

Post Office Protocol (POP3)

POP3 is versatile in the fact that you can log into your POP3 email, download each of the messages, and go offline and still be able to read each individual message. Think of it like a post office box - when you run Outlook (or any other email client like Mozilla’s Thunderbird) it “grabs” the email and pulls it from the server. This can be a drag because if you wanted to check it on your phone or from another computer, there would be nothing to “grab.” It’s an older protocol, and as more and more information is emailed between people, POP3 can sometimes have real issues downloading emails with larger files.

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

When you check your email using IMAP, you don’t have to download the entire email. You can just take a look at the header and decide whether or not you want to download the message. This can significantly cut down on the time it takes to check your email (especially for those on slower Internet connections). Synchronization is much easier in the sense that you can check your email from a mobile device and make changes, and when on your computer those changes will have taken effect. This takes some finagling (and quite a bit of extra time!) if using POP3 where you need to leave a copy of the message on the server. IMAP does require you to be on the Internet to check your email, so you can’t log in, download the messages, and log out.

Two Protocols Enter, One Remains?

So which is better? You’ll find fans of both POP3 and IMAP, and as such, it really depends on your style. If you’re always connected to the Internet from multiple devices, IMAP may be the way to go for easier organization. More casual fans of email service may like how straightforward POP3 can be. It really comes down to your preference and understanding of how each works.

1. 80/20 Rule: (Also known as the Pareto principle). This is the important rule in business where 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. For websites, 80% of your sales dollars will come from 20% of your customers. Make sure your website maximizes conversion on your ideal targeted customer.
2. Baby Duck Syndrome: Much the way baby ducks imprint on the first thing they see, website visitors prefer the first website design they became use to. Website visitors become uncomfortable with unusual website designs or different hierarchies. Baby Duck Syndrome is a basic principle in usability where simplicity, clarity and uniformity work better to get conversions. Web visitors like predictability.
3. Inverted Pyramid Writing: This is a writing style where the summary is presented at the beginning of the article. The conclusion is followed by the supporting key points. Inverted Pyramid style gives the reader an instant idea about what they will be reading. In websites. You only have approximately 3 seconds to connect with your visitor.
4. Engage Reader Emotions: “People shop logically but buy emotionally.” In website content you will want to harness the power of emotional selling. Use emotionally charged headlines; focus on solutions to your visitor’s problems that they need. Push their hot buttons and the sale is yours. People will buy when they are emotionally invested.
5. The Web is not on Paper: Design for the web is very different than design for print. Reading is slower, eye movements are different, writing styles must be done with shorter sentences and bulleted formatting. Print designs can be intricate and complex, web designs focus on simplicity. People good at design for paper documents frequently have difficulty designing for the web.
6. Ninety-Ninety Law: On large website projects, the first 90% of the project accounts for 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% accounts for the other 90% of the development time. The Ninety-ninety rule is paradox is a very true statement. Clear and complete development specs help prevent scope creep that is inevitable on projects that are in development over a long period of time.
7. Brooks’s Law: Brooks Law states adding manpower to a late project makes it go even later. It takes time for new people that are added to a project to become productive. Brooks calls this the “ramp up” time. Large website projects are complex and new people must become oriented and educated before they can start contributing.
8. Your Website Will Never be Done: There will be constant changes and adjustments to your website. Unlike a printed catalog or brochure, website results can be easily measured and changes made on a regular basis to improve conversions. You can adapt to market changes quickly and enter new ones with a minimal expense. Web marketing is a continuous process.

Keeping it simple is the most important rule for usability. Make everything about your website clear and understandable. Allow your visitor to easily access the information that is important to them.

Navigation links need to be easily understood. Page layouts should be simple and able formatted for scanning. The website should be organized in a logical flow. A visitor should be able to quickly find the answers they are seeking.

By following accepted website standards a visitor can immediately find their way. Web users have learned to mistrust online businesses. By following standard conventions in your website, you build trust by appearing serious and credible.

Usability to improve conversion means delivering the right information at the right time. In ecommerce design, give your visitor access to all the elements they need to make a decision to buy. Give your visitor the tools they need to research your product without ever having to leave the product page. Allow your visitor to be in control and access answers to questions they may have.

What you include will vary according to what you are selling and who your customer is. These are typical things your visitor may want to see while on the product page. You need to this information by priority.

1. Details and technical data.
2. Shipping options and charges based on their zip code.
3. Refund, privacy and security policies.
4. Video clip of the product in action.
5. User product reviews and ratings.

Usability goes well beyond the visual elements or site hierarchy. It is about delivering the right information at the right time. Don’t be afraid to tell people what they should do next. You will still need to allow the visitor to be in control. Give them access to the information they are most interested in.

This will go a long way toward reassurance and building trust. The result will be a higher conversion rate.