Traffic to a site can be a blessing or a curse. Visitors who find what they are looking for, are engaged in what the site offers, and/or come away with a positive impression become the site owner's best allies and customers. But lead a visitor to believe that they will find what they are looking for and then not provide on your promise and you will find yourself being stabbed in the back repeatedly by people you will never know. As discussed in another article, "What Are the Benefits of Good Design on the Web?" the task of the site owner is not simply to ask all the right questions and make sure the designer interprets the answers correctly. Just as challenging is the need for the correct content-content that is largely dictated by the answers to the same questions so important to good design: Who are the visitors? What are they looking for? What is their situation, are they rushed? Are they knowledgeable? Are they looking for opinions or facts? Are they the kind of prospect the site owner is looking for?
Much is made of the importance of "fresh" content, but I posit that the right content is ageless if it's still relevant to the audience it's targeted toward and the business objectives continue to be met. A constant infusion of ill-aimed content on top of bad or incorrect content is no answer to the challenge of gaining and keeping customers. So the question is, "What's the right content?" As Michael Gerber states in his must-read book, E-Myth Revisited, "It is in the understanding of value, as it impacts every person with whom your business comes into contact, that every extraordinary business lives." Deep knowledge of your customers will define your entire business and make clear the boundaries of your content.
Content development is often a missed opportunity for creativity. Here a team can and should gather to read and digest what the psychographics profiles indicate the interests and motivators of the audiences are. As a hedge against myopia, your team should include one or more from outside your company or immediate colleagues. The same scenarios that influence the designers should be the frameworks for role-playing within the content team.
No matter the intent of the site ? whether e-commerce, private intranet, public promotion, nonprofit research, or secure account management ? the measurement of success, the determinant of how much the site is returning on the owner's investment, is found in the server logs. They tell the story of the visitor's travels through the site. If the content is good, visitors will linger when they find content that resonates with who they are and their situation. If they stay less than a minute, going to another site from the first page they land on, you are looking at either a visitor who realized they were not looking for what you were offering, or a visitor who was turned off by the content they perused in those first 30 seconds. Good content engages; good content pays!
Stephen Dill
SRD InterActive
srd@srdinteractive.com
www.srdinteractive.com
Stephen Dill is a seasoned marketer with expertise in the development and use of interactive channels and their integration with traditional marketing channels. Stephen has held leadership and/or consulting positions in small companies, Fortune 500 companies and the military. He has extensive experience in conceptualizing and articulating new concepts, organizing teams and managing projects through to completion.
eco-friendly cleaning service Morton Grove ...The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More
This article is the result of a conversation I had... Read More
There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More
The landing page or entry page of your visitors is... Read More
There are several graphic software packages available to help you... Read More
You know that I'm always extolling the virtues of an... Read More
In the of-line marketing world it is all about trying... Read More
Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead... Read More
Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
Making a successful online business can be a long and... Read More
Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
The icons in an application are the soul of the... Read More
Conventional Wisdom states you should use Sub-Directories to organize your... Read More
This is a very perfunctory look at the website code... Read More
So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. First impressions often leave lasting impressions. Impressions... Read More
Now that you have decided that it is time to... Read More
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that... Read More
A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More
Do you know why the majority of people use the... Read More
Whether a business has just got off the ground or... Read More
Increasing the length of time a visitor is on your... Read More
Wether you design your business brochures, flyers, web page, or... Read More
top rated cleaning service Park Ridge ...Are you going to design or redesign new website or... Read More
Are you building your website? If so, STOP! Take a... Read More
Websites, there's literally billions of them out there in cyber-space.... Read More
It starts off simply; a few HTML pages, a few... Read More
Website design is a very competitive area and there is... Read More
Your web site is like your car. Both are significant... Read More
My mother used to take me along when she visited... Read More
If you have a website, you want your visitors to... Read More
Color is one of the most important but least understood... Read More
Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More
Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all... Read More
So how do you know when your graphic designer costs... Read More
In this article you will find the parallel between two... Read More
Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
Most of us know that we need to advertise our... Read More
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for... Read More
Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More
In today's world, a web site is virtually mandatory for... Read More
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
Every day internet marketers are inundated with the latest fad... Read More
Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has... Read More
Physical therapists have unique web presence needs. An effective site... Read More
The way you design your web site affects your visitors'... Read More
Web Design |