The following is a transcript from the Access – by design presentation ‘Getting more business from your Website – Website problems and how to resolve them.’

Getting more business from your Website.

Website problems and how to resolve them.

Presentation created by Clive and Jess Loseby ©2009 Access-by Design (www.access-bydesign.com) Distribution allowed only for non-profit and with full accreditation please.

Common Problems 1- 4

• My website content is out of date…
• My website is no-where on Google…
• My website doesn’t always work…
• My products/services don’t sell online…

These are the four main problems identified by the business community that effect the performance, capability and effectiveness of their website.

Problem #1: My website content is out of date.

If your website is out of date – find a way of editing SOMETHING.

Ideally, you would have a dynamic website that you could edit yourself, but if not there are other ways of adding new content – even if you are not ‘allowed’ to make changes to your website yourself.

• Get a blog – there are lots of free blogging portals that can be added (almost) seamlessly to any website so you can add news and events yourself.
• Use social networking. All sites such as facebook, twitter and myspace allow you to make ‘badges’ so people can visit your page and talk to you.
• Use online image portals such as flicker or video such as youtube. All can be added as links or attachments to your website.
• Add testimonials – add via a blog, mailinglist or free guestbook. People buy services from business they trust.
• There are many newsletters and/or mailing lists available (often free) to keep clients up-to-date with products and services. You can refer to your website via links to highlight key areas/products.

Dos & Don’ts when using additional features such as social networking and free are:

• Keep it Professional. Only use a personal blog if your personal activities are relevant to your business – you have a reputation to maintain which can be shattered by a misguided ‘joke’ posted by a ‘friend’. Also remember that most social networking site carry adverts – some may directly contradict your company ethos or even be by your competitors!
• Keep it Focused. You might well ‘be’ your business but your customer will probably still not want to see pictures of your last holiday or read ‘funny’ comments left by your friends.
• Think about Longevity. Nothing looks worse than an out of date news page or blog. Only start something if you KNOW you have the time to keep it going.

Problem #2 My website is no-where on Google.

People tend to forget that Google is a business too and it wants to look GOOD. Any search engine is only as good as its results. It tailors its own search index criteria too look for websites that will show how effective IT is as a search engine. If you don’t give it want it needs – you won’t make the front page. Google looks for four main aspects to a website. Presently these are:

• relevancy
• traffic
• activity
• and classification.

So – why SHOULD Google visit your website? Give it a reason!

Reason #1) You have added a new entry to your blog.

• Every time you add a blog entry Google revisits your website (providing it has been set up correctly, of course).
• Blogs talk about your business in a way that can be clearly identified as relevant.
• Blogs create activity and traffic.

Reason #2) Your RSS Feeds.

• RSS feeds show Google your website updates regularly.
• RSS feeds help contextualise your business within a global/national market.
• RSS create activity, traffic and classification.

Reason #3) Google sees that people are using your links as a general resource.

• Links create communities and customers.
• Well selected links classify and legitimize you by contextualisation and association.
• Links create activity and traffic.

Reason #4)

Google identifies your site as have interesting, well labelled images.

• Images have the same properties as textual content (Only if ‘alt’ tag is used).
• Images classify and contextualise by descriptions.
• Images can be ‘tagged’ which create relevancy and are independently searchable.

Google Dos and Don’ts are;

1) Keep Professional.

• Don’t use methods such as ‘squeeze’ pages, javascript redirects to ‘bump up’ your hits, auto refreshing pages, multiple ‘copy and paste’ for extra content or spam people with ‘news’ emails or you WILL be marked down by Google.

2) Keep Focused.

• If you use Adsense, make sure you choose adverts that are relevant to you.
• Don’t use single words as meta tags. Think about relevant phrases instead.
• Don’t overuse keywords/phrases. or you WILL be marked down by Google.

3) Think about Longevity.

• Do check links regularly as websites change and delete pages all the time,
• check RSS feeds are working regularly
• and don’t take on a Blog if you can’t keep it up-to-date or you WILL be marked down by Google.

Problem #3 My website doesn’t always work.

Problems with websites are often caused by incompatibility.

Not only are there lots of internet browsers now – there are lots of versions too.

Most websites are only designed to work on one version of Internet Explorer – but there a 3 versions in high use in the UK and they are very different. Other popular browsers in common use are;

• Safari
• (Mozilla) Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Opera
• Flock (watch out for that last one as it is created for social networking addicts and set to be a big hit.).

There are usually around 3 versions of each browser in use at any one time. Are you sure your website works on these? This chart usually makes businesses scared.

Be VERY scared!

The following is a list of browsers/internet ready devices that are in common use in the UK.

Web Browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6-8.
• Mozilla Firefox (3 versions)
• Safari (3 versions)
• Opera (3 versions)
• Google Chrome (Beta).

On mobile devices the most used browsers are;

• Windows Mobile
• Safari Mobile
• Opera (SSR – Small Screen Rendering)
• Firefox Mobile (Beta)

plus a range of brand-specific browsers such as;

• Polaris
• JB5,
• BOLT
• Blazer
• Skyfire.

Monitor screens now range from;

• 1280 x1024+ / Widescreen  – which is the currently the most commonly used monitor size in the UK
• 1024 x 868+ which has previously been standard screen size across all age groups,
• 800 x 600 which still covers between 10 and 20% of internet users in the UK and all new Netbooks
• 640×480 – which is estimated to still effect between 1-5% of UK internet users but vitally, is STILL the default resolution on low-end screens such as those used by patients in hospitals and within the public sector departments.

As well as these screen sizes and resolutions, most mobile web devices display web pages on portrait NOT landscape screens.

Other new considerations include;

• Internet enabled HD-TV (often powered by Yahoo)
• Internet enabled Sky + boxes
• Internet enabled Wii and X-Box 360
• Wireless internet enabled games consoles such as Nintendo DS, PSP and Ipod Touch.

(PS there are 40+ other web browsers in common use not mentioned here…)

How to make your website work on everything!

The good news is there is one complete solution.

The best (and possibly, only) way of making your website work on all these browsers and devices is to adopt modern and word wide web standards which cover design and accessibility across all technologies – both now and those that may emerge in the future.

• The most well known of these is called WC3 Guidelines (Word Wide Web Consortium) , which in spite of being published over 8 years ago, are still widely ignored.
• The second are the WCAG, which are the Word Wide Web Consortium Accessibility Guidelines, which promote web accessibility
• Lastly is Web 2.0 – which separates how a website looks from its content, enabling and encouraging worldwide distribution and freedom to access information – whatever you are using to view that information.

Many business (and sadly, even web designers) do that think that the either the demand or need is there to adopt these accessible web design techniques. However, it is precisely these techniques which ALSO allow your website to be viewed all the browsers and platforms we previously listed.

Why limit who can see your websites and buy your products and services simply because your website doesn’t work? Don’t settle for second best – ask your designer to adopt accessible web design techniques.

Problem #4: My Products/Services don’t sell online.

To identify what your products or services are not selling online its often easiest to look at successful e-commerce websites and ask yourself what makes them different to you?

Research has identified four solid facts about successful online shops all have to do with the clients ‘shopping experience’.

1) Clients feel safe and secure.

Research has shown that If a client;

• feels they have left the website they were on;
• feels that their personal details may be unsafe;
• can’t clearly see confirmation of what they have bought (and when it will be delivered BEFORE paying)
• can’t easily get help if they get stuck during the shopping or checkout process ;

that they will stop and leave the shop.

2) Clients feel calm and at ease.

If a client feels at all;

• unsure
• panicked
• frustrated due to slowness or complexity of the process

then they will leave the website (even at the very last stage of checkout).

Check your shopping experience from start to finish on a someone else’s unfamiliar computer – would YOU buy from you?

3) Client can see clearly what they are buying.

Images on many web shops are terrible!

• Look at eBay to see images by the most popular sellers.
• Look at the ‘big boys’ shops and how easy the image options they offer are.
• Contact your manufacturer – most will provide high quality images free for web distribution.

4) Clients feel they have options.

Successful online shops usually have most(if not all) of the following options:

• visible contact information;
• an FAQ or Help page;
• optional telephone payment;
• one-click buying option;
• optional account sign-up;
• instant email confirmation and shipping details;
• instant, accurate stock information;
• pictures of their products IN the shopping cart;
• multiple shipping/Postage options.

Check your shop site and make sure you follow these examples of good practice.

In conclusion.

To resolve your website problems take the following action:

• Help clients FIND you
• Make clients feel WELCOME
• Make clients feel SAFE
• Make clients feel INTERESTED
• PROVIDE clients with the ability to choose you and your services.

For any help and advice with what you have read here, please contact Clive Loseby on 01243 514454

©Access-byDesign 2009