Pretend you are opening a store in a busy shopping mall. As a savvy business owner you will budget for the monthly rent, utilities, security, signage, advertising, marketing, fixtures and inventory. Will you expect to begin making money the minute your doors are open for business?

As a website owner, let’s use the retail store analogy – you invest money in the building of the website or the retail storefront. Next, you open your doors for business or your website goes “live”. The thinking is that once the website is built, the search engines should find you immediately and the cash register will start ringing. Is this realistic? Why are online expectations so drastically unrealistic from offline expectations?

Many website owners have budgeted no time or money for online advertising or marketing yet expect dollars to come flooding in. I get dozens of emails every day with desperate pleas like, “Can you fix my website?” “What’s wrong with my website?” Or my personal favorite, “I can’t spend any more money on my website.”

If you want excellent results from your website then it’s a smart idea to invest some time and money into the marketing of the site. Here are three budgets and scenarios to consider.

Piggybank of Money – You have more time than money and can afford to wait for results. Focus on your website usability and how to attract your ideal clients. Research keyword phrases, start reciprocal linking ,cross-marketing efforts and actively engage in social media. Educate yourself by taking some seminars or teleclasses. Take immediate action on what you learn.

Stash of Money – You want immediate results and have a pretty good budget. Optimize your site to the max so the search engines and your target audience will find you. Consider a pay-per-click campaign. Invest in Google Ad Words. Enhance your offline marketing strategies to compliment your online strategies.

Buckets of Money – You want maximum results and have no budget limitations. You know what conversion rates are worth and will strategically test and measure results. Implement everything outlined in the previous two budgets plus Google Sponsor Spots. Invest in more than one pay-per-click program. Pay for listings in relevant industry, geographic and target market specific directories. Hire a Public Relations and SEO firm that will maximize your on and offline efforts.

In any of the above scenarios it’s a good idea to keep reinvesting some time and money into ongoing website efforts. When you find something that works, keep doing it and take it to the next level. For example, if you find that you’re getting lots of traffic from industry-specific directories, contact them and see how you can do more business with them. Maybe you got several clients from a website that you’re linked with. Contact that website owner and thank them, then suggest more ways you can promote each other’s business.  And finally, talk with your competitors. Are your online goals and expectations realistic? Ask your competitors how they are doing, what is working and what they’ve found to be their most effective online marketing strategy.

1. Easy – Let the visitor know it is easy to do business with you. Easy to order, easy to buy, easy to subscribe, easy to phone, easy, easy, easy. Don’t we all want everything to be easy? This is a buzzword for sure.

2. FREE – yes, put this word in big, bold capital letters at least once on your home page. Everyone can give something away for FREE. The Internet was built on the premise of FREE. What can you give away for FREE?

3. Today – Why delay? Order today! Now is good, today is better! This word invites the visitor to take action today. Tell them why today is better than tomorrow and that’s even better. Encourage them to buy from you today.

4. Buy – Yes, tell them to buy or take action. Use this word and make this prominent on your site. Order, Buy, Subscribe or Call. These are all action-oriented words that educate the visitor on where to click to “buy”.

5. Questions – Ask a question to get a response or interaction from a visitor. Use emotional words within the question to get a greater reaction. Which sounds better: “Make those hits multiply like rabbits.” or “Are your hits multiplying like rabbits?” See the difference?

6. Bullet Points – People tend to scan rather than read when they are online. Bullet points are good because they separate the text and are easy to scan quickly. Statistics show that odd numbered bullet points work best using 3-5 rather than 4-6.

7. Social Media Icons – Place these in the footer or sidebar of your site so they appear on every page. This encourages people to follow you on Twitter, friend you on FaceBook or connect with you on LinkedIn.

8. Benefits – Don’t tell me you’ve been in business for 25 years, tell me what that many years of experience is going to do for me. What makes you special? How will I feel when working with your company? What type of experience am I going to have that is different from your competitors?

9. Sign Up – OK, it’s two words, but they really work. Sign up for our free ezine; sign up for our secrets, tips or free sample. By having the visitor “sign up” you get their email address and maybe more if you have them fill out a short form. This gives you permission to market to them in the future. These are the people who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

10. Thanks – Yes, make sure to thank your online customer or potential customer for stopping by your site, placing the order or signing up. People thrive on appreciation. One company I deal with online, goes a step further and sends a handwritten thank you note every time I place an order.

10.5 Bonus – Include a special bonus for your visitors. This could be a bonus offer when you order two for one or a bonus report or a bonus coupon. Visitors love extras!

You’ve got to sell your site with WORDS because the visitor is sitting in front of a screen instead of meeting you face-to-face. The right amount of words and the way you say it is so important. Have fun playing with words on your web site and start seeing results today!

According to recent web statistics there are one trillion websites. Keeping this number in mind, how will your website rise to the top and stand out among the masses? Why should or would your website appear on the first page of Google? In other words, what makes YOU special?

Two questions that are most important to your site visitors are:

1. 1.  Who is your target audience?
2. 2.  What makes you unique, different or special?

Certainly there are many factors in deciding what makes you special. Here are my top three questions to identify what makes you SPECIAL.

Take a look at your competition. How do you differ from them? Is there something you offer that your competition doesn’t?

1. What experiences and backgrounds do you and your employees bring forth?
2. 3. Listen to what your customers are saying. What words do they use to describe you and your company?

The answers to these questions will help you succeed both on and offline.  Write your answers in the Comments area and let us all know what makes you special!

Do you know how powerful the colors are on a website? Colors make a first impression and also evoke emotions. Sometimes a simple change of colors on a website can create a whole new look and feel while keeping the same basic design.

It’s a good idea to have the colors of your logo be represented on the website. This creates a branding image in the mind of your customers. Whenever we see yellow & red & the golden arches we know what famous fast food chain that represents.

As with everything, there are positives and negatives to each color. Knowing your target audience will determine which colors you’ll choose to convey. When you’re appealing to a global audience, knowing the color meanings of different cultures will be beneficial. See a Cultural Color Chart.

Cash Colors – This 30-page ebook shows how to use color to create web pages that sell. For every color the author lists the feelings the visitor will experience. He also mentions industries that benefit by using certain colors and color combinations.

Meaning of colors according to the Small Business Association:

White – pure, clean, youthful, coolness, cleanliness, safety.

Black – power, elegant, secretive, classical, serious, stability.

Red – passion, excitement, danger, strength, bravery, energy.

Orange – vibrant, warm, healthy, exciting, fun.

Yellow – happiness, excitement, cheerful, alert, warm.

Green – natural, health, plentiful, wealth, freshness.

Purple – royalty, wise, celebration, romance, femininity.

Blue - intelligence, peaceful, trustworthy, authority, security.

A few websites to help you choose colors:

Degraeve Color Palette

Colour Lovers

Visibone Color Chart

I’ve seen speakers wear the colors of their logos and websites to leave a lasting impression on their audience. Are the colors on your website appealing to your target audience? Leave a comment and share some sites that have a good use of colors.

On average, I visit about 80 different websites every day. It’s refreshing to come across sites that have nice designs in addition to good functionality. Thought I’d mention a couple here. Just so you know, we didn’t design these sites.

Melissa Biggs -  This is a nice, clean design that encompasses 3 different professions for one person – Actress, Speaker and Designer. The photography is excellent and the filmstrip idea is nice. If you’re a speaker, take a look at how she’s organized additional navigation when you scroll down on the page. The social media icons are arranged nicely without being too much.  If you go to the Press page, there’s a magnifying glass icon, click on that and the whole scanned article comes up with click-to-enlarge images.

Tom’s Shoes This is a very nice, easy to navigate e-commerce site. There are good images that are easy to click-to-enlarge and in 3 clicks your order is placed. The philanthropic message of donating one pair of shoes for every pair sold is awesome. The email signup is on the left (so it’s on every page) and also on the right on the home page. There’s a lot of information on this site, yet it is laid out in such an organized way. It’s easy to find what you want to buy and get involved in the movement if you choose.  The community page has a video with social media icons – I like that! The Press page is very well done. The only change I’d make there is to have them in chronological order with most current being first.

By looking at what is working for other sites, you might get some ideas on how to enhance YOUR site! Post a site below that you like and why it’s so good!

Are you a creative type? Me too! Having a creative mind can be both a curse and a gift. With so many ideas and business offerings buzzing inside our heads, we often experience headaches and euphoria simultaneously. We want to tell or show everyone all the many things we do.

Those of us with websites, blogs and ezines may want to showcase lots of products or services with too much text. You’ve seen the websites I’m talking about – too much text, too many calls. The reality is that simpler really is best.

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been presented with way too many choices? It’s early in the morning or late in the day and you just don’t want to think about what to order. How many times have you ordered off the handwritten sign with just 3 choices because it was easiest? I know I’ve done that many times when my brain is just too tired to think.

Let’s use The Web Muse site and Muse News as one example for you. We have many pages trying to tell you everything we do. There’s web design, marketing, consultations and MORE. In addition, we have lots of free content and resources so the site is of value. The curse is putting too many words on the pages and knowing that people scan rather than read online. On the Home page in particular it’s best to keep the text brief yet get your message across to visitors.

In the Muse News it’s so tempting to share ALL the latest resources and information. Once again, getting carried away with too many words when the majority of readers are “scanning” this online. When I write beyond my self-imposed 2-page limit I put those new thoughts, ideas and resources into the next month’s issue. This works great because then I’ve got a good start on the next issue. This might work for you when you find yourself feverishly writing too many thoughts or ideas.

If you’re not seeing results from your website, blog or ezine – then try simplifying. You may be surprised by the response and the results. I would enjoy hearing from you on your tips for simplifying and may share those in a future Muse News.

1. Big Red Flag. No website? If the person you are planning to hire doesn’t have a site of his or her own, this is a big red flag. How will they know what works or doesn’t work if they haven’t tested it on their own site? If they are a professional in business they will have a website. Their website is a true reflection of them – study it carefully looking for anything that may indicate “this company looks great!” to “I have some doubts in working with this company”.

2. Listen to me. Can you hear me now? Are they really listening to what you want/need? OR immediately writing out a prescription like a bad doctor based upon what they think you need. If it is the latter – run-Forest-run.

3. Experience. How many years of experience does this person have? How will this benefit you?

4. Resources. How many resources does this person utilize? If they work only with one program or have one resource and derive all information/facts from that one source – probably not in your best interest to hire someone with such limited resources.

5. Speak to me. Do they speak your language? If they are speaking in technical terms you don’t understand ask them for the plain English version. If you still don’t understand and they aren’t patient with explanations – keep looking.

6. Questions. Are they asking you the right questions? What is the goal of your website? Who is your target audience? How we will reach that audience online and offline?

7. Follow Through. How long does it take the person to return your phone calls or emails? This is a strong indication of what it will be like to work with this person. A good businessperson will respond in 24 hours or less.

8. Get it in Writing. Will you have a written agreement outlining the scope of work and pricing details? It’s important to get it in writing so both parties are clear on the expectations, time frame and other details.

9. Stories. Ask them to tell you success stories of working with different clients/companies. Who is their favorite client and why? Have they had any situations where clients have been unhappy? How did they handle those situations?

10. References. Call at least two or three people that they have worked with or are currently working with. Check the Clients, Portfolio or FAQ pages at their website. Ask three important questions when speaking with their references:

a. Would you tell me what type of experience you’ve had working with _______?
b. Have there been any surprises while working with ________?
c. As an XYZ company is there anything in particular you’d recommend I be mindful of before hiring a web professional?

Ask lots of questions. Go with your gut. Your own personal feeling about working with the person is going to matter more than anything else. Also remember that web professionals will be interviewing you at the same time to see if you’re a good fit for them. It’s a good idea to talk with at least three businesses to see who best fits your needs, timeframe and budget.

Finding a good web professional and establishing a long-lasting relationship with them will benefit your business. You will have peace of mind knowing that your website is being taken care of while you concentrate on doing what you do best.

1. Flash, Frames & Blinking Banners – Avoid building an entire site in Flash. Search engines cannot find or read a site built totally in Flash. A good alternative is to create an html site and implement Flash elements inside this type of site. Frames are difficult for users and search engines can’t read sites built in frames. Avoid frames completely! Too many blinking banners, moving text or images can be distracting to the visitor and give the wrong impression. Too much bling is not a good thing for a website.
2. Poor Content, Too Much or Not Enough – What you say on your site is extremely important. Be brief and get to the point with effective, powerful words. If a visitor has to scroll multiple times to read all the text they and move on. People are typically in a hurry and want the info fast. Have you been to a site with no text and wondered what they were all about? Text on the home page is important for the visitor and for the search engines. Don’t make them guess what’s behind door #1, tell them what you are about so they will want to explore further.
3. Confusing Navigation – It’s critical to create a path or site architecture for your site. Where do you want the visitor to go first, second, third, etc.? You can control the path visitors take through your site by the order and placement of the navigation. Remember to always have a Home button so the visitor can get back home after they’ve been to other pages in the site. Although it’s common practice to have the logo click back to home; it’s surprising how many visitors still do not know this.
4. Cheapest Price – Hiring the cheapest web company is a big mistake. View their portfolio and check references. Design is one thing; it’s the follow up afterward that is also critical. Does the company return phone calls and respond promptly to email inquiries? How quickly will requested changes be made to your site? Did they ask you about your target audience? A cheap or amateur site may not project a professional image to potential clients.
5. Titles, Meta Descriptions & Meta Tags – Have you ever attempted to drive a car with no gas in it? Having a website without titles, meta descriptions and meta tags is like trying to drive a car without gas. You won’t get far and neither will your website. These elements are essential for visitors and search engines.

What web faux pas have you made? Share your story by clicking on the icon below to “Leave a Comment”.

This is an expanded version of what was written in the March 2009 Muse News. If you’d like to subscribe to the free monthly Muse News or read the archives then click here.

A plastic part in our refrigerator broke so I drove over to Sears thinking I could either buy one or they would order it for me. They said, “Oh, no we don’t do that, you have to go to our Parts Store and they are closed today.” Then I said, “Hmmm, can you order it for me online?” Then she replied again, “No, you would need to do that yourself.” So, I went back home, fired up the computer and typed the part # in Google. The first couple sites I found were awfully confusing and I couldn’t even figure out how to buy the part from these sites. Then I discovered: www.partselect.com This is an amazing website and so easy to navigate. Not only did I find the part right away with a price; the bonus was reading the Do-It-Yourself stories they post on the site. I was able to print those specific to the installation of this part and also realized I needed to order one more piece to make this thing work. With just a few clicks of the mouse, my order was placed and I received the part in less than 7 days. Now, THAT is customer service!
Since this writing, I have heard from several people who found incredible savings online by searching by part numbers. One person had an outdoor fountain and the pump went out. She returned to the store where she purchased the fountain and had a similar experience to mine above with the brick and mortar store. A quick search online and she found that of all places, Amazon carried this fountain pump!

Another couple was looking for drawer handles and knobs for their kitchen cabinets. The store didn’t have enough in stock to outfit their kitchen and they thought the prices were pretty high. They bought one of each and searched online by the part number on the back of the package. Sure enough they were able to find them “in stock” and at half the price with no tax and free shipping. What a deal!

When a part went out in his older car, Bud was able to search by part number and find exactly what he needed. His mechanic couldn’t believe he found it online!

These are just a few of the stories I’ve heard. Click on the icon that says, “Leave a Comment” below and I’d love to hear what you’ve found online by searching this way!

Are you confused about what to do and when with your website? Does your website need a facelift? Has the focus of your business changed? Take immediate action today with these 3 easy steps.

Step 1. Remove or change old dates pertaining to:

Workshops, events, seminars, specials, sales, coupons.

Copyright information.

Holiday hours or schedules.

Nothing screams neglect more than old dates on a website.

Step 2. New Look

Just as cars and fashions change so do the look and feel of websites. Technology continues to advance quite rapidly. What is available to web developers now for design and functionality may not have been available 2 or 3 years ago. Visitors spend less than 6 seconds on a home page. That’s how fast they make a decision to explore your site further or surf on. This instant impression is based on color, look/feel of the layout, navigation and clickable links to other pages in the site.

Cash Colors is a terrific Ebook by Brian McGregor. It helps you understand how color can create a variety of emotions. He also identifies which colors work best for different industries. It’s 30 pages of valuable information!

Step 3. Update Content

Keep the text brief. Scrolling to read long pages turns off most visitors. Visitors like to scan and click! If you absolutely must provide lots of wording then allow visitors to click on an underlined link to read or learn more. Make sure the pages are printable for those who like to print and read offline later.

Include some new 2-5-word keyword phrases in your text to attract more of your ideal clients. Surfers are more sophisticated about doing searches so instead of residential interior designers (3-word phrase) they might search for Seattle residential interior decorators (4-word phrase) or even find a Seattle interior designer (5 word phrase).  It’s important to determine the words your potential clients are using. For example, designer or decorator? In the web business people are starting to type in developer instead of designer. Also, the words “expert” and “best” are being used more frequently in searches. Read the article Choosing Keywords, Tattoos & Website Design to learn more about choosing some great keyword phrases.

Have some fun with this and let me hear how these action steps worked for you. Click below to share your own resources and useful tips for websites.