10 Worst Home Page Mistakes

Your web site is the centerpiece of your brand. It’s often your first and only chance to make a good impression. Visitors decide in 5-8 seconds if they will stay or go. Here’s a few lessons from those that failed in keeping our attention.

1. No hooks to entice the visitor to dig deeper.
   People go to your web site because they hope you’ll solve a problem, provide an insight, or entertain them. Offer your customers a “hook” or “bait” relating to why they came to your site. This link should connect them to relevant content.
2. You don’t immediately speak to your customers’ wants and needs.
   Even a clever “hook” will fail if you don’t speak to their needs. Have you ever actually asked them? Understand the top three reasons why they go to your web site and make these easy to find.
3. You welcome your visitor.
   Your intentions are good but you may delay your visitors from learning about your company. You have 5-8 seconds. Explain what you do and how they will benefit from working with you instead. Some call this a value proposition.
4. No free resources.
   Free resources are a very pervasive marketing strategy. Do you offer your clients scores of juicy resources and value-packed content? People are always looking for free stuff. To give is to receive.
5. Title isn’t descriptive or Search Engine Optimized.
   “Index” in the title (top of browser) is like calling your company “Name”. Most people put their company name up top. Titles offer an easy free way to improve SEO. Include keywords that describe your business, a tagline, key services and your city. Nielsen/NetRatings claim 24.4 percent of searches include the city. Here’s the HTML code: <TITLE>Put your descriptive title here.</TITLE>
6. No tagline.
   A catch phrase (three to eight words) at the top of your site is an excellent way to communicate what you do and how your customer will benefit from working with you. Help your visitor answer “Where am I and what can I do here?” and you’re golden.
7. No Blog
   Blogs are excellent for SEO and building your reputation as an expert in your field. Blog 3-5 times a week? Pat yourself on the back. Rarely or don’t blog? Think again. The payback is opportunities and leads. No time? Outsource it or publish a few lines or even a picture. It doesn’t always have to be an in-depth article. New content keeps ‘em comin’.
8. Mystery Navigation and Flash Introductions
   People will leave if they have to guess what to do next or if something is tricky click on. Just because things move, doesn’t make them good. It may seem impressive but it often delays, frustrates and confuses. Content must be relevant and delivered efficiently. Aim for predictable instead.
9. Your design isn’t distinctive.
   Stand out from the crowd and be different. Communicate your brand’s message. TIP: Avoid the temptation to offer many products or services. It dilutes your brand because it’s confusing. Aim to specialize instead.
10. Not telling people what your services are.
    Learn what your clients need to motivate them to make a commitment. Do you have a services page? You’re on the right track. If it’s loaded with answers to questions they often ask you, enjoy a gold star! A bulleted list is helpful but can leave people wanting more. Give them insight into the process of working with you. Include packages.

BONUS You speak in your words, not your clients.
Mirror your client’s style. Speak in their words and to their needs. Your messages will be understood and have an impact. Write to connect. Value their time and avoid unnecessary details.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit. Contact us today.

Download PDF to forward or print.

Thanks to Purpleslog for the “Burning Money” image.

Google Advice: What Now? What Next?

Dennis Woodside at The Paley Center for Media, March 16, 2010.

Google Advice: What Now? What Next?

I just finished watching Fora.tv, one of my favorite websites. Barbara Walters eloquently introduced Dennis Woodside, Google’s VP of Americas Operations. He spoke on advertising, technology and his work with Google.

Watch the Presentation on Fora.TV

One of his roles is to help large organizations understand what’s next in technology (mobile, tablets, web books) and how to recreate the online successes of their flourishing brands.  Often one division will experience success while others lag. With more and more people spending their lives online, it’s no wonder the phrase “getting in front of the consumer” was frequently used. People are very sophisticated in their research and will often arrive at your website or store knowing more about your product or service than the salesperson.

Mr. Woodside asked of businesses “what kind of web experience are you trying to create?” We are beyond the online brochure and playing at a higher level of interaction now. He believes with over 40 million US users looking at YouTube’s home page, video is a powerful method of reaching and engaging consumers. I couldn’t agree more. It’s also my understanding that video search isn’t as saturated and therefore offers great SEO benefits.

There were a few questions on privacy. “With a greater understanding of people’s needs, we can serve them better” is his answer in a nutshell. “Who wouldn’t want to see an ad for a car if you are in the market to buy?” On the other hand he says technology is there to assist. “It can create opportunities or it can be a bad thing. We’ll continue to struggle with this for some time.” True. We do now have the power to serve our customers better. We have the ability to test which ad works instantly. It’s a unique medium because we can understand our return on advertising investment.

Technology continues to invade our privacy for better or for worse. He mentioned “FourSquare“ a few times which seems to be a website application that helps you can connect instantly with people, places, products and services near you, wherever you are, from your mobile phone. I heard about something similar last year at WordCamp. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of this type of social networking to come.

What about open source and closed source (another shift driven by Web 2.0′s sharing nature)? How do we monetize when so much is free? TV Everywhere was referenced. Mr. Woodside delivered no quick solutions. With a sense of leadership, he instead offered the perspective on journalism that more people than ever are better read because of this change. It is suggested that while there may be discomfort, that in the long term we are better off. He assured us that monetizing would naturally follow people’s preferences. Google will continue to support with display advertising in the meantime.

My takeaways? Big change continues to be underway shifting the entire economic structure we have grown so comfortable with. The good news? If you’re looking forward you’ll find opportunities. Get online with video and think local (mobile, tablets, web books, social networking and local search).

Top 5 SEO Tips

Make the most of your website and start generating more business. With a few small changes you can make a BIG difference.

Over 70% of people use Google as their primary search engine. When your customers put a few “key words” into Google they want to find your business. Make it easy for them and you’ll reap the rewards.

Did you know 62 percent of people searching online look only at the first page?! And 90 percent will only look at the first three pages.*

Wondering how to rank better with search engines? ReadyGo Media can help. Want to try a few tricks on your own?

Here’s 5 hot tips that will give you a great start:

1. Fresh is Best

In response to social media (blogs, twitter, etc.), Google adjusted its ranking process (algorithms) to favor current content. This is called “real-time-search” and it attempts to make results as timely and relevant as possible. Current unique content rises to the top.

2. Inbound Linking

Develop relationships with other complementary popular businesses that will put a link to your website on their website. A good initial goal to aim for is 25 inbound links.

Competitor Analysis
What keywords is your competitor using to optimize? Who is linking to your competitor and should you be too?

Directory Submission
Get listed in the top directories and other relevant industry directories.

3. Optimize Your Title Tag

The title tag is the bar above the location of the website address. Sometimes it says “Index” or a company name and is an important part of search engine optimization. 74 percent** of searches are local so consider including your location. Use this area in the same way your customers would enter a search for your business. Don’t use: “XYZ Law, San Francisco” Do use: “San Francisco XYZ Law.”

Further, include key services in your title tag. For example, your title tag may look like “San Francisco Divorce Attorney, San Franscisco Prenup Lawyer, XYZ Law San Francisco.” Notice the company name is at the end. When it comes to organic search for new customers this is least important.

The top local search listing engines:

• Google Local Business Center
• Yahoo Local
• Bing Local Listing Center
• Best of the Web Local

The number of people who sought local information on a mobile device grew 51% from March 08-March 09.

4. Cross Linking

Create internal hyperlinks that drive your website visitors back to main pages of your content.

5. Harness the Power of Keywords

Identify keywords and phrases by researching the competition, your website and by using SEO tools. The easiest way to get started is to provide unique compelling regularly updated content. Include your top keywords yet ensure your text is written for the reader first and the engines second.

Google doesn’t bother with “keyword meta tags” anymore but may still use the description tag. Many argue keyword meta tags are still a useful especially considering other engines. So, they are still commonly implemented.

Here’s a fun tool to get you started with keywords. See how your website keyword density measures up today!

SEO Strategy

SEO is an ongoing process where the best results are realized with a solid strategy. It takes time for search engines to recognize your changes. More traffic and a longer term to compare information equals better results.

SEO companies generally work with a minimum time commitment of 3-12 months.

By actively measuring your successes you can adjust your tactics and continually improve. Relying on search engine rank alone is not effective because results are personalized. For example, someone in LA will retrieve different results than someone in San Francisco even if they search the same words.

Success can be measured with sophisticated analytics tools, inbound links and even by good ol’ emails, phone calls and sales.

Get Found Online ReadyGo Media Website

ReadyGo Media websites all include search engine optimization.
SEO results made fast and easy. Our websites use WordPress which is naturally great for SEO. Further, we install an SEO tool into all our websites and provide training on how you can use it.

Features include:

• Advanced Canonical URLs
• Fine tune Page Navigational Links
• Built-in API so other plugins/themes can access and extend functionality
• SEO Integration for WP e-Commerce sites
• Nonce Security
• Support for CMS-style WordPress installations
• Automatically optimizes your titles for search engines
• Generates META tags automatically
• Avoids the typical duplicate content found on WordPress blogs
• For beginners, you don’t even have to look at the options, it works out-of-the-box.
• For advanced users, you can fine-tune everything
• You can override any title and set any META description and any META keywords you want.

This doesn’t replace carefully researched strategies. ReadyGo Media also offers powerful SEO packages for you to start growing your business and getting more clients.

Contact Joanne today to raise your search engine ranking and get found online.

*Study by iProspect / Jupiter Research 2006

** Kesley Group

FREE Webinar “Website Power Tips”

Transform Your Website into a Powerful Marketing Portal

and Bring In More Money and Clients in 2010!

George Plumley
Author 24-Hour WordPress Trainer

Joanne Probyn
Creative Director, ReadyGo Media

Are you ready to learn some killer tips that will make your website REALLY work for you in 2010?

I’ve teamed up with web developer George Plumley for a FREE 60 minute webinar that can take your site to the next level.We’ll share with you 15 Power Tips that I’ve personally used on the ReadyGo Media site–and best of all, you can start using these “Power Tips” right away!

Whether you’ve just started your website or you’ve had one for several years, the tips from this webinar will make your site more useful to visitors and more visible to search engines.And because we can show you what we’re talking about on screen, the easier it will be to absorb these tips and see how they can work for you!

The webinar will also give me a chance to announce my newly branded company – ReadyGo Media – and again you’ll be able to see how powerful even just a few changes on your website can be.

Join us for this FREE ground-breaking webinar and you’ll learn:

• The single biggest mistake you can make on a website.
• The easiest way to drive more traffic and increase your Search Engine ranking with Google
• The fastest way to build trust with any website design
• One single change that will quickly reveal incredible opportunities and important relationships you never dreamed were possible
• You usually have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Don’t send the wrong message. Learn how employ powerful marketing to leverage your time for growing your business, instead of being a slave to it.

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Just enter your information in the boxes below, and you’ll receive the complete webinar details via email in a few minutes.

FREE Webinar Reservation Form

Yes George and Joanne, please sign me up for this exciting free 60-minute webinar on

Tuesday, January 26th at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern

Tuesday, February 16th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Click here to Register

CAN’T ATTEND THE LIVE WEBINAR? Sign up anyway, and you’ll receive a link to a video recording of the entire event!

Please note upon registration you will also receive a complimentary subscription to

ReadyGo Media’s newsletter. Privacy is important to us, we will not share or sell

your information to any other organization.

LIMITED LINES AVAILABLE FOR THIS WEBINAR —

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.

5 Keys to Great Facebook Fan Pages

Here’s a few remarkable stats on the world’s #1 social network, Facebook:

· Top 2009 Google search term was “Facebook” (Google Insights)
· 2nd most visited site next to Google at #1 (Alexa)
· 350 million users and increasing rapidly
· Fastest growing demographic age 30+
· 700,000+ local active business Fan Pages

Facebook Pages (aka Fan Pages) are much like a second, more interactive, website. They are SEO. I don’t want you to miss this so I’ll say it again. They are Search Engine Optimized and that means that your Page can be found through powerful search engines like Google… driving traffic and generating leads! You can send mass messages, promote events and share a wide range of engaging and educational content. It’s really more like an event than a site or brochure. It’s a great opportunity to share your company’s message and build relationships.

Check out how these Pages are doing it right:

Customized Landing Page

Victoria’s Secret Pink has a great landing page. By default, all Facebook landing pages are set to the “Wall”. You can easily change this by adjusting the settings under “Wall”. You could offer viewers a more attractive and engaging welcome. Pink’s landing page offers free stuff, promotes sales, entices with internal links (polls, photo gallery) and even offers cell phone wallpaper when you text your phone.

Build credibility. Share the workload.

Orange Salon. They take care of basics in their Information panel (hours of operation, phone, address) and share customer reviews on their “Wall” and in “Photos”. Fans are really engaged and grateful. A “Reviews” tab would also be good here, too. There’s nothing more powerful than a loyal fan. They posted what seems to be a customer submitted video. After a closer look, it’s made by the salon. In any case, it’s great to have video to help build personality and credibiliy. Even better if it’s a real fan video. For example, Coca Cola found a “real” Fan Page and made it official. They acknowledged them publically then supported them to do the work.

Fun with video.

Dunkin Donuts. A talking coffee bean may not be what comes to mind when considering what makes a great Page, but hey… social media is best when it’s fun! Dunkin Donuts added a custom tab called “Maurice”. You can make Maurice the bean say some funny things and send it to a friend or post it to someone’s wall (viral). You may want to consider an attractive custom tab page including a welcome video introducing your company. Post it on YouTube to take advantage of additional SEO benefits.

Trick our your page.

Alicia Keys. There’s a ton of apps out there and choosing the right small selection depends on your business. If music is your thing, enhance your Page with iLike, an app (tab) which allows you to post audio, video, bulletins, links, “sounds like” tags and tour dates, all on one page! Pizza Hut actually has an app so you can order a pizza without ever leaving the comfort of your Facebook site. Make interacting with your business easy.

Become a resource to you clients.

The Wilson Law Firm. What caught my eye with this Page was their effective use of “YouTube” and “Discussions” tabs. Postings such as “10 Biggest Mistakes People Make Following a DUI Arrest and How to Avoid Them” and “What to Look For in a Virginia DUI Lawyer” build credibility while offering help and giving people a reason to return and share. Many other law firms including Fenwick & West LLP also offer a “Documents” tab which is a great way to share pdf articles.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit at this link: www.readygomedia.com (www.joanneprobyn.com until official ReadyGo Media launch).

Webinar – Website Power Tips

Transform Your Website into a Powerful Marketing Portal

and Bring In More Money and Clients in 2010!

George Plumley
Author 24-Hour WordPress Trainer

Joanne Probyn
Director, ReadyGo Media

Are you ready to learn some killer tips that will make your website REALLY work for you in 2010?

I’ve teamed up with web developer George Plumley for a FREE 60 minute webinar that can take your site to the next level. We’ll share with you 15 Power Tips that I’ve personally used on my own site – and best of all, you can start using these “Power Tips” right away!

Whether you’ve just started your website or you’ve had one for several years, the tips from this webinar will make your site more useful to visitors and more visible to search engines. And because we can show you what we’re talking about on screen, the easier it will be to absorb these tips and see how they can work for you!

The webinar will also give me a chance to announce my newly branded company – ReadyGo Media – and again you’ll be able to see how powerful even just a few changes on your website can be.

Join us for this FREE ground-breaking webinar and you’ll learn:

· The single biggest mistake you can make on a website.

· The easiest way to drive more traffic and increase your Search Engine ranking with Google

· The fastest way to build trust with any website design

· One single change that will quickly reveal incredible opportunities and important relationships you never dreamed were possible

· You usually have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Don’t send the wrong message. Learn how employ powerful marketing to leverage your time for growing your business, instead of being a slave to it.

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Just enter your information in the boxes below, and you’ll receive the complete webinar details via email in a few minutes.

FREE Webinar Reservation Form

Yes George and Joanne, please sign me up for this exciting free 60-minute webinar on

Tuesday, February 16th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Click here to Register

CAN’T ATTEND THE LIVE WEBINAR? Sign up anyway, and you’ll receive a link to a video recording of the entire event!

Please note upon registration you will also receive a complimentary subscription to

ReadyGo Media’s newsletter. Privacy is important to us, we will not share or sell

your information to any other organization.

LIMITED LINES AVAILABLE FOR THIS WEBINAR —

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.