• Refine the sources of incoming traffic. Look at the keywords that generated visitors.  High bounce rates mean some keywords generate traffic irrelevant to the real purpose of the page.  Rework your copy so the keywords you intend to pull actually pull.  While you may see less total traffic, those who do arrive are more valuable because their purpose for visiting better matches the page content.  Would you rather have 10 visitors who want what you sell or 100 visitors who don’t?
• Don’t try to do too much. It’s tempting to stuff lots of information, resources, calls to action, sign-up boxes, etc. onto each page.  But too much clutter drives visitors away.  Each page should have a clear and primary purpose.  You can include a few sub-purposes, but make sure the “subs” are discreet and do not distract from the main purpose.
• Make sure the purpose matches your call to action. A product page should feature the product and make it easy to purchase.  A newsletter page should highlight the benefits of the newsletter and make it easy to sign up.  Visitors are satisfied when they can quickly meet their needs.
• Then clean up your design. Subtlety doesn’t play well on the web.  A visitor should be able to scan a page in no more than two to three seconds to find what they want.  Multiple navigation bars, multiple search boxes, oddly-placed ads… the more complicated the design the more likely a visitor will bounce.
• And remember, a high bounce rate could mean the page actually was successful. If visitors bounce off your contact page, that could just mean they needed your phone number.  If so, leaving quickly isn’t a bounce — it’s success.

Reposted from source: http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/dont-let-your-website-drive-customers-away/2431?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

A survey distributed after our last two internet marketing workshops revealed the following:

• 80% of attendees found the workshop Very Helpful
• 20% of attendees found the workshop somewhat helpful
• 100% of attendees would recommend the workshop to a friend

Learn about upcoming internet marketing workshops.

Having a beautifully-designed website is the bare minimum of what is required for online success. There are many technical and strategic best practices that designers often overlook. New designers and graphic artists in general aren’t usually trained in technical areas. They are trained to design and will almost always deliver a nice looking page.

First decide on the value of your online brand, then decide if it is worthy of professional services. There are billions of websites online and it’s likely that hundreds are those of your local competitors. Consider why your competitor’s website is showing up in search results when your website does not. Also consider that most consumers use the web as a first resource when researching or seeking services and products. Finally, consider the number of missed opportunities created because your website is not being found or when found, it did not present a professional appearance or one that best represented and promoted your brand.

Six Important Takeaways:

1. Choosing a $4.99/month instant website will not deliver you business
2. Choosing to have an inexperienced family member design your website for free or on the cheap will not deliver professional results and is not likely to generate any business or good search engine rankings. If consumers are unable to locate your website when using popular search terms (keywords) related to your business of products, why bother?
3. Training and experience matters. There is added value to choosing a professional and experienced online marketing expert. A well-trained webmaster will know the internet from all angles (design, usability, development, writing, structure, etc.) and an experienced professional will know what strategies and tactics are going to be best in helping you achieve online success.
4. It doesn’t have to be costly, but it does have to cost. There’s no way around the fact that if you want professional services, there is a cost. But there are creative ways to reduce cost. One option may be to barter for a professional exchange of services. Regardless, be honest about your budget so that your webmaster can help develop a best option… something that will deliver the most bang for your buck.
5. Your webmaster cares to deliver a good product. Most online professionals want to be able to point other clients to your website as an example of their work. They also want to be able to showcase the amount and type of success they were able to help you achieve.
6. You decide the value of your online presence.

If you aren’t achieving the results you want online, the link below points to a great Q&A article about why getting an inexperienced family member to help you establish an online presence is not going to help. The article is specific to social media, but it’s best to give the same consideration to your business website… http://www.mrelevance.com/04/why-cant-my-niece-build-my-facebook-page/

Happy holidays! As we celebrate the holidays, I want to wish each of you the largest ROI with your web marketing campaigns.

 Here are a five key web practices to keep in mind:

1. Know the season: Offer an updated look to your web site (even if temporary). Show that you have the holiday spirit.
    
2. Know your customers: Put your customer information to good use. Make sure that your site offers up a dynamic list of products and services that can help your customer locate that special gift for Aunt Susie.
    
3. Make the sale easy: Holiday shopping can be a pain so make sure that there are special holiday landing pages developed to make it easier for customers to locate the most popular holiday items. Use last year’s data as a point of reference, but be sure to also know the hottest trends and products.
    
4. Make it a steal: Like you, your customers love a great deal. Make sure that there are banners and other highlighted information about new products and savings that might be of interest to that customer. These items should be visible until the sale is completed.
    
5. Follow up: Offer the customer a reason to return to your web site. Give them the option to sign up for updates on sales, and new products and services. This will enable you to build and maintain a long term relationship with the customer. Be sure to send the customer a thank you (whether by mail or email) and include a special gift or offer to show just how grateful you really are.

Use these tips throughout the year and design your web site to keep your online customers and website visitors happy.

Mobile website designers houston

Web designers know that the industry involves plenty of change, and continuous adaption and development of skills is required in order to stay up to date. In the past few years, one of the biggest areas of change has been the amount of Internet users who are accessing websites via phones and mobile devices. As a result, Web designers have a growing need to be educated in this area and ready to design websites that accommodate this audience.

Because designing websites for mobile devices brings some unique situations and challenges into play, the subject requires a strategic approach from the designer and developer. Contact us to find out how we can help get your website designed and optimized for mobile surfing.

Website Designers Houston

Simply put… no! A great website design alone is not enough to guarantee online success.

Often times business owners are unwittingly taken for granted because they are unaware that having a website (even an attractive website) is not all that’s required for online business success.

It is important as it is to have a website that is well laid out with good color and font selection and good photography. It is even more important to have well-written, engaging copy and a navigation that is planned and constructed in a way that will be intuitive to the consumer.

There should be significant thought given to your target audience (often a missing but very valid concern). If a website is created specifically based on the personal taste of the business owner of the website designer (subjective design), then it may not attract or keep the consumer whose business you intended to capture. The end result is a website with little or no return. The website will only appeal to the people whose needs were considered.

When consumers visit your website, it leaves an impression. Ask yourself, what impression is my website making? That impression leads site visitors to make immediate assumptions about your business. If the assumptions that are made by consumers are negative, it will be nearly impossible to modify their opinion of your level of professionalism, the type of service and the quality of products your business offers.

For most of today’s business owners, their website is the front door to their business. This is where most consumers make an initial entrance and are introduced to your business offerings. How inviting is your front door? If your website were a true brick and mortar, would you enter or would you be wary? Does it deliver the message that you are a professional organization that exercises integrity or does it say grimy and sleazy? Just as with a brick and mortar, your website should be created in a way that makes it possible for you to attract the right clientele for your business.

Helpful Tips

• Think carefully when selecting a design style for your business.
• Use a professional website designer.
• If something appears unusual during the development process, ask questions.

It is literally your business to know what is being done when creating your online presence. Stay involved and make sure that end product looks like something reliable, professional and is truly representative of your brand.

Website Designers Houston

Good website design depends on the inclusion or three key principles: Balance, harmony and a consideration for the target audience. Balance means to keep in mind the scale and size of images, font sizes and placement of element within the grids of your pages. This is needed so that a website visitor will find your website aesthetically-pleasing and will be able to easily scan and locate content throughout each page.

Harmony relates to the use of colors that work well together and the use of font types that can flow together while creating emphasis and strength where it is needed. This is also helpful to the website visitor in terms of usability. Research has repeatedly shown that the majority of internet users do not read web pages as they would printed copy. Instead a website visitor is more likely to scan through the copy trying to quickly spot the word or topic of interest. Use of color and the selection of suitable and readable fonts will make this easier for consumers who visit your website and will reduce the risk of site visitors exiting your site before completing a transaction.

Your most important consideration is your target audience. Who would you like to attract to your website? Who are the people most likely to purchase your product? Knowing this is going to help guide you in your selection of all of the above. For instance, a children’s website will use colors that are more attractive to a younger audience and a site intended for an elderly audience would be created using font sizes that are larger than average.