Website Effectiveness

Copyright © 2014 | Northern Initiatives
Website Effectiveness
A Three Part Guide to Increasing Site Reach and
Improving Traffic Flow

Index
Part 1: Getting Traffic
• Blog Content
• Site Content
• Social Media (ex. Facebook, Twitter)
• Local Listings (ex. Trip Advisor, Yelp)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• 301 Redirect
Part 2: Converting Traffic
• Calls to Action
• Ease of Use
• Ability to Gather Leads or Sales
• Ratings and Reviews
• Informational Guides
Part 3: Measuring Traffic
• Setting Goals
• Monthly Analysis
• Review Feedback
• Implement Changes
(Advanced Tip)
Denotes higher level web design knowledge.
Links provided to aid in self-instruction.

Part 1
Getting Traffic
• Your website is already live and ready to receive its first
visitors. Have you stepped back to review your site?
• The first step after launching your website is to begin
increasing awareness through social media.
• Update website content regularly to help keep visitors
engaged.

Site Content
• When creating your website content, carefully review the
objectives of your site.
• Beware of jargon, unclear or gimmicky wording, they send a
negative message to viewers.
• Use images, fonts, and navigation that support the site’s
writing.
• Include several paragraphs about your business on the front
page or on a separate About Us page.

Blog Content
• Creating a blog helps to drive traffic to your website.
• By sharing facts and answering common questions, the
information provided by your company will help establish your
sense of expertise.
• Top blogging websites include:
– Weebly
– Wordpress
– Blogger

Social Media
Twitter Account
• According to MarketingGrader.com, companies with 51 to 100
Twitter followers generate 106% more traffic than those with
25 or fewer followers.
• Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging
service and is one of the most visited websites today.

Social Media
Facebook Business Page
• Now with a search engine just a few clicks away, customers are
using Facebook as a search engine to fit their needs.
• By creating a page people are able to find information about
your company in an organized manner that they are used to.
• Customers are more engaged with companies who create
posts on a regular basis.

Local Listings
What is a Local Listing?
• A local listing allows users to submit geographically
constrained searches against a structured database of local
business listings.
• Important sites to track:
– Google
– Bing
– Yahoo

Local Listings
What is a Review Site?
• A review site is a website on which reviews can be posted
about people, businesses, products, or services.
• Important sites to track:
– TripAdvisor
– Yelp
– Urbanspoon

Local Listings
Why is Claiming Your Listing Important?
• Provide updated information to customer base.
• Track and monitor online reviews.
• It is a free way to advertise and connect with customers.
Get online to search for your business. Claim your listing to
manage your business’s online presence. People are talking
about your business, get involved in the conversation. For further
instruction follow our Local Listings How-to guide.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content
• Each page on a site should have a unique description.
• Try not to duplicate information across site pages.
• Include relevant information in the Meta Description. Users
look for keywords to be displayed in the Meta Description.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Titles and Tags (Advanced Tip)
• When searching for an image in Google
the Alt tag is responsible for what images are displayed.
• Page titles are very important. Using Google Adwords to find what
people search for is a good way to identify page names relating to
your content.
• Try to include the page title in your text as well as the website title.
Follow the link for more information on SEO
http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo

301 Redirect
(Advanced Tip)
• A redirect is an important tool that allows the page being accessed to
display a page from a different site or URL.
• The 301 redirect is used for permanent redirection.
• When to use?
– When changing the domain name of a page.
– after the creation of a page designed to replace the original.
– Renaming or rebranding of pages
Follow the link for more information on redirects
http://moz.com/learn/seo/redirection

Part 2
Converting Traffic
• Now that your website has visitors, convert them to returning
visitors.
• Use visitor feedback to improve your website.
• Make your site easier for visitors to navigate.
• Provide your visitors with useful information to increase
referrals.

Calls to Action
• In marketing, a call to action is used to provoke an immediate
response.
• Buttons can be placed on any or all pages increasing the
chance of a users navigating to the desired page.
• Common calls include “Contact Us Now” or “Buy Now”.

Ease of Use
Navigation
• Keep a clean navigation menu. Only use dropdown menus for
products or items on secondary pages.
• Order the most important pages first in the navigation.
• Limit the amount of links on the home page to about seven.
• Navigation should be descriptive and use keywords.

Ease of Use
Sidebar
• A sidebar provides users with the ability to find specific
information without cluttering the main navigation.
• Featuring a sidebar on secondary pages reduces the amount of
links on the home page, increasing Search Engine Optimization.
• Provides a great place for a call to action.

Ability to Gather Leads or Sales
E-Commerce Site
• Promote a return policy to convert visitors to customers.
• Offer multiple payment options to attract more buyers.
• Take action to ensure your site and payment gateways are
secure. Make site security visible to customers.
• Include a visible toll-free number on each page.

Ability to Gather Leads or Sales
Business Site
• Visit competitor sites, is there something they are doing right
which could be implemented on your site?
• Link your site to other creditable businesses and have them
link back to you.
• Include your web address on all E-mails, business cards, logos,
and advertisements.

Ratings and Reviews
• Many users rely on ratings and reviews before they make a
decision. Customer feedback can provide ideas for change.
• Include a comment form or rating system. E-commerce sites
can provide discounts to customers for filing a comment.
• Provide a visible e-mail address and advertise a quick response
time for support.

Informational Guides
(Advanced Tip)
• Provide useful information to your audience. Guides and
instructional videos help people to connect with your business.
• Information supporting business or manufacturing procedures can
answer questions your audience may have.
• Popular guide formats:
– YouTube
– PDF
– PowerPoint
http://www.sitepoint.com/7-tips-for-writing-an-effective-instruction-manual/

Part 3
Measuring Traffic
• True success can only be attained by measuring website
statistics, analyzing what works and what doesn’t.
• Google Analytics provide useful tools for measuring website
traffic.
• Measure traffic down to the day’s of the week.

Setting Goals
• Conversion goals are important for measuring website success.
• Create goals using Google Analytics. Primary goals include
number of sales, bounce rate, and file downloads.

Monthly Analysis
• Website analytics should be reviewed at the end of each
month. Record what days traffic peak, including the cause.
• Were goals met and if not, what percentage of uncompleted
goals were achieved?
• Are targeted advertisements reaching the intended audience?
Geographical information is available using Google Analytics.
• Determine the viewing habits of your websites’ audience by
tracking Users Flow in Google Analytics.

Review Feedback
• Feedback is key to finding areas of your site that may fall short
of user expectations.
• Check feedback on a regular basis. There are many plugins for
feedback forms available through Wordpress.
• E-mail is a great option for collecting useable information. If a
user takes the time to write an e-mail, be sure to at least thank
them.

Implement Changes
Develop a Plan
• First things first, create a list of changes ranging from most
important to least important.
• If implementing the changes will take more than one day,
create a timeline for implementing the changes.
• Contact your website admin if you need help with changes
requiring advanced knowledge of Wordpress.

Implement Changes
Execute the Plan
• Create a backup of your website before making any changes. If
the functionality of your site has been changed significantly, be
sure to create another backup.
• Create or reinitiate goals in Google Analytics to measure the
effects of your changes.
• Promote updates across social media to attract newcomers
and returning visitors.

Website Effectiveness

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