By Jon Bailey, President of Wood Street

Tips on How to Market Effectively on the Net: ( Click here for Part 1 )

Be Visible

Visibility is important mostly in terms of search engines and directories. This is commonly the first place potential visitors will try to "find" you. In order to be found, your site must be popular and very "visible".

What does this mean exactly? Basically it means that every way that your site is found needs to be addressed and dealt with.

According to Search Engine Visibility by Shari Thurow (a great Internet Marketing read), there are five key things you must do to make your site visible to Search Engines and Directories:

1) Make your content easy to read

Most web users read at about an 11th grade level while online. This is especially important when it comes to directories. The “readers” need to be able to get your point quickly.

2) Make your site easy to navigate
Both directories and engines look at your navigation. They are looking for a hierarchical flow that relates to your content. Avoid complex navigation that requires a lot of thought. KEEP IT SIMPLE!

3) Make your site easy to find
Adding your site to the top search engines is important but there is so much more you can do. Look for industry specific search engines. For example, if you are a real estate agent, look for directories and engines that are specific to real estate and your area. Also, add your web address to everything you can. Especially the signature of your email and your print materials.

4) Keep you layout and design consistent
Directories in particular do not like surprises and hate to be confused. Make sure that all sections of your site look similar. You never want anyone feeling like they are not on your site when they still are. Keep your look and feel consistent.

5) Quick to download
This rule applies to all audiences. Your site should be built for the lowest common denominator. If a person or machine has to wait for your site to load, you will lose them. Avoid superfluous graphics and animations.

6) Content and keywords are another topic that we have found useful:

• Use words and phrases that are relevant to your products, services or message. These are called “keywords”.
• Use keywords and phrases that people searching for your site will use.
• What words would you use to describe your company?
• What words do you think your customers would use to describe your company?
• Insert keyword-rich Meta content into all of your pages
• Use page titles and ALT tags and use HTML for text wherever possible
• Register with the top engines and follow up on your listing
• Look for free and pay-for industry specific engines
  

Be Succinct and Direct

Save the long, drawn out prose for novels and short stories. On the web you have to get to the point. Again, you are dealing with an impatient audience who is having a hard time reading on the screen.

If your site is the one they found where they get the information they are seeking without having to actually read, you instantly have an upper hand. This is especially important on your home and main pages.

Here are some easy ways to cut the fat and get right to the point:

• Use bulleted or ordered lists like this one.
• Eliminate any content that is not directly related to the point you are trying to make. Keep it very simple.
• Try to use words and phrases that will catch the eye of the viewer. Bold them if you have to. Just make sure they are relevant to the point you are trying to make.
• Use bold headlines to delineate different sections of your content.
• Use charts, graphs, etc. to illustrate certain points. Make sure they are low-bandwidth, easy to understand and translate well onto a screen.
• Make sure your content is arranged in a logical order.
• Use anchored links to break up your content within a page. An anchored link is probably what you used to get to this section of the article.
• Just focus on being very up front and to the point. Don't hide your important content amongst useless drivel. Make it visible!
  

Always Have a Call to Action
What do you want people to do once they have visited your site and browsed your content? Whatever action or actions required, make sure you encourage your visitors to perform them.

Here are some everyday examples of how to elicit an action from a site visitor:

eCommerce Site:

If you are trying to sell items online, make sure you do the following:

• Don't hide your shopping cart pages. Make sure people can easily find an item and check out.
• Promote items throughout your site, not just in the cart. If you talk about an item that you sell in your content, link to it in your cart.
• Make sure your cart looks like the rest of your site so you don't lose visitors who think they have left your site.
• Keep your order process as simple as possible. You don't want to get someone interested in a product and then have them leave your site because your order process is too involved.
• Link to your cart on every page. Make sure it is visible.
• If you have a phone number, list it on every page. This will give you a more accessible look.

Non-Profit/Membership Driven Site:

Here your desired result may be two-fold... maintain and increase your current membership. Here are some tips for both:

• Post useful information on the site and make it easily accessible. You could even go so far as to promote this with email.
• Have a private section for "members only". This creates a sense of there being benefits to being a member. Give information would be useful to current members and attractive to prospective members.
• Allow current members the ability to renew their membership online if it is time based. Also, allow prospective members to apply for membership online.
• Give members access to chat rooms or bulletin boards to increase online involvement.
  Ask for and listen to their comments online.
• Have contests, news section pertaining to members, etc.

Informational Portal Site:

The action here may not be as obvious. However, the essential desired action here would be that people use your site to access specific information and that they do it multiple times. Here are some ways to encourage both of these actions:

• Use a database that is easy to use and easy to search to organize your information. The easier it is to use, the more it will get used.
• Use a navigation system that makes it easy for visitors to get through your site. Comfort increases confidence and repeat usage.
• Provide information in quick loading formats that don't rely too heavily on an antiquated database structure. Also, watch out with graphics. People are looking for information, not pretty pictures.
• Ask users what they think about your site. Post the positive responses and act on the negative ones.
• There are many ways to encourage your visitors to act a certain way when looking at your site. You need to get into their shoes. If you can understand how they are looking at your information, then you are better prepared to present it.

Final Words of Wisdom...
Marketing and Internet Marketing are both arts as well as sciences. They require equal parts of creativity and logic. They are also both very important when it comes to the growth and success of any venture.

But most importantly, you can't succeed in marketing or Internet Marketing unless you try. So, get out there and start MARKETING!

Jon-Mikel Bailey, Director of Client Services Wood Street, Inc.
301.668.5006 ext. 222 www.woodst.com

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