Frequently Asked Questions
How important are Website Graphics?
Actually, the only one who is really seriously concerned about the way a website looks is the website owner. That is not to say that a website does not need to have a professional look. It really does need to look professional, but it doesn't matter much if a site has great graphics or if it is filled with a lot of great looking flash. The reason for this is that visitors are only concerned with finding the information or product that they are after.
A website has to be able to effectively guide visitors towards what they want. As it does this, the look of the website needs to reassure the visitor that the site is legitimate. This is accomplished when a site is optimized for user experience and gives a professional look. Inappropriately placed images and flash can make a site slow to load and create barriers to the way a visitor navigates the site.
Unfortunately, many small businesses make the mistake of hiring a graphic designer to create their websites. These sites may look visually appealing, but they are often a coding nightmare that will trip up search engine spiders. This will make it hard if not impossible for a website's content to be found. These sites will exist only as online brochures that will only be found when a visitor is directly pointed to it.
Successful online businesses that generate and attract new customers are created by professional web development companies. They know that there is a lot more to effective web development solutions than just a pretty picture.
What is the most important quality of a website?
Function and content are the most important. These must be presented in a professional, pleasing way so that it will appeal to visitors. But make no mistake about it...visitors are there for content.
Does my site need to use Flash?
Today, most professional web designers know that flash is outdated. Despite this, many startup businesses insist upon using it. The reality is that the novelty of flash has worn off. When used in moderation, flash can be incorporated into the appeal of a site, but most often it is not used correctly and it ends up annoying visitors and driving them away from the site.
Does it matter what colors are used on a website?
Color is very important for influencing website visitors. Studies show that colors have the ability to relax, stimulate, excite or ever depress people. Colors need to be chosen that are relevant to the content and intent of a site. There should always be ample white space around to create a professional clean look. It is best when text is dark and the background is light.
Why should my business use professional copywriting services?
Professional copywriting services know how to write the right type of content for any given function. Web content writing will vary from that of a report or white paper, or a sales letter or a product review. They all need to be done in a style that is appropriate to the target audience and be well written and grammatically correct. Professional copywriting services will make sure that your website content copy is appropriately rich with keywords and keyword phrases which will help your website rank well in the search engine results pages (SERP).
Additionally, your content should be unique. Writing unique content that is then distributed to article directories and blogs is a great way to use professional writing services.
What can I do to make my site fit in with Web 2.0?
First it is important for your contact information to be easily found on your site. Small businesses should make it easy for customers to contact them. Contact forms, email addresses and telephone numbers must be located in obvious places. This legitimizes your online business and will make your potential customers feel safer doing business with you. Additionally, inviting visitor participation can improve user experience. Ways for visitors to leave comments, ask questions and leave feedback should exist. Small businesses can easily accomplish this by adding blogs, forums and surveys to their sites.
SMO strategies are an important part of Web 2.0
Why do so many websites fail?
Most websites fail because they violate 3 golden rules. The golden rules all apply to doing the right type of keyword research. Unfortunately, many startup small businesses think that good keyword research is simply a matter of brainstorming about what words they think will work. More seasoned small businesses often think that discovering how many times a keyword is used in a search is all that matters. These companies will fail even though they think that they did their keyword homework.
Great keyword research requires these three elements:
Golden Rule #1: a high number of searches for a given keyword or phrase. You need to have people actually searching for your exact terms (wrong variations are costly mistakes).
Golden Rule #2: keyword terms that buyers are using instead of information seekers. Getting lots of traffic from people who are just seeking information is a huge disappointment and costly. The right keywords will help buyers find you.
Golden Rule #3: keywords are most useful when there is not a lot of strong and existing competition using them. This means you need to find a niche in which you can realistically compete.
Keyword research really is square one. Poor keyword research is the cause of most website failures. Great keyword research will lay the foundation for a powerful web identity that helps you attract and keep customers.
What causes a website to lose traffic?
A website needs to stay relevant. This means that new content must be added regularly to attract repeat visitors. This will help to improve ranking in the search engine indexes. Sites that are regularly updated are viewed by visitors as more trustworthy than those whose content is old and outdated.
Additionally, a website's competitors will be actively trying to take over your search engine results page (SERP) rank. This can be accomplished by getting more and better quality backlinking partners than your site has. It will never be enough to rest on your laurels, but a more powerful web identity will be able to more effectively keep competitors at bay.
Why should my business use a virtual secretary?
This is a great way to pay only when you have needs of a particular service. You do not need to keep someone on staff and incur all the expenses that go along with it. Additionally, having one person on staff that has high skill sets in many areas will create greater salary demands. By using virtual assistant services you can outsource the work to the person with the most appropriate skill set at any given time.
Ongoing virtual services can be used to reduce the overhead that is associated with having someone in house perform tasks.
What size does my company need to be in order to use CRM?
The current size of your business is not important. What is important is that your business will be organized, efficient and positioned to grow. Web based CRM software plans are highly affordable and customized for every business size and need.
CRM solves follow-up failure no matter what the size of your business is.
Who can benefit from your employee assessment and sales training?
All businesses need to become proficient in the soft skills. Today, those who lack soft skills are seen as old interruption marketing peddlers, who simply do not understand Marketing 2.0. Companies who want to effectively understand and use permission marketing techniques will benefit from this extremely dynamic and eye opening course that is conducted by an industry expert.
What kind of experience does Update Small Business have?
Update Small Business has years of collective experience with individuals who have expertise in each of our service areas.
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