May 18, 2010

Web PresenceEstablishing your business online, making yourself heard

http://www.flickr.com/photos/josewolff/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What is Web Presence?

✤ Your footprint, online

✤ You can be found, and you have something to say

✤ A living thing- something you build AND maintain, keep alive

✤ Your website, and more

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arosefromcharlie/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Why do you want web presence?

✤ 63% of consumers turn to Internet first for info on local companies,only 44% of small businesses have a site

✤ Save costs by answering questions online

✤ Differentiate yourself from competition

✤ Establish authority

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What is the goal?✤ Be Heard

✤ Highlight information, what makes you special, ways to contact you

✤ Share your thoughts

✤ Share insight, help consumers understand your industry

✤ Capture leads

✤ Create community

✤ Connect with potential customers

✤ Maintain contacthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/saranv/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What defines your web presence?

✤ Website

✤ Search Results

✤ Blog

✤ Social Media

✤ Newsletters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Where do you begin?

✤ Start with your website

✤ The foundation, the “hub”

✤ All efforts relate back to your site

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What makes a good website?

✤ Design

✤ Features

✤ Usability

✤ Accessibility

✤ SEO

✤ Content

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Web Design

✤ Plan your content, your message

✤ Target audience

✤ Site structure, sitemap, wireframes

✤ Look and feel, page layout

✤ Design that is appropriate for your audience

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What should your site do?

✤ Content management system (CMS)

✤ Drupal, Joomla, WordPress,

✤ Ecommerce

✤ Ubercart, VirtuMart, ZenCart, Big Commerce, Magento

✤ News and Events

✤ Image Gallery, Portfolio

✤ Contact Forms

✤ Case Studies

✤ Store Locations, Maps

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

✤ How easy is your site to navigate?

✤ How legible? Flexible? Accessible?

✤ Will it work for color-blind users, with larger text, with no images?

✤ How about on mobile devices?

✤ Quick loading?

Web Standards✦ What are they?

• reduce the cost and complexity of development while increasing the accessibility and long-term viability of any site published on the Web

✦ Why are they important?

• Speed Development

• Simplify Maintenance, Increase Opportunity

• Open Up Access Options

• Reduce Bandwidth Costs

• Improve User Experience

Usability, Accessibility

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

SEO

✤ Match content to keywords

✤ Properly structured code, H1 to H6

✤ Separation of design and content

✤ Title tags, alt tags

✤ Forget META tags

✤ Links, incoming and outgoing

✤ Sitemaphttp://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkieg/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Content

✤ The #1 ingredient, so quickly forgotten

✤ Who is writing the content?

✤ Brevity is key, think in bullets

✤ It’s the source for all search engine results

✤ Card sorting, content inventories, wireframes, sitemaps

http://www.flickr.com/photos/subcess/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Budget sites vs. high-end

✤ What makes sites cost what they do?

✤ What can you afford?

✤ Not all sites are equal

✤ Budgeting for long-term investment

✤ ROI

“Remember, you can get a haircut at Fantastic Sam’s for $8.00 or at the salon for $140.00. Same basic idea, much different results.” – from ThirdandGrand.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myoldpostcards/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A new type of media

✤ Brochure site

✤ Treating the web as a static media, like newsprint

✤ Layout is rigid

✤ Pages and folders

✤ Dynamic sites

✤ Searchable, updated, interactive

✤ Content is malleable, reusable, flexible

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Blog

✤ News, Recent Events

✤ Identifies you as the expert

✤ Gives visitors a reason to return

✤ Content for customers and search engines

✤ Leads to higher traffic, more leads, conversions

✤ WordPress, Blogger, Typepad

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Newsletter

✤ Email marketing services

✤ MailChimp, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, Emma

✤ Go to your customers, not wait for them to visit

✤ Offer specials, news on products and services

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Social Media

✤ Connect with your core audience

✤ More active connections

✤ Yelp, Google Reviews

✤ Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

✤ Be yourself, mix of personal and business. Share ideas.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Do you have a web presence?

✤ How are you going to start getting noticed?

✤ How are you going to keep your audience engaged?

✤ How can you adapt to these changes?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkmavis/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Be social, stay flexible, say something online✤ Dan Moriarty,

Web Design and Development

✤ http://www.danmoriarty.comwww.linkedin.com/in/danmoriarty@minneapolisdan

Wednesday, May 26, 2010