By Michael J. Allton
Web Designer / Owner
www.StadiaStudio.com

If someone asked you how your product or service could benefit them, could you tell them? If you were asked to speak a little about your industry, could you?

Writing articles is nothing more than putting down on paper the kinds of thoughts and sentences you use with clients every day. Over the next few minutes, I’m going to show you not only how to write an article, but how to use it to actually increase your sales.

1. Topic

First, you need to come up with a topic. This should be something that you find interesting, of course, as well as something you think a potential client would be interested in reading about. A perfect example is an explanation of how your services can be a crucial benefit to a customer.

The topic sentence itself should be interesting and compelling. You must give readers a reason to read your article.

2. Content

Your articles don’t have to be long, but they should certainly be of sufficient length to adequately explain your topic. Try to write in a natural, easy to read manner, and be sure to check your article for spelling and grammatical errors. Remember, you are representing yourself and your business, so you want to appear professional at all times.

If you can, try to reference a page or two of your website and provide a direct link. For example, perhaps there’s a particular service you’ve mentioned, so you can put in a link to the page of your site that provides more information on that service.

3. Keywords

Once you’ve written your article, go back through it again and make sure that you’re using your top 3 – 5 keyword phrases at least a couple of times. These are the phrases that you’ve previously identified as being those most likely to be used by potential customers in a search engine. More on why this is critical in a moment.

4. Publication

Now that you’ve written and polished your article, it’s time to unveil it to the world. There are a number of ways to do it, and I recommend doing as many as you’re comfortable with.

First, you definitely need to keep a library of articles on your website. These will gradually, and dramatically, increase the content on your site that is scanned by search engines. If you’ve properly used your targeted keywords, search engines will give you higher and higher marks for those keywords with each new article. Plus, each new visitor to your site that reads your article can potentially gain a better appreciation of you and your business, and consider you more of an expert.

Second, you should consider emailing a copy of your article to your client email list. You do have a client email list, right?

Next, if you haven’t already, you should create accounts for yourself on the major social networking sites and a few of the free blog sites and copy the article there. You can go to http://www.StadiaStudio.com/resources.htm to see a few examples.

Finally, I strongly recommend an article publication service. For a relatively inexpensive fee, you can have your article published to hundreds of online repositories of other articles in a variety of categories. If you’ve included links in your article as I’ve recommended, that will be hundreds of links back to your site.

Once you’ve gone through all these steps, you will have published your first article and will be on your way to utilizing one of the most effective marketing techniques available online. You will be adding content to your site regularly which will help with both search engines and actual visitors, and you will be marketing your site and business through the articles via emails, blogs and article distribution. When used consistently and effectively, this technique is sure to increase traffic and increase sales.

Michael is the lead web designer and owner at Stadia Studio, a web design firm in St. Louis, and has been helping businesses get online since the 1990’s.

By Michael J. Allton

Web Designer / Owner

www.StadiaStudio.com

Recently, I was asked by a small business owner how he should go about choosing a website designer. Since I was not bidding on his project, I was able to offer him the following unbiased advice.

Develop an RFQ

First, as the owner of your business, you need to have a clear idea in your mind of what you’re looking for from your website. Perhaps you just want an internet presence for your business, or maybe you want something more dynamic. If you’re not sure what you want, then take the time to do some research. Take a look at what other similar businesses are doing and write down what you like (and what you don’t like!). Start to make a list of what features you feel your site must have (request form, forum, etc.). You should also start to list out the individual pages you want to see developed (about us, services, etc.). You are now creating an official RFQ (request for quote) document that you can present to a potential web designer for review. Once you’ve developed an outline for your site, you should also make some notes about your preferences when it comes to the site design and layout. If you want a flash intro or background music or some other design element, you need to note that. Put all your notes into a Word document and save it for later.

Next, you’ll need to solicit bids from interested web designers. Include a brief description of what you want your site to be, and invite interested designers to contact you with their information.

At this point, you should not expect full-blown estimates or proposals. No professional is going to be prepared to give you a quote on a project without having talked to you or seen your RFQ. Instead, you should concentrate on weeding out the designers who don’t meet your expectations.

So, what should you expect?

Good Communication

Right off the bat, any communication from a potential designer should be professional, clear, and friendly. It’s extremely important that the designer you choose is a good communicator. First, you have to work with this individual and if they can’t communicate well with you, the project will prove more difficult to complete. Second, you will be depending on him or her to independently create certain aspects of your website. You cannot write everything for them. If they aren’t able to communicate well, it will be reflected in their work and therefore make your site, and you, look unprofessional.

Previous Work

Next, your interested designer should be able to present some examples of their work, preferably in the form of a portfolio page within their own website. Assuming they have their own website, look at that first. Do you like it? Does it look professional? Would you consider them based solely on their website? A website should be a reflection of that business. If a web designer’s own website is poor, then they do not understand the purpose of a business website and you can move on.

Assuming their own website is up to snuff, then you should check out their portfolio. Take a look at the sites they’ve done for other businesses, particularly if there are some sites similar to your own model, and see what you think. If, on the whole, you’re not impressed with their work, move on to a different designer.

Personality & Knowledge

If you’re comfortable with the quality of work from a particular designer, it’s time to talk to them on the phone. They should be comfortable talking about themselves and what they can do for you, and pleasant to deal with. Remember, this is someone that’s going to become an integral part of your business, at least for a while. You need to feel confident that they can do the job and that you’ll be able to work with them.

Price

Once you’ve articulated exactly what you’re looking for, the designer should be able to give you a quote on the project. Certainly, the price needs to be an important consideration, but don’t let it make your decision for you. If someone gives you a particularly high price on a project, you need to consider the quality of their work and decide if it is marginally better than everyone else, and if they’re worth it. Similarly, if someone gives you a particularly low price, you need to consider their motivation as well. Do they simply produce cheap work, or are they trying to establish themselves and therefore charging below market rates. If you’re lucky enough to find someone in that situation who meets your other requirements, hire them immediately!

Local vs. Remote

Because of the nature of websites, most projects can be easily completed without ever having any face-to-face meetings between designer and client. Business owners should not feel any hesitation in hiring a remote designer, at least one within the U.S.

Certainly, there are specific projects which may require face time, but in general, those clients that insist on dealing with local designers are only limiting themselves to local talent and rates.

Business Experience

In your emails and conversations with your designer, you should also gauge their business experience. You’re going to be depending on him or her to give you suggestions on how to build your site to better your business. If, for instance, the designer has no sales experience, how can they ensure your website fits into your sales process? Additionally, a good designer will question every aspect of the site from a good business perspective and offer you advice to that end. For instance, the flash intro you wanted for your site may look outstanding, but a good designer might suggest that, while attractive, it does not actually benefit your business, and could potentially do more harm than good by deterring visitors who cannot view flash, or preventing search engines from searching your website. If your designer gives you a suggestion to improve your site, but one that will end up reducing their fees, then you know that this designer truly has your best interests at heart.

Search Engine Understanding

Finally, your new designer must understand how to build a site so that it is search engine friendly. This is typically where inexperienced designers fall short, so don’t skip this step! Ask them how they plan to make your site optimized for search engines. Going back to their ability to communicate; they should be able to explain what they’re going to do in a way that you can understand without any previous knowledge of SEO.

Hopefully I’ve given you some ideas on how to approach this task. Feel free to email me your questions or comments at michael@stadiastudio.com. You can read this and other articles on my blog site at http://stadiastudio.wordpress.com. Good luck!

Michael is the lead web designer and owner at Stadia Studio (http://www.StadiaStudio.com), a web design firm in St. Louis, and has been helping businesses get online since the 1990’s.

By Michael J. Allton

Web Designer / Owner

www.StadiaStudio.com

Unless you’ve built a website just to showcase your collection of salt and pepper shakers, you probably want to attract some visitors. If your business depends on your site attracting visitors and soliciting sales, then web traffic is essential.

Simply submitting your site to search engines is not enough. You should work with your Webmaster to implement these ten tips to increase the level of traffic to your site.

1. Content, Content, Content

First and foremost, make sure that your site is informative! Don’t just list your services, elaborate on what you do and why you do it well. The more detailed you are in your website, the better your search engine results will be.

1. Classified Ads

Take advantage of the variety of free online classified ad websites and get the word out about your new site!

Be sure to always post a working link to your website. Get help from your webmaster on the proper html coding for a classified ad post if you need it.

1. Articles

One of the best steps you can take to promote your site is to write and publish articles (just like this one!).

First, an informative article helps establish that you’re an expert in your particular field. Once a reader finishes the article, they may be inclined to follow a link to your website to learn more about you and your business.

More importantly, once you’ve distributed your article to some of the many online article directories, you’ll have created additional links back to your website that search engines will see and count. More on that in a moment.

1. Local Directories

There are two basic kinds of directories that should interest you. First, there are regional directories, perhaps for your local metropolitan area, then there are industry-specific directories.

These are similar to search engines in that they list other web sites, but they’re compiled and organized differently. Additionally, many directories allow you to create an online profile that will include information about your business, rather than just a link to your website.

Take a few minutes to do some searches for directories in your area and in your industry, and submit your site to any you find appropriate.

1. Newsletters

Online Newsletters or eZine’s are a great way to keep your existing and potential clients aware of news or changes within your business. If your business model can support a regular newsletter, you should encourage visitors to your website to sign up for it. You might offer them a free copy of one of the great articles you’ve already written, as a reward for signing up.

When you’re writing for your newsletter, make sure that each of your topics has a Title, a Teaser, then a link back to your website to read the rest of the topic. If your topics are interesting and timely, then you’ll ensure repeat visits to your site.

1. Forums and Newsgroups

Another way to attract new visitors is to participate in online forums and discussions. Be sure to take the time to understand what the forum or newsgroup is about, and be respectful of other members. Simply posting ads or links to your website will likely just get you banned. Instead, post comments or questions that are on point, including a simple link to your site in your signature, and you’ll be rewarded with interested responses and visitors to your site.

1. Press Releases

Many businesses forget the power of a press release. When you have something that’s newsworthy, like the opening of your business, let the press know! They’re happy to print your release if they think it will be interest to their readers.

When distributing press releases, be sure to look for online PR distributors, as well as your local news media. There are sites you can post your release for free, and other sites that will distribute your release for a nominal fee.

1. Blogs, Social Networking and Social Bookmarking

Blogs are online journals, and there are a number of websites that offer free blogging accounts. With your online journal, you can post a few tips or even full-fledged articles. If you submit new posts consistently, and the topics are interesting, you’ll start to attract a variety of visitors.

There are a variety of networking sites, both social and professional, that will allow you to create an online profile for yourself and your business.

Finally, you should look in to creating accounts on several of the social bookmarking sites that have cropped up. These are sites that allow you to simply bookmark and comment on other websites.

1. Reciprocal Links

It’s very important that you find other websites that are willing to put a link on their site to yours. Some of the above methods will help accomplish this, but you should also give some thought to other site options, particularly sites that are related to your business. For instance, you might see if your Chamber of Commerce has a website, and if they do, make sure you have a link by your membership name. You might also consider other businesses that compliment yours, like how a mortgage company and a title company are complimentary. When approaching these businesses, you would offer to put a link on your site to their business, in exchange for a link on their site to your own business.

Not only will visitors to these other sites see the link to your site and follow it, but as we discussed previously, these additional links to your site will help your search engine ranking tremendously. Each link on a non-directory website is like a vote of confidence in you and your website.

1. Email and Letters

There are a variety of other ways to promote your website. For instance, every piece of communication that comes from your business should include your web address. Your email can have it in the signature, your letterhead can have it in the address area, and certainly it should be included on business cards.

Make sure that your email address is from your website and not your internet service provider. Why advertise for ABC.net when you could be advertising for YourCompany.com?

So, I hope that you’ve gained a couple of ideas on how you can promote your website, and note that none of the above methods has to cost you any money, just a little time and effort. You can find links to online services providing many of the resources mentioned above on our website here: http://www.stadiastudio.com/resources.htm. Good luck!

Michael is the lead web designer and owner at Stadia Studio (http://www.StadiaStudio.com), a web design firm in St. Louis, and has been helping businesses get online since the 1990’s.

So, you’ve decided to have a website created. That’s great! There’s no better way to educate other people on everything you have to offer, be it products, services, or something else entirely. You’ve made the decision to get online, and you’ve found someone to help you with the technical aspects of creating a website. Now what?

This is the point where many of us start to have real trouble. We have all been to other people’s websites and have seen different ways to organize them, but if you have never actually considered what information to put on your site and where that information comes from, the task might seem a bit daunting.

Fortunately, it’s not as hard as it looks. If you consider the advice I have to offer carefully, and consider each point as it relates to your business or organization, you’ll be well on your way to delivering quality content to your web designer for publication.

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