A well-written, well-designed, easy-to-navigate, well-maintained Website that is updated regularly with new content is the foundation upon which an online marketing program is built, because it:
- Provides more in-depth detail about products and services than print advertising or brochures can.
- "Anchors" other online marketing efforts, such as E-mail newsletters, blogs and podcasts.
- Extends branding to another medium.
- Enhances a company's credibility and reputation when its Web site appears near in a relatively high position in a natural (as opposed to paid) keyword search of such major search engines as Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
[A]ctress Cheryl Ladd quit taking hormone pills after research showed risks of breast cancer, stroke and heart attack. But after months of horrible hot flashes and disrupted sleep, the star of
the 1970s TV series "Charlie's Angels" … resumed taking a hormone drug after consulting her doctor. Now she's doing ads urging women to talk to their doctors or visit a Web site. The site is sponsored by Wyeth, maker of leading hormone replacement pills … and Wyeth's logo appears
in the TV ad. Ladd's subtle promotion is the latest twist in the 7-year-old practice of celebrities promoting drugs, whether they use them or not: Rather than pitch a specific medicine, the celebrities … point you to a Web site sponsored by a company selling a treatment for
that condition.
Source: "Web Sites New Twist in Celebrity Drug Ads," Associated Press via Forbes.com, July 17, 2005
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS provides content, design and programming support to help a client build a Web site from scratch, to fine-tune or update a Web site that has problems with the design or functionality of the user interface, and to utilize proven Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. SEO is a vital part of Web site marketing, as evidenced by these two new studies:
- 56 percent of Web users utilize search engines to find a particular site; 28 percent have the URL bookmarked or type it into the browser; just 16 percent "surf" to a site by following a link from another site or from an ad, according to a study of 13,000 people*.
- The average Web surfer spends less than 5 percent of his or her time using a search engine**.
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to enhancing your Web site design to make it more appealing to crawler-based search engines. An automated robot, also referred to as a spider, is sent out to crawl the Web looking for site pages to add to the search engine's database. A mathematical algorithm then determines the ranking of pages in the database for the keywords consumers use. These rankings are referred to as natural or organic listings. Search engine advertising … enables you to buy listings for your keywords. Positions achieved this way are referred to as paid or sponsored listings. The most popular program in this category is pay-for-placement. These programs typically allow advertisers to open an account for $5 to $50, then bid on keywords for a minimum amount of 5 or 10 cents per click. Advertisers outbid each other for a higher position by increasing their bids by 1 cent per click. Only when a consumer clicks your
listing is your account debited.
Source: "In the Click," Entrepreneur Magazine, August 2004
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS provides Web development and design services for new Web sites
or those that need upgrading from the conceptual stage to launch. We will:
- Assess client needs, and develop specifications and deadlines for completion of content, design, coding and SEO projects.
- Research and evaluate vendors providing Web site hosting, firewall protection and other services.
- Design user interface models, menu systems and navigational schemes for Web sites and Web-based applications.
- Develop style guides, design templates and content management systems.
- Create and implement an SEO strategy that includes Meta tagging, keyword research/selection and search engine submissions.
- Create and/or fine-tune content so that it is compelling, informative and supports SEO techniques.
- Perform usability testing on site navigation, shopping carts and other organizational and functional elements.
- Perform such site maintenance functions as uploading or removing content, repairing broken links and routine creation of backup copies of the entire site to restore user access in the event of a catastrophic technical failure, hacker attack or other contingencies.
Sources:
* BURST! Media, August 2, 2005
** Internet Activity Index, Online Publishers Association, July 20, 2005
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