Presentation given at the IRMA Conference in October 2012. Covers methods to improve website effectiveness including usability, search engine optimization, email automation, social sharing, content planning and more. From @sietsema.

1. 10 Easy Ways to Take Your
Website from Good to Great
October 1, 2012

2. House Rules
• Interrupt me
– No, really. It’s OK.
• Ask questions
• Something specific?
– I’ll stick around after
• Copious note takers can
relax:
– slideshare.net/sietsema
– hello@teachtofishdigital.co
m
– @sietsema
2

3. Sorry.

4. More like:

5. Analytics

6. Analytics Is Not
20%
35% Neat!
Pretty Neat
Somewhat Neat
17% Not Neat at All
28%
6

7. Defining Analytics
It’s About Us:
• What are we trying
to accomplish?
• Have we been
successful to date?
• Is success within
reach?
• What needs to
happen to improve?
7

8. Defining Analytics
It’s About Them:
• Who are our best
customers?
• To what are they
likely to respond?
• What resonates
with them?
• Are there others we
should consider?
8

9. The Only Two Questions:
Why?
So What?

10. 10

11. 11

12. “Failure is
not
fatal, but
failure to
change
might be.”
12

14. Way Finding

16. Patience on the
Web

17. Short Term Memory
7 2
17

18. Tips for Way Finding
Allow visitors to determine navigation priority
YOUR NAVIGATION SAYS: YOUR ANALYTICS SAYS:
• About Us • Travel Guide
• Subscribe • Things to Do
• Places to Go • Places go Go
• Things to Do • About Us
• Travel Guide • Subscribe
18

19. Tips for Way Finding
Allow visitors to know where they are and
get back easily
• Show State
AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE ACTIVE AVAILABLE
• Bread Crumb Navigation
– Food >> Dining >> Seafood >>Scoma’s
19

20. Tips for Way Finding
Start using (and tracking) site search
• Functionality is familiar
• Use insights to build relevance
• http://www.google.com/cse/
• Test effectiveness
20

21. Tips for Way Finding
Show visitors what’s next…
“YOU’LL ALSO LIKE” ALWAYS BE CLOSING
21

22. The Website Usability Bible
22

23. Responsiveness

25. State of Mobile
Source: Morgan Stanley 25

26. State of Mobile
Source: Google 26

27. Responsive Design
Desktop Tablet Mobile
27

28. You Have Options
Responsive Design
• 1 Web Address,
No Duplication
• Site morphs based on device
PRO
• Easy & cheap to maintain
CON
• Less focus on mobile experience
28

29. You Have Options
Dynamic Serving
• 1 Web Address,
No Duplication
• Content/experience changes based on
device
PRO
• Better mobile experience
CON
• Technical complexity
• Higher maintenance cost 29

30. You Have Options
Parallel Mobile Site
• 2 Separate Sites:
1 Mobile, 1 Desktop
PRO
• Easy implementation
CON
• Must make content updates twice
• Content duplication risk
30

31. SEO

32. Share of Search
4%
13%
Google
Bing
16% Yahoo
Who Cares
67%
32

33. How Organic Search Works
33

34. Some Rules Still Apply
Content Links
Design
34

35. Pages = Destinations
• From One Person to Another
– Home Page is Most Likely Destination
Home
Company Products Promotions Rewards
Jerky &
Partnerships Sponsorships History Jerky Brisket Outdoor Gear
Brisket
35

36. Pages = Destinations
• From “The Google”
– Every Page is a Possible Entry Point
Home
Company Products Promotions Rewards
Jerky &
Partnerships Sponsorships History Jerky Brisket Outdoor Gear
Brisket
36

37. Tools of the Trade
• Find Keywords
– “google keyword tool”
• Implement Keywords
37

38. Keywords
• Where does one place them?
– Page Titles
• Once : Limit 64 Characters
– Meta Descriptions
• 1-2 Times : Limit 155 Characters
– Meta Keywords
• Repeat every word in Title and separate with
commas
– Headlines, HTML Text & Alt Tags
• H1 tags if possible
38

39. Google Algorithm Updates
• Good News: No more writing for robots
39

40. Content Planning

41. Bricks vs. Feathers
• What weighs more:
– 5 lbs of bricks?
– 5 lbs of feathers?
41

42. Bricks vs. Feathers
Content Type Bricks Feathers
Definition Productions Posts & Snippets
Positioning “Thought Leader” “News Maker”
Time Requirement Days & Weeks Minutes & Hours
Relentless Effort
Potential Downside Opportunity Cost
Required
42

43. Content Planning Triangle
SEARCHING
ACTING TALKING
43

44. Content Triangle in Practice
44

45. Content Planning Tools
• Evernote& Scrivener
– Organize ideas by
production
– Collaborative
contribution & editing
– Develop stories and
bricks as a team
– Accessible via
desktop, mobile or
tablet
45

46. Content Planning Tools
• Create a content editorial calendar
– Manage multiple content
types, campaigns, people
– Collaborate to create new
content & brainstorm
promotion plans
46

47. Content for Hire
• Plan and schedule
content
• Find writers and
artists to create
new compelling
material
• Transact and edit
• Build a team of
content producers
for ongoing projects
47

48. Content Promotion

49. New Challenge/Opportunity
49

50. Content Amplification
• Phase 1: Standard Promotion Protocol
– Relevant promotion vehicles
– Monitor results
• Phase 2: Release the Hounds! (optional)
– Apply to trending content
– Give content extra momentum
– Budget accordingly
50

51. 51

52. Ludicrous Speed Examples
• Give content greater priority on the
website
• Feature content in email newsletters
• Re-run on social media venues 52

53. More Ludicrous Speed
Examples
• Call on fans, partners & influencers to
share
• Promote via display ads
• Guest blog
• Employ social advertising 53

54. Social

55. She’ll love you
55
back

56. Maintaining Activity
• Choose wisely
Venue Awareness Action Loyalty
Facebook X X X
Twitter X X X
YouTube X x
Pinterest X X X
LinkedIn X x
Google+ X X X
56

57. Maintaining Activity
• Create a social media editorial calendar
M T W T F Sa Su
57

58. Work Smarter, Not Harder
• Facebook & Twitter Effectiveness
FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT BY POST TYPE TOOLS FOR MAXIMIZING TWITTER
Link
Status
Video
Photo
+
February 2012
58

59. Allow Visitors to Share
• Utilize social sharing tools and plugins
– ShareThis
– AddThis
– Countless Plugins
– Don’t forget email
59

60. Maintaining Activity
• It’s about more than traffic & followers
August 2012
60

61. Video

62. Why Video is Important
• People remember:
62

63. Why Video is Important
• The top search engines:
#1 #2
63

64. Keywords for Google Search
• Where does one place them?
– Page Titles
• Once : Limit 64 Characters
– Meta Descriptions
• 1-2 Times : Limit 155 Characters
– Meta Keywords
• Repeat every word in Title and separate with
commas
64

65. Keywords for Video Search
• Where does one place them?
– Video Titles
• Use Keyword Once
– Video Descriptions
• Provide keyword-rich text
• Link to back to website & relevant content
– Video Tags
• Use every keyword in tags
• No limit, but keep it relevant
– Use YouTube Keyword Tool - http://goo.gl/g7mU
65

66. Video Content Options & Tips
• Webcasts
• Interviews
• Customer/Reader Responses
• Tours or Demonstrations
• Tips
– Create a series
– Use consistent open and close elements
– Include real people  be human
– Include YouTube Annotations
– Embed on the website
66

67. Email Automation

68. Build Your List
68

69. Immediate Gratification
69

70. Welcome Emails
• Special time when everything is new
• Ask to be whitelisted
• Offer a special incentive
• Set expectations
• Collect additional data
70

71. Be Relevant
71

72. Building Relevance
• Ask them:
72

73. Building Relevance
• Watch them:
Fishing Trips Near
CLICK  Outdoors
Kansas City
Unbelievable CLICK 
Barbecue Food
HOTEL SPECIAL:
Hawthorne Suites – CLICK 
Discounts
Overland Park
73

74. Experiments

75. “A player who makes a team great
is much more valuable than a
great player.”
75

76. Test Everything
Message | Creative | Call to Action
Ad Specs | Venue | Location | Daypart
76

77. 77

78. Tools for Testing
78

79. Tools for Testing
USERTESTING.COM
79

80. Questions?
• Chris Sietsema
• Chris@TeachtoFishDigital.com
• 480.389.5435
• slideshare.net/sietsema
80