A comprehensive overview to help small business owners plan their web design project. Download the companion workbook here: https://roundpeg.biz/2017/11/website-workout-plan/

1. Website Workout

2. LORRAINE BALL
Marketing Strategist, Recovering Corporate Exec, Amateur Photographer

3. Website Workout
• Audit Design, Content, and Conversion
• Analyze Traffic Sources and Site Behavior
• Improve SEO
• Plan Your Redesign

4. Audit
Design, Content & Conversion

5. DESIGN
First impressions matter

6. IS YOUR DESIGN OUTDATED?
More than two years is a lifetime

7. Two Years is a Lifetime

8. IS YOUR WEBSITE
RESPONSIVE?
56% of traffic now comes from mobile device

9. Mobile Adaptive is Not Acceptable
denisonparking.com

10. Good Web Design is Mobile
First

11. VERTICAL HIERARCHY
You have to pick a favorite child

12. Structure is Key

13. What Comes First
• What do customers want to know?
• What do you want them to do and see

14. First Action
• Small steps vs giant leaps
– Learn more
– Watch a video
– Schedule a demo
– Make a reservation

15. UNCLUTTERED NAVIGATION
Create a logical path for visitors

16. Don’t Let Prospects Get Lost
• Confusing navigation
• Inadequate search
• Complex drop down menu
• Hard to find or incomplete information
• No clear next step

17. First Action
What Should Visitors Do?

18. CONTENT
What’s on the Inside

19. Content Mistakes
• “You” centered content
• Impersonal content
• Stale content
• Large blocks with no subheads
• Shallow content

20. More Content Mistakes
• Showing Off
– Technical jargon and graduate level text
– Long answers when a short one will suffice
• Lack of attention to detail
– Grammar and Spelling
– Broken Links

21. WORDS MATTER
Who are you talking to?

23. YES, YOU NEED A BLOG

24. SAY GOODBYE TO IRRELEVANCE

25. No More Cheesy Stock Photos

26. Useful Sidebars Only

27. A Closer Look
Content

28. CONVERSION
Convert visitors to prospects
LEARN MORE
SCHEDULE
APPOINTMENT
BUY NOW
CONTACT US
DONATE
TRY

29. Content Moves Prospects

31. Every Page is a Landing Page

32. Logical Next Steps
• Read the blog
• Download a white paper
• Complete a self assessment
• Print a case study
• View or register for an event
• Subscribe to a newsletter
• Watch a video
• Listen to a podcast
• View photo gallery or portfolio
• Browse products
• Collect favorites
• Create user account
• Order products
• Schedule an appointment
• Apply for a job
• Ask a question or search FAQ

33. Add Footers to Blog Posts

34. LANDING PAGE
Provide good reasons for visitors to make the exchange

35. Landing Page Design Tips
• Clear purpose
• Simple header
• Optional phone number
• Limit navigation
• CTA above the fold
• Supplemental information
• Close with CTA

36. White Space
• Color and Contrast
• Encapsulation
• Directional Cues
• White Space

37. Immediate Payoff

38. Compelling Landing Pages
Less is More

39. Involve Visitors

40. SUBMISSION FORM TIPS
The less you ask for, the more submissions you will get

41. Less Gives You More

42. Only Ask for What You Need
5%
dip in conversion rate by
including a phone number
request
Source: Unbounce
4%
dip in conversion if you ask for a
street address
Source: Unbounce
2%
dip in conversion if you ask
for city and state
Source: Unbounce

43. Design Matters
• Left align
• Single column
• Larger font size
• Clear questions
• Smart error handling

44. Strong Calls to Action
• Action statements 1 – 3 words
– Command : Click, Register, Go!
– Benefit: Get the Kit, Grab the Resource
– Avoid loss: Don’t Miss This, Last Chance
• ALL CAPS
– CLICK not Click
– GET THE KIT vs Get the Kit

45. Don’t Submit

46. Button Style
• Contrasting colors
• 1/3 width of form
• Subtle movement
• Go big

47. Lead Magnet
What Can You Offer?

48. WHY MEASURE?
There’s power in the data

49. What are Web Analytics?
Measurement, collection, &
analysis of web data

50. Useful, Real Time Data
• Measure ROI
– Compare referral sources
– Evaluate advertising campaigns
– Track leads, prospects and sales
• Refine targets and messages
– Determine which visitor groups are most likely to convert
– Identify best traffic building and converting pages
– Revise calls to action and next steps

51. Web Analytics Glossary
• Hit :
– A request for a file from the web server.
• Impression:
– Each time an image (or ad) loads on a user's
screen.
• Bounce Rate:
– Percentage of visits where the visitor enters and
exits the site after visiting just one page

52. Web Analytics Glossery
• Page view
– A page view is recorded every time a page is loaded.
• Visit / Session
– Series of page views a single visitor makes during a
period of activity.

53. Web Analytics Glossary
• Visitors
– Defined by a unique ID usually stored in a visitor's cookies.
– New visitor doesn’t have Google Analytics cookie
– Returning visitor has Google Analytics
• Time on page
– How long a visitor stays on a page before hitting next page
• Time on Site
– Sum of time on page for a single visitor

54. VISITS
If you build it, will they come?

55. Overview
What to look for
• Improvement year over
year
• Spikes or valleys
• Green vs Red
• New vs Returning is
distorted

56. The A, B, C of Analytics
• Audience - Did we attract the right
people?
• Acquisition – How did they find us?
• Behavior – What are they interested in?
• Conversion – Did they take the right
step?

57. Audience
• Who is coming to your website

58. Acquisition
What to look for
• Traffic source
• Compare over time
• Quality of traffic by
source

59. Action : Target Each Source
• Increase
– Direct traffic with off line activity
– Organic traffic with content
– Referrals with directory listings and cross
promotion
– Social traffic with activity
– Create or expand your email list
– Paid advertising when all else fails

60. Look at Your Traffic
Create an improvement plan

61. BEHAVIOR
People come, now what?

62. Behavior: Where do the start?

63. Behavior: Where do they go?

64. Behavior: What’s the last page

65. Drill Down

66. Behavior: How Long Do They
Stay?

67. Increase Views
• Objective: At least two pages per visit
• How to increase page views:
– Reduce choices on each page
– Create one clear next step
– Simplify navigation
– Address design issues: load speed and mobile
responsiveness

68. Improve Interest
• What are people interested in
– Identify most popular posts
– Create internal links. Use “more on this topic”
• Common Mistakes
– Old, thin or unoriginal content
– Too many options
– No clear path

69. Behavior
Encourage visitors to stay longer

70. Conversion Tracking

71. Go Beyond Google
• Forms filled out
• Comments on forms and pages
• Social shares

72. Use Data to Make Decisions

73. SEARCH TIPS
Just because you build it…

74. “The best place to hide
a dead body is on
page 2 of Google”

75. SEO BASICS
What you should know, before you start

76. Search Mistakes
• Too Many Key Words
• Irrelevant Tags or Key Words
• Repetitive Page Titles and Meta Tags
• No Page Titles, Slugs or Headers
• Inconsistent Citations

77. More Search Mistakes
• Frame structure
• Old content
• Unlabeled pictures
• Duplicate content
• Thin content

78. Search Tips
• Keywords in Balance
• Natural Language – No Stuffing
• Purpose for Every Page
• Unique Titles and Meta Descriptions
• Frequent Updates
• Relevant Links

79. SEO Basics
• Google is an advertising platform
• Google is smart
• Gaming the system may drive traffic, but won’t drive sales
• Beyond content, a website must be fast and mobile
• SEO is a marathon, not a sprint
• 40–60 billion searches monthly on Google.com in US

80. “R” You Paying Attention To:
• Research
• Realistic Targets
• Real Estate
• Relevant Content ( Rich and Recent)
• Relationships (Reputation & Reviews)
• Revenue Not Rankings

81. RESEARCH
Think like your customer

82. Research
• Focus on buying intent
• Use keyword planning tool
– Must have AdWords
– Look at alternatives
– Look for high search volume

84. Look for Clues in Your Content

85. BE REALISTIC
Pick a battle you can win

86. Do You Deserve To Be #1
• Who are you competing with?
• Can you win a narrower segment?
– Niche topic :
• Wordpress Web Design vs Web Design
– Narrow geography
• Midwest web design vs Indianapolis web design

87. Where Are You Now?

88. SEO EXERCISE – Part 1
Key Words

89. REAL ESTATE
There is power in local search

90. Why Local Search Matters
75%
used phone to get real-time,
location-based information
Source: PewInternet.org
90%
mobile searches lead to an action
Source: searchengineland.com
70%
who ran a local search via
mobile acted within one hour
Source: CMO Council

91. Monitor Your Local Position

92. Get Listed : Search, Claim, Update
• Search company name
• Search industry & competitors
• Claim listings
• Edit and update listings
• Submit new directory listings

93. Submit Complete information
• Hours of operation
• Directions and parking information
• Business description, products and
services
• Payment options
• Specials

94. Optimize Your Site for Local
• Use local references in titles & meta
descriptions
• Clearly define your business category
• Local photos
• Encourage reviews

95. Standardize Citations
• Name, address, phone and description

96. RELEVANCE
Use keywords wisely

97. Relevance
• Include keywords :
– Page titles
– Meta descriptions
– Page URL
– Content
– Headers
– Image titles and descriptions
– Anchor text

98. Page Titles
• Use keyword up front
• 6 – 8 words or 50 – 60 characters
• Unique page title for every page
• Content should match the title

99. Meta Description
• Concise summaries of page (160 character limit)
• Appear underneath blue clickable links in a
search engine results page

100. Meta Tips
• 160 characters
• Use key words up front
• Write for search engines and people

101. Permalinks
• Use search engine friendly permalinks
• Use keyword or phrase in permalink
• Avoid ‘&’, ‘?’, ‘!’
• Use hyphens (-) between words
• Do not use underscores (_) in URLs
• Avoid using capital letters in URLs
http://www.mywebsite.com/elephant-hippo

102. Content
• Write naturally and often
• Do not keyword stuff
– 1% – 3% keyword density
– Use synonyms and related phrases
• Avoid thin content – 500 word minimum
• Create cornerstone content
• Avoid duplicate content

103. Headers
• H1, H2, - What they mean
• Headers help readers and search engines
scan
• Use primary and related keywords

104. Images Are Content Too
63%
Of Google image search
clicks result in web traffic
Source: Hoosh Technology
27%
Of all search is image search
Source: SEO Moz

105. Optimize Images
• Choose descriptive file name
• Use keywords in alt text and description
• Size appropriately – small images load
faster
• Mobile responsive images

106. SEO EXERCISE – Part 2
Titles and Meta Descriptions

107. RELATIONSHIPS & REPUTATION
You are judged by the company you keep

108. Links Build Relationships
• Internal links
– Build domain authority
– Shares benefits of one high page rank
• Inbound links
– Quality not quantity
– Reputation by association
– Piggy back by posting content on high authority sites
• YouTube, PRWeb, etc –
• Post content with keyword in the content

109. Anchor Text
• Keyword anchor
– Vary phrases for best SEO
– Link to longer phrases
• Branded Anchor Text
– If you are trying to build your name
• Branded + Keyword
• Avoid generic anchors :
– Click Here or Download Now
• Naked anchor – Just the URL

110. REVENUE NOT RANKINGS
SEO Drives Traffic – Quality Content Converts

111. PLAN YOUR REDESIGN
Objectives and Outcomes

112. LET’S TALK ABOUT YOU

113. Who is Your Ideal Customer
• You exist to serve your customers
– Target audience
– Demographics vs Psychographics
– Build a buyer persona
• What are their issues?
– What makes you uniquely qualified

114. What Do You Know?
• Consumers
– Age
– Gender
– Income / Education
– Lifestyle
– Geographic Area
• Business
– Size of Company
– Industry / Business
Sectors
– Age or Business Phase
– Geographic Area
– Business Objective
What are their pain points?How do you help?

115. Build a Persona

116. Who Are You?
Adventurous, Altruistic, Authentic, Authoritative, Bold, Brave,
Calm, Clever, Collaborative, Conservative, Cooperative,
Creative, Critical, Current, Dependable. Dynamic, Edgy,
Energetic, Feminine, Flexible, Friendly, Funny, Hospitable,
Humorous, Innovative, Intellectual, Masculine, Mature, Modern,
Mysterious, Playful, Professional, Quirky, Quiet, Rational,
Rebellious, Reliable, Savvy, Secure, Serious, Smart, Tough,
Traditional, or Warm

117. VISUAL APPEAL
• Colors
– What colors appeal to you?
– What colors would you like to avoid?
• Symbols, Icons and Graphics
– What symbols, icons or images are associated with
your product or industry?
– What mages don’t you want associated with your
business?

118. Brand Associations

119. Create a Mood Board
• Start with a phrase
– Warm and welcoming, but crisp and modern.

120. Collect More Images

121. Final Product Reflects the Mood

122. BEFORE YOU START

123. Basics
• Domain name
– Login credentials & renewal date
• Hosting
– Beyond credentials will it be sufficient for new site?
• Google account
– Evaluate traffic, research key words
• Existing website
– Credentials and existing content audit. What will you
keep?

124. Collect and Inventory Your Assets
• Logo
– Transparent version
– Single color version
• Brand Standards
• Photos and video
– Make a list of new images you will need
– Include stock photography in your inventory

125. The Words
• Review existing content
– Identify top performing pages
– What’s missing
• Review keywords or build new list
• Collect existing marketing collateral
• Decide who will write new content

126. DREAM BIG

127. Look at Other Websites

128. Look For Different Approaches

129. Make a Web Design Wish List
• Collect URL’s
• Features
• Styles
• Use of media
• Landing pages and offers

130. Build Your Wish List

131. BEYOND FORM IS FUNCTION

132. Features
• Blog or news and event updates
• Subscribe to newsletter
• Download content
• Brows picture / video gallery and collect favorites
• Shopping cart ( approximately how many items)

133. More Features
• Event calendar and registration forms
• Members only pages
– Password protection or multiple levels of access
• Special contact forms
– Apply for job
– Make an appointment
– Upload specifications

134. Launch Plan
• Celebrate!
• Send a newsletter
• Share on social media
• Measure 30, 60 & 90 day results
• Adjust and measure again

135. Important Extras
• Malware and spam protection
• Routine backup plan
• Https certificate

136. More Extras
• Malware and spam protection
• Backup serviceScan
• Software Update Check
• Website Backup Check
• Website Traffic and Performance Tracking
• Foundational SEO Elements

137. POST LAUNCH PLANS
The work isn’t done

138. Marketing and Updating
• How will
– People find out about your website?
– You promote the website after launch
• Website lifecycle 18 months to 2 years
– Prolong the life with frequent updates
• Who will be responsible for updates

140. Questions?