The 10 Web Site Resolutions You Can’t Ignore in 2010

Are you sick of “Top 10 “New Year’s Resolutions lists” yet? I sure hope not because I’ve got just one more for you here today that will make the difference in your level of online success.

I do this every year, and added to 2009’s Resolutions which still apply, you’ll have a running start ahead of your competition in 2010.

These are the issues I think are most important to your success and that I see many of my clients and clients-to-be struggling with. If you pay attention to only one “10″ list — this is the one that is critical to your program in the year ahead!

10. If you still have a static HTML site — make moving your site to WordPress — now! There is no way a static HTML site can offer you the Web 2.0 benefits and functionality you must have to compete online.
9. When did you last review your search engine rankings and SEO practices. Get in the habit of reviewing this info at least once each month. How can you possibly understand how to get where you want to be if you don’t even know where you are starting from?
8. When was the last time you reviewed your Web site’s statistical data? Links, referrers, bots, keywords — all this data provides you with a wealth of information that you need to make educated decisions moving forward. Make a point of reviewing this info once each month to gleam actionable gems of info.
7. Not Blogging yet? What the heck are you waiting for? When in history have businesses of any size had the venue and opportunity to communicate with their market in real time about the things their customers are interested in and concerned about? Never! The main excuse I hear is “I can’t write.” What? Well, you can learn, you need to learn — you need to Blog! This is a tool that any business cannot afford to ignore the potential of.
6. The Social Media train has left the station. Ignore these venues at your business’ peril. Determine where your target market hangs out and be there — or be square. Just starting out? Minimally setup a Twitter, Facebook Fan Page and LinkedIn business account so that you can have your Blog auto-post to get you started. You will need to include Social Media involvement into your time management budget.
5. Brush up on your Business E-mail Etiquette. How you type whether in response to site inquiries, on forums, Blog comments or on social media sites will lend to a perception about you that can enhance or hinder your business branding efforts. Type like a grade-schooler and don’t be surprised if you are not taken as seriously as your competitors who understand the importance of this underestimated topic.
4. Can’t have a Web site without a domain name that you own, that you ensure you keep and that you keep updated. Stop right now and review all your domain names to check they have your most current contact information and that they are set to auto-renew. Don’t rely on e-mails from your registrar to remind yo –, be proactive! This may seem trivial but I see clients lose domains or have them go off-line every week because they don’t pay attention to these details!
3. Ensure that getting in touch with you is easy — not a scavenger hunt. You must include in your navigation a Contact link/tab on every page so folks can contact you from anywhere in your site with just one click. On that page have your physcial address and utilize GoogleMaps if you need visitors to find you. Include your phone number, fax number and customer service e-mail address (coded in such a way to avoid spam harvesting) as well.
2. Update and engage, rinse and repeat. Post to your Blog at least several times each week. Post to your social media profiles on a regular basis with personal insights above and beyond your auto-posted Blog posts. Engage your target market by offering assistance and answering questions on the social media sites you frequent. Be there and be approachable. Online a hands-off approach results in most potential customers tuning you out.
1. The number one Web site resolution you can’t ignore is the fact that technology is rocking and rolling and you have to make an effort to keep up. If you are not learning; you are falling behind. Running a successful online business is all about being in the now; not the past. I know — it isn’t easy, but if you want your Web site to succeed you need to be on the edge and make an effort to be current with the latest trends and strategies. If you cannot do this yourself, choose partners you can trust to do so for you when needed.

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is a WordPress Consultant with 15 years on online business and marketing experience. She specializes in coaching business owners on how to leverage technology to their advantage.

Top 10 Online Business New Year’s Resolutions

At this time every year we review our lives and come up with resolutions to try and improve upon in the year ahead. Your Web site should not be excluded from this important effort considering online is more fluid and ever changing. Web site owners are safe to assume that there is no standing still or resting on your laurels when it comes to doing business online (That’s when your perceived competitors fly right by you!).

So I’ll note below the Top 10 issues, that in my experience, most Web site owners have resisted to acknowledge when it comes to their Web site program. I’ll also pepper each with links to other articles here on my site that cover each item in more detail for your convenience:

10. First I need to do a genuine self assessment to ensure I am up to the challenge that online success requires of all who do business online. The build it and come days, are years behind us. Online is now the playground of serious businessmen and women with the insatiable desire to succeed which means doing things right. Are you honestly up to this challenge?
9. I will review my e-mail and customer service practices to ensure all communications with customers are grammatically correct, professional in appearance and tone and include the information the customer desires. I will respond to e-mails as quickly as possible realizing the rabidly competitive environment online will settle for no less — only Extreme Customer Service will do! This includes using my site’s domain name for all business e-mail communications which lends to my credibility and my initial responses to inquiries being recognized instead of being misidentified as spam.
8. I will review my site at the beginning of the year, then minimally quarterly, to ensure information is current and updated at all times. This includes updating my “About” page to reflect now — not yesterday. I realize by not updating, my site is stale, offers no real value to my site visitors and hinders gaining any relevant rankings with search engines.
7. I will finally embrace the concept that to have a chance at any relevant organic (free) search engines rankings that I have to change how I view my site. Not as brochureware, but as a living, breathing interactive tool used to acquire, support and maintain customers and cater to their needs. If I don’t have a Blog to accomplish this task, I will set one up Q1 and commit to posting at least 3 times each week with new useful and relevant information my site visitors will appreciate.
6. Inline with #5 above, I will learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basics and principles, so that I have a solid understanding in regard to how search engines actually work, how they rank sites, and what I need to consider when adding content to my site. Without a solid grasp of this information I am literally handicapped and working at a deficit. (Click here to view the numerous posts I’ve written on the topic of SEO so you are firmly planted in the reality of what you need to know.)
5. While content is King; promotion is Queen. After writing a new article I’ll then submit it to article repository Web sites so that it is available to be published on other sites and newsletters. I will keep a notebook with me at all times so that when I get an idea to Blog about, create a video or for an article or informative white paper, I’ll write it down and not forget to follow through. Unique helpful information is what makes Web sites popular and valuable which assists to increase ranking popularity.
4. I will sit down and create thorough and comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for my site to include the questions I get asked most through my site and to provide the necessary information customers need to know to determine that they want to do business with me. If I already have a FAQ page, time for an update. No doubt I have been asked new questions that can be added to this Web site staple.
3. I will setup alerts through my favorite search engines to keep tabs of competitors, manage my company reputation and track my targeted keyword phrases. By tracking this criteria I am then aware of what is going on in my industry and what others are typing about. This is crucial for me to keep up or better yet — ahead of the competition. Alerts also give me the opportunity to network and comment on other Blogs that cover my area of expertise by informing me of current conversations and posts.
2. I will update my site’s visuals and functionality if my site is now more than 3 years old. Moving to WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) will allow me to easily accomplish much of the above. I will then investigate all the social media networking opportunities and establish my site’s feeds wherever possible. Twitter, Linkedin, Technorati are just a few of the sites I need to setup profiles on and use on a regular basis to brand and market my business.

And the number one resolution that every site owner needs to embrace to succeed in the year ahead….

1. I will pledge to use interactive technology as it is now and whatever it evolves to be in the year ahead to its full potential for my business. From Blogging to Videos and everything in between, by not investigating how to best use these applications for my business is simply lost opportunity. I understand this will take some time and a bit of a learning curve to learn about using these resources effectively on a daily basis, but I’m a smartie and I know if it needs to be done for the health of my enterprise — I’m there!

Those site owners that embrace the interactivity options available to them will be found, will gain new customers and will maintain more business than those site owners who do not openly welcome these opportunities. If you do not embrace these 10 items in 2009, you can bet your competitors who do will reap the rewards.

With all the doom and gloom being fed to us in anticipation of the year ahead, I’m choosing to take a different stance and that’s why I’ve written this article for you. As one commentator I recently heard said, “Time to man up and make 2009 what you want it to be. Don’t be a passive observer but an active aggressive participant. Man up!”

And that’s exactly what I plan on doing here @ TheIStudio.com! Wishing you all the best in the year ahead!

Top 10 Web Site Mistakes

10. Selling the same stuff 100,000 sites are already selling and thinking that you can quit your day job.

9. The site’s design is home brewed which lends to a lack of credibility.

8. Typos and misspelling in content shows a lack of attention to detail.

7. Not having any contact information on your site. Why would people order from someone that they cannot contact or determine even where they are located?

6. No privacy page stating what you will do with customer information.

5. Poor quality graphics give the impression quality is not of concern to the site owner.

4. Expecting site visitors to submit their credit card information on a non-secured site. Coding in https:// isn’t all it takes — you need a security certificate too!

3. Not having the most commonly asked for or required information that a customer would seek in lieu of filling out a contact form that asks for everything but their shoe size just to get basic information.

2. Thinking you will get “Top 10″ rankings without time, effort and a site that deserves those rankings.

1. And, the #1  Web Site Mistake is… Assuming none of these issues matter and that you can do what you want and still be profitable. Won’t happen…

Ready to get a great looking site you can manage yourself?

Next Page »