Brown Bug Blog - Give Back Project

Monday

Sep212009

Write Your Way to More Web Traffic

A quick look at my website traffic lets me know where my bread is buttered – with my content. Adding high quality, keyword-rich content to a site on a regular basis is the best way to increase traffic and ensure repeat visitors.

Write Regularly

Set a goal for yourself, say a post per day or three posts per week. I actually find that I’m better at keeping my commitment to blogging if I go ahead and do it every day.

If I set a schedule of once a week or three times per week, I’m much more likely to give myself an out. For instance, if I say, “I’m going to write three posts this week,” I may set my days for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. When Wednesday comes around, I’ll tell myself, “I’ll just push it to Thursday.”

What happens is, I end up falling short of my goal because of too much flexibility in my schedule. If I commit to posting daily, I may tell myself, “This is going to be a short post,” but more often than not, I go on and write a regular post. Wiggle room tends to give me just enough space to wiggle myself right out of writing.

Another tip is to write early in the day. Otherwise, you might get busy and forget to do it.

Write with Purpose

Select your topic carefully, taking time to consider your ideal and target reader. Ask yourself, “What does my target reader want to know?”

Develop a catchy, descriptive, and keyword-rich title. You either have them at “Hello,” or they skip right over you. Make sure your titles will stand out in the crowd.

Write thoughtful and keyword-rich articles. Think like your readers think. What terms would you use to find a post like the one you’re writing? Be sure to use those terms throughout the text.

Write Like No One Is Watching

A glance at my site’s popular search queries shows me that even those posts that seemed like they might go unnoticed have still contributed to my traffic, and I’m actually surprised by the terms that have led the most people to my site.

For instance, in the past month, the most popular search engine query that led people to my site was “todoodlist.” Variations of the search term were also used, such as “gtd todoodlist” and “todoodlist planner.”

In moment of newly-found infatuation with his easy-to-use-and-implement productivity system, I made a post about the Todoodlist ebook by Nick Cernis. It’s not something I would normally have written, but this one post has contributed more than ten times the traffic of any other search term this month. Sometimes it pays to do something unique.

Driving significant and consistent traffic to your website or blog doesn’t have to be such a challenge. All it takes is a little effort and a lot of commitment. Keep at it, and you’ll begin to see your traffic gradually improve.

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Wednesday

Sep162009

20 Mistakes in Web Design

As a website user and designer, I have a few pet peeves when it comes to website design.

#1 Flash

Although they seem "cool" to the site owner, Flash sites can be extremely frustrating from a user standpoint. I can't really think of a reason to use Flash, except to have that "cool" effect. Almost anything you hope to accomplish with Flash can be done (much better) without it.

#2 Music

Another "cool" feature to many clients is music, but it can be a big turnoff to site visitors. I can only think of one site that I actually allowed the music to play (a photography website while the gallery was playing through), and I stopped it after a few minutes. Music is a very subjective thing, and its effect can change with the mood of the visitor. When in doubt, leave it out.

#3 Splash/Intro Pages

In the same vein as Flash sites, splash/intro pages can be equally frustrating to the visitor. You have only seconds to capture the attention of your website visitors, and a splash/intro page can cost you just that. In the time you should have been capturing their attention with an easy-to-use site, you've managed to push them to the "Close" button.

#4 Auto-Play (Audio and Video)

Never, ever automatically start audio or video content on your site - ever. Maybe your site visitors forgot to turn down their speakers after listening to something else, and now your site will blast them. Maybe (most likely) your visitors will not be expecting sound and will be startled and frustrated by the burst of sound. If they want to play it, they'll play it. If they don't, the rest of your site should accomplish whatever you hoped to accomplish with the video or audio content.

#5 Pop-up Windows and Boxes

"Subscribe to my totally awesome newsletter!! Really, it's super cool!" If you have to sell your newsletter, eBooks, or other "mega important" wares that hard, they may not be as great as you think. Your value should speak for itself through honest and straightforward content and a polished and professional-looking site. Build rapport with your visitors, and they will subscribe without having to be pestered to do so.

#6 Scrolling Text

This is just annoying. What else can I say? If you need to call attention to announcements (if they're that important), then have a designated and prominent space for them on your site, but visitors don't want to have to "catch" the message before they can read and process it, nor do they want to have to wait for it to come back around.

#7 Animated Graphics

Again, this is just annoying. Bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy is only fun, fun, fun, fun, fun for Tigger. No one wants to see little stick men jumping across your site, nor do they want to see a man dancing (Oh, man! That guy that comes up on the bank sites - irritating!). Don't do it - ever. Trust me on this, it's not cool.

#8 Blinking Items

Annoying. Why people insist on using these types of things is beyond my understanding. If it moves, if it flashes, if it makes noise, if it blinks, it probably should not go on your site without an optional "Play" button.

#9 Glamour Shots and Inappropriate Photos

Okay, let's say you're a real estate agent. You're helping people with what is likely to be their biggest financial purchase of their lives. I'm going to guess that they want to work with someone who is the ultimate professional, someone who is responsible and has it together. If your photo tells another story, you might want to rethink it. The same is true for all other professionals. Your photos should reflect your business and ideal clients.

#10 Stale Content

You have a site. Its goal is to secure new business for you. Take an active interest in it and keep it updated. If visitors see that your blog hasn't been updated for six months, they'll wonder if you're still in business - not exactly the message you hope to send.

#11 Drop-down Menus

While I have used drop-down menus for clients in the past, I do not recommend them. Browsers are fickle things, and stability of such features cannot be guaranteed across all of them. Plus, using drop-down menus can require a great deal of dexterity on the part of the user, which not all users have.

#12 Too Much Copy (Especially on the Home Page)

Do you really have to explain who you are, why visitors should work with you, and what you do in that much detail before you can expect a sale? If you do, you'd be better off breaking down the content into logical steps based on your sales cycle. Trust me on this one, they will not read all that content. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that not a single person will. That's valuable real estate. Use it wisely.

#13 Copying Someone Else

Okay, if someone searches for a phrase online, chances are any and all sites that have that exact phrase are going to come up, and chances are, the person who visits your site will also visit those other sites. If it appears that you copied the content, your credibility will tank, and the visitor will go elsewhere. DO NOT COPY CONTENT. Be unique. Be yourself. That's the only way to build rapport with your ideal clients and customers.

#14 Large Images and Graphics

This just adds to the load time for your site and can cost you visitors. I have stopped including images in my blog posts for this reason. I do not like waiting for pages to load, just for some (likely) vaguely related image that doesn't really sell the story anymore than the title already did.

#15 "Creative" Navigation

Cool is overrated, and here we are again. Nine times out of ten, when a client starts a sentence with, "Wouldn't it be cool to have...," I say that it's a bad idea. Navigation is no place to start trying to be cool. There are standards that web users are accustomed to finding in a website. Your site should not be the exception. If it is and if they can't figure it out REALLY quickly, they'll go to something they can find fast - the "Close" button.

#16 Excessive Advertising

It should not seem that the only reason you even have a site is to make money from Adsense. There is no credibility in that, and most times, visitors are looking for credible. There's enough junk out there. Be a real and honest source of information, and the few ads that you do have will be respected as valuable resources.

#17 PDFs

If you have an article, publish it as actual text on your site, whether that be in a blog entry or on an HTML page. PDFs are aggravating to use, slow as molasses, and not good for search engines. Only use them where absolutely necessary (example, client contracts).

#18 No Contact Info

You've gone to the trouble to create a website in hopes of visitors being able to find and contact you to do business with you, but you don't include the information for them to do so? Tons of sites fail to provide their contact information in an easily accessible location. This will cost you business.

#19 Cumbersome Contact Forms

Don't ask for anymore information than is absolutely necessary. You can always get any other information that you need down the road, after you have built a little more rapport with the person.

#20 Slow Load Times

Avoid all the "cool" features, the huge and animated graphics, tons of ads, and all the other time sucks, and your site will load in a reasonable amount of time. If visitors have to wait too long, they'll just go elsewhere.

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Perfecting Your Website's About Page

I had the opportunity to chat with publicity expert Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy about her Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide, which shows step by step how to share your story in a fun, memorable, and magnetic way. I wanted to find out from Nancy how solopreneurs and small business owners can put together compelling bios on their About pages to help them attract more of their ideal clients, in order to successfully grow their businesses.

Why is it so important for solopreneurs and small business owners to have a compelling "About" page?

As an entrepreneurs or solopreneurs, you are your business. The clients have to do business with you, and so they have to like, trust, and respect you immediately, in order for them to want to pick up the phone, send an email, or say "Yes, I want buy this person's service."

What is your recipe for a great bio or "About" page?

Start with stunning results, succinct stories, sassy sound bites, and social information to help your ideal customer connect with you. Those four items are the cornerstones of an extraordinary bio, because they get to the meat of the matter in a delicious way and invite more of the right people to say "Yes" to what you have to offer.

What makes people so afraid to express themselves completely through their bios?

There are many people, women in particular, who are uncomfortable with what some call "shameless self-promotion." What I like to tell people who are shy, unwilling, or uncomfortable talking about their accomplishments is to take a deep breath and consider, "What is it that I do that makes a huge impact on the success of other people?" When you frame your special gifts and talents from the standpoint of how other people will be well-served, you're just providing a valuable service that the marketplace needs. It's not a matter of bragging or promoting, it's a matter of helping and serving.

For people who are uncomfortable in this regard, if you look through the thank you notes that people have sent you for the contribution that you have made, that will really reinforce your confidence that you really are making a difference through the work that you do, and if you've gone the extra step to ask people to comment officially with a testimonial, you can simply say, "Clients who work with me describe me as a, b, c, and d."

In the book, you mention that "we can't be all things to all people" and that "we have to be the right things to the right people." Explain.

If you say, "I'm an expert in everything, and you should hire me," no one believes you. The more narrow you define how you serve, not only do you attract more of the right people, but you likely can charge more for your services. It used to be that on television there was broadcasting, and then the Internet came along and all sorts of new programming came along and cable television came along, and now HGTV is one of the most widely watched programs, where all they talk about is home and garden stuff. We've gone from broadcasting to narrowcasting, and there's a tremendous lesson in that. Don't say you're all things to all people. Identify your perfect customer so that people know they are right with you.

You say it's important to stand out, to tell an authentic story. How can solopreneurs and small business owners do this?

I'm a big fan of the sassy sound bite, and that is to say something in a way that is so memorable and remarkable that people repeat it. I'll give you an example. Kim Duke is the founder of SalesDivas.com, and she trains people how to be extraordinary producers in sales, and one of her sassy sound bites is that she believes that cold calling is best left in the freezer. That is so much more of an interesting way to say what she does than, "I believe there are a whole lot better ways to make sales than cold calling."

Don't underestimate the power of a sassy sound bite. It really can demonstrate your personality, your passion, and something meaningful, remarkable, and relevant to how you make a difference in your particular field.

You mention displaying a very brief bio, say in the sidebar of your site, that shares something interesting and memorable. Why is this brief bio important, and why do we need this in addition to our full-length one?

Now that we have Twitter and electronic devices and other conventions that require that we get to the meat of the matter in 140 characters or less, brevity is really important. We're in an age of skimmers. You have to get to the highlights so that people say, "Oh yeah, that's my guy!"

Would you recommend putting a photo of yourself in that brief bio?

Yes, I would. I'm going to refer to my good friend and colleague and mentor Alice Cunningham of OlympicHottub.com who says, "Make it easy to buy, easy to own, and easy to refer." When someone is thinking about buying from you, they're going to your About page, and they're going to say, "Well, who is that?" You want an image that puts your best face forward that is truly a favorable reflection of everything that you bring to the party.

Talk a bit about the importance of a professional head shot.

When you're choosing your photo, consider the type of business you are in. If you're in a conservative field, like banking or finance, you definitely want a conservative image. If you're in a creative profession, say an artist or a photographer, your images can be more playful and creative. I always recommend having a traditional professional head shot so that newspaper, blog, and magazine editors have a choice about which image they want to use.

Testimonials are an important part of a bio, but what about for the new service provider?

When you have glowing testimonials, it's not just you saying that you're great, it's your clients who are saying that you're great, and that's pretty powerful, so have at least three testimonials from the industries that are attractive to you so that you can attract more of the right opportunities.

Now, if you don't yet have clients, ask yourself, "Have I done any pro bono work for non-profit organizations, friends, or colleagues who would be happy to sing my praises?" It doesn't necessarily have to be compensated work that people are complimenting. It needs to demonstrate that the work you do you're actually go at.

You offer several versions of a bio in your book. Explain how this might be helpful.

You can't go wrong with the short blurb bio that includes the succinct stories, the sassy sound bites, the stunning results, and the social information to help people connect with you. It works for everybody, no matter what profession you're in. Sometimes, you need a few more words to tell your story in a winning way than a short blurb bio can accomplish, and sometimes the fill-in-the-blank, "I was born in a little town in Minnesota, the best book I've ever read is..., my first job was..., the best advice I ever got was..." might fit for you. You have to sort of frame your information in a way that your ideal customer will find remarkable.

Learn more about Nancy Juetten at Main Street Media Savvy and be sure to check out her Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide.

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Monday

Sep072009

How to Come Up with Blog Topics

We all know that blogging is great for business, but coming up with topics to write about can be a challenge at times. You may have days where topics come easily, but what do you do when you can’t come up with something? Here are a few ideas to help you come up with topics.

Brainstorm.

One of the easiest ways to come up with blog topics is to brainstorm. Sit down and type out ideas that come to mind. Think about your target market and what they need, want, and use. Then think about how you can help them with the products or services that you offer.

Once you have this list, you will be able to write more blog posts than you ever thought possible. You should continually look at this list to see if you can add anything to it. If an idea to comes to mind, write it down so that you can write about it later.

Browse past content.

Another idea is to use your past articles. Take one idea that you wrote about in the past and elaborate on it. For instance, if you write tip articles, take each tip and write a blog post about it.

Ask your customers.

Survey your customers or clients and ask them how you can help them or if they have any questions that you can cover in your blog. Not only will they help your customers or clients, but they will give you great content. Make sure you let them know when you answer their question, so they will make sure to read it. Also, give them credit for it and include a link to their website so that they'll be more likely to participate in the future.

Search keywords.

Search keywords that are based on your business and see if you can come up with blog post ideas from that information. You can use a search engine or go to your favorite article directory and see what articles come up and then come up with ideas of your own.

When you consistently write for your blog, you will place yourself in front of your target market on a regular basis, and they'll be more likely to remember you and your business when they need what you offer.

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Get Organized to Help with Your Blogging

Blogging consistently is very important for your business. Posting content on a regular basis is the surest way to develop consistent web traffic, but coming up with topics and finding the time to post can be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you become more organized and systematic with your blog posting, which will make for better content all the way around.

Organize your time.

Use a planner and schedule time for blogging. If it's on your schedule, you'll be more likely to actually do it. Block out a couple of hours two or three times per week to make sure you have enough time to write and edit the content and get it posted to your site.

Organize your thoughts.

Coming up with topics on a regular basis can be tough, but an easy way to overcome this challenge is to schedule brainstorming sessions on a weekly basis. Write down all ideas that come to mind and any details for posts, if you have those as well. Refer back to this list when it's time to write so that you're not wasting time coming up with things to write about.

Organize your posts.

Organize your posts using categories so that you avoid duplicating writing topics. This also helps with coming up with new topics to cover, since you have a place to browse past topics. It also helps to keep your blog in a balance, too, by letting you see how often you post within each category.

Schedule posts.

It might be easier for you to write on certain days and then schedule those posts over the coming week. For instance, you might start out writing posts three days a week and then scheduling them to post on your off writing days, so if you write on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, your posts would be scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

When you organize your day, you will get so much more accomplished and can do the things you want to do with your business. It's helpful to follow a set routine when it comes to writing, and your content will improve, too!

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Articles

Write Your Way to More Web Traffic

20 Mistakes in Web Design

#1 Flash

#2 Music

#3 Splash/Intro Pages

#4 Auto-Play (Audio and Video)

#5 Pop-up Windows and Boxes

#6 Scrolling Text

#7 Animated Graphics

#8 Blinking Items

#9 Glamour Shots and Inappropriate Photos

#10 Stale Content

#11 Drop-down Menus

#12 Too Much Copy (Especially on the Home Page)

#13 Copying Someone Else

#14 Large Images and Graphics

#15 "Creative" Navigation

#16 Excessive Advertising

#17 PDFs

#18 No Contact Info

#19 Cumbersome Contact Forms

#20 Slow Load Times

Perfecting Your Website's About Page

How to Come Up with Blog Topics

Get Organized to Help with Your Blogging