Written by Lesa Seibert | 19 July 2011
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

The last piece to consider when writing a business blog is to use citations.  Blogging is quickly being accepted as legitimate journalism so it needs to be treated that way.  This means proper citation of facts, figures, sources and related stories.  This will reinforce the legitimacy of your business blog.

When trying to get ranked by search engines, speed is a factor.  So, while being the first to publish a post might result in a surge of clicks, what is most important is quality.  Google's latest update stresses the importance of quality content.  Taking a few extra minutes to ensure accuracy will have more important long-term effects. 

In writing business blogs, remember that the target audience is looking for facts, informatio and actionable advice.  Provide the audience reasons to trust your blog and they will come back, link to your posts, share the content and help establish your business as an industry leader.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 12 July 2011
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Like a songwriter, whose goal is to get their point across in as few words as possible, so is the goal of the blog writer.  Whenever a blog post is complete, go back and remove as many words as possible without changing the meaning of the content.  A very common mistake is the over-use of "you" and "your".  It is sometimes unavoidable but too much can ruin even the best sentence.  For example:
    
     Example 1 - To ensure a good business blog, you want to make it easy to read so you can convey the appropriate
     message to your target audience.

     Example 2 - A good business blog is easy to read while still conveying the appropriate message to its target audience.

By removing a few unnecessary words and with a little restructuring, Example 2 is easier to read and shorter than Example 1.

Another thing to remember when writing a blog is to get to the point quickly.  You should put the main points of the blog at the top of the post and work down.  Business blog readers don't have much time, so they want the information quickly.  Putting the main points first also helps with search engines because they index from the top down.  You can also use introductions, but keep them short and include the main focus in the intro. 

Written by Lesa Seibert | 07 June 2011
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

A blog can be important to the success of many businesses.  Blogs provide a way to communicate with consumers, gather feedback, increase brand awareness and influence search rankings.  While promotion is vital to the success of the blog, the content of your business blog will be the deciding factor for readers to return to the website and continue their relationship with your business.  A blog can establish you and your business as an expert in your field.  The main thing to remember is it's not all about you but it is all about your customers.

There is a major difference between writing articulate, intelligent sentences that address industry-specific issues, and stuffing sentences with jargon to appear as an expert on a topic.  Not only does excessive jargon confuse the audience but it gives the impression of over-compensating for material you don't understand.

Another major problem with jargon is that it alienates potential new readers.  Feeling overwhelmed after reading the first paragraph is extremely frustrating and will most likely lose readers for you.  So, dial down the jargon and make content more approachable but effective.

On the opposite side of jargon is being too casual.  While it depends on your audience, it is almost always a bad idea to step outside of the corporate mindset.  Even if your target audience is young and casual, blog posts still need to be professional.  Otherwise, many people, business and most media outlets will fail to take you or your business seriously.

There are times when casual is appropriate, but only a deep understanding of the target audience will determine if that is the right approach.  Even in this case, don't be too casual.

Next week we will look at more tips for writing business blogs.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 17 May 2011
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

As we have talked about over the last few weeks, businesses need to build their strategies in 2011 around content creation and distribution.  As a business owner, you need to devise a content strategy that will enable them to build a following on social networks and make their brand or their business available anytime and anywhere to accommodate for mobile.

We discussed that optimizing your website without a lot of Flash on the front end is the best way to optimize it for SEO and visitors.  You need to make sure to keep in mind that it is very important to get across the purpose and goals of your business the shortest amount of time possible all while making sure to emphasize the physical location of the business as well as other information that is vital for the consumer on the go.  One in four searchers will have local intent - when a searcher is looking for your business at 6pm, they not only want to know the location but the hours of operation.

Mobile and social have become channels for reaching customers as much as websites.  Real time search, simpler website designs, engaging content and online advertising promotions are key to staying on top.  In 2011, there are multiple touch points for a client and if you aren't in all of them you are missing out. 

The biggest challenge for businesses adapting to the social mobilization trend in 2011 will be about keeping it simple, and avoiding complexities.  But remember, don't do everything at once.  First, make sure your website is optimized and sends the message you want to deliver.  Then, and only then, get on social and mobile. 

Written by Lesa Seibert | 03 May 2011
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

This year is going to be about getting your point across without a lot of flash - literally.  The quicker you can show your website visitors that your business can meet their needs, the better off you will be.

What this means to website owners is that visitors are choosing substance over style, in most instances, which will challenge website owners to achieve a balance.  The sites that manage to do this well will have designs that stand out but with content that gets right to the point without all the fluff.  There will be deeper functionalities that can be optimized for social media and mobile devices.

So, website owners, if you have a big Flash presence on your homepage, your preview on Google will not look nearly as enticing.  The same will be true if you have lots of little images on your home page.  Simple, bold designs are going to be the best going forward.   With all the changes that are taking place in search, 2011 will be a really good time to look at website redesign if their site was done more than two years ago and some newer sites, if they incorporate a lot of flash and are cluttered with lots of photos, ads, images, etc.

So as you are looking at your website, really look to see is there text and good information for your visitors and is it optimized for SEO.  If not, it's time to think about updating your site.