Having problems with message search?
Spreading the news for home and small business entrepreneurs
Volume III Issue iii May, 2001
A Creative Enterprises publication http://www.creativethought.comFor easier reading and quick referral later, print this out and keep it handy!
NOTE: Anything underlined in this newsletter should be a hyperlink. If your browser doesn't pick it up that way, let me know. Links do you no good if you can't access them -- that's something I need to deal with, if it's a problem for anyone.
(Multi-tasking has its moments.)
As if you didn't have enough to worry about with establishing an online business, you now learn you have to claw your way to the top of search results and learn how to make your website "sticky.”
You'll be happy to know that several tricks used to optimize your web pages for rank, also help your users. "Sticky" is the opposite of "abandonment,” another term online businesses fear. Page abandonment is when a user visits your site, and either leaves immediately, or tries to purchase something and gives up somewhere during the buying process.
Here are some easy things to do that have several positive advantages to you and your users.
1. Write a good title tag for every page, especially your homepage and any page you feel a user may want to bookmark. This sentence (of about 63 characters) describes what the page is about. Avoid hype. Be simple, factual and use keywords that match the content of the page -- that last part is really important. This title tag is vital to search engines and directories. It's the best way to discover what your page is about. If it matches a keyword search, your page will come up higher in rank. A user who bookmarks this page won't forget what this page is about because the title tag also appears in your browser's list of links.
2. Include content on each page, not just links. This is important for any page you submit to a search portal or want users to return to. Search engines index by content and desperately need words. Pages that are less graphical and more text oriented do better in search engines and rank higher. Content that keeps the users interested inspires them to return, again and again. This is why articles and news are so popular.
3. Provide a sitemap. It's not necessary to have search functionality on your website if you include a sitemap. This is a simple text-driven page of organized hyperlinks to every page in your website. Place it on each page of your website, either at the top, or in the footer, via a text link. Engine spiders seek sitemaps because they contain all the links to your website. It's easier to add pages to engine databases this way. Users seek sitemaps because they provide fast access to all the nooks and crannies of your website.
4. Online instructions to your user are critical. I visited a website today that I know has quality products but after several clicks of different buttons, guessing the whole time which ones to choose, I never found a good way to order the product. By the time I reached a form, I'd lost interest. Imagine being an engine spider and trying to crawl a website like that. Many spiders ignore buttons completely, and will only follow text links.
5. Related to online selling is placement of your shopping cart. Place it near the top of the page, not the bottom. Users shouldn't have to scroll down to locate products, instructions, forms, product images, product descriptions or shopping cart applications. Little icons and helpful text lead your user through the buying process. Don't provide ANY links off your website during the buying process! This is a cause for shopping cart abandonment. It's also a great way to send a search engine spider off your website and onto someone else's, leaving the rest of your website un-indexed.
These are just a few ideas. The key points are content and the placement of this content. What benefits search engines also benefits your users. And both will benefit your business.
Copyright 2001 Cre8pc.com. Article written by Kimberly Kopp Krause. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by written permission only to kimkrause@...
The new site will be "Bobby Approved" accessible, adhering to the CAST guidelines for users with disabilities. Behind the scenes, CyberNiche Software will reorganize ESSCP's current 4 domains, 2 web hosts, and 2 outdated web sites to all point to one visiteasterseals.org web site at a host server that will save the non profit over $360.00 per year in hosting fees. The new site should go live later this month or early June. Mike and Laura are excited about this project, and in the true spirit of volunteerism so prevalent among our CE members, they are truly giving back to their community with through this valuable donation of time and talent. We'll let you know when the new Easter Seals site is up -- some of you may like to take a look in order to help with similar projects in your own communities.
That’s all for this month, but please visit (and shop) at our online shopping district whenever you're looking for products or services. Support our member small businesses. They’re a wonderful group of people! -- Carol ^j^
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE: To add a new email address or remove your email address from this newsletter, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/creativepublicity and update your profile.
FEEDBACK: Talk to us! Tell us how you feel about our newsletter, about our website, about our concept of home and small business owners working together to build community. And if there's anything you want us to look into, let us know. Hit your "Reply to Author" button to send your questions and your feedback.Articles in "TheTown Crier" are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without express permission of Creative Enterprises.
© Creative Enterprises 1999,2000.2001 Carol Daly, The Town Crier, Editor mailto: TheBoss@... -------------------------------------------------------------- Your newsletter status: You are subscribed.
Send Email
