There are endless options when it comes to choosing a web developer. You can go
with anything from the mega-marketing firm to the nearest tech-savvy teenager. The
fact is that it’s easier than ever to put a couple of pages of text and graphics
on the Internet and just about any body can do it. However, is the site laid out
in a logical manner that lets a user easily find what he’s looking for? Are the
most popular search engines going to be able to index your site from top to bottom?
Is your site going to deliver the information the visitor came for? If you choose
Everyware, you can say ‘YES!’
Product versus Promotion in Marketing
The Typical Mistake of Marketing Firms
Marketing is often divided into the “Four Ps”:
- Product
- Price
- Promotion
- Placement
There is no doubt that your website is part of your overall marketing scheme. Unfortunately,
most marketing firms that have absorbed web design as a service offering have placed
a website in the wrong ‘P’.
In its infancy, the mainstream Internet was about information – scholastic publications,
early versions of forums, reference materials, etc. As Internet technologies developed,
the World Wide Web became rich with graphics, sound, and animation. There is no
doubt that these enhancements were a welcome change. However, the new color and
sound of the Internet started to make some sites resemble traditional advertising
like commercials, print ads, and billboards. At that point marketing firms began
to treat websites as a promotional medium instead of a source of product information.
Many websites are now little more than an interactive commercial.
Everyware’s Solution
There are certain types of companies, websites, and parts of websites where promotional
marketing makes sense, but in most cases Everyware believes that this methodology
is incorrect as it ignores how a user finds a website on the Internet. In order
to arrive at your website, a user must type in your address or click on a link elsewhere
on the Internet. This means that by the time the user has arrived at your site,
the promotional battle has already been won. Advertising outside of your site has
already captured the user’s interest and prompted him or her to actively seek more
information about your company or its products. Hitting the user at this point with
more of the same promotion is redundant and a quick way to frustrate the user.
Everyware puts the focus for your website back on information. Our “Content-First”
design methodology makes sure that you have a site that’s easy for your visitors
to find what they came for. Of course, this isn’t to say that you won’t have a great
looking site. By having the content to work with ahead of time, our designers can
create designs that better fit your company and its goals.
Creating a Search Engine Friendly Website
Search engines periodically read your site and create an index of everything it
reads. If somebody searches for a word that has been indexed from a page your site,
the search engine may display a link to your page for the user to click on. This
probably sounds easy enough, but it’s not as simple as it seems. Search engines
don’t read a site the same way that a person does. The structure and code for a
website need to be assembled in a specific way. Everyware’s “Content First” process
does just that. We make sure that a search engine can read every page in your site
and index the important content on your site.
Frustration Free Navigation
How many times have you visited a website only to leave without ever finding what
you came for? If a site is not designed right, it’s easy for a visitor to get lost
in your website. Part of Everyware’s “Content First” methodology is to make sure
that your website starts with a logical hierarchy of information. Each successive
level of content elaborates on the previous level. Visitors intuitively move up
and down the depth of your site to find the information that they are looking for.
But this movement cannot be done with structure alone. Each site includes three
features that allow a visitor to move freely throughout the site:
- Sub navigation menu
- Breadcrumbs
- Sitemap
Sub navigation
The sub navigation of your site allows a user to see what content is available relative
to the current section they are in. Each time a visitor drills deeper into the site,
the sub navigation updates to help the user browse that particular section.
Breadcrumbs
Sub navigation helps visitors navigate each section but on larger sites, it can
be pretty easy to forget how they got to a particular page and where they are in
the context of the site. Breadcrumbs show visitors where they are in the site and
provide an easy way to go back to the pages that got them there.
Sitemap
A sitemap is the roadmap to your website. Nearly every page should be listed on
the sitemap in a manner that clearly shows the structure of the website.
Power your Website with GoogleTM
The Everyware team recommends the following tools to help improve your site performance
and collect pertinent information to help enhance your site. Our professionals will
engage with you to properly install and leverage these important resources.
GoogleTM Analytics
The technical experts at EveryWare can engage with you to setup and understand
the valuable site reporting tools offered by Google™ Analytics. Our technical
staff has extensive experience in utilizing these reporting tools to enhance
our customer’s websites. We offer these professional services on a time and
materials basis.
GoogleTM Search
EveryWare Inc. is a Google™ Mini Search Partner. Our technical staff can add
intra site search capabilities into your web site easily and cost effectively.
The benefits will be a better end experience in a metaphor they are familiar with
and valuable reporting for your sales and marketing staff to identify what
products and services potential customers are interested in.
The cost is only $495 annually and a one-time charge for technical support to
setup and integrate into your web site. Please contact us (link) today for a free
demonstration and to purchase this valuable service.
If you would like a free consultation or would like to purchase our product or services
please
Contact Us