Posts Tagged directories
9 Tips to Improve Your Website Readability | Website Optimisation
Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing on October 6, 2010
Tip #1 – Start by asking yourself, “What does This Mean to My Reader?”
It’s best to think of an inverted pyramid when you begin writing.
Ask, “what do I want people to get out of my site immediately?”
Make the first paragraph very on topic and concise, and then expand upon it further in the text.
Tip #2 – Be Relevant!
Whatever you write about, do make sure that it directly relates to your page or your site, if it doesn’t, don’t include it.
Your visitors want valid, relevant information about your product or service.
Tip #3 – 1 Topic, them or idea per paragraph.
If you want a higher conversion rate, your web pages need to be concise and to-the-point.
Browsers scan websites, instead of reading them.
Having short, straight to the point paragraphs is better than long rambling ones.
Tip #4 – Action Stage 1!
Your readers are on your page for one single reason: because you have something they want.
Show them what your offer is, tell them what to do and be direct.
Keep the flow of your pages moving so you keep them on the page or on the site.
Have a plan to take them to the action point of the site – Phone us now, email us now.
Tip #5 – Use lists instead of paragraphs
Remember: people don’t read your site; they scan it.
And lists are easier to scan than paragraphs, especially if you keep them short and bulleted.
Tip #6 – The magic number 10
Studies have shown that people can only reliably remember a maximum of 10 things at a time.
By keeping your list items short, it helps your readers remember them.
Tip #7 – Give Your Visitors short, information-rich content
Let your sentences be as concise as you can make them.
Dont be wordy!
Use only the words you need to get the essential information across.
Tip #8 – Use sub-headings
Sub-headings will make the text more scannable.
Your readers will move to the section of your site that they’re looking for, and internal signposts make it easier for them to do this.
Tip #9 – Call to Action!
People have come to your site looking for information.
Don’t expect them to find it on their own.
By giving them calls to action – click, sign up, buy now – you’re essentially ordering your readers to “do this!”
And you have to do this to convert tyre kickers into buyers, and they actually appreciate beng told what to.
(In the nicest possible way of course!)
We are running some workshops on Social Media in October and if you would like to come along, please drop us an email at james@theimagesgroup.co.uk or call the office on 0191 5197278
There you have it: 9 sure-fire ways to make your content more appealing! Be sure to implement some or all of the tips that work best for you.
How’s Your Seo?
Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation on June 4, 2010
How’s your SEO?
Being number one on Google is important, right?
But just how important is this and how does this break down in terms of actual visitors for the top websites returned in Google?
It has always been a bit of a guessing game, but new statistical analysis tools have revealed the power and benefits of being in the top placements in Google for specific keywords.
I promised to reveal this earlier, but there was some considerable arm twisting taking place behind the scenes to prevent me from revealing these statistics.
Anyway, here we go.
First of all I assume that you have been extremely diligent in your keyword research and identified a keyword that is relative to your niche, is well searched and has only a small amount (relatively) of competition.
Just to show you how topical I am, lets have a look at the keyword search term “iPad”.
Bear in mind that this does not fit the criteria – it probably isn’t in your niche, and the competition – well there are, believe it or not, only 127,000 competing sites for this keyword.
Unsurprisingly, the top two spots for this keyword are occupied by Apple.com, followed by Wikipedia, the Guardian and then Stockwatch.
Of course this from a UK-based search (Google will deliver your searches to you based on which country you live in – if I searched from the US, the results would be significantly different, apart from the top three, which will have a universal stranglehold on the keyword.
The number of searches reported for the iPad are 16.6 million – yes million!
Using an algorithm extrapolated by Market Samurai, one of the best market research tools you are likely to come across for keyword analysis, the amount of traffic received by the top sites is expressed as a percentage of the total number of searches. Market Samurai call this the SEOT (Search Engine Optimised Traffic) and the figures are quite revealing and show you why it is so important to position your site near the top of Google.
Market Samurai’s research reveals that the number 1 site on Google receives a massive 42% of the search engine traffic; number 2 receives 12%; number 3 receives 8%; with corresponding lower percentages until it reaches the site at number 7 which receives 3% of the search traffic.
All of the other sites listed on the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) after number 7 ‘share out’ the remaining clicks.
Relate this to the iPad searches and it soon becomes obvious why you would want the top spots.
Based on this information, Apple, with the two top spots on Google are receiving 54% of the search traffic. 54% of 16.6 million is 8,964,000.
We are currently working with clients who we have managed to get top seven rankings in Google for specific keyword phrases and naturally they are really pleased with the results, which has meant that their visitor ratios and profitability ratios have also increased substantially.
If you would like to know more about how we can help your company obtain a larger share of your niche website traffic, give us a call on 0191 5197279 or drop us an email to info@theimagesgroup.co.uk.
Next time: How to Really Profit from Social Media Methodologies in Your Business
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