Sep 4 2008
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What this is about: This checklist covers multiple elements concerning the visual aspects of the website development. Some of the information here can be dismissed, depending on the type of site, but overall these are good points to consider during the design process.
Why this is important: The site design is essentially the first impression that someone gets when they land on your site. You may have all your usability and SEO elements in place, but if the design is lacking then your visitor’s impression of you will be lacking as well. A visually appealing site can not only bolster trust and credibility, but it can make you stand out among other less-appealing sites in your industry.
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Sep 4 2008
What this is about: This list contains a few items that pertain to site logo, how it’s placed and it’s functional implementation.
Why this is important: The logo lends directly to brand identity and site identification. It also creates a certain element of appeal and professionalism in the mind of the visitor. It holds an important role in visitor assurance and navigation.
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Sep 3 2008
What this is about: This list covers a handful of browser functionality and compatibility issues, as well as user interface with the site via the browser.
Why this is important: The browser is (obviously) what we use to view websites. The goal is to give the visitor the best browsing experience possible, but we have to keep in mind that not all browsers are the same. We must make sure to accommodate different users, ensuring that they get the most value out of the site possible.
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Sep 3 2008
What this is about: This checklist covers various aspects of the domain and site URL structure, how they should be used and how to ensure proper site and browser functionality.
Why this is important: The domain name is part of the identity of your business. The URL chosen can have a significant impact on brand identity and in a lesser extent, keyword ranking performance. However, how your site domain name and page URLs function can have significant impact on the crawlability of the site as well as overall visitor and traffic performance.
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Sep 2 2008
Marketing a website isn’t particularly difficult. It’s usually just a matter of knowing what to do, how to do it, and having the skills and time to get it done. With that said, marketing a website isn’t particularly easy either. There are so many factors and variables in play that at any given time that the job can be quite overwhelming. Obviously I can’t address the issue of whether or not you have the skills or time, but I can help you out with the “what to do” piece of the puzzle.
I’ve always been a lover of checklists, especially when it comes to getting things done. Especially when it comes to remembering what things need to be done! So over the last several years I’ve been putting together checklists for all kinds of things pertaining to website marketing.
Below is my master website marketing checklist covering over 400 specific items over 23 topics. These topics include things such as website development, SEO, usability, accessibility, etc. This list doesn’t cover any “how tos,” which are an essential ingredient to successful online marketing, but sometimes you need to first know what to do so you can then discover how to do it.
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Sep 1 2008
Yesterday while I was running errands I stopped by the FedEx Kinko’s store. On the window was a large sign stating that “FedEx Kinko’s is now FedEx Office”.
Rebranding is tough. FedEx was smart in keeping the Kinko’s name when they bought them out. It made sense since Kinko’s already had an established brand that people recognized. But now FedEx is dropping the Kinko’s name for “Office?” I just don’t get that.
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Aug 29 2008
This is it folks, today is the final day to get the early bird, er um… dog? discount for Small Business Marketing Unleashed. In case you’ve haven’t heard, Unleashed is about the most amazing small business marketing conference you can attend. But don’t just take my word for it, check out what others have said about it.
This time it’ll be held in Columbus, Ohio, September 22nd and 23rd, 2008. I’ll be presenting on the topic of Website Architecture and will follow that with an on-page SEO workshop. Added to that I’ll be giving a short presentation on Destination Search Engine Marketing.
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