5 Reasons Why Visitors Are Not Returning to Your Website

Every website is different, but more often than not, those websites that are not seeing repeat web traffic share a number of similarities. Here are 5 of the top reasons why people aren’t coming back to your website:

1. Your website is static

Do you ever take time to update or add to your website? Static website are filled with pages that never change, information that stays the same, and no updates for readers. Creating a static website is one of the biggest mistakes we see across the web. Readers want to come back to a website that adds new content on a regular basis.

2. Your website is hard to navigate

With websites that are not receiving return visitors we usually see one of two things when it comes to website navigation:

• Your website has multiple links, which take readers to the same page. Does your site have a top navigation bar, side navigation bar, and links within your content which all take your readers to the same set of web pages? It’s good to drive readers through your website, but having too many links all taking readers to the same web page confuses the reader.
• Your website has broken links. Have you checked your links recently? Are any of those links broken? Take time to go through your website to see if any of your links need to be repaired.
• Does your website look like this?

3. You’re not encouraging engagement

Do you ask your readers to email you or leave comments on your blog/website? Readers want to engage with the owners of the websites that they frequent. They want to know that they have a voice. Be sure to give them that opportunity. For example, most successful blogs end their posts asking readers what they think about what they have written.

4. Lack of social media involvement

Are you using social media to build relationships with your website visitors AND to encourage new visitors? Far too often managers of websites are not using social media to help build relationships with their readers.

5. You’re not providing any real value to your readers

Is your website so focused on making sales that you don’t provide any educational information to readers? Readers want to learn, that’s why they are visiting your website. If your website is all images or too sales heavy and lacks educational content, readers aren’t going to find much value in coming back to your website.

This article was sourced from: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/five-reasons-why-people-are-not-coming-back/

Responsive Web Design Benefits SEO

Fortunately, search engine optimization offers another great reason to consider responsive web design: links. The alternative to developing a single responsive site that meets all device needs is to develop multiple sites to meet individual device needs. One site for desktop browsers, one for smartphone browsers, one for tablets, and each has to be maintained separately after the expense of designing and developing them separately. From a search engine perspective, each needs links and/or user agent-specific redirects to get customers to the right version of the site. One site means one set of links to build, and no annoying redirects to add to server load, site speed and maintenance hassles.

Think of it this way, Groupon has developed Touch.groupon.com for smartphones, Ipad.groupon.com for the iPad, and www.groupon.com for desktop computers. The search engines don't have much interest in figuring out which sites should receive searches on which devices, though they easily could with their ability to crawl sites as different browser types. The point is that the onus is on the site to redirect the customers to the site that meet their device's needs. For more on this, see "How to Benefit from Googlebot Mobile's New Smarts," a recent article on that topic. 

Do Links Matter for Mobile Sites?

So back to links. If a site has to physically redirect mobile users from its desktop site to its mobile site, and if smartphone and tablet sites rarely if ever rank in the search results, what do links matter for mobile sites? Excellent question. It's not about getting more links to the mobile version so it can rank. It's the fact that some mobile users may create links to or share pages from the mobile site, which essentially steals link equity from the desktop site.

Say a mobile version of a product page has links to it from two blogs, two Tweets, two Facebook Likes and two Google +1s. But the desktop version of that same page has links to it from 20 blogs, 20 Tweets, 20 Facebook Likes and 20 Google +1s. The mobile version of that page is almost certainly not going to rank, and it's stealing those links and shares from the stronger desktop version of the site. If the site had been built using responsive design, the single product page would have 22 of each type of link and share instead of 20 and two to separate pages. In summary, the benefit is consolidation is link equity to a single page, enabling that single page to send stronger signals and rank better than the two separate pages could have alone.

This article was sourced from: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3395-SEO-Benefits-of-Responsive-Web-Design

What Is Responsive Web Design?

Site owners have many competing needs when developing mobile sites. Different devices, different capabilities, different screen sizes and resolutions, all have an impact on designing and developing mobile sites today. 

According to Mongoose Metrics, a tracking and analysis firm, only 9 percent of sites are ready for mobile in 2012. The primary consideration with mobile tends to be enabling better usability and — for ecommece sites — conversion. Another study by Compuware, a software and services provider, shows that 57 percent of users will not recommend a company with a bad mobile site and 40 percent of users will visit a competitor's site rather than using a poorly optimized mobile site. The case for usability and conversion as primary concerns in the drive to take ecommerce sites mobile is easy to make. Fortunately, responsive web design — the leading solution to the mobile usability challenge — is also beneficial to search engine optimization. 

Responsive web design is a concept that blends CSS, CSS3 and JavaScript to create fluid site designs that can expand, contract, rearrange or remove content based upon the user's screen size. Instead of developing different sites for devices with different screen sizes and capabilities, one site with one set of pages reacts flexibly to display optimally on everything from a 27-inch desktop monitor to a three and a half-inch iPhone display. The usability benefits are obvious: Customers can interact with a site regardless of the device they're using instead of having to choose between viewing the whole page illegibly or one small part of it that's disorienting. Where usability improves, decrease bounce rates and increased conversions are usually not far behind.

True, there are cases where the function and content of the mobile site needs to be different than the desktop site. Responsive design can handle those instances also via CSS by removing or reducing the visibility of content that's less relevant to mobile users. In some cases only a mobile app will really meet the needs of mobile users. But this article is about neither mobile apps nor the technical details of implementing responsive web design. For an excellent technical overview and references to other resources, see Smashing Magazine's "Responsive Web Design: What It Is and How to Use It."

This article was sourced from: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3395-SEO-Benefits-of-Responsive-Web-Design

"How can I get more website visitors?"

4 Creative Ways to Attract More Visitors to You Website

Your Website
This is one of the most common questions I hear from clients, frustrated at the lack of business their website brings them. Often, there isn't much wrong with the site iteslf -- it's professionally designed, and the portfolio is full of gorgeous work. But it just sits there, in an obscure corner of the Internet, being quietly ignored.

Taking a website from zero to a few hundred or even a few thousand visitors a month is not easy, but it's eminently doable -- as long as you recognize a harsh truth about the Internet:

The online world is an attention economy. Attention is finite, and therefore scarce. So if you want people to pay attention to you, you need to earn it.

You can't expect your work to speak for itself. Most of the time, it won't. You need to accept that marketing is part of your job, just as much as making.

But the game changes when you start applying your creativity to your marketing -- it becomes more fun as well as more effective. Here are four ways to use your creativity to attract the right kind of visitors to your website.

1. Create an amazing blog.
Note the word 'amazing'. I'm not talking about a blog you only update when you've got a new client or exhibition, or something new to sell. I'm not talking about a personal diary where you to post your musings on art, life, and the universe. I mean the kind of blog that grabs people's attention by delivering outstandingly valuable, useful, or entertaining material -- consistently.

Instead of writing, 'here's my latest work', write about:

·         "Here's how I made it" - with pictures and/or video. Like this or this or this.

·         "Here's what inspired it" - if you like it, chances are your audience will like it too. Like this or this.

·         "Here's how you can make one like it." Like this or this.

·         "Here's a gadget that makes my work better (and could help you too)." Like this.

Instead of burying your opinions in long paragraphs of diary-style 'musings', put them out there loud and clear:

·         Devote an entire blog post to nailing ONE idea.

·         Start with a compelling headline.

·         Ask yourself 'So what? Why should anyone care?' -- and make that the start of the post.

·         Give concrete examples.

·         Invite comments by ending with a question.

·         For example: I'm a designer. Use me better.

And don't forget to ask for the subscription! Repeat visitors are the best visitors, so one of your goals is to build an audience of loyal subscribers. Ask people to subscribe and offer an email option to make it easy.

2. Give (some of) your best work away for free.
Just so we're clear: I'm not one of those internet hippies who tells you "information wants to be free", so you should give away all your best work and forget about being paid. (Have you noticed those guys tend to have a comfortable salary or professorship?)

But as Tim O'Reilly has pointed out, for most creatives obscurity is a greater threat than piracy. If no one's ever heard of you, they won't even bother to rip you off, let alone pay for your work.

So take advantage of the spreadability of digital content by giving away something valuable and encouraging people to share it with their contacts:

·         the first chapter of your novel (or even an entire novella)

·         a free report or e-book, full of insanely useful information

·         one of the best tracks from your album

·         a design template

·         high-resolution images

·         a series of tutorials

·         videos that anyone can embed in their site

Use a Creative Commons license to make it clear what people are allowed to do with the work. And make sure it's something genuinely valuable. If you feel slightly uncomfortable about giving away something so good, you're on the right track. Otherwise, why would anyone get excited enough to tell their friends?

But don't give away the farm. Make sure you have plenty in reserve -- products, services, artworks -- for the folks who want to take things further and buy from you.

3. Borrow someone else's audience.
Why build an audience from scratch when you can borrow one that someone else has spent months or years assembling? No, it's not unethical -- in fact, the 'someone' in question will love you for it.

Writing high-quality guest posts for popular blogs in your niche is one of the most effective ways to get yourself on the radar of the people you want to reach. Your 'payment' is a link back to your site -- make a great offer and you could land hundreds of new subscribers with every guest post you write.

And make sure it's your best work. This is your chance to make a big impression -- don't blow it by sending out second-rate articles and keeping the best stuff for your own site.

4. Get your content into circulation.
Have you noticed that of the three tips so far, only one of them is centered around your site? (No. 2 may start on your site, but the real magic happens when people start sharing it with their friends.) If you really want more visitors, you have to go out and find them.

Social networking sites are not just for networking -- they are ideal places to get your content (blog posts, videos, free reports, etc) in front of other people. Use Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ to share links to your content.

And be generous -- share more of other people's content than your own. That way, you not only help others (good digital karma!) you also position yourself as a go-to authority, a source of cool stuff who people want to follow.

***

None of these methods is a quick fix. They require time, effort, and persistence. But the good news is the benefits are cumulative - as your blog attracts links and subscribers, as your free content gets into circulation, and as you get known as a rising star in your niche, you'll find yourself attracting more and more new visitors for every hour you spend on marketing.

And no, website visitors don't necessarily equal customers -- otherwise there'd be a lot more Internet millionaires!

Marketing to seniors on the web

When combing my hair this morning, I noticed the steady advance of grey and thinning. "Hmm, won't be long and I'll be a part of the grey power movement", I thought.  My wife also says I'm getting old at 46 (or am I 47? I forget). I won't deny I feel it ;).

But what is actually "old" these days? One thing's for certain, the term "senior citizen" no longer means infirm. You’ll see lots of people over 60 that are fitter now than they were in his thirties or forties. My friends parents have just bought a new RV and are trekking around the countryside; enjoying the fruits of their many years of labour. Retirement from work definitely does not equate to retirement from life!

"Senior" does not necessarily mean retirement from work either. I know of many people in their late 60's who are still working; either through choice or necessity. Improved health allows them to continue to be very active in the workforce.

Gone also are the days when the web was a place strictly for the young. Seniors have now embraced the Internet and many are comfortable with online shopping.

Senior shoppers, a rapidly growing market

We often mention other countries as "new markets"; but there's one right under our noses - seniors; and it's a market that shouldn't be underestimated.

According to the US Census Bureau, between 2005 and 2030, the senior market will grow by to over 95 million people - that's over 4 times the growth of the 18-59 age group for the same period. In Canada, %’s will be the same, just the overall size is smaller (about 10% of the US market).

Added to that, seniors control over 70% of all disposable income and currently spend over $7 billion (roughly $750 Million in Canada) online each year. Taking into account future general growth rates in terms of population age groups, accompanied by an ever increasing uptake of the web by this demographic slice, this will indeed be a lucrative market. It's just really kicking into gear now. The Pew Internet & American Life Project stated in a report that the number of seniors who go online increased by 47 percent between 2004 and 2008

What do seniors buy on the web?

Sure, seniors do buy all the products that we'd associate with "old age" - pills and potions and other health related products; but many of the seniors of today and into the future will view themselves as being young.

In a nutshell, seniors want the same sorts services and products that everyone else does. Everything from mp3 players, to ringtones, to RVs, to toys for the grandkids, to expensive holidays. Senior dating services are also becoming a massive growth industry. In fact, Yahoo search marketing currently (Sept. 09) to be the most popular "senior" related term.

Of course, there are some items that you probably won't have so much success with - such as the latest hip and trendy youth oriented fashions, or some of that new fangled music I hear blaring out of my teenage daughters rooms :).

What is the difference in marketing to seniors?

Age, generally speaking, makes you wise. Seniors also tend to have more available time to make purchase decisions. They are life savvy and for the most part, research well. They will ask questions before making a purchase - sometimes many, many, many questions :).

Provide a "seniors" section with discounts

As with marketing to any particular portion of the population, it's important that your pages reflect the tone. If you cover multiple age demographics, it can help to have a landing page dedicated to promoting your goods and services to seniors. Make the link to this section prominent throughout your site, but don't use patronizing text. Something as simple as "Special offers for seniors" should be sufficient as seniors do watch for this kind of verbage.

In years gone by, maturity and old age was respected, even revered. That has unfortunately changed in recent times, but the concept is still expected by our senior citizens.

You may already have general discounts advertised - but the goal is to make this slice of the market feel that you have singled them out for special treatment.

Establish your credibility

This is important for general online success, but particularly so if you want to capture business from senior citizens. Ensure that your privacy policy is clear, that terms and conditions are in plain English, that your site is secure - and promote these aspects. Display your guarantees, industry affiliations and security seals prominently through your marketing copy.

Images on your pages

Seniors may not want to see 20-something models in your marketing materials, but it doesn't mean you need to go for images of people in wheelchairs either. Aim for the middle of the road - if you're going to use images of humans in your promotional copy; go for the mid-30 to 40-something type images as this relays maturity, without suggesting infirmity. It's been well documented that most seniors see themselves as being 15 -20 years younger than their biological age.

Using hype in marketing copy

Be very careful with this - remember that age brings wisdom and too much hype in marketing copy can be a red flag to a more discerning buyer.

Be enthusiastic about your products, but focus on providing clear and complete information; quantify your claims - pose questions, give answers. For example:

"Are you tired of being packed in with screaming teenagers on your package tours?

At X Travel, we match the company you wish to keep on your tour with your requirements!"

Search engines and seniors

If you are going to have a special seniors section, ensure that the terms "senior" and "seniors" along with keywords relating to your product are sprinkled throughout. This age group most definitely searches using "senior" as part of the criteria when looking for a good deal.

Using offline media to bring seniors online

It's important to note that seniors are still very much comfortable with offline print; so be sure to have your web address clearly visible on anything you print or in any offline promotions you undertake.

The benefits of catering to seniors

While seniors may not have the "scan, click and buy" mentality of younger people, once you have gained their trust, they can be very loyal clients. So while you may need to invest more time initially in converting, this can definitely pay off in the long run.

Marketing - It's as Easy as 1-2-3!

Written by Daniel King @ Business Interactive Group

In the time it took for you to open this document, the business world changed.

• New products were introduced
• New alliances were formed
• Global markets expanded
• Competition got tougher

Your Marketing Plan needs to be specific and tailored for your organization.

1 – Design it for your Industry
2 – Scale it to your Business
3 – Time to Execute
To keep pace, you need marketing solutions that deliver your compelling message to the marketplace.
You don’t run a generic business. So why use generic solutions?
Now it’s time to begin working on your future. A future that sees your organization exceed your customers expectations, superior market understanding and consistently stay ahead of your competition. Once the plan is set, it’s time to execute. As your plan takes shape, ensure your business stays aligned with your values, vision and goals. Please remember that alignment and execution is critical for financial, market & cultural success.
Now Go!

Marketing Is the Tool You Must Use To Bridge the Confidence Gap. Marketing needs to be concise, well articulated, and powerfully stated. It is low or no pressure.  You need to strategize, develop and implement an Interactive Marketing Plan that helps businesses overcome the Confidence Gap. It accomplishes this by addressing two points: the Inside Reality and the Outside Perception.

The inside reality is everything your business does that makes you valuable to your customers. It is what gives you a competitive edge in the marketplace. It is all of your skills, your passion, your systems, the way you conduct your business. The outside perception is how customers and prospects perceive your business. It is the ideas and impressions consumers gain from your direct and indirect communication with them.

The Outside Perception of Your Business Should Match the Inside Reality

To be successful in business and to continue that success, you’re inside reality and outside perception should match. If you spend all your resources developing the inside reality and neglect the outside perception, you will be frustrated wondering why you are having minimal results with your superior product or service. On the flip side, if you focus solely on the outside perception and neglect the inside reality, prospects will soon find there is little value in the product or service and you will get little, if any, return business.


How we can help:
At BIG, our philosophy is simple; the fusion of strategy, design and marketing is the future of business communications. Strategy is the mind of our firm, design is the soul and marketing is its heart. We are BIG thinkers, enthusiastic listeners, highly organized information handlers, and more than anything else, are a dynamic group of people who care passionately about your work.


Clients look to us for market analysis and strategic planning, cooperative marketing campaigns, branding and collateral materials, financial reporting, corporate communications, print advertising, point-of-sale (POS) materials, interactive media, event promotions, product packaging and branded merchandise. Whether in business-to-business or in consumer communications, our careful research, sound strategy, and on-target executions create a powerful voice for your company.
"First, have something good to say. Second, say it well and third, say it often."

What's in your marketing plan for 2011?

What goals do you have for your company? How are you planning on putting your great ideas into action? What’s your marketing strategy? Fail to create a plan of execution and you’ll find yourself running after everything, with no destination in mind. 

The bigger your company gets, and the faster it’s growing, the harder it is to get everybody on the same page. The challenge, of course, is that there isn’t a single page around which to align. Instead, there are likely several pages, actual and imaginary, along with memos and emails, each purporting to describe your company’s vision, mission, and strategy.
Further, many of these messages may be riddled with unclear and even contradictory statements about who your company is, what is does, and how. This step will introduce you to the One-Page Strategic Marketing Plan, a simple yet powerful tool that helps you edit your vision, brand and strategy down to a single, action-oriented page.
This step increases sales by:
• Identifying your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats – the SWOT analysis let’s you take stock of where you are today

• Determine your company’s values & vision – once communicated to your organization, everyone knows what you stand for and helps set your direction

• Identify your long term & short term goals & priorities

• Establish your critical numbers or targets to ensure you staff focused on progress & results


Equally important is sticking to that plan and following through on what you set forth. If you don’t execute on the plan, you can say goodbye to any results you hoped to achieve.

What do I do now?


Develop or update your 2011 Marketing Plan ASAP and create some simple tools to help execute that plan. If you’re missing some key advisors or an understanding of the tools you need to build the plan, please contact us at BIG.

Think Big, Execute Big….Putting great ideas into Action!