What Sarah Said (About Web Design)

I must be the only web designer, social media strategist and programmer who can find inspiration for a blog post in a song by Ben Gibbard and Death Cab For Cutie. At the very least, if you're into music, I might have caught your attention with that post title. Truthfully, though, I can't say that the mythical Sarah had some true insights about effective design (the song is rather dour and melancholy, after all), but it's the sort of title that certainly grabs one's attention, isn't it? So, if Sarah was indeed somewhat of a web expert, what would she say, exactly?

Effective web design begins with listening, truly listening, to your client.

Without question, Sarah would say to listen to your client. That's first, foremost and non-negotiable. Probably the worst thing you could possibly do is present a client with preconceived concepts and ideas, ultimately designing and building a site which presents your strengths and meets your sense of style without taking into consideration the needs and corporate image of your client. Think about it: would you want to do business with someone intent on literally forcing their own ideas down your throat? I think not. We're hired for our vision and expertise, of course, but the true visionaries and professionals among us listen first and design later. Seriously: could we truly succeed and serve our clients any other way? After all, it's their company and their image. It's their future and their reputation on the line. And it's our job to refine and present that image in a memorable way, helping them to attract new clients and new customers along the way. Otherwise, you can forget about truly helping your client win new business. And you can forget about positive referrals and new clients of your own.

So, be sure to call upon your own expertise and experience. But never forget to listen, for listening to your client is perhaps the greatest skill you can ever have. It's the key to mutual success, and it's the key to longevity in this ever changing and highly competitive business. Pay attention, ask questions, make notes and prepare for the success which will come your way.

How to Improve Your Search Rankings

For small businesses in particular, effective Search Engine Optimization is often overlooked in the rush to build an attractive, user-friendly web site with truly useful content for potential clients and customers. Effective web design contains so many elements and tasks that it's difficult for a single professional to keep track of them all, let alone devote sufficient time to maximize each element of an effective site (that's why we have specialists and web development teams). If it was this easy to build a cutting edge web site and get noticed, anyone could be an expert web-based marketer and designer. We'd all get rich overnight, right?

Unfortunately, a little knowledge and a few buzzwords does not make one an expert. And don't even consider entrusting your web efforts to those cookie cutter companies which advertise their formula for success on television. It doesn't require an advanced degree to intuit that their shtick is a "one size fits all" approach, when what you really need is a custom effort based on knowledge of your company and your goals (do business with someone who values you as a client, not a customer). To put it simply, a web site is not a commodity; it's representative of your company's unique niche and products. And no matter who you do business with, you need someone to understand that basic law and design your site and social marketing plans accordingly.

So, here's a brief primer to give yourself a fighting chance to win prominent search rankings. SEO is a moving target, of course, with Google in particular locked in an unending battle against unethical marketers determined to take advantage of loopholes and exploit knowledge of the latest algorithms. 



However, even in the ever-changing landscape of SEO there are practices which are never deprecated or out of style. Here are some brief principles which never fail:

• Use important keywords in your web site copy. Be judicious or the search engines will penalize you for "keyword stuffing," but be sure to include the terms you want your customers and clients to search for.
• Research the keywords you want to use. Besides generating ideas and alternative words, it also gives you an idea of how competitive certain  keywords are--and that's something you absolutely need to know.
• If you can arrange it, attract links from web sites with search engine credibility. This makes your site seem more important to the search engines, increasing your rankings, and is most likely achieved by offering valuable content (as in blog posts) which will be re-tweeted and linked to from other sites.

There's no substitute for good writing, of course. Create value for your visitors by writing valuable content, and never forget about keywords and links to your site. Keep this in mind and you'll be well on your way to increased traffic, more customers and greater revenue.