Comments on: 3 website mistakes that derail your publicity efforts

By: Kathleen Gage

Kathleen Gage — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:15:24 +0000

Rather than trying to pull traffic, does your keyword research before you build the site? Learn the exact keywords people are using when they search. And then place those keywords in the right places on the appropriate pages at your site.

By: Fran Briggs

Fran Briggs — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:10:58 +0000

An old saying, tried, tired, but true: ‘We learn by our mistakes.’ This insightful tip sheet captures the very essence of this quote.

More often than not, it’s what we omit – not what we submit – that hurts us in regards to keywords.

Sincerely,

Fran Briggs

By: Maria Marsala, Chief Business Collaborator

Maria Marsala, Chief Business Collaborator — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:23:52 +0000

RE #1 — One tip I wrote about a few years ago is about getting your visitors to tell you your keywords. http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/findfree.html Also, if you look at your statistics, often you can see what words people searched on to find your site.

By: Sharon - inspiring stories

Sharon - inspiring stories — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:20:03 +0000

Thanks for the timely reminder on the extreme importance of keyword research. And as for point #2, I created a really cool flash presentation for the first website I ever designed, but took it down the first time I read something that said a flash presentation was NOT cool for the search engine spiders. I was sad, but when it comes to SEO, I guess people aren’t who counts!

By: Jessica Cox

Jessica Cox — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:12:01 +0000

Great advice on all counts, Joan.

#1)
Google has upgraded their keyword research tool into a fantastic resource.

They show actual numerics on average searches per month, plus numbers for last month to give you an idea of rising/falling/seasonal popularity.

They also offer related keyword terms for consideration. This is a good way to really test your ideas and see what’s popular. Also, read forums/blogs and talk to customers to see how people actually talk about your topics.

Along the same lines… run some actual search queries and see what sites are coming up for your favorite terms. You may be up against more competition than you can handle.

#3)
For those looking for great advice on usability, pick up the book “Don’t Make Me Think.”

Brilliant, no-nonsense advice on how to make your website idiot-proof.

By: Linda

Linda — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:02:58 +0000

On #2:
Flash special effects should never overpower the content of the site. Someone selling a book had at least twenty moving graphics on the page promoting the book. All everyone saw was the moving graphcs, not the book.

On #3:
I ran into a site just like this. The business was trying to sell customized poetry, like for birthdays or anniversaries. Beautifully designed site; terrible navigation. There was a link from the context that obviously led to where you could find information on cost and how to purchase. Only that’s not what was on the page, and the information was located only after extensive searching.

Another site–probably someone thought they were being clever–got itself on the Web Sites that Suck list. It was an online magazine site, and I opened the link up to see a green screen. Nothing else on it. I finally started moving my mouse around, and lo and behold, there was a java applet that appeared on mouseover–that was how you got into the page. How many people would have even bothered to try that? I emailed the Web master, who pretty much blew me off. Guess someone like the artsy feel of it, but it makes me wonder how much business they lost because people left a blank screen …