Website 101 Podcast

There were a couple of technical issues from 30:00 to 31:50 resulting in some overlapping voices. Once past this section everything is back to normal.

• Public relations is the process of building strong mutually beneficial relationships between a stakeholder and an organization.
• Marketing is getting people to do things that have a commercial value.
• We talk about how a small business can get PR and Marketing without the deep pockets of a large conglomerate. And how your company website can be utilized in this area.
• Relationship strength and mode of communication is very important.

Dan starts by explaining what PPC is and how it helps generate traffic including the difference between organic and paid traffic.

Search intent is very important. Google wants to show results to what the user is searching for. Relevance is more important than paying to get to the top of the results.

You have the ability to fine tune the target of where ads show including location and a radius around a pin on a map. It's also possible to exclude variables from results to more accurately target your ads.

Ads are checked by humans, no adult products or ads for products that alter the mind or body: pharmaceuticals, cannabis, alcohol, tobacco. Basically the Disney of advertising.

• YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.
• Remarketing
• Bidding on the phrases that your target market uses to solve their problems (Speak the language your customer speaks)
• Customer lifetime value
• Speak the language your customer speaks
• How to choose someone to run your ads for you.

In this interview with Luke Stevens we discussed SEO. We began with a definition of what SEO is and then some general ideas on building your content and expertise to improve your results.

We also talked about E.A.T which is Expertise, Authority, and Trust.. Luke also talked about technical SEO, how to improve your search results appearance with more details and appropriate meta data.

Other talking points include:

• Improving CTR (Click Through Rate) is easier than improving your ranking.
• Structured Data
• A/B Testing
• SEO Myths
• Content Marketing
• How to choose a good SEO Agency

A lot of businesses tend to ignore the maintenance on their website and look at it like it's a one and done project. The expectation that a website will work without maintenance is unrealistic. Maintenance doesn't always have a tangible benefit that you can see. The benefits however include not dealing with downtime, bugs, or the site not working like it did when it first launched.

Technology doesn't last forever, this is common in all industries. Support for older operating systems on computers or phones is no longer available. CMSs also get retired, for Example ExpressionEngine 3 retired in December 2018 and Craft CMS 2 will retire in March 31 2019.

Older un-maintained sites may reach a point where it's not possible to upgrade. The only options are to rebuild completely or do band-aid fixes to keep the site limping along temporarily. By being proactive and maintaining a site regularly these sorts of things should not happen.

Continual development is adding in new features or options that were not available at the time the site launched.

We talk about some things that businesses often do to save money by cutting various parts of their websites. Avoid shortcuts if you can, but sometimes its unavoidable.

Usability testing should be conducted to help you make your website the best it can be. It's not as expensive as you think it might be. Testing should be done with people in your target audience but not from your organization. They should be unfamiliar with your website to get the best results.

Do not use a predefined theme for WP or a website builder if possible. You content should determine the design not the design determine the content. When using a theme, the design shapes the content and copy which results in sub par messaging and a website that is not memorable or unique.

Common issues include avoiding pop-ups, don't use the phrase click here, and pdfs. There is no fold. Don't worry about above the fold.

The website is for the client not for you. It should be addressing what your potential clients are looking for. Take some time to plan your website and online presence before starting.

Your customers are not everyone who breathes. It's important to choose a niche and narrow down your target before building your website and writing copy.
Themes are one size fit all. You can use a website builder and it will get you online quickly but it won't be as effective as a design that is custom to your clients and needs. Themes look like every other site, but a custom site is unique and driven by your content.

Don't get caught up in the tools, use what works for you. Try a couple of different tools until you find one that fits. It's not necessary to use what other people use.

Plan before you build. You won't have to start over and will not regret the extra focus it provides. This is really important to do when you are doing it alone. When working with a professional this is often called discovery.

An introduction to the podcast, the goal of the podcast, the format and the target audience. A brief introduction to Sean, the host of Website 101 Podcast.

Advice for both DIY website owners and for those working with a web professional. I hope you enjoy the show and continue to listen. If you have any questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you; send me an email.