Register your domain name for more than one year. I realize that some hobby-type businesses may not feel comfortable committing to a Web site for more than the first trial year but domain names are relatively cheap so this investment will be worth it if you decide to stick around.  It can even help you stick around.

At around $10 per year you can get more search engine bang for your buck by owning your domain name for 3 to 5 years.  I recommend buying your domain name for 5 years.  Then every 3 years renewing it for another 2 to 3 so you always own your name for 3 to 5 years out.  If you don’t register your own domain name, your Webmaster can easily take care of that for you but it is up to you to decide how far in advance you want to pay for your domain name and how often you want to renew it.

Drive people to your site. The more organic traffic your site gets, the better the search engines like it, and the more they will help drive people to your site.  It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Organic traffic is users reaching your site without using paid advertising from other sites or from pay-per-click search engine advertising.  Put your Web address on EVERYTHING!!!

• Business Cards
• Invoices
• Stationary
• Signage
• Email (link directly to your site)
• Clothing
• Pens, Cups
• Client Gifts
• Billboards
• Advertisements
• Flyers

This list can go on forever.  Be creative and promote your domain name whenever possible.

Register your location with Google Maps. This is something that you must do yourself or at least be involved in.  I’ve had clients ask me to do this for them but because a code is called into the business phone number you will have to be involved in the process.  To add yourself, go to maps.google.com.  Click the link in the left hand column that to add your business on Google Maps.  Follow the instructions and you should be good to go.

Check to see that your site follows WC3 Web Standards which will make it easier for search engines to find your site.  While your Webmaster should be insuring your site is written using these standards you can validate your code here:  http://validator.w3.org/unicorn/.  If your site doesn’t meet these standards it may be time to talk with your Webmaster.

1) Proofread Every Page; better yet have a professional proofreader check your site.  Fix misspelled words and phrases that are confusing.  Believe it or not, writing styles are different for different mediums and uses.  You won’t use the same phrasing in print as you do online; for marketing as you do to get the attention of search engines.  Writing to teach is different than writing to sell.  I recommend Second Look Communications for proofreading.  This company understands how to proofread for different audiences.

2) Click Every Link and make sure they all go where you would expect them to go.  If not, fix them.  Also consider where you land within your site after you click a link.  Are you lost in the site?  Can you navigate back to where you were?  Do your best to see your Web site as your customers see it and make sure it works for them.

3) Test All Forms. If you have forms on your site, test them.  This will insure the information is returned to you properly.  All information should be returned to the proper recipient or populate a database.

4) Request Feedback from trusted friends and colleagues that don’t know your site.  Ask them to use your site as though they were a customer or prospective customer.  Could they find the information they wanted?  Is your site easy to navigate?  Did they get frustrated using your site and if so, why?  Whey did they like about your site and what did they not like about your site?  For this exercise your must use only those friends and colleagues that will provide you with honest productive criticism.  Simply telling you how wonderful your site it, won’t help.  Once you gather feedback from several sources, look for patterns.  If one person gets lost in your site it may not mean anything; If several people get lost you may want to rethink your navigation.

5) Check your site for functionality using several browsers.  Click every link, and test every form in at least the major browsers.  As of July 2010, 78% of the Internet is surfed by Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Relevant Content

Keep your web site informative and post content that is relevant to the site. Your site should have a focus. One topic, one center of interest

Site Maintenance

Your site information must be kept up to date. There’s no faster way to lose a visitor than to give them information about an event that has already passed or old information that never seems to change.

Print Advertising

Put your email address on EVERYTHING! Business cards, stationery, invoices, company vehicles, t-shirts, and flyers. If you can put your name on it, put your Web address on it.

Shared Links

Share links with as many other Web sites as possible. Analyze your Web content to encourage users to return to your site and link to it from their sites.

Article Banks

Write and submit articles to article banks.  If well-written and informative, these articles will likely be re-distributed on a number of web sites, and if you create a good bio, they’ll link to your site as well. Those who read the article may visit the site and those who visit the site may link to it, creating even more incoming links.

Pick the Right Web Designer

The Web Designer you choose should be able to optimize your site for you as they write it. Find out how long your Designer has been in business, and where their aged sites rank with the search engines.

Time Online

Optimization campaigns won’t work overnight.  You’ll need six to twelve months to have a site that has “aged” enough that will be able to achieve consistently good rankings. It may take significantly longer to rank well for competitive search phrases. But a well written site, along with some work from you, should help your site to target and rank well for enough keywords to produce an additional stream of targeted traffic, thereby boosting users and sales.

• Your Personality
• Basic ADA Compliance
• Image Optimization
• Effective Content
• Good Navigation
• Easy, Cost-Effective Maintenance
• Longevity and Support

Your Personality

Your Web site should reflect your business, your personality, and/or your environment. The style, layout, and colors of the site will provide this basic framework.

Basic ADA Compliance

Basic ADA compliance is a must to any Web site. Discuss this with your Web Producer. If he/she is in the dark as to how to provide you this service, move on until you find someone with more experience.

Image Optimization

Optimizing the images on your pages will have a great effect on how quickly the page loads and how clear the images look. Make sure that your Web Designer uses an effective photo imaging program, such as Photoshop, and is very familiar with retouching your photographs as necessary

Effective Content

While you, as the client, will be responsible for providing much of the content for the site, you should ask your Web Producer to help with the textual content for search engine optimization. In addition, text should be easy to read and well organized. Content information should also be easy to find and use

Good Navigation

The best content in the world is useless if no one can find it. Good, easy to follow site navigation is the cornerstone to a great Web site.

Easy, Cost-Effective Maintenance

How often will your site need maintenance? Who will maintain your site? Maintaining your own site can be extremely effective or a disaster waiting to happen. Discuss your options thoroughly with your Web Producer to decide what is best for You.

Longevity and Support

Get some history on your Web Designer & Producer. How long have they been in this business? Is this their primary occupation? What hours are they available to you for questions and issues now and down the road? Know what you’re getting into so you know the risks.

• Make it descriptive
• Short is better than long
• Spelling is important
• More than one is OK
• Avoid hyphens
• Buy for time

Make it descriptive

Your domain name should name or describe your business, product line, or service. The more descriptive the better. Smithinc.com may be your company name but it tells nothing of what you do and will not be favored by the search engines.

Short is better than long

It’s easier and faster for your users to type a short domain name and there will be less room for typing errors

Spelling is important

Think about the spelling of your domain name. If you are using a domain name that is uncommon or not very easy to spell, your users are more likely to misspell it and less likely to find your Web site. Look for short easy to spell words for your domain name.

More than one is OK

You will need a master domain name for your Web site but don’t rule out using more than one name. Domain names are inexpensive, $10 per year, and you can point as many domain names as you wish to the same Web site.

Avoid hyphens

When keying a domain name, users often don’t think about using hyphens. Avoid them when possible.

Buy for time

Search engines look favorably on Domain Names that expire in more than 12 months. Buy a domain name for several years and show that you plan to be around for a while

Picking a Domain Name

The art of selecting a Domain Name can be trickier than you may imagine. Your Domain Name is your address and thus the window to your Web site. Getting the right name can even help your search engine rankings. Here’s a few tips to use when you’re searching for a great name.

		Make it descriptive
		Short is better than long
		Spelling is important
		More than one is OK
		Avoid hyphens
		Buy for time

Make it descriptive Your domain name should name or describe your business, product line, or service. The more descriptive the better. Smithinc.com may be your company name but it tells nothing of what you do and will not be favored by the search engines. back to top

Short is better than long It’s easier and faster for your users to type a short domain name and there will be less room for typing errors. back to top

Spelling is important Think about the spelling of your domain name. If you are using a domain name that is uncommon or not very easy to spell, your users are more likely to misspell it and less likely to find your Web site. Look for short easy to spell words for your domain name. back to top

More than one is OK You will need a master domain name for your Web site but don’t rule out using more than one name. Domain names are inexpensive, $10 per year, and you can point as many domain names as you wish to the same Web site. back to top

Avoid hyphens When keying a domain name, users often don’t think about using hyphens. Avoid them when possible. back to top

Buy for time Search engines look favorably on Domain Names that expire in more than 12 months. Buy a domain name for several years and show that you plan to be around for a while

1. Domain Name
2. Hosting
3. Design & Development
4. Maintenance

Domain Name

Your domain name is the address of of your Web site. Like the address of your home, it helps people find your site. Unlike your home address, your Web site can have more than one. Think of the master domain name as your home address and additional domain names as PO boxes that are being forwarded to your home. A is an annual recurring charge costing $10/year.

Hosting

This is where your Web site lives. It’s allows anyone at anytime to access (look at) your Web site. Hosting is an annual recurring charge. Hosting will vary based on your site. Hosting for many sites cost $85/year. Large sites and ecommerce sites (those which sell products) usually run more.

Design & Development

The design or redesign of your Web site is a one time charge. Bits & Bytes will discuss what you want for your Web site and give you a quote. Your site development will include Web site optimization to give your site the best Web site ranking. Most of the time we can the quote will include a not-to-exceed figure.

Maintenance

Your site will most likely need maintenance such as the occasional update of content, and pictures. This can be done by you or us. You will need to decide if you have the time and motivation to make your own updates. Bits & Bytes can make arrangements to make updates for you.

Following Web Standards can:

• make it easier for search engines to find your site
• allow more cost effective site modifications
• reach a greater audience.

The structural information in sites that are compliant with Web Standards, make it easy for search engines to access and evaluate the information.  This means they get indexed more accurately and thus are more easily found during a search.  Indexing is part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Web Standards eliminates the need to have multiple versions of code for different browsers. Your Web pages will have a longer life and will not be dependant upon rapidly changing technologies.  Most Web Standards are designed with forward- and backward-compatibility in mind so that data using old versions of the standards will continue to work in new browsers, and data using new versions of the standards will produce acceptable result in older browsers.

Web sites that follow Web Standards may also be easily converted to other formats, such as databases or Word documents. This allows for more versatile and cost effective use of information the online.

Because an organization my use a variety of Web designers and developers during the life of its site, it is important that the Web professionals are able to be familiar with the code and to edit it easily. Web Standards offer a set of rules that every Web developer can follow, understand, and comprehend.

Web sites that are not compliant with Web Standards may limit the use and functionality for those users with disabilities.  People with disabilities represent 8% to 10% of the total population. Following Web Standards makes a site accessible which will benefit all of your users, and broaden your current audience.

In addition to the benefits of reaching a greater audience, requirements to make sites accessible to certain disabled users may be required by law in some countries.

Web Standards are not attached to any company or proprietary technology.  The standards are set by an international industry consortium called the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).  The W3C is dedicated to “leading the Web to its full potential.”  Founded in 1994, the W3C has more than 330 member organizations – including Microsoft, AOL, Apple, Adobe, Macromedia, Sun Microsystems, and a variety of other hardware and software manufacturers, content providers, academic institutions, and telecommunications companies. The Consortium is hosted by three universities:  MIT in the US, INRIA in Europe, and Keio University in Japan.

The W3C Recommendations are developed by working groups consisting of Consortium members and invited experts. Working groups obtain general consensus from companies and other organizations involved in creating applications for the Web, and create Working Drafts and Proposed Recommendations. These are then submitted to the W3C membership and director, for formal approval as W3C Recommendations.

It has been estimated that most Web sites online are not valid.  While there are no statistics to support the number of compliant verses non-compliant sites it is estimated that 99% of the Web pages online are not compliant.

It may be worth your time to find out how your Web site stacks up with the W3C’s Web Standards.  Check here to determine if your site is compliant.