CJF Works Content Communications

SEO Optimization Part II

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Two more items to be added to the building strategy:

  1. Avoid duplicating content through the site. Search engines will happily penalize you if they detect duplicate content through the webpages or even within a single page.
  2. Install the SSL certificate. Search engines will penalize your ranking if the site is not secured. 

SEO Tools you can use for (mostly) free.

Your website is ready to go live or is already live and you want to run it through the gauntlet of a set of optimization tools. Which one to choose? The list is long but the good thing is nobody needs to use them all. Rather than giving you a list of the best 25 SEO tools —you can just find plenty of lists with a Google search)— I will go over some of the problems you might detect and be able to fix by using the right SEO tool. More to come.

Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization.

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Part I

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or website optimization, is the process of streamlining your website so that it will appear higher in search engine results pages. Search engines evaluate your website’s relevance and readability using an ever-changing set of factors and give it a position or ranking on the search results page. The more relevance the search engine determines your website has for a given search, the higher it will rank.

When you consider that a large number of Internet users will not look beyond the first page of search results, it’s important to use SEO to push your website’s ranking to the first page and as high as possible within it. To that end, website optimization addresses multiple factors, including: keyword selection, adding and refreshing content, creating search-engine friendly design, building links, and resolving technical issues that may make search engines gag.

Website optimization factors should be taken into consideration from the very beginning of the process of creating a new website or updating an existing one. There are some simple non-techie steps that anybody can take from day one that will make life easier for the developer (you or someone else) and will help during the optimization process.

  1. Write or review copy and text content for all pages of the website. Oftentimes the copy content of a website is not fully written or missing at the onset of the development process, even though there might be agreement about its need. What is being said and how it is being said is critical for the user and for the search engine. 
  2. Start the planning process from the mobile version rather than the desktop version. Developing a website becomes a lot easier when we think of it from the point of view of the mobile user first. It’s much easier to build up than to scale down content and features.
  3. Make sure the images to be used are good quality. Just because you found a nice picture on the web to use in your website doesn’t mean such image is the right type and size. Two simple rules:
    1. choose images that are at least the exact size you want them to be displayed on your website, and in the most efficient next gen formats progressive jpg, png 24 
    2. make sure that the Alternative Text (alt) and Description (desc) fields are filled in on each image uploaded to your website.
  4. Avoid excessive visual fireworks and “flashiness” to reduce the number of JavaScript and CSS files employed. A website that contains too many JavaScript and CSS files generates a large number of HTTP requests that slow the download time. JavaScript is used to add special effects on pages like rollover, roll out and many types of graphics and animation. CSS specifies your document’s style—page layouts, colors, and fonts. They are both tools that help define the identity, functionality, and attractiveness of your website but at the same time they have the potential to slow down its performance.
  5. Simplify the typography to minimize the use of webfonts. Even though webfonts are specially tuned for use on websites, they increase the traffic generated in order to load a webpage. Among the most commonly used are Google Fonts which are free to use but are not included in a browser. Keep in mind that to use any font not included in a browser, the visitor must download the font to view your web page, thus increasing the web page’s load time.
  6. Reduce the number of plugins. This applies specifically to WordPress users because can create performance and security issues, plus the fact that some of them have overlapping functions. Not all plugins are created equal. The quality of the code may vary and some might create long term issues that affect the stability of the site.

We have just covered some of the ways in which we can contribute from the start to the website optimization process. In our next installment we’ll go into more technical aspects of it and hopefully make the lay person more familiar with some of the available tools.

Cheers!

Website Announcement Tactics II

Website Announcement Tactics II

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For Redesigned Websites

Post on the blog and email your subscribers the news of a redesign

If you have redesigned your website, you can write a blog post detailing why you did it, what new features have been added to the website and how they benefit the users. You can then email your subscribers telling them about the redesign and ask them to read the post.

This way your users will get an immediate experience of the new design which is beneficial for both you and your customers.

Share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn the news of the redesign

If you have a good number of followers on any platform, you must post about the redesign at least 3 times over the span of a week so that you can reach most of your followers and announce the redesign of your website effectively.

Make sure to have screen captures of relevant portions of the web pages included with the text to increase viewer’s attention.

Ask your team and social circle to share the news of the redesign

After you launch your new site, you want to share it with as many people as possible. So ask your team and social circle to share it on their social profiles. Plus when your website gets shared on social networks, Google sees that and gives it a little SEO boost.

Make a video showcasing the new features of the redesigned site and post it to your YouTube channel

A video posted on your YouTube channel is way more engaging than text and gets your point across faster.

  • How your website looked before and how it looks after
  • What motivated you to launch/redesign the site
  • How the new features help the user
  • Reviews from some beta testers about the new site (if available).

You can either do the video yourself or higher a professional videographer to do it. More likely you’ll get better results by hiring a professional (not a major expense these days). But even with a professional on board, you’ll get a more effective and striking video (besides saving production money) if you take care of the pre-production steps. Here’s a good guide to help you along the process:

20 Pre-Production Tips to Create Successful Video Content in 2020

Once the video is completed, all you need to do then is post it to your Youtube Channel and promote it using some of the tactics mentioned in this post.

For New Websites

Collect leads in advance to have a successful launch of a new site

Launch delays are not uncommon because for a variety of reasons, web projects usually take longer than anticipated. Chances are you will be talking about it online even before it is ready and so people will end up visiting your site before it is live.

Rather than having a disappointing “Under Construction” message on your page, you can set up a good looking landing page to get email addresses from visitors in exchange for being the first to know when the launch takes place. The page should tell visitors what your product/service is, how it is unique, and how it helps solve a particular problem.

You will be surprised how many people end up giving their email address.

In Conclusion

This is by no means, a complete list of all the possible tactics for a successful announcement. You might not be in a position to implement all the tactics listed above for lack of time, manpower, or budget constraints. Keep in mind what’s important: choose those tactics that will work for you and implement them thoroughly, and complement them with good, solid SEO.

If you have any suggestions about alternative implementations or other tactics please let me know. I will be more than happy to hear from you.

Cheers!

Website Announcement Tactics

Website Announcement Tactics

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So you are about to launch your new website or the redesign of your existing website is almost finished. What do you do to gain the world’s attention? The announcement of a website is a very important step and one that very often is overlooked. No matter what your service or product offering is, site popularity can’t be taken for granted. This post is the first of a series where I will be listing some of the steps you can implement when announcing a new or redesigned website.

Tactics for new or redesigned websites.

Guest post on relevant blogs

Guest posting is writing a post on someone else’s blog. The host gets new content for its readers while the guest blogger gets access to the host’s audience.

You need to identify relevant blogs first, then contact the blogger with a description of the content you have to offer and sample writings in order to get their consent to do the actual posting. 

Guest blogging can help you reach an engaged audience fast, and by creating a quality link to your website, potentially enhance your Google ranking. (Backlinks from reputable sites are a high ranking factor for Google)

Make sure to link to your site In the main content of your post and in the author’s bio, so that readers can visit your site.

Appear on relevant podcasts

If you listen to business podcasts, you might have noticed how frequently the host brings in guests to interview.

These guests often have a new book coming out or they have recently launched a new product or business.

By sharing with you their insights, these guests not only win your trust but also soft-promote their website.

You too can appear as a guest on podcasts geared towards your target audience and share some insights with their audience while, at the same time, promoting your site and helping steer a more engaged and receptive audience to it.

As an added benefit, your appearances will help to establish you and your brand as leaders in your market.

Hire Influencers in your niche to reach their followers

More and more people are consuming content produced by bloggers and YouTubers instead of traditional sources of content such as TV and newspapers. 

As a result, Influencer Marketing has surged in popularity because of the high ROI for the companies using it.

TV and newspapers have large overheads, reflected in their advertising rates, Influencers however, with little to no overhead, can provide a better bang for your buck while delivering the same reach. It is one of the best ways to promote a website.

How do you find, select, and reach the right influencers for your target markets? A good guide with detailed steps and links that will help you through the process can be found at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-to-reach-out-to-influencers/

Create an offer to encourage site visitors

Whatever tool or media you are using to deliver the news, you want to encourage the audience to visit your new or redesigned website by offering something of value at the website.

Some examples of offers that work great:

  • Discounts storewide
  • Free shipping on all orders placed by a specified cutoff time/date
  • Free estimates
  • Free downloads
Issue a press release

If you have launched a brand new site or done a major redesign, then press releases are one of the most cost-effective ways to get publicity and earn backlinks.

Beware: boring and dull press releases don’t make the cut anymore. They get thrown into the trash in a blink of an eye. Reporters don’t want to read a press release. They want to read a story.

For that, you need three things: a hook, an interesting angle, and an eye catching headline.

Once you have your press release ready, publish it on your blog as a post and then include your blog’s URL in your pitches to the reporters. Contacting the media is time consuming work that requires patience and a contact list. You are better off hiring a freelancer to do it.

Avoid using press release distribution services. They distribute the news to dummy sites and not real news sites. You will get plenty of fancy graphs and reports but a negligible ROI.

On our next post we will detail some tactics specific for redesigned website and finally, take a look at what more can be done with a new website. Cheers!