Hosting The Right Way

Why Search Engine Marketing Has A Passion for Web Site Usability

Watching a recent football game, I imagined two very different teams: one called “The Hordersâ€쳌 and the other, “The Huntersâ€쳌. In the game, it takes planning and skill to carry a football a few yards. There’s interference and distractions. Scantily clad dancing girls are screaming cheers nearby.

How different, I wonder, is this from finding something in search engines? You have ads on the sidelines and pages to push through while trying to get to your goal. If you happen to find something that looks like what you want, you click on it and race down the field in a blaze of glory, until you realize you’re lost. Worse, you were just sacked by a web page piled high with gobs of stuff and tiny text soldiers are jumping on your head.

It’s Not the Search Engines’ Fault

Believe it or not, search engines and user centered web design have a common goal. They want to provide the best experience for their web site visitor. Even better, they want that experience to be productive, satisfying and memorable.

For their part, search engine technology changes often as they find ways to better understand the subject of each web page. Not only that, they have a keen interest in how you think and how you search for things.

A user centered web site designer is thinking the same sweet thoughts on your behalf. They lie awake at night worrying about putting form fields in the proper order and placing links or call to action buttons in places where they’ll help someone with a task. They, like search engine developers, know you want specific, accurate information at the push of a button. You want it preferably without running around the site in circles. You want it now.

Enter Coach SEO

On the other hand, most web site owners want other things. They want sales, traffic, popularity, requests for quotes, newsletter signups, and number one rank in search engines. In the 1990’s there was this weird belief, based on a baseball movie, that if you build it, they will come. The rude awakening that other people built a web site, selling the same product, gave birth to search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO.

The job of an SEO professional is to make your web site easy for search engines to find it, add it to their database for retrieval, and make it appear near the top of search results pages by helping robots understand the topic of each page.

Initially this was simple, because there was less competition. Fewer people were using the Internet to buy cars and books. We weren’t so greedy either. In those days, a web site with 18 point glassy blue text in all caps against a wood-grain background with animated spinning logo was happily tolerated to learn how to get rich quick.

Therefore, the craft of making web pages rank well in search engines was the number one the goal, not making a web site that people would enjoy using.

Then Came the Human Factor

On the heels of SEO came search engine marketing (SEM). Search engines and directories permit paying for rank and keyword bidding. SEM tackles this marketing arm by guiding companies through the maze of options.

Competing industries determined to be number one in searches also created a technique that forced submitting web pages designed only for search engine robots and another version for people. Some SEO methods manipulate content intended for robots to make sense of - not people.

Of course, this wild web page bonanza was going to backfire, and it did. While some SEM companies promised rank guarantees, smart web site owners were noticing something peculiar was happening. People were leaving their web site as soon as they arrived. When you pay for every keyword click thru, and it’s not generating revenue in return, the accounting department notices.

Slowly, quietly and smartly, some SEO’s began to look for people in the usability industry to help them. Clients were unhappy with results that were not the SEO’s fault. They demanded financial figures to prove SEO would bring a return on their investment. What they didn’t understand was that though the SEO battled the war for that coveted spot, they had no control over the visitors’ journey afterwards. That’s up to the design team.

7thpixel.com (www.7thpixel.com) saw the light. “Practicing SEM without addressing usability issues is like buying ad space during the Super Bowl and then turning the lights off. It's hard to do business when your customers can't find what you're selling,â€쳌 says company President, Gregg Banse.

Mirror Mirror…Who Has the Best Web Site of Them All?

Once upon a time, few people cared about search engine optimization and the web site visitor experience.

Then suddenly web sites stopped being online brochures. They started to do stuff, like let you choose the make, model, color and floor mats for your next car. Or, sell your living room couch or bid for Elvis records. Suddenly, Internet software applications are everywhere and they not only must function, but also be ready for use by a huge variety of people, including special needs customers.

Today’s top web design companies offer search engine optimization and marketing, as well as usability testing and skilled user centered design staff. They’re hired to construct a web site that achieves business requirements, while also surviving an uphill battle in search engines. Their usability specialist is a bonus for a client’s long term success because their input increases conversions. Pioneering user experience design skills include persuasive design, copywriting, information architecture, and creating an emotional connection with web site visitors. It’s not just about colors anymore.

7th Pixel provides SEO/SEM services, and they’ll bring in a usability specialist, “For our client's sake, “ adds Gregg. “Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we're too close to the project. A fresh pair of eyes without predisposition can help us evaluate and correct something we either overlooked or dismissed as inconsequential. That helps us provide a better product to our clients and that's good for business.â€쳌

Landing Pages

Another hot demand for user centered design that focuses on a specific task is “landing pages.â€쳌 Not all Internet advertisements point to a home page. Today’s trend is to send the visitor to a page inside the web site that helps them achieve their task quickly and effectively.

For example, a college site is searchable by its name, or they may purchase a Google Ad intended to come up on a search for “college catalogsâ€쳌. When the ad appears, instead of taking the visitor to the homepage, where they have to hunt for the course catalog and learn the web site, the “landing pageâ€쳌 will take them directly to where they can download or order it. Even more, a user centered landing page will direct the visitor to other points of interest they may not have thought of, such as admission schedule dates, campus life highlights or adult night class options.

Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance, (www.keyrelevance.com) helps companies purchase keywords and ads, as well as create productive landing pages. She feels, "From my perspective usability and optimization are so intertwined I can't look at a site and not wear both hats. Improvements we make to help a user navigate the site also improve it for search engines. A search engine spider crawling the site is the ultimate usability test."

The Proof Is in the Profit

User testing and poor conversions drive some web site redesign projects, where the site is pulled back into the shop. Customer needs and business objectives are re-addressed. Matt Bailey, Web Marketing Director for The Karcher Group (www.thekarchergroup.com), describes a recent series of redesign projects.

"All were redesigned using usability principles and testing, all have experienced some crazy success in sales simply in going live with the new site - even before any rankings were touched."

Getting inside the mind of the searcher is something they do at Enquiro (www.enquiro.com/research.asp). This marketing firm performs “search behavioral researchâ€쳌. For them, it’s more than a matter of search engine positioning. They strive to understand their client’s business and their target market.

Studies such as these, and other usability research, raised the bar. Now that you have a web site visitor’s attention, how do you keep them on the web site until they accomplish what they came there for?

Scottie Claiborne, owner of Right Click Web Services, (www.rightclickwebs.com/) in her article, “SEO Without Usability -- An Exercise in Futility" (http://www.rightclickwebs.com/seo/seo-usability.php) wrote, “Search engine optimization is still in its infancy, and is a constantly changing discipline. As the search engines get better and better at rewarding the best/most complete sites, usability will become even more important.â€쳌

What it boils down to is making a web site useful. Online marketers, who understand that the key to their client’s success is a customer centered web site, won’t even start the game until everyone on the team is playing towards that goal.

Usability Consultant, Kimberly Krause Berg, is the owner of http://www.UsabilityEffect.com, http://www.Cre8pc.com & http://www.Cre8asiteForums.com. Her background in organic search engine optimization, combined with web site usability consulting, offers unique insight into web site development.

Copyright 2005 Cre8pc.com

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

WCM Announces the Launch of its New Web Site
WCM, Inc. waste disposal & recycling products are sold through authorized distributors nationwide. These products include: sharps disposal, recycling of amalgam/mercury contaminated items (chair side traps, solids collectors), lead foil recycling, fixer waste disposal and aldehyde disposal.

Cheap web hosting - Characteristics of professional and reliable providers
Cheap shouldn?t always describe an offer that is dirt cheap and doesn?t provide any value. However cheap web hosting of course should be affordable, yet offer all the features that users expect from a the best hosting providers on the market. Cheap in the shared server market would mean a monthly cost below $10/month but more commonly the cost for an excellent cheap host will be as low as $7. You may have noticed that there are hosting providers which offer plans for between $1 or $2 per month but at those costs the hosting providers have no resources to provide a good and stable service. Hence you will be better off looking in the $5-$10 price bracket and you will find some of the biggest names in hosting industry.

Yahoo Web Host is Web Hosting You Can Trust
Your web site is the public face of your business online Many people will make a decision about whether to do business with you solely on the strength of your web site

Try option between custom web development & web site template!
In the era of internet advancement and technological growth, the sites being online has reasons to grow business. The question of online presence makes lot of difference to companies who want to grow online. But one of the important questions which need to be answered is: "Should a company go for custom website template or custom web Development Company"!

Team Offers Training for Adding Audio And Video to Your Web Site
It’s been a long time coming, but the Hot Audio Tips training is ready, with the Hot Video Tips training not far behind. This first home study course is focused towards beginners who want to learn how to easily add audio to their website.

Using a tell a friend script to generate viral website traffic
More and more webmasters have the recurring dilemma on how to increase the flow of traffic in the websites. During the past few years many methods that been developed to solve this predicament. While most of them would work there are those that would not make even a small impact.

Ken Minnie and Big M Realty Launch Dynamic New Website, Bigmrealty.com
Ken Minnie and Big M Realty have just launched a new website, www.bigmrealty.com, the best online resource for anyone wanting to invest in Montana real estate.

Watch Out Social Networking Dinosaurs - There's a New Website in Your Neighborhood
Launch of new social networking site with features similar to that of MySpace, YouTube & Photobucket all combined into a single site may give the social giants a run for their money.

New Rebounder Website Opens, Dedicated to Promoting the Health Benefits of Rebounding
iRebounder.com opens its doors to the public with a new website dedicated to promoting the many health benefits of rebounding. The site provides lots of useful information about rebounding. Sells a wide selection of the most popular rebounders made by companies like Needak and Bellicon and offers a forum where people can interact with other mini trampoline owners.

Google Case Study: Website Optimizer and Park Slope SoftWorks Are Perfect Together
Park Slope SoftWorks 163 Prospect Park West | Suite #2R Brooklyn, NY 11215 Tel: 646-519-3534 | Fax: 925-522-3534 | info @ parkslopesoftworks.com The geniuses at Google, who have done so much to revolutionize online marketing, have made another great discovery: their Website Optimizer and Park Slope SoftWorks Software work perfectly together. Google's case study proves it: http://services.google.com/websiteoptimizer/moishe.html

Meta Tag Tactics - Give Your Website Traffic a Boost with the Meta Tag Basics
Getting your site noticed by the search engines and rewarded with top rankings is most webmasters main goal, however there are a lot of different factors that play into what the search engines are looking for, including Meta tags. So, if you don't know anything about meta tags but are interested in learning about them so you can use them to possibly increase your rankings, then read the following basic tips regarding meta tags.

A Far Away Grandma Reins in Grandchildren with Interactive Website
Candida Labrecque has a mission: helping grandparents worldwide keep in touch with their grandchildren. Her website, www.far-away-grandmas.com, and her children's book, "A Riverside Walk With Grandma," inspire other grandparents to fulfill that desire. Affiliate sites offer a variety of ways to close the gap between grandparents and their grandchildren. Business opportunities are also suggested and encouraged as a means to build and enjoy a loving relationship with grandchildren.

Telogis, a GPS Fleet Tracking and Productivity Software Provider, Launches New Brand and Web Site
Telogis is proud to announce the new Telogis brand and Telogis.com website. Telogis is growing at a rate of 100% year over year and wanted its message and look to represent our rapid growth and our innovative customer-centric culture.

MadeleinesLaw.com -- Website Needs to Raise 1 Million Signatures for New Child Safety Measures into Law
A new website has been launched calling for changes to the law to allow for greater supports, resources and information to raise awareness about child safety, especially when traveling abroad with children, and specifically to support the families of missing children.