How It Used To Be
Five years ago, websites were on-line brochures. All a company needed on their site was basic company information, a list of services and contact information. Little more was provided, and, for the most part, little more was expected.
Fast forward to today. Now, industry leading websites use predictive technology to forecast what a user would buy in conjunction with other items, integrate video and audio testimonials from their customers, capture their contact information, remember where they've been, suggest where they should go, and so much more. As crazy as it is, today's technology is tomorrow's antiques. It's becoming faster, smarter, and more specialized. So how does it affect you?
Evolving Consumer Expectations
Consumers today have changed with the times. Over half of the households in the U.S. use broadband
(high speed internet) to access the internet. As a result, they've become far less patient than the households of the past that used dial up to connect to the world. It's estimated that consumers have a maximum attention span of 10 seconds upon viewing a home page to find what they're looking for before they leave the site, never to return.
They're also becoming more loyal. Give them the information they want, the way they want it, and keep it coming, and you'll have a weekly, sometimes daily visitor for years. But the minute you stop giving them what they want, they've already found a replacement.
Survival Of The Fittest
Clearly, consumer behavior is getting more complex with each new technology that's released and seemingly instantly consumed by the public. So what do you do? We've identified the 7 biggest trends you should consider as you assemble your internet strategy for the next year.
Size matters - Websites today need to work on the small screen as well as the big screen. As consumers' lives migrate to the internet, they demand multi-channel access. What they want, when they want it. Cell phones, smart phones, PDA's and mini-laptops are all being used to stay connected. What does your website look like on a small screen? Do you have to scroll left and right just to see the whole thing? If you do, chances are you're ignoring and losing potential traffic.
Hail to the fox - It used to be that websites only needed to work in MS Internet Explorer. At its peak, it boasted an incredible 95% market share. Today, that number has diminished to 60% of web browsers and others are joining the fray. Alas, times change. Consumers are segmenting at a tremendous rate, and using new browsers tailored to their behavior. The fastest growing browser, Mozilla's Firefox, has taken about 30% of the market and growing. Safari, the Apple platform, is also growing at a significant pace. How does your website fare on these and other browsers? If your site isn't built for cross-browser compatibility using today's universal web standards, not only could you be losing potential traffic, but your site could be obsolete faster than you think.
To optimize or not to optimize? - How are you driving traffic to your site? Back in the day, there were so few sites that if you built it, people would come. Now, there are billions of sites and more competition per subject than most people know what to do with. As a result, Internet Marketing has gone from an aggressive add-on to an essential tool. Is it important for you to get top position on internet searches? If so, there are three key steps to maximizing your Internet Marketing:
- Search Engine Optimization: Though often thought of as internet magic, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become much more of a science. Essentially, it's the practice of optimizing your site for organic search by ensuring the site is technically friendly to search engine spiders, adding in the right keywords and metatags so people find you on the correct terms, and a whole host of other techniques that optimize the site for search engine algorithms that determine good sites from bad ones. If you try and "Google" your products or site, do you show up in the results? As we mentioned with the small screens and platforms, building sites that adhere to today's web standards will help with searchability as well.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)/Pay-Per-Click (PPC): SEM and PPC refer to paid placement advertising on search engine results and other websites. You pay for actual clicks only. The cost is relatively low, and could range from 10 cents per click on up, depending on the search phrase.
- Links from other sites: Get your web address (URL) on as many other websites out there as you can. The higher quality website that link to your site, the more important search engines think your site is and the higher your website will rank in the organic search.
Blogs, Forums, and Resource Libraries (articles, links, helpful info, etc.) - Do you have specific expertise in your industry? Do you find your clients/audience looking to you for guidance in your area of expertise? If you do, developing a blog, forum, and/or a resource library of articles or helpful information is a great way to position yourself or your company as an expert. In addition, by adding more content, it will enhance the searchability of your website and give visitors a reason to come back.
Web standards - As the internet becomes more mature, website design standards are now an essential part of a website. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides specifications to improve the interoperability of web-related products. These standards are followed by Microsoft, Apple, Macromedia, AOL, and other industry leaders. By adhering your website to these standards, you ensure your site will:
- function appropriately across major web browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc.),
- be compatible with future major browsers,
- be accessible and optimized for indexing by search engine spiders, and
- have the proper foundation for emerging web technology such as cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, etc.
Content Management Systems (CMS): Does the content on your site change regularly? Are you paying hourly and relying on someone external to make these updates? If yes, a CMS may be a smart solution. Content Management Systems allow you or your team to easily make updates yourself, when you want it, however often you need it. While Content Management Systems aren't for everyone, most businesses will benefit by having the power to control updates and changes to their site on their schedule. And with today's technology, CMS's are less expensive than you may think.
Podcasts and Video: How does your audience prefer to interact with your site? While some people still prefer to read content on their screen, non-traditional method of communication are changing the face of the internet. Online Podcasts and streaming video have picked up steam as now, over half the households in the U.S. have broadband access. With streaming audio and video, communication has become faster and more dynamic. Additionally, with today's digital technology and easy-to-use equipment, publishing Podcasts and videos are simple and inexpensive. If done right, they can draw a large audience and keep them coming back for more.
RSS feeds: Real Simple Syndication, or RSS, can provide key benefits to your website: 1) it's an easy way to update your site with data from another source (such as news, weather, information, etc.), and 2) it's an easy way for your audience to receive data and information from you. The use of RSS feeds has grown over 1400% in the past two years alone and has been incorporated in a wide range of websites and blogs today. One common use of RSS is to share headlines and links to news articles. RSS is also used for photo diaries, classified ad listings, recipes, reviews, and for tracking the status of software packages. RSS feeds must be to W3C standards.
More changes are coming...
While we've come a long way with the internet in the last 5 years alone, the internet is continuing to change at an unparalleled pace. With the increased prevalence of broadband access, you can be sure the changes aren't slowing down.
Make sure your business isn't getting left in the dust. As new technologies emerge, make sure you're staying up to date with your prospects, customers, and competition. As fast as things are changing, there's no room left for standing still. You should meet with your web developer at least once a year to explore new ways to keep your site fresh and relevant.
Want to make sure your website is not left behind?
We'd be more than happy to evaluate your site and help you develop and innovate your site to make sure you're taking advantage of every opportunity with customers and prospects alike. You can call us directly at (562)436-5802 or email us at influx@juxtaflo.com with your questions.
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Not a problem. You can check out our website, browse through our portfolio of work, or visit our Resource Center for more information on website improvement, new technologies, and how to maximize the impact of your website.