Maximizing Your Online Presence
It doesn’t matter if your site is for business or pleasure… the fact is everyone wants to get more traffic. That being said, there are different approaches you should take depending on the type of site you have. However, there are also a number of universal “rules” you should follow no matter what. Let’s take a look at both the similarities and differences.
Relevant Domain: You want a domain that is both easy to remember and relevant to the subject of your site. For example, let’s say you want to run a personal finance site for credit card ratings. Your goal is to provide credit card reviews and monetize it using affiliate marketing. When selecting a domain, it would be best to choose one that contains your main keyword; credit card. For example, a domain like CreditCardForum.com would be a far better choice than PlasticPaymentAdvice.com. Although they’re both relevant, it’s better to have that main keyword in there.
Good Content: Some people spend a great deal of time building a fancy site with flash and multimedia and then they wonder why they aren’t getting traffic. Although these things may look nice, it’s not content that Google can easily search and archive. It’s okay to use these things in moderation, but if you do, make sure to have original text-based content to go along with it.
Search Engine Optimization: If doesn’t matter how good your site is if people can’t find it! Also known as SEO, this subject matter encompasses a number of different things, such as having good content like we just discussed. In addition, it also includes many other onsite and offsite factors. For on-site optimization, it’s good to have a site that loads quickly and can be easily navigated. For off-site optimization, it’s important for other sites to link to you. By offering your visitors useful content and articles, odds are that related sites will be more likely to link to you as a resource. If your website is a business and you can afford to do so, it may not be a bad idea to consult a SEO professional to get advice.
Layout: It’s true that there are a number of overlapping design elements which apply to both businesses and personal blogs. However there are also a number of key differences. For example, let’s say you operate a retail site which sells skin care products for treating spider veins. You will want a welcoming layout which allows visitors to easily navigate your selection of spider vein cream, vitamin K cream, and other related products. Compare this to a personal blog, in which the homepage would probably only be used to display your latest blogposts.
Features: As discussed above, it’s a good idea to write original content and articles on your site no matter what. However there are features which will be found on some sites but not others. First and foremost would be the shopping card feature. If you are an online retail store you will need this, but obviously others would have no need. If it’s a personal site, you may feature a blogroll which lists you friends’ sites. However if you are a business, you probably won’t link to others since you will want to keep visitors (potential customers) on your page.