Websites that Work (and ones that don’t) – Part 1.

Through the cautionary tale of Slick Steve and Seen-it-all Simon, we reveal how to attain the Holy Grail of ‘websites that work’ (ones that deliver customers in their droves)

To enlighten you, we must now pass on a legendary marketing fable, passed on from marketer to marketer, through generations of the Honourable Society of Websites that Work. Or, we just made it up – but either way, read on:
On one hand we have Slick Steve. We know he’s slick – it’s obvious. He is up there with every trend going; if it’s happening, he’s on it. He’s on social media constantly, updating Facebook every 13.5 minutes – because people need to hear about it. He wears tight trousers with loafers (without socks) and has grown a beard – because other people have. No-one is sure if he actually needs a 4×4, but he drives one, an X5, in pearlescent white. He has a speedboat – in truth, small and not so speedy – that he takes out on the weekends for Instagram opportunities. The epitome of slick.

Slick Steve spends big – on a beautiful, design-focused website

Slick Steve is an entrepreneur. He is very successful in his own right – nothing to do with inheriting his dad’s chip shop. We know that because he’s told us. Often. He’s paid big bucks for an all singing, all dancing website that looks – well, slick. Just like Steve. Every page is designed beautifully, a journey into social media heaven; a world full of laughing beautiful people enjoying their lovely lives. This will attract new customers by the bucket load. Definitely.
Months later, Slick Steve doesn’t understand why his cool website is still on page 11 of Google. He’s hopping mad – and darned right too – all that money and no results. He goes out for a spin in his (actually rather slow) speedboat and makes himself feel better by harassing a passing dolphin.
On the other hand, Seen-it-all Simon, or Si to his mates, is wise to the world. He’s been around a while and is no-one’s fool. Trends come and go and leave him unmoved. He wears Crocs because they are comfortable and drives an X-Type Jag, because he only buys British – even though it is actually a thinly disguised Ford Mondeo. He uses a mobile, but doesn’t see much point in using it for anything other than speaking.

Seen-it-all-Si spends small – on a nice, ‘produced by a pal’ website

Marketing for Seen-it-all-Si, involves the deployment of spotty teenagers dressed in banana suits, holding up signs just off the duel carriageway. There is no logical reason for the banana suits and they shouldn’t even be there – it’s not safe. He always uses itinerant migrant workers, paying cash in hand and less than minimum wage. Obviously.
Seen-it-all-Si has a website, but hasn’t touched it for months. A pal did it for him in return for a few favours. It looks OK, but no-one ever buys anything on it, which just proves that the Internet is a passing fad. He’s told you so. Often.
Months later, seen-it-all-Si fully understands why is website is down on page 26 of Google – it’s a global conspiracy, run by ‘the financial people’. But he’s also hopping mad. He’s realised that his only marketing method will soon come to an end. No, he hasn’t had an epiphany of health and safety and fair pay, he voted Brexit and has just realised that very soon no-one left in the country, quite rightly, will work for £3.25 an hour. He goes out for a spin in his old diesel Jag and cheers himself up by chasing a passing pheasant.
Of course, you can’t identify personally with either of these characters, although we all know of them. Wise Wendy, however is another matter altogether. She’s smart, loves children, is kind to animals and makes people laugh.

Wise Wendy spends well – and realises websites that work rely on a combination of user-focused design, SE marketing content and SEO

Wise Wendy realises that paying big bucks for a website that doesn’t combine user-focused design, Search Engine Marketing content and weekly SEO is sheer folly. She always says it would be like producing a brilliant marketing brochure, then transferring to microfiche at the National Archives. Great – if you know the office exists, where to find it and how to conduct a complicated microfiche search; not so findable if you don’t.
Wise Wendy realises that anything good takes a bit of time. And time is money. She also says that good webdesign relies on a combo of great design, technical knowledge, advanced understanding of SEO and business acumen. You know this because she’s told you – when you asked.
She says that doing it this way is more like placing your marketing brochure in the public library, on a display near the front door. Everyone who is looking for your product will be see it, as well as the usual micro-fiche nerds. But, in passing, plenty of others will also now see your product and realise they need to buy it.
 

Wise Wendy realises that Google are on a mission to share information, not hide it!

Wise Wendy is smart, so she’s done some reading – material that is insightful and thought provoking. It helps her realise that Google are on a mission to share data, not hide it. But Wise Wendy must play her part, she must make the data available in a format that Google and others search engines understand and can search by doing her SEO properly.

Wise Wendy realises that websites that work will make the most of digital tools that will help her SEO ratings

Wise Wendy has learned through her extensive reading that there are complex digital analytical tools available. She realises she must make the most of the tools because they can tell her how her website is performing and what to change, and where, if it is not. And she recommends you read a blog she found recently on Google Analytics introducing the subject….
She says it’s brilliant and whose to argue? She’s wise – just like we said.

Wise Wendy has realised that websites that work, need to embrace careful website migration when transferring from the old, to guard and retain her SEO ratings

Wise Wendy has also learned that while she needs to boost her SEO rating, she needs to guard what she has already built up when re-designing her website. She’s now learned of horror stories of not-so-wise people having trouble after building a beautiful new website that hasn’t been migrated properly. She’s heard that website migration is a skill that requires a professional approach, that is not done properly, could lose her all the SEO traction built up over years on the web.
 

Wise Wendy thinks we could tell you more in the next blog about websites that work…

Wise Wendy says that she could now go on and on about websites that work through webdesign and website migration. She could go on about drawing up project specification, wire framed design, integration of digital analytical tools, correct platform selection, coding efficiency, speed testing, meta tags, SE marketing, SEO integration, Service Level Agreements and marketing content focus – but she thinks that you’ve all read enough for now and thinks you should wait until the next bog for all that.
And who’s to argue? She’s wise – just like we said.

If this blog has got you thinking about your own website and how it is working for you – but are not sure where to begin, WebAdept have been producing digital marketing solutions and strategies for 20 yrs. Get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you!