10 Strategies to Increase Web Content Visibility
1. Desktop Targeting
If you are a website owner, you should consider, whether or not, a desktop application is right for you. Desktop features, like those used by E-Bay, Google and other mega sites, can provide advantages to your user. These can include offline access, and better integration with their operating system. Certain platforms and applications that can run outside a browser on multiple operating systems can also put Web-based content and functionality onto your customer’s desktop.
2. Include Mobile
Many Internet users are stepping away from traditional PCs. Mobile devices are handy and easy to carry. You can deliver content on the mobile Web by:
- Creating a mobile website means taking small screens and different input devices into account.
- Provide text messages with updates and notifications.
- Build mobile applications that run directly on mobile devices. This will make your content accessible at all times, even if the users are away from their PC, or not connected to the Internet.
3. Use Twitter
Take advantage of social networking and micro-blogging services such as Twitter. Be careful not to just use it as broadcasting tool to update your latest services and hot seller list, but exploit all its possibilities. Let’s see if you can engage not only your co-workers and staff to participate, but your entire audience!
4. Expand Your Writing
Do not limit your expertise and writing skills to your own website. Instead, share your wisdom and abilities with others. There are many website and ezine companies that will gladly post quality articles and blogs. In addition, you can also contact related businesses and offer them some of your appealing editorials. In that case, make sure your work includes not only your type of industry, but theirs as well.
5. Think Facebook
Demographics have shown that Facebook is growing at record speed and has almost become a standard household word. As unlikely as it may have seemed a few years ago, today, not only teens will constantly update their pages and profiles, but in all likelihood, their parents will too. It is a great way to network and spread the word, even for an e-commerce business owner.
Here are three good starting points for e-merchants to consider:
- Build dialogue by creating a group.
- Fan pages are ideal for building relationships with people, both inside and outside of Facebook.
- Build applications that can be added to user profiles.
6. Create an API or Widget
A Widget or Application Programming Interface (API) is a tool that allows Web developers access to your content, authorizing them to build applications and websites around it. It is a way for them to work on your site, and make improvement such as embedding your content on their sites, or building new desktop applications with advanced functionality. The use of APIs is quite technical and mainly used by web developers. More easily to implement are widgets, or chunks of code that can be pasted into a website to add features. There are thousands of them available, all allowing website owners to use the content and functionality of other websites. Some simple ones include clocks, hit counters and daily weather info boxes.
7. Upgrade Your Feeds
As easier way for users to access website content, news, articles or blog posts is by using “Really Simple Syndication” or RSS feeds. Website owners have to be careful and only provide compelling posts which will draw readers back to their sites – not just teasing introductions to articles. Then RSS can become counter-productive, because some busy users simply refuse to leave their news reader to go read the entire write-up unless cleverly drawn in.
Another thing to remember when preparing RSS feed messages is that some readers may not be familiar with your store, services, or website. For that reason, article content can be taken out of context and lose its value, missing the objective all together.
8. Embrace Multimedia
It is almost unimaginable to find a successful website today that has not taken advantage of multimedia to supplement the written content. Creating audio and video applications seems exciting, which it can be, but for them to be really effective some rules have to be taken into account. Multimedia will become increasingly more important in web design.
The Internet has been flooded with camera demonstrations and sound bites, and to really stand out from the crowd, and grab the attention of your audience, you will have to be unique and spectacular. Find a passionate, talented host, offer great, concise content, insert a dash of humor, or add untraditional shock values. Of course, keep it all in good taste, age appropriate, and remember who your audience is.
9. Go Live, Start Streaming
Live TV has been rubbing off on the World Wide Web and pre-recorded, non-interactive material is slowly sharing seats with more engaging, real time presentations and chats.
The benefits of real time hosting are plentiful. They can include the following:
- Presenting your products and services while taking questions from the audience.
- Community sessions give participants a chance to become more engaged.
- Company owners, CEOs and politicians can relay important news and immediately answer questions related to the topic.
- Online schooling and training can help students and teacher to work more closely together.
10. Email
Email is one of the oldest marketing tools and has been around way longer than Facebook, Twitter, video feeds and many other innovative promotional techniques. For starters, it is a great way to syndicate content and it also allows your audience to subscribe to website updates, contests, surveys, and what not. When using that feature, make sure to stress to your subscribers that their information is safe and that you will not share it with associated companies or spammers. If you do, you may not only lose your clients, but could also face legal action.
Conclusion
Times have changed and the Internet, which once was limited to a privileged few, is now bursting out of its seams. Everybody has access and everyone wants a piece. To stand out and make your mark, hosting a simple website is no longer enough. If you don’t attract attention in other ways, users will pass you buy. So, use the innovative tools we just discussed and see how much difference they can make!
About the Author
Bliss Media is one of Australia’s leading web design agencies. We create highly engaging web design for large to medium size enterprises. Our cutting edge web design will boost your competitive advantage.
