tips for creating & maintaining a successful website
TRANSCRIPT
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Tips for Creating & Maintaining a Successful Website
Karl Kasca@karlkasca
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kascaPresentation available at: http://
bit.ly/tmwebtalk
http://www.slideshare.net/KarlKasca/tips-for-creating-maintaining-a-successful-website
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
What we’ll talk about today…• Purpose & value of your
website• Niches• Creating a simple
webpage• Titles & Descriptions• Websites • Blogs• Email marketing
(eNewsletters & Follow-up)
• Social Media “biggies”• Success:• Social Media• Website (Google Analytics)• Facebook Insights
• Rinse and Repeat• Research other
successful clubs/businesses for ideas
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
First the Questions…you need to answer
• What is your website about?• What is the purpose?• Who is your audience?• WIIFM? – How will your website help… Value-added?• What unique need does your website fill…• What action do you want visitors to take?
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Audience Personas Niche
• Describe person as if…• …having coffee at Starbuck’s
• Age, gender, interests, etc.
• What’s (who’s) your niche?
• Don’t know who your audience is?
• Jung Typology Test: • http://bit.ly/1ISQEPN
• Photo Credit- ‘MadonnaGalore/MillionVisions’ by Village9991• https://www.flickr.com/photos/village9991/2329405200/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Long Tail of the web … and Niches
Image credit: Long Tail by User:Husky (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonshttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Long_tail.svg
80% Niche
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
But before you design your website…
Image Credit: HTC HD7 6 by Osman Kalkavan - https://www.flickr.com/photos/okalkavan/5565984613/
Think Mobile!
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
How to Create a simple Webpage
• HTML (yikes!)• Language of the web
• See ‘Source code’ for any web page (yikes!)
• Basic HTML• Bold • Italics• Underline
• More on this: • http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_formatting.asp
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
View Source (html)
• Example: Toastmasters Toronto Gogetters club • http://www.go-getters.net/ • Right-click on webpage and select “View page source”
<title>Toastmasters Toronto Go-Getters Club</title>Description:
• Image Credit: View Source: view-source:http://www.go-getters.net/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Why is this important?
Image credit: Google search results: http://bit.ly/1L5dJKQ
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
But want your Google result to look like this? …
Then use “Google My Business” (aka Google Places) to list your business with Google:https://www.google.com/business/ - More info on this: http://bit.ly/1JQxpAt - Image credit: Google search results: http://bit.ly/1L5dJKQ
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Websites & Blogs
• Title Tag • ~50-60 Characters• Tool: https://moz.com/blog/new-title-tag-guidelines-preview-tool
•Description• ~155 Characters• https://moz.com/learn/seo/meta-description
• Keywords (in Title, Description…and Content)• But not too much!
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Insert an Image/Photo
• Flickr.com • Search Any license Commercial use & mods allowed choose photo
Share arrow choose ‘Embed’ copy & paste code into Kompozer
• Kompozer (HTML editing): http://www.kompozer.net/download.php • Download open program select ‘Source’ tab (bottom)
Copy & paste ‘Embed’ code between two <br> (line breaks) Click on ‘Design’ tab (bottom)
• How to Insert Image into Kompozer [VIDEO] – by Karl on Dropbox• http://bit.ly/1MbLXw9
• Use Creative Commons copyrighted photos/images & Attribute them!
• Image credit: Flickr.com
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Insert a YouTube Video
• YouTube.com • Choose video
Share arrow choose ‘Embed’ copy & paste code into Kompozer
• Kompozer: http://www.kompozer.net/download.php • Download open program select ‘Source’ tab (bottom)
Copy & paste ‘Embed’ code between two <br> (line breaks) Click on ‘Design’ tab (bottom)
TIP: You need to ‘Save’ the Kompozer webpage in HTML format. Then click on your new webpage…and you’ll see your Video!
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
What does Google Like?
• What their customers like! (You…and your audience)
• Videos • Images & Photos• Text (and Stories):
• Best practice- Social Media Examiner• The Art of Story: How to Captivate an Audience: http://bit.ly/1M9Ln23
• Bottom line: Great Content: Text, images, sounds, videos
Current
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
You need a Hub
•Website• Blog• Facebook• Pinterest
Image Credit: ‘Blog Hub and Spoke Model for Social Media Marketing’ by TopRank Online Marketing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/toprankblog/5158789164/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Website
Pros•Domain/Branding• SEO
Cons• Static (Yikes!)• MUST be MOBILE-friendly!!!• Responsive Design & HTML5
• Money & Time (Design & Content)
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Website Design – How to
• BUILDING YOUR MOBILE-FRIENDLY SITE• The Distilled Best Practice Guide• https://www.distilled.net/training/mobile-seo-guide/
• Domain & Web Hosting Reviews• http://domain-hosting-services-review.toptenreviews.com/ • http://web-hosting-review.toptenreviews.com/
• Website Creation Software Review – “Easily build your website”• http://website-creation-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Best/Easiest FREE website builder (right now)
• Weebly http://www.weebly.com/
• Here’s why:• http://www.sitebuilderreport.com/reviews/weebly/our-review • http://
website-builder-review.toptenreviews.com/weebly-review.html
• And yes, Weebly has a Blog as well! • http://www.weebly.com/features#!/blogging
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Best/Easiest FEE/PAID website builder (right now)
• Squarespace http://squarespace.com/
• Here’s why:• http://www.sitebuilderreport.com/reviews/squarespace/our-review • http://website-builder-review.toptenreviews.com/squarespace-review.html
• And yes, Squarespace has a Blog as well! • https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206543727-Blogging-with-Squarespace
• And Podcasting too! (which might be ideal for Toastmasters websites)• https://
support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205814338-Podcasting-with-Squarespace
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Blog
Pros• Easier to set up than
website• SEO• CMS• Low(er) cost
Cons• Themes may not be
flexible• Time (to create Content)
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Blog – How to
• HOW TO MAKE A WEBSITE/Blog• An easy, step-by-step guide from a web developer• http://websitesetup.org/
• Blog Services Review• http://blog-services-review.toptenreviews.com/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Where are your customers?
Image credit: Needle in a Haystack by Brian Ingmanson: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bingmanson/6347197270/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Online/Social Media: Where are my customers?
• Forrester's Consumer Profile Tool (B2C):http://empowered.forrester.com/tool_consumer.html
• How does this work and what does this mean?• http://www.slideshare.net/jbernoff/social-technographics-defined-2010
Image credit: Forrester - http://empowered.forrester.com/tool_consumer.html
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Email Marketing
Pros• Great ROI• Customer Awareness• Customer Retention
Cons• Costs money• List Building• Time
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Email Marketing – How to
• EMAIL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES, 2014 EDITION• by Christopher Penn, Shift Communications & MarketingOverCoffee.com
• http://bit.ly/1kgGjQ8 • - Scroll down for Video and/or PPT Slides
• Email Marketing Services Review• http://email-marketing-service-review.toptenreviews.com/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Use a Lightbox Popup - Website or Blog
• Obtain visitors’ email addresses and first names• Follow-up with them!
• Search for: free lightbox popup • Include name of your website program and/or email program:
• free lightbox popup wordpress• free lightbox popup mailchimp
Image credit: Christopher S Penn lightbox - http://www.christopherspenn.com/ & Pippity: http://pippity.com/
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Social Media
• See: ‘The Power of Social Media’ PowerPoint presentation!• Download from Dropbox: http://bit.ly/1Q5NxTU
• Original presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/KarlKasca
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Social Media “biggies”• Facebook & Instagram • Twitter• Google+ Give Google a ‘roadmap’ to your site/business & Social• Meetup Great for getting visitors, but respond to ‘Join’ requests quickly
Meetup also has a great mobile app to help make this easy!
• Yelp Receive reviews (and address concerns, if any) Find out Feedback for improving your club/business!
• YouTube if you have videos• LinkedIn – for businesses/professionals• Blog – because Google loves text and current info• Remember: Where are your people?
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
How do I know if my social media marketing is working?
Klouthttps://klout.com/
SocialMention.comhttp://www.socialmention.com
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Google Analytics
• https://youtu.be/_DUncY1k0h4 • Source: Google Analytics for FreeToastHost by Beth
MacNeil Stinson
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Google Analytics – Analyze your Website
• What do people like on your website?• What page, what post(s), what topics do they like?• Where do they enter your site?• Where do they leave your site?• How long do they stay on your site (short time = not
interested)• What social media site were they referred from? • Twitter, Facebook, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~• And yes, there are Twitter Analytics too!• http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/twitter-analytics
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
Facebook Insights (for your FB page)
• Your club or company has a Facebook Page, right?• What do visitors like about your page?• Virality of posts, Likes, Reach, Talking about this, etc.• What works & what doesn’t?
• A Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Insights - Kissmetrics• https://blog.kissmetrics.com/guide-to-facebook-insights/
• Scroll down for video…
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
“Always be Testing” - Bryan Eisenberg
•Rinse and Repeat…
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
What are other successful Toastmaster (or business) websites doing? – Research…
• Toastmasters Toronto Go-Getters Club• 6471 unique visitors since 2015-02-07
• http://www.go-getters.net/ • Valuable info and lots of text…
• The Corporate Toastmasters Club• 8269 unique visitors since 2015-02-03
• http://www.sydneytoastmastersrocks.org.au/ • “Come and join our fun, friendly and relaxed meetings.”
• Find more Toastmaster websites like these:• Google search: http://bit.ly/1OivkoP
• "5000..10000 unique visitors since 2015" toastmasters
©2015 Karl Kasca - Kasca & Associates - All Rights Reserved
What do I do now?
• See if EVERY webpage on your website has a unique Title and Description
If not ask your webmaster to add/modify them.• “Google My Business” ( https://www.google.com/business/ )• Meetup Boost your visitors, but be sure to reply to ‘Join’ requests quickly• Yelp Create a Yelp page & monitor it!• Consider creating website or blog (if don’t have one)• Capture email addresses & Follow-up!• Create valuable Content Add ‘fresh’ content• Announce your valuable content (with Social Media)• Measure your success (Analytics, metrics, insights)• Rinse and Repeat• Study what other successful clubs/businesses are doing for ideas…