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The Linchpin in Web Projects

February 1st, 2010

Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, challenges and encourages readers to be indispensable.  Failing to do so, he states, is to risk having a job that is sent to a cheaper source of labor–either to other people, a machine, or a combination of the two:

“If we can put it in a manual, we can outsource it.  If we can outsource it, we can get it cheaper.”

This isn’t necessarily a revolutionary idea, but Seth’s way of explaining is both engaging and encouraging.  As one reads the book and absorbs the ideas, some traditional management concepts jump out at the reader.  Here are a few that many might recognize:

  • Be Different – Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter taught us that in his 1996 HBR article in which he boiled the volumes and volumes on the topic of competitive strategy to the very notion of being different.
  • Technology Will Equalize – New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman led us through this in his book The World Is Flat.  As the technology and connectivity proliferates, the more level the playing field becomes for competition.  The winners will be those that are the most innovative.
  • Keep Teams Small to Minimize Relational Complexity – V.A. Graicunas established the concept of Span of Control in 1933 and developed a formula for quantifying it.  Adding an additional member to a team only increases headcount incrementally but increases the number of relationships (handshakes, as Godin calls them) exponentially.
  • Challenge and Responsibility Motivate Louder Than Dollars – Frederick Herzberg developed the two-factor theory in 1968, now immortalized in a HBR Classic article.  Linchpin employees are motivated more by responsibility than dollars.

While Linchpin does seem to rely on some management concepts that are not-so-new, his packaging of the content is particularly relevant given today’s economic shifts.  If you listen to his interview with Lee Stranahan about Linchpin, Godin warns us that “we all live in Detroit now.”  This is meant to be a rallying cry to either adapt to the demands of the new economic environment or risk commoditization.

Much of Seth Godin’s work over the years has had some association with Internet projects.  His work is engaging and inspiring, making him notable and quotable among anyone and everyone who has either launched a Web site or Twitter account  for money.  This has attained him a certain celebrity among both strategists and MLMers alike.

But there is something deeper underneath the surface that all strategists and Internet professionals can use to launch successful Web projects…a set of take-aways that are both revolutionary and sensible all at once:

  • Your site should be a gift to its users – Why are so many Web sites self-serving?  They should give meaningful content, opportunities, or experiences without an expectation of reciprocation.
  • Put someone in charge – Web committees need a clear leader who is actually on the committee.  Too much confusion here leads to a muddled sense of who is in charge and diluted end-product.
  • Set a launch date and stick to it – A failure to do so could mean a year of unnecessary delay and a lack of of project urgency.  Seth calls this the ability to ’ship’ the product, which refers to a site launch.
  • Make it authentic – Your site should truly speak to and connect with users.  Authenticity creates a bond with your site’s guests.
  • There is no Map – There is no cookie-cutter system for creating a successful Web venture–no map.  If you feel like you’re internalizing, struggling, and aspiring your way toward a positive end result, you’re probably doing it right.

Posted in Book Reviews, Business Strategy, Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Strategy | No Comments »

10 Internet Marketing Musts in 2010

January 24th, 2010

As the year 2010 is in full swing, it’s hard to believe how things have changed in recent years.  Internet marketing tools and strategies have come along way since 1995, the year WebSolvers began.  Back then, the idea of just building a Web site was a fairly exotic concept. Google had yet to be founded and a Facebook was something that was printed by upperclassmen and delivered in hard copy to students on campus.

While all of this certainly makes us feel a bit nostalgic, we’re also thinking ahead…and trying to help others do the same.  At the risk of sounding self-serving (at least we admit it), here are a few things that we think Internet marketers should strongly consider this year:

1.  Increase Links to Your Site – This is not always an easy task, but one that’s very important in Google’s eyes.  Do your best to increase the number of quality links (structured the right way from the right sites) coming to your site.

2.  Incorporate your Twitter Feed Into Your Site – If you’ve leaped into the social media realm, go ahead and display your tweets somewhere within your site.  It will help your site to stay fresh and build Twitter followers.  We did it on our home page at www.websolvers.com.

3.  Do Some Keyword Research – All of your search engine efforts won’t get you anywhere if you’re targeting the wrong words to begin with.  Consider performing historical (think the past 90 days) keyword research to find out what phrases your customers are actually using.  Just going with your hunch can send you pretty far down the wrong path.

4.  Configure Performance Goals in Google Analytics – Most have Google Analytics installed, but few have taken the time to configure behavioral goals and monitor site performance.  This can be a silver bullet for some sites.  Time invested in truly configuring this product can we time well spent.

5.  Use bit.ly to Monitor Link Performance – Many of us are in the good habit of creating and publicizing shortened links for others to consume.  Take a moment to create a bit.ly account in order to monitor the performance of these links and learn what content and headlines are generating interest and activity.

6.  Develop and Utilize Your Email Messaging Capability – This would have made the list in 1995 but still remains untapped.  People are attached to their email–literally.  But this connection remains untapped by marketers.  Start developing that connection.  What’s the catch?  You have to make the messaging about them — not you.  Sadly, that’s not the nature of most corporate email strategies.

7.  Create a Corporate Social Media Policy – Simply ignoring Twitter and Facebook and dismissing them as ‘time wasters’ no longer flies.  In fact, it hasn’t flown for a while.  Intel has a good policy to look at as a blueprint.  Remember, social communication is going to happen with or without you.  If you don’t formalize your firm’s stance, you may be missing important opportunities and asking for trouble.

8.  Explore the App Economy for Opportunity – BusinessWeek recently published a cover story on the App Economy, the exploding area of iPhone, Blackberry, and Facebook applications.  Like any gold rush, there is a frenzy to create the next big thing.  For many companies, though, there are real and practical opportunities.  Take some time to consider whether having an app would represent real opportunity for your organization.

9.  Create a Wiki To Foster Collaboration – Wikis have been around for some time (i.e. Wikipedia), but many traditional companies have begun to embrace the opportunities.  While the name is funny, the opportunities for communication and collaboration are serious.  To learn more, explore O’Reilly Media’s description as a starting point.

10.  Invest in Yourself – Warren Buffett has said that the best investment we can make is in ourselves.  Consider resolving to regularly read and learn more about the Internet marketing realm.  Good Web sites to consider reading regularly are Seth Godin’s Blog, ReadWriteWeb, and Mashable.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Strategy | 3 Comments »

WebSolvers to Close on Monday in Honor of MLK Day

January 15th, 2010

WebSolvers will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Please visit MLKDay.gov for information on the National Day of Service.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

(Design) Death by Committee

January 6th, 2010

When an organization decides to embark on a new Web project, particularly a Web site re-design, it typically forms a committee.  This committee is usually cross-functional in nature, comprised of personnel from marketing, IT, and/or finance.

There is plenty of reason to form a group for this type of project.  Web projects have so many implications for different parts of the organization that it is good to have a variety of people involved in planning, conceptualization, budgeting, and execution.  And gaining internal concensus and support for any project is a good thing.

Before producing a design, the designer typically meets with the committee to discuss the vision for the site.  Naturally, as is the nature of committees, everyone gets a say.  While this is often helpful to a designer, the designer may leave the meeting with four or five varying visions in her head.  The democracy of “everyone gets a say” turns into the anarchy of “everyone gets a say.”

Once the layout, color scheme, and graphical elements begin to be presented to the committee, each committee member may see a small piece of their feedback somewhere in the design.  Most likely, though, noone sees their individual vision for the site.  Hence, the “too many cooks in the kitchen” syndrome begins to take hold. You might have one committee members who says “I don’t like the colors” while another says “I hate that photo you have chosen for the home page.”  While this type of feedback might have merit, it’s usually based upon personal preference–not a formal design principle or consideration of the target audience.

Because design is a subjective area, a committee of five might have five various opinions on any one piece of work.  A lead designer is then in a position to try and produce a design that attempts to appease five opinions, some of which may be in conflict.  The designer ends up changing different segments of the design concept to try and appease the myriad of critiques.  Like too many chefs in the kitchen, the end product becomes tainted.  The design itself becomes about the committee’s personal preferences–not about fundamental design principles or the needs of the audience.  To make matters worse, the bevy of competing opinions and unmet expectations creates frustration and tension.  There has to be a better way.

The Web committee will and should always be prevalent.  After all, there is often power and synergy in groups.  But the Web site committee should have a strong structure and methodology in terms of taking advantage of groupthink without falling prey to it.  In order to do so, the committee itself needs structure, ground rules, and a charge.  While every committee might operate a bit differently, here is a handful of tips in terms of optimizing the structure and function:

1.  Encourage the committee members to look at the design from the customer’s eyes–not their own.  This will help team members to de-personalize the design and check their personal preferences at the door.

2.  Appoint one person, the one with the most experience in the area or understanding of the target demographic–as the liason to the visual designer.  This will focus both the group and the designer.

3.  Gather and synthesize design directives and feedback in a thoughtful way; simply collecting bullet points of everyone’s comments may not be constructive.

4.  Center design discussions around material issues like the audience and its needs.  Getting mired in discussions of individual photos and font selections can be counter-productive and quickly run a committee off-track.

5.  Trust your designer.  There is a good chance that he or she is more versed than most of the committee members in the area, which should count for something in the process.

Further reading:  http://boagworld.com/design/combating-design-by-committee

Posted in Web Strategy | 1 Comment »

Your Web Design: Planning for Change

December 21st, 2009

We all know that keeping content fresh on your Web site is of critical importance.  It doesn’t look very professional when a user visits your Web site and sees that the content hasn’t been updated in some time.  In fact, it’s regarded as unprofessional when your Web site is characterizing past events as ‘coming soon’ or listing executive biographies of personnel that no longer work at your company.  Fresh content also sends a positive signal to Google.  While it’s certainly not easy, keeping the copy on your Web site fresh is a best practice.

But what about the overall design of your Web site?  How do you keep that fresh?  Many marketing personnel know internally that their site’s design looks old or stale (i.e. our users have become bored with the visual look of the site).  They are reluctant, however, to change the design because they know that might be a large project involving a great deal of time, energy, and involve a significant chunk of the annual marketing budget. With a little bit of planning during your next redesign effort, though, you can configure your Web site so that changing the look and feel over time without going through a total re-design.

For starters, insist on a cascading style sheet (CSS) for your Web site.  Going this route will direct the design team to centralize all font selections and color schemes into a singular file (a CSS file) that feeds the Web site.  Once there, a single color value change to this file (can be done in a few minutes) will, theoretically, change the entire color scheme of the site.  You might change the whole site color scheme to red for World Aids Day or use brighter tones for Spring and Summer.  It’s an easy way to quickly change colors throughout the year.

Going one step further, designate a few contained areas of your Web site or home page that you intend to change as a market cycle or year progresses.  Specifically, carve out some isolated (not blended into other images) images or image panels that you can easily change.  One academic institution that we have worked with isolated a segment of the home page for various icons/messaging throughout the year.  In the late Summer, the space was occupied by a ‘Welcome to Campus’ image for new students and a ‘Hurricane Plan’ image to publish planning materials and warning messages during the Hurricane Season.  During the Spring, the same space featured a graduation cap to give students and parents information on important commencement dates and events.  This space gave users the information they needed and the communications team the real estate needed to highlight important items while creating a refreshed look and preserving the uniformity of the page.

So, as you think about your site’s re-design, it’s a good idea to plan for change–change that will give your site a fresher look without having to re-design the whole site.  It will help you to feel better about your site’s visual look and make design changes part of the norm, not a complicated scramble involving a site re-design.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

SEO is a Journey, Not a Day-trip

November 9th, 2009

The early age of the search engine optimization trade (think 1996) was a simple time.  The number of Web sites on the Internet was much smaller (meaning less competition for search results) and the rules of the game were pretty straight-forward:  put up a page, insert a few relevant keywords, submit your site to the engines, and watch your position rocket to the top!  This is perhaps an oversimplification of the process and the expected result, but a fairly accurate description no less.

Somewhere along the way, however, the game changed.  Some started to manipulate the system unfairly and search results became slanted toward those who were the most manipulative–not necessarily the most relevant.  All the while, the number of Web sites vying for prime positioning skyrocketed–naturally making search even more competitive.

But perhaps the biggest game-changer was the birth of Google in 1998 and its rise to prominence in the few years that immediately followed.  Among other reasons, Google began to dominate because its search results were more relevant than other search engines.  Why?  Because Google’s system disqualified (not rewarded) would-be manipulators and boosted the search positioning of those sites with the most sites linking to them.  Google started classifying a site’s inbound links as votes of endorsement from others (it can be a revealing exercise to actually skim through Google’s patent awards).  While some still try, theirs is a very difficult system to manipulate.  And while no one knows for sure, there a number of other factors that Google is thought to reward in its search results: how often a Web page is updated, how long a Web page has been on the Internet, and a host of other items.

Most of the above is common knowledge.  But it sets the stage for sound thinking when it comes to attractive positioning.  Unfortunately, though, getting attractive search engine positioning isn’t as easy as it used to be.  And while most companies want to have a quick and easy solution (an undertaking that begins and ends within a few weeks), the truth in today’s environment is that there is no such thing.  Good search results require some research, a plan, and an ongoing commitment to the cause.

While there is no cookie-cutter process for all sites to follow, here are a few simple steps that represent a sound methodology for gaining search engine momentum:

  1. Perform sound keyword research to determine what word searches might represent those looking for your company.  It is not wise to rely solely on your “hunches” in this area.
  2. Filter keyword research according to the competitiveness of the terms; it may not be wise to pursue ultra-competitive terms.
  3. Structure content, page names, and tags according to the terms you wish to pursue.
  4. Develop a linking strategy to trade links with other sites that may have overlapping relevance with yours; this can be tedious and time-consuming, but well worth the effort.
  5. Use sites like www.backlinkwatch.com to monitor your progress.
  6. Keep your site’s content fresh.  Consider adding a blog to your site to facilitate this.

Most importantly, recognize that search engine success is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing journey that requires much in the way of time and effort.  If you have dabbled with a few activities to try and improve your search ranking, try broadening (and lengthening) your perspective first.  While the road may certainly be long, the benefits are considerable.

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Posted in Orlando Web Marketing, SEO | No Comments »

WebSolvers Completes Move: Please Note Change of Address

April 6th, 2009

WebSolvers is pleased to announce a that it has successfully completed the move of its main office to the Baldwin Park Town Center. The new address is 4776 New Broad Street, Suite 100, Orlando, Florida 32814. The new telephone number is 407-722-7830 and the new fax number is 407-722-7831. Please update your records.

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WebSolvers will be closed on Wednesday, April 1

March 31st, 2009
WebSolvers' New Location WebSolvers' New Building

As a reminder, WebSolvers is moving on Wednesday, April 1. The new address is 4776 New Broad Street, Suite 100, Orlando FL 32814, in the Baldwin Park town center. As of April 2, new phone and fax numbers are: 407-722-7830 (Main Office Line) and 407-722-7831 (Fax).
We will be closing early on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:00 pm in order to facilitate the move. After spending Wednesday, April 1 installing furniture and equipment, we will re-open for normal business hours on Thursday, April 2nd.
Since our client Web sites are located at a data center off-site, we do not expect this move to affect any of our hosting capabilities or client Web sites in any way.
If you have questions or would like additional information about our move, please contact us at your convenience.

Posted in Web Strategy | No Comments »

WebSolvers is Moving!

March 10th, 2009

After spending over 10 years at our location on Orange Avenue in Winter Park, Websolvers is re-locating to a larger facility in Baldwin Park! The move will happen on April 1st, 2009.
The new address will be 4776 New Broad Street, Suite 100, Orlando FL 32814, in the Baldwin Park town center.
We will be closing early on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:00 pm in order to facilitate the move. After spending Wednesday, April 1 getting situated, we will re-open for normal business hours on Thursday, April 2nd.
Since our client Web sites are located at a data center off-site, this move will not affect any of our hosting capabilities or client Web sites in any way.
If you have questions or would like additional information about our move, please contact us at your convenience.

Posted in Web Strategy | No Comments »

Web Site Wireframes

January 15th, 2009

We have been taking a look at several wireframe/prototyping approaches for clients seeking to conceptualize a Web site layout prior to site design. Many of these can be handled using the features of Microsoft Word or Photoshop/Illustrator, but I recently stumbled upon a solution that seems to fit the mark: Balsamiq Mockups. This tool seems to be a great fit for developing wireframes on the fly. It’s always nice to find a tool built for a specific purpose (as opposed to adapting a tool for an alternative purpose). It seems to have everything one might need for not only developing a wireframe, but working in real-time with a client to try different concepts.

Posted in Web Strategy | No Comments »

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