Only One Chance to Make a First Web Impression

[#1]

Feel like your Website doesn’t quite pack the punch to drive visitor traffic or start conversations? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Most companies grapple with how to build an effective site, while keeping the content fresh and interesting.  

Recently I took part in working with a team of Web Design experts to develop an Extreme Web Makeover tutorial for our ACT! business partners, and wanted to share some valuable insights that may help enhance your Web presence.  

Should Google Analytics be applied on all my Web pages? 

Yes! Google Analytics shows you what pages people landed on, where they navigated to from there, and the actions they took on those pages (i.e. downloaded a form, clicked on a link, etc.). If you don’t have Google Analytics implemented on all of your Web pages, you miss valuable insight such as finding out what your visitor did at any point in their Web experience.  

Make sure to implement Google Analytics on all pages, even landing pages that aren't being indexed by Google, so you can have an accurate record of where people are going and what they are doing.  

What is the best character length of a Title Tag? 

It's best to stick with either 5-12 words or 65-70 characters. We typically measure title tags by the number of words, but if you have longer words you may want to go by character, and try to not go over 70. Sample Google results: 

ACT! by Sage – Contact and Customer Relationship Management… (Title Tag)

ACT! by Sage CRM Software allows you to easily manage contact and build relationships. …

Upgrade to ACT! 2010 – What ACT! over Salesforce – Discover ACT! …

www.act.com/   - Cached - Similar  

What are your thoughts on making my company Website more personal? Is that appropriate? 

Definitely! By showcasing employee profiles (maybe include pictures), your customers get a real sense of who they’re working with, which helps propel your ability to develop a long-lasting, profitable business relationship. Consider this… your ‘About Us’ page is generally the second most viewed page on your Website—only behind your home page. Your customers want to know about the people that run your business, and who they will entrust to help meet their needs.

And don't underestimate the power of social media. Being more personal is what social media is about and that’s why it is so popular with businesses. People want businesses to be more like people again. Understand that you are interacting with people and building a trusting relationship through your Website and social media outlets. Your visitors want to know that there is a real person behind the logo on your Website.  

[#2]

Is there any chance of getting access to the tutorial?

I've been using analytics and custom Title tags for year, but interested in other areas I can improve my ability to promote ACT!

Regards,
Mike Lazarus
ACT! Evangelist
GL Computing, Australia

Join the LinkedIN ACT! Fanatics Group - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=49896
 

[#3]

Hey Mike - appreciate your comments, and I will send you an e-mail to work out access to the ACC tutorial.