By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com
The theory is that if you build it they will come.
Good luck!

The trick to creating a “word of mouse” presence on the Internet is that you must drive people to your site. You can drive folks to your site fairly easily.

One thing you might consider is a signature. Simply sign each and every email with your name, title, complete contact info, and a link directly to your site. As an example:

Natalie J. Armstrong
Managing Director, Co-Founder

Golden Media | Marketing Resolution
1541 Ocean Avenue, 2nd Floor
Santa Monica, California 90401

Tel: 310-319-1177
Fax: 310-319-1104

Mailto:Natalie@MarketingMediation.com
www.MarketingMediation.com

One other idea is keep your website content new and fresh AND let people know that the content is always changing. If you publish a blog, this is easy. This way you create a reason for people to continue checking in on your site. Instead of a signature alone, try adding something like this:

If you’re sending information that might be useful to someone other than the recipient alone, let them know that they should feel free to forward the information to their associates and friends.

One thing to remember when you’re designing your site is that the bulk of the site should be dedicated to the reader with the remainder of the site about you and the service you offer the reader.

Also, remember to track your site statistics so that you can determine which techniques work best for your readers and your site traffic (and so that you can drop those techniques are a waste of your time and efforts).

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting the resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business development and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.

By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com

Do you have a website or a blog?

Here’s what you should you know.

Your content should be 80% - 90% about your viewer, their concerns, their fears, their issues, their position. It’s all about them and what’s in it for them if they hire you. Speak to their problems and provide them the solution.

Graphics and colors should be developed based on the lowest common denominators of your viewers, computers’ abilities. If your target viewers are not at all Internet savvy , don’t ask them to download files or add software to view your site. If your viewers are older , use a larger font and use a font that is a True Type font so that the majority of the computer systems will view the font you want them to view.

Keep your navigational bar clean, clear, and consistent. The same buttons should be available in the same order on all pages.

Provide your contact information on every page.

Be careful not to provide your viewer a “back door” to your competition. You work too hard and expend too many resources to invite viewers to leave your site for your competitor’s site.

Although providing your viewer with educational articles and links about ADR you don’t want to overload them with information on your site, instead invite them to contact you or to use your personal library.

Make changes to your site on a regular basis and inform your clients and prospects about these changes.

Be sure you watch your website statistics. Make note of the pages on which viewers enter, leave and spend the longest amount of time. Change your site appropriately based on these findings.

Use your photograph so that viewers have the advantage of a virtual introduction.

Keep an eye on your web hosting. You shouldn’t have to pay more than $10.00 per month in today’s market.

Links are free. Any web designer that wants to charge you for links is taking advantage of you.

Most providers don’t need a site that exceeds 10 pages.

A template is fine, as long as it doesn’t look like one.

If you don’t know how to code your own site you can easily hire a designer to make the changes for you. If don’t need to make changes often, don’t pay for them. You can hire a designer to make changes at equally low rates for “change orders” as opposed to fixed contracts. If, on the other hand, you want to make regular changes a maintenance contract may be the route to go.

Unless your viewers read and speak in high Oxford English write your content using kitchen English. You know the language you use in casual conversation less any slang.

The goal is to make your viewer feel comfortable and confident in your knowledge of ADR and their dispute. Make your site as easy as possible for them to get the information they’re looking for and to reach you once you’ve let them know that you’re the right person for the job.

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting the resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business development and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.

By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com

1. Graphically appealing and graphically appropriate for the viewing audience. Keep in mind the preferences of your target market when you begin the design process. For instance, if you are marketing to architects and engineers you will want to satiate their desire for visual stimulation.
2. Easy to navigate. Keep the buttons to a minimum and always locate them in the same position on the site. Title your buttons clearly and concisely. Keep the information together in the most logical sequential order.
3. Complete contact information should be on every page in a static location. If you have downloadable files, provide the viewer the appropriate software link so that they can download the program they will need to view your files.
4. Font size and color be aware of the readers comfort when you choose your font sizes and colors. Your practice specialty is elder care then you will want to utilize a font that is somewhat larger than usual. As for color, high contrast colors make it easier to read black text.
5. Content should be 90% about benefits to the reader and 10% about you. Every page should have a purpose that fits into the overall purpose of the sight.
6. Have a contact page to invite viewers to contact you, use the information to answer their questions and concerns, follow up with more information and build your database of potential clients.
7. Less is more. Don’t overwhelm your visitor with too much color, too much text, and too much content. If you answered their key questions and concerns within the first minute and a half, you’ll lose them entirely.
8. Statistics. Keep track to the site statistics so that you can better use the site as a marketing tool. Pay attention to where the visitors enter and more importantly where they leave.

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting the resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business development and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.

By James Anderson

Why are there so many Web Design and Search Engine Optimization myths on the internet? The following article exposes some of the most common SEO myths effecting web design and looks at the reasons why they have become widely accepted as the truth by many web designers and Webmasters.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a complex and diverse topic that’s both never constant and constantly changing. There are hundreds of myths about SEO, some were once true but no longer apply (outdated information), while others were simply never true to begin with (disinformation).

The large amount of different opinions and tactics used by both Web Designers and SEO Consultants (which can be completely contrasting) has also helped to create myths. Combine this with the large number of web forums and blogs that allow people to share their views, and you have the perfect environment for not only creating myths but for them to spread like a viral epidemic. Here are some of the most common myths explained.

Myth Name: Build it and they will come
Myth Description: The belief that a website will receive large quantities of targeted traffic as soon as it goes online.

Truth: The biggest myth I still come across most days is the aptly named “build it and they will come myth”. The cause of the myth is a combination of outdated information, a non realistic, over optimistic site owner or a lack of understanding of the web. Back in the old days of the internet you could “build a site and they would come”, just by submitting to the main search engines of the day (to a degree). This was largely due to the lack of web sites around at the time, meaning top positions were that much easier to secure.

Nowadays a site must be advertised just like any business. A good analogy is your site is shop and a search engine is a high-street. The only problem is your shop is not on the high-street, so some kind of sign is required to inform passers by where you are and what you do.

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By Natalie J. Armstrong,
www.MarketingMediation.com

There are two kinds of Search Engine optimization, Organic and Mechanical. Organic SEO depends on manual or natural ways of optimizing a website and takes more time resulting in long lasting results. Mechanical SEO relies on using software to optimize a website. Most commonly this will be an application of program that is purchased and installed on your pc.  While there is decent leverage available in using these tools, it takes less time but results have a shorter shelf life.

There are a plethora of SEO tools out on the market today, with prices ranging from $47 to several thousand dollars. They are available for keyword verification checking and suggestions, link popularity checks, meta tag optimization, search saturation checking, back link building, search engine ranking etc.

Today’s SEO tools are being used extensively to optimize websites in a number of different ways. In the fiercely competitive niches within our industry, it is very important to be on top of Google, Yahoo or any other search engine rankings to tap targeted audience. This greatly helps to sustain, grow and expand your websites visibility via the search engines and ultimately aid your practice development through your website.

Each category of SEO tools in turn has number of software developed by different companies. It’s mission critical to know those that produce results before you embark upon using one. As with any investment, do your homework and collect the right data to help you ensure you make a good decision and can reasonably predict that you’ll see the desired results.

Almost every SEO tool has a freely available demo version available for free download and test drive. Make use of this. Spend sometime using the tool and becoming familiar with it before you buy. Remember you can always try others out before narrowing your options and buying the best. Remember, SEO tools are only tools; one should use them with a lot of prudence lest the search engines black list you.

Natalie J. Armstrong is the Founder and Managing Director of Golden Media, a marketing and consulting firm dedicated to promoting the resolution industry. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice and speaks internationally on business development and the successful marketing strategies of the conflict resolution industry. More ADR Practice Development articles and information about Ms. Armstrong and Golden Media can be found at www.MarketingMediation.com.