Firstly, something which is not common knowledge and often needs to be explained, is that – it is not easy to be a dominant website in Google.

Just because you:

A.      want to appear at the top of Google, for a specific keyword, and

B.      have a website

…does not mean Google will reward you with a position near the top of it’s rankings.

Additionally, just because you have developed a new website and are very happy with it, it doesn’t mean Google will look at your new website and change it’s rankings immediately or at all. You may not see a difference in your ranking for weeks or months.

Google is smart, cautious and a spurned lover.

Ever since search engines first emerged on the internet, there those who were trying to take advantage of them and their rankings. In the early days search engines were cluttered with irrelevant spammy results which took users to websites which would not help them in their search. These websites would be cluttered with porn, advertisements or simply more links to other pages on the internet. This form of search engine trickery was dubbed “Black Hat”.

To read more about what Google does and doesn’t like, and is therefore considered “Black Hat”, click here.

Google’s algorithm (the fancy word for how it sorts out who should be listed where in it’s search results) has been an ever changing piece of logic which is constantly monitoring millions of websites and their billions of links in order to decide who should reign supreme at the top of their searches.

There are many things the algorithm looks at (far too many to mention here, in fact I just read a 600 page book on the topic) but one thing is for sure; Google doesn’t make changes to it’s results based on a whim. A website which pops up over night will almost never receive much attention from Google, and if it did receive attention it would more likely come in the form of a closer look to see if there were “Black Hat” tactics at play.

If you want your website to be a solid performer in Google search results it takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention a quality website with interesting and worthwhile content. Most websites which are successful in Google have been around for a long time, years not months, and have thousands of links from other websites pointing at them, assuring Google that the site has a lot to offer.

Some clients have complained that they aren’t performing well in Google despite having the ‘magic keywords’ on their page(s). What they are referring to is called Meta Keywords and/or Meta Description. These are blocks of code which tell search engines more about your website pages.

Meta Tags used to be quite important to a website’s performance in search engines, however, now they are only a small ingredient (one of dozens) that goes towards a website’s ranking.

So all this information is great, but what do you do next?

If you have loads of cash and the willingness to spend it then you can employ an SEO company who will optimise your website. Now assuming your website already has all of the bits and pieces it should have for search engines, these SEO companies will direct the bulk of their attention to ‘off-site optimisation”. Which in layman’s terms means;  “getting heaps of other websites and blogs to link to you”.

‘Off-site optimisation’ is probably the biggest factor that will have an impact on your performance in Google. Most SEO companies will do a really good job too, however, their services often come with a price tag that amounts to thousands of dollars per year and if after a number of years you decide to no longer employ their services, then you will lose the benefit of the work they had done for you.

This is their business model, and there is nothing wrong with that.

However, if you don’t want to be beholden to an SEO company what I recommend is to spend a lot of time building your content, and adding to it frequently. Get yourself a good content management system which allows you to update your website whenever you choose and start building content that other people want to read.

Many websites which perform well in Google aren’t there because they have employed SEO companies, rather they are there because they have extremely valuable content which inspires their readers to link to them.

So go out and make your website worth visiting. Don’t just make a brochure with your name and address on it. If you want to sit at the top of Google searches then make sure people aren’t disappointed when they click on the link and visit your website.

Everyone know the answer to that question, right? Surprisingly, no. In fact, the majority of people I ask this question to don’t know. At best the answer is something like;

“Ummm. .. I have Outlook Express?”

Those who do know nine out of ten times say that a browser is Internet Explorer, rather than Internet Explorer is the browser I use. Terrific branding Microsoft!

For those who don’t know what an internet browser is, it is a piece of software that enables you to “browse” the internet and all the sites and pages it offers. Internet Explorer is a browser, but it is not your only choice, and many would argue that it is not your best option, myself included.

The main browsers available to you (for free) are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari (Apple’s browser), Chrome (Google’s browser) and Opera. While there are heaps more, these are the main ones. If you are interested in seeing which browsers are the most widely used you go to http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp.

If you followed the above link you will see that there are three versions of IE, or Internet Explorer, listed and soon there will probably be a fourth, Internet Explorer 9. The three versions are listed firstly because nearly 40% of internet users are on IE, so it is an important browser. But the reason the three latest releases are listed for IE, and not the three latest versions of the others, is because IE’s browsers differ so wildly and are often the bain of the web designer’s life.

I won’t take this opportunity to vent about Internet Explorer and their terrible record of being compliant with the rest of the internet, but I will explain why you, as the user and owner of a website, should know and care about the difference between browsers.

Every browser is slightly different in the way it interprets a website and in turn displays the content. I’m sure many of you have called your web design company wanting to know why an image is suddenly a lot higher or why something funky is going on with the text. As a website designer, the first question I ask the client is what browser they are using and what version of the browser is it.

Note: To find out what browser you are using and the version of that browser, in most cases you can go to the “Help” menu, when browsing the internet, and there will be an option entitled “About Internet Explorer” or “About Firefox” etc, depending on the browser you are using.

Browsers are gradually falling in line with one another in terms of how they display content, Internet Explorer included; however there are still often significant differences in display.  You as the client have to then make the decision on whether this is a big problem or not.  If the display error only occurs in Safari or Opera you may choose to let it go because only 6% of internet users may see the glitch. However, if the error occurs in Firefox which serves nearly 50% of internet users then you may want to do something about it.

If you do want to do something what are your options? Well the first and cheapest is to fix the problem in the browser which is displaying the error, but this doesn’t always mean that the error is fixed in the other browsers. So then your option is to get you web design company to produce a style sheet for each browser. A style sheet is a set of rules which determines how your website will look. Having multiple style sheets is your best option here, but will add to the development costs. So again it comes down to a decision at your end. Is the display error a big enough problem to warrant the extra spend?

Browsers can be a right royal pain if you fall fowl of their inconsistencies, but it all comes with the territory of having a website. Hopefully now you will be a little better armed when it comes to knowing your website and the way people view it. Send us an email if you have any questions about your website or the way browsers are displaying it.

Through a combination of experience, feedback and new technologies we have continued to strive for a better product. Something that can offer more to you, the client, but at the same time become easier and more intuitive to use. We have also looked to incorporate new modules and functionality to add to the library of tasks The Admin Site can help you with.

Behind the scenes there have been many changes to help make The Admin Site run faster and smoother than the older version, however, what we’re excited about are some of the great new plug-ins we have available in version 2.0.

Some of the great new features available are…

New Online Store
Spike has developed their own online store which can quickly and easily be customised to your businesses requirements. The store can connect to a variety of payment gateways including the world renowned PayPal or Camtech gateways. Ask us how our store can be tailored to your businesses.

HTML Newsletter Management Version 4
Many of you have a version of the HTML email / newsletter on your system. Each version of the HTML email / newsletter comes with increased filtering options, record keeping and reporting.

Brand New Photos Galleries
Our new photo galleries make use of the funky new jQuery technology which allows your website’s visitors to easily view hundreds of photos at terrific resolution while navigating easily between the photos.

The Admin Site Version 2.0 allows you to easily upload multiple photos, add comments as well as edit, hide or delete individual or groups of images. You are also able to categorise all of your images into albums and galleries.

You can view an example of the galleries at http://au.blueseptember.org/blue_september_photo_albums.php.

Product Image Zoom
This is a terrific little application which allows your clients to easily zoom in on smaller images in order to see the detail of the product. All you need to do is upload a small image and a large image via The Admin Site and the rest is done for you.

You can view an example of the Product Image Zoom at http://www.pca.org.au/results09/sx/awards/Best-of-Show-Award-3.php

New Video Galleries
Many of you have had the need for video on your website over time, now we have a great application which allows you to either upload your own videos, or grab a video from YouTube and put it into you website. You can have as many videos as you like, listed in a play list which is easy for your website’s visitors to click and view.

We’ve made use of this technology in our new video tutorials which many of you would already be using. We can of course ‘skin’ the player and playlist so that it fits perfectly into your website’s look and feel.

Video Tutorials
With the latest version of The Admin Site comes video tutorials. The video tutorials are never longer than five minutes in duration are aimed at showing your how to quickly and easily use The Admin Site. You are also able to request the creation of a video should you require it.

Improved Search Engine Optimisation
With version 2 of The Admin Site comes the ability for you to control even more aspects of your website which effect your performance in search engines such as Google.

On top of these great new additions to The Admin Site, Spike WebDesign has also been doing a lot of work developing software which helps to streamline our clients’ workflow. If you have tasks which are taking up a lot of your time or repeatedly costing you money, talk to us about how we can automate these tasks and free up your time to focus on more important areas of your business.

“I really need a website”.

“I must get that shopping cart so I can sell my products online”.

“I’ll update my website in the New Year”.

Resolutions and thoughts like this are common ones, especially amongst business owners. However, as the New Year starts and all that comes with it means that your current website, or ambitions of finally getting a website, get swept under the carpet.

We’ll make the assumption that you and your business is good at what you do and you have good customer service, after those two things your company’s website is the most important aspect of your business.

A website:

• Is your primary source of advertising.
• Can become the number one pathway that your clients take to reach you.
• Tells potential clients about your services and why they should use you.
• Can save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours by automating mundane repetitive administration tasks (if you have a good content management system).
• Can take your client’s payments online and can also create a terrific flow of passive income.
• Can communicate with you current clients, either by bulk HTML emails, sms text message, blog / news articles or general updates on your site.
• Can easily manage vast databases of information once again saving you time and money.
• Showcase your products and services through photo or video galleries.

When you look at these points, as well as extrapolate these ideas based on your business’ specific needs, it would be negligent not make your website your number one New Year’s resolution.

“I can’t afford a new website”.

“Why do websites cost so much?”

Both of these comments are common and nine times out of ten not well thought out. A basic website might take 5 to 15 hours of work to develop. However, most website companies also have their own software or code which they have developed in their own time which they can plug in to new websites, meaning more than just the 5 to 15 hours go into a website.  More complicated database driven websites can often be anywhere from 10 hours work to upwards of 100 hours worth of work.

So if you are a business owner and want a new website and you get a range of quotes, a good thing to do would be to divide the quoted amount by your hourly rate, just to get a perspective on the price you’ve been given. Sure, everybody has different hourly rates, but this at least will start to help you make an informed decision.

The other point to consider is the monetary outlay for your website versus potential revenue generated by your website. If someone were to tell you that if you invested $5,000 and would get $100,000 in return over the next few years I don’t think anyone would turn that offer down. However, you would be surprised how many people baulk at a website quote which is only a fraction of what they would be making if their business becomes successful.

Sounds stupid, right?

“I want to make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, but I’m only willing to spend a few hundred dollars to achieve it”. For people with attitudes like this I have one piece of advice, buy a Tattslotto ticket. If you want to get the most out of the internet and your website, you have to be willing to invest time, resources and money. Otherwise you are dreaming and will be making the same resolutions next year.

So in short, don’t put off to tomorrow what you could otherwise do today. The sooner you initiate the process of a new website or upgrades to your current site, the sooner you will be reaping the rewards.

Happy New Year!

We have written previously about question you should be asking yourself before you approach a website designer, but they were more focused on the general stuff. We often receive quote requests from potential clients saying something like this:

“We want a website exactly like the one at www.websitename.com. How much?”

Now to you that might sound like a reasonable question, however, I would bet a lot that there has been a series of assumptions you have made, or an understanding or your requirements which are not automatically clear to someone outside of your business.

Let’s take a look at an example, an online store which sells wheels, tyres and parts for cars. To the owner of this store it would seem simple; “I just want to sell my products online!” However, questions that we would ask which would impact our quote are such things has:

• What are the break downs of your products?
• Are there different categories within products?
• Can only certain products be purchased with another item?
• Do you require packages?
• What are your postage costs?
• How do you postage costs changed if a bulk order is made?
• Do you want to use your bank as a payment gateway or would you prefer an online gateway such as PayPal?
• How would you like your products to be searched/found by visitors to you site
• Etc

As you can see already there are a lot of variables which are very important when programming an online store which is functionally capable of handling a businesses demands.

This business owner may not have thought any of this through and thus expects are certain price based on his concept of the store being ‘simple’. He would then no doubt be shocked and somewhat annoyed when he receives a quote which is significantly more than he had imagined.

Now while we have listed all of the above questions, the business owner’s responses may have led us to the realisation that the store is in fact simple, however, many web design companies may not have asked these questions and just assumed that it would be complex. They are within their rights to do this.

What many people don’t realise is that when a website is quoted upon, nine out of ten times a fairly involved requirements gathering phase will need place. The less thought a business owner has given their website, the longer the requirements gathering phase will take. Some companies will not bother starting a requirements gathering phase unless they are commissioned to do so, which again is fair enough.

When wanting a new website, an update from an old website or a component like an online store, treat it like a new business and write out a business plan. How would you see it working? What are your goals for it? How could it be best structured for your clients?

The more thoughtful you are about your requirements, the more accurate a quote you will receive.