With over 8 years of e-business under our belts, the DANIMA team feels that we have accumulated enough experience to offer e-marketing and e-business information  to our loyal readers. So, pull up a monitor, grab of coffee, tea or a cold beverage and enjoy our latest humble offering!

Spring Cleaning: Is Your Web Site in Tip-Top Shape?
By David Rotella Jr.

Don't let all the snow on the ground fool you, Spring IS just around the corner. That's right, the calendar shows mid-March, so we are only a week or so away from a new season. And with the change of seasons, comes a fresh new outlook and new beginnings. It's time to clean out the garage, clean out the closets and time to take a good look at that web site that's been collecting cyber-dust over the winter. I know, there are some folks who do not let any dust accumulate on their web-site - and that's a good thing. Times have changed in that respect. More and more businesses are depending on their web sites on a daily basis to accumulate data and provide their clients with current, fresh information. However, a much higher percentage of businesses still neglect their web sites for long periods of time and do not realize how damaging that can be with respect to their potential on-line business, as well as for search engine rankings.

So, I ask you this question: Is your web-site in "tip-top" shape? In today's Net E-conomy it really needs to be up-to-date and fresh. How often should you change the look of your site? How often should you change your content? Well, content is still "King", especially new content. Whatever Google's algorithms encompass, Sir Google definitely uses site content when it ranks sites - updated content. In fact, one article I was reading suggested that web sites found at the top of keyword searches shared one common feature: their content changed "at least once every few weeks, and more often, once a week or more". Wow, that seems like a lot of work! But is it? With content management tools, such as DANIMA's eZ Editor, changing content is easy and quick! Instead of spending hundreds of dollars per month on Google AdWords and other SEO costs, why not start by updating your site content, especially your front page? Maybe this can be the first step in getting your site into "tip-top" shape. Update the content of your web site using keywords and keyword phrases specific to your industry. The other SEO techniques are important, but none more important than new, keyword rich content!

As for the look of your site, there are no hard-and-fast rules with respect to how often you should change the look of your site. Just as there are no hard-and-fast rules as to how often you should paint the walls in your office or how often you should change the carpet However, you must keep in mind that your web site is the E-window to your business. E-window shoppers like a crisp, clean modern site when searching for information. If your site is cluttered, out-dated and just plain "ugly" you may have a high "bounce" rate. That's right people may get to your site, but as quickly as they get there they quickly "bounce". Google analytics provides you with stats on what the percentage of visitors "bouncing" after they hit your front page. If your site is experiencing a high "bounce" rate, you may want to think about a makeover or re-organization of the front page contents. Remember that your web site is your business' first impression to your site visitors. If they don't like what they see right-off-the-bat, they will click on the "BACK" button and you've lost them.

Think of it this way, if you have a store front or an office and the steps leading up to the door are all busted and cracked, the door hinges are broken, the hallway carpet is a lovely, rust colored shag from the mid-seventies, old wooden paneling on the walls, and a thick coat of dust on the picture frames and fixtures, what do you think the first impression of your visitors will be? I have a feeling many may "bounce" and hit the “road” or, in Internet terms, hit the dreaded "back" button. The same holds true for your web site. If your site was designed in the late 90's or very early 00's, it probably doesn't utilize the latest development and design elements . In short, it's out-dated and visitors will pick up on that. If the important services you offer or information you have on the site are not quickly identified, visitors will "bounce" - right to your competitor! It may be that it is time for a complete re-design, or maybe the site just needs a new coat of paint - "a little touch-up and a little paint", as Mr. Springsteen would say. Either way, you need to find out why people are leaving, or as Sir Google says, "bouncing".

The job of your web site (look and content) is to entice people to drill deeper into the site. A fresh, organized new look will do that. And once they do drill down deeper into your site, the information will keep them there if it is dynamic, fresh and informative. Two other important Google Analytical stats that will speak volumes with respect to your site being in "Tip_top" shape are "Time Spent On Site" and "Number of Pageviews". I won't get into details in this article, however, if you have quite a few page views per visit and visitors are staying on your site for a duration of more than a minute and a half, then your site is in good shape. If the content is current and informative, and if the navigation is easy to use people will browse your site, they will stay, and they will come back. If not, they will leave and it just may be time for an E-makeover.

It's not always obvious what to do with respect to your web site, and you may not have any systems in place to monitor important web stats like "bounce" rates and "time on site", but that's where DANIMA comes in. We can help you with your Spring cleaning! If you are looking for some direction, give us a call! We can help you get your web site in "tip-top" shape, quickly and at a reasonable cost.

Happy cleaning...