Since its launch in September, the new Apple Maps App has come under fire from just about everyone. So much so that Apple CEO Tim Cook had to issue a formal apology about the failure of the new product. “We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better,” wrote Cook on the company’s website. He went on to suggest that iPhone and iPad users download rival map products from Google, Bing and MapQuest, to name a few. In the midst of all of the jeers and complaints, we are reminded that no one is infallible and even the biggest companies miss the mark sometimes.

At WEBii, we always work closely with our customers taking into account their preferences and needs in order to provide the best product, especially when it comes to building company websites. Take a cue from Apple and make sure your web-based products are all up to par, or be prepared to face the wrath of the online community.

Loyal Apple users are outraged; blogs, tweets and online forums are full of people reporting issues: my town is missing; this building is on the wrong street; is that museum in a river? Virtual products, like websites, are even more susceptible to this kind of abuse. What’s the solution? Listen to your customers! Design your website for them, not yourself. You may even launch your site in beta, and then be sure to take users’ feedback seriously.

Launching your website in beta may not be the answer for everyone, but if you have a complicated website it’s a great way to get your product to customers early and improve your site at the same time. Websites are rarely 100% perfect when they’re initially launched, but when a site is in beta users know you’re still working out the kinks. Users also know you’re looking for feedback and are more likely to provide useful help. Gmail was originally launched in Beta and users reported thousands of things they would like to see to Google. The result: one of the most popular email platforms with over 425 million users worldwide.

If your site is less complex and beta isn’t for you, customer satisfaction is still the name of the game. Make sure your layout is clear, your links work and launch the site; small details can be fine-tuned later. In the case of Apple, they thought they knew what customers wanted: new features and 3-D images. What they failed to realize was that the most important part of Maps is the ability to get clear, accurate directions. Rather than taking the time to consider user needs, Apple launched a so-so product full of glitches.

When you plan your new website, make sure to take into account its user-friendliness and consider hiring an expert who has experience designing intuitive, streamlined sites. Unless your service is truly unique, there are countless alternatives to most online commodities. Immediately following the Apple Maps gaffe, Google announced several updates to their own Maps App, strictly available to Android users now. Though the rivalry is an old one, this mistake could mean a lot of lost revenue for Apple.

If revenue is the goal, satisfied customers are the road to revenue. When you are ready to build a new website, or update an existing one, think about what solutions will please your customers most. The online community is an opinionated one, so insure your business against complaints and criticism by building a website that’s easy to navigate and easy to love.

Technology is in a perpetual state of improvement and re-invention in order to stay ahead of the competition. The world of social media is no different. Since 2004, social networking giant, Facebook, has dominated the landscape by keeping over 700 million users connected.

Though Facebook’s relevance and presence in the social media market is more strongly felt than any other, the sheer magnitude of this iconic site has begun to diminish the original exclusivity that it was born from.

This has created a dilemma for some users. As in real life, you may be friends with many people, but you do not want to share every conversation, photo, video, or memory with all of them. The same can be said for social networking world as well.

Enter Google+. In an attempt to cater to those needs, Google  launched a trial version of its new social networking site. The  main feature that distinguishes Google+ is “Circles”. Circles allow the user to allocate friends into groups for a limited sharing experience so that not everyone sees every comment, photo, or video that you to share.

Another new feature on Google+ that will help differentiate itself from Facebook
is “Sparks”. Sparks is linked to Google’s search engine and after telling Sparks what you are interested in (by typing in information like you would for a Google search) it  streams information to you and the people within your circle based upon common interests.  Sparks provides results for products, events, or anything that one has shown interest in. These results can in turn be easily shared with others in their Circle.

The combination of these two features seem to further enhance the necessity for your site to have strong SEO capabilities. Since Sparks is connected to Google’s search engine, page rank especially on Google, would obviously be an important factor, but it may not be the entire story.

In a recent article by Barry Schwartz, he noted that he had spoken with Dewitt Clinton of Google on this very topic. Here is the response he received in regard to how Sparks results will be generated, “Still very much in flux and being further expanded and tuned….but this is very early still.”

Since it is still in the test phase only time will tell how valuable of a resource this will be, but one thing that is evident is the necessity for your site to be visible on search engines especially in an age where search results will not only be sought out by the consumer, but also suggested to them based on their searches, interests, and needs as well.

We recently welcomed a special guest to the WEBii office – who wanted to learn about custom web design and maintaining a professional website. Doug Keating, of Structural Environments came by to conduct a video interview with Jacqueline Sinex, Project Manager at WEBii.

Check out the video interview below. You’ll learn about WEBii, get advice on website development and design, and understand why it’s important for a business to have a website.

WEBii and Structural Environments are both in the business of building – though, we build websites, and they build sustainable, environmentally-friendly homes and offices. Connect with Structural Environments online to learn more about their services. You can view other videos on their website or YouTube Channel.

The New Year is quickly approaching, and by now you’re surely thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. In between eating healthier and getting more exercise, we suggest you dedicate some time to making sure your website is displayed and optimized to its full potential. After all, once the holidays are over, it’s back to business as usual, and you want to make sure you welcome the New Year with an improved website.

We have put together a list of strategies to help you improve your website for the new year.

1. Review your domain name record
Making sure that the contact information for your domain record is correct will prevent you from missing domain renewals and other important notices. Conduct a “Whois” search to check the contact information for your domain. While you’re at it, use the Whois results to check the expiration of your domain.

2. Test your links
Take a few moments to search your own website, and browse through the pages as though you were a visitor. Click the links on each page and make sure they point to the correct destination. Nothing turns away website visitors like difficult navigation and broken links.

3. Test your online forms
Are all of your forms working properly? Are the form results being sent to the correct people? Again, act as a visitor on your site and complete a few test forms. Check that the forms not only work properly, but also that they are easy to use.

4. Update your blog
Don’t start the New Year with an outdated blog, nobody wants to read old content. Write a few new posts, perhaps tying in currents events or trends to make your subjects more relevant to readers. If you’re struggling for topic ideas, check out the Blog Inspiration book we created to help you generate quality content.

5. Update your copyright information
Not only does updated copyright information protect you legally, it also shows your readers that your content is up-to-date.

6. Update your mailing list
Take a careful look through your e-newsletter mailing list. Be sure that you aren’t sending duplicate messages, that you’re not mixing up current clients with former ones, and add all of the contacts you’ve acquired recently. Notice your mailing list statistics; do you have an unusually high rate of bounces? Do you have more unsubscribers this month than last? You’ll want to investigate these issues before developing your mailing strategy for the New Year.

7. Review your e-commerce trends
Take a look at how many people are placing orders with you online – how does this compare to your offline sales? Notice where your customers are coming from, are they being referred from your homepage, your blog, or directly from search engines? Noting these trends will help you strategize your e-commerce for the New Year.

8. Check your search engine visibility
Visit Google and type in a few keywords that people may use to find your business or services on the web. Does your website appear in the first few pages of these results? If not, you may consider improving your search engine optimization (SEO) for the New Year. SEO helps you gain visibility on the web, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

9. Review your social media strategy
Has your social media strategy been effective in developing your online presence? Is there anything you could do to translate social media engagement into online sales? Take a look at the social media presence of some of your competitors, and see how you compare.  Did you include your social media links in visible places on your website?

10. Save and back up
The worst way to kick off the New Year, would be losing all of your website content and data. So, make sure you have a copy of your entire website, and that it’s backed-up in multiple, secure locations. Make a resolution to do this on a regular basis. It will save you lots of stress and heartache in the long-run.  And don’t forget that database!

Again, the New Year brings new opportunities, so make sure your business is ready with an updated and improved website. Please feel welcome to post questions or concerns about your New Year website maintenance here.

You may not know it but you see the results of the META title and description tags every time you use a search engine.  The title and short description that is displayed on the Search Engine Results Page (or SERP) is actually taken directly from the META tags coded into your site.

META tags are a part of the underlying HTML code that makes up your website. They provide search engines with important information about your site such as page titles, descriptions, and keywords. Unfortunately, properly optimized META tags are often overlooked as many people are unsure of what benefit they provide.

The above example shows the Search Engine Result for the Google Translate page. Notice that they included a relevant description of the page in the title as well as a brief description of what the page offers.

The key with these META tags is to think of them as your billboard on the Search Engine Results Page. The META Title is the headline that grabs peoples attention and the META Description is the short summary that draws them in.

Here are a few tips for working with your own META title and META description tags:

META Title:

• Give each page a unique title
• Make sure the title is relevant to the content on the page
• For maximum compatibility with all search engine make sure your META title is no more than 65 characters
• Think of this as the heading to your “billboard” on the Search Engine Results Page. Try to make the title enticing to the searcher.

META Description:

• Give each page a unique description
• Make sure your META description is relevant to the page and is enticing to searchers
• For maximum compatibility with all search engine make sure your META title is no more than 155 characters
• Think of this as a short advertisement. Engage the searcher with action words.

Every business needs a media/press kit (the two names are interchangeable). Your media kit is a go-to guide for others to learn about your business. It should be enticing and informative. It should provide viewers with a good snapshot of your company, and make them want to learn more about your company, products and services.  You want your media kit to shine and stand out amongst others.
Traditionally a press kit was used to pass to journalists and media outlets to give them quality information about your company. Many times this was used as filler information for their stories about you. It also helped when you pitched them on a story because you already had all the information they need to know. Granted a good reporter will verify your information, find supporting evidence and back it up (or refute it, if that’s the case).

Today there are vast ways you can expand your media kit’s reach and expose it to larger numbers of individuals. A key medium to tap into is the Internet and your website. Your website is already an important tool for marketing your business, now you can add to it.  You can include a press section on your website, and provide these resources for your customers and your prospects with the click on a button. Having a press section on your website provides easy access for your clients, prospects, business associates, etc. to get needed information any time of day.

Key features to include with your press kit:

• Backgrounder – this is a short biography of your company
• Company timeline – this can be a brief, bullet-point list of the major happenings your company has experienced over the years
• Key facts – include important, and relevant, information that consumers need to know about your products & services, and your company.
• Price sheets – use this for your products and services
• Staff biographies – if you have a key employees that you want to spotlight, or all of your employees – this is a good way to put a face with a name
• Product / Service Sheets – keep it concise, but this is your chance to showcase what you have to offer
• Recent Press Releases – you want to show you are generating buzz
• Testimonials – ask your customers to share some kind words about you and how you’ve helped their business
• And more — add items that you feel are pertinent to your company and what will showcase your offerings.

It’s always good to have “paper” versions of your media kits so that you have tangible items to pass out. Don’t forget to tap into the resources you have and get that kit on your website. The exposure it will get is unmatched. A good design company will be able to help you integrate the new press section into your existing site fairly easily.

One reminder: once you get this press room open on your website, don’t forget to update it. There’s nothing worse than old news!

You always hear the term “brand” and “branding,” but have you figured out how that translates to your company? You might think your brand is strong but you should consider giving it a good critique to see if its living up to the expectations you have for it.

Your brand is compromised of many elements – your logo, color scheme, tag lines, design elements and more. It is the meaning behind your company. It helps define the attitudes and associations individuals make about your company. It encompasses all that your company is.

You have a “brand” in your head and you hope most people think of your brand when they hear your company’s name. Hoping and knowing are two completely different things. The best way to build and strengthen your brand is to critique it and make sure it is clearly defined.

To have a well-defined brand that everyone recognizes can be tough, but you can do it. Your brand should be everywhere! You can’t let it slide on this or that, you have to keep it consistent through everything you do. From letterhead to your blog’s color scheme … your brand should be there. Your website should be an extension of your brand, as well as all of your other marketing materials. Even your word choice on your marketing materials defines your brand. Your brand should clearly shine through all of your messages.

Building a brand is tough. The key is to have a clear, concise theme and message behind your brand  — that will take you further than some sloppy ole’ mess thrown together in a paper sack.

This morning, I got bit by the April Fool’s bug… clocks got set ahead, and I thought I was late. It took me about 10 minutes (and 4 coworkers playing along with the joke later) to get it. It gave us all a good laugh, and it made me start thinking … one thing no one wants is for their marketing efforts to make them the laughing stock of the show.

Your marketing efforts should serve a variety of functions. Here are a few tips to help with your efforts:

• Enhance your brand: Don’t work against the foundation you’ve already laid … instead, build onto it with your marketing tactics. You want something that works well with and adds to what you already have.. Remember, your brand is more than just logos and color choices. It is so much more. It is your word choice, your presentation, your value and your personality.
• Emphasize the value: Your marketing efforts should show off your company, product and services. You want to give clear, tangible reasons about how your product or service will help your customer, and why they should buy/use it. The more clear your message, the greater the value.
• Entertain your audience: You want creative, snazzy promotional materials. Be catchy and make it memorable. Don’t go too crazy, just make sure your efforts stand out above the rest.
• Exercise your rights: Marketing should be continuous … branding should be continuous. You can’t wake up one day and decide, “oh I want the XYZ brand to look like this and everyone know it’s out there.” You need to build and work on it overtime – this means keeping your marketing efforts going on year around, not just whenever the fancy strikes you.

Channeling your creativity for your marketing efforts can be tough. Maybe its because of budgeting, maybe lack of time or even lack of resources. Regardless, the most effective marketing is creative, and functional. That should be your focus and the 4 E’s above should help you rev things into high gear.

The proliferation of social networking throughout the internet has lead to a sharp increase in social marketing. Whether this marketing comes in terms of social networking profiles, viral videos, or blog entries companies are striving to meet their customers where they are–online.  While this type of marketing effort is a necessity, companies have to be careful about how they do it.  Most corporate social networking campaigns are failures because they do not understand the social dynamics associated with an effective social networking campaign.

The success of social networking sites comes from the user generated aspect of the service.  Each individual can control their own experience and create a community of friends. If companies overdo their efforts by constantly spamming people with advertisements they run the risk of alienating their audience by making them feel like they have invaded their turf.  It is similar to product placement in movies.  There are numerous examples of this technique done well but the examples of it being done poorly are the ones that are remembered.  When done correctly the placement seems minor and doesn’t draw attention to itself.  Unfortunately, when done incorrectly, product placement in movies tends to alienate viewers who dislike having their entertainment time violated by such obvious commercial interests.

The steps necessary for a good social networking campaign are very similar to those needed in a traditional advertising campaign. You must understand your audience, their needs, and what level of advertising they are willing to accept.  The difference is that you are no longer directly advertising–you are interacting with your audience and the people who follow you become your best advertisement.  So make it easy for them to advertise for you by starting a Facebook group.  Let the group members leave reviews of your service or helpful tips on your page. Interact with professionals in your field or others.

Remember that you must actively participate in social networks to maintain your presence. If you stop interacting with people they will quickly lose interest and move on. Above all, be interesting and relevant.

Yet another example of how to use your web site as a communications platform, rather than just a marketing tool: a newsroom. More commonly seen in websites for mid-size and large corporations, a newsroom serves many purposes.

From a PR stand point, it fortifies messages you have already spread to the public. From a Marketing aspect, it gives you new mediums to express information about your new clients, current projects, internal experts, and events. And from the consumer (and search engine) perspective, it clarifies details about your company – even before any meetings or phone calls were made.

Possible “newsroom” features:

• Short bios of members in key leadership positions
• Video clips of company spokesmen making speeches
• Photo slide show of a special event
• Press releases (internal)
• News articles / releases from other sources
• Recent statistics about industry
• List of associations
• List of awards and recognitions
• Announcements of new clients / projects
• Announcements for new product launches
• Internal announcements (new regulations, new policies, new training)

When planning your next web site redevelopment, consider how a news room section could add value for your customers, for the press, for search engines, and for RSS news feeds.  Web developers can get creative with presentation and offer different options to maintain the ongoing news updates.  With a little research and work on this, a small business could easily have the professional appearance of a large scale operation.