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By Neptune Moon, September 29, 2011 1:14 pm

The web does not need to be homogeneous. Usability is important and making sure your site is meeting visitor expectations is critical, but I think we are losing our ability to create sites that are appropriate for OUR audiences. Case in point – the redesign of the Slate web site. Haven’t seen it yet?

Here’s a look at the new home page layout:

Not so bad or different from how it used to be, but scroll down further and it is a disaster:

I don’t even know where to look?

I am getting a little exhausted by what seems lately like every web site’s attempted reinvention into some type of social media experience. Not everything needs to look or feel or function like Twitter or Facebook. Twitter and Facebook are great tools and can play a really important role in your relationships with your customers and potential customers. A web site is not a social media outlet – why do we keep trying to make them into one?

Even Facebook is arguably trying to turn itself into some strange Facebook Twitter hybrid with its new design.

Enough already.

Today’s web sites should be about integrating your web site proper with your social media efforts. Turning your site into a real time experience with constantly refreshing content and comment streams, well, takes away from the experience most visitors are looking for when they choose to visit your web site – instead of your Twitter feed or your Facebook page. There is still room for a well designed, user-centric web site in your internet strategy. Let’s make the most of what a web site can be and stop trying to make it do everything.

The comments about the Slate redesign have been overwhelmingly negative. Look, I know people aren’t generally great with change, but the criticisms of this redesign really resonate with me. And they should resonate with anyone who is still designing and developing web sites for clients in today’s climate.

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By Neptune Moon, April 16, 2010 3:00 pm

Spring always seems to inspire the urge to purge – at least it does at my house! Why not use the spring as a time to take a critical look at your web presence and strategy? This notion makes sense this year, even more so than in the past, as many of our target markets have undergone significant changes.

It is time to ask yourself:

1. What parts of our web strategy are working well? What parts are not working so well?
2. Who is our target market today? Are they the same demographic that they were 2 years ago?
3. How can we adjust our web strategy to gain traction in the new economy?
4. What can we learn from our competitors?

It is an important practice to critically review your web strategy annually – why not do it now and put your business in the position to have a strong 2010? There is a lot of opportunity out there – smart organizations realize it and know they can no longer sit on the sidelines and expect to be around in 2011.

Not sure how to get started or how to analyze your web strategy? Don’t really have a web strategy? Spend some time and money with a professional web consultant and get on your way to a stronger business and better bottom line!

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By Neptune Moon, April 2, 2010 3:43 pm

Working on the web is an interesting journey. You never have the same day twice. It’s part of what I like most! There are as many ideas about SEO and Web Design as there are humans on the planet. So how do you make sure you’re in sync with your provider?

The first and most obvious step is to review a potential consultant’s work and/or portfolio. I know, this sound ridiculously obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many people just don’t bother to do this. If you’re not drawn to and/or impressed by the consultant’s work, why bother even starting a conversation with them?

Next, see who recommends them. A referral from a trusted source should go a long way in jump starting a relationship with a new provider. Positive comments and an offer to let you call their references is also a good sign.

Spend time getting clear about what you need and why you are bringing in an outside consultant to reach that goal.

Once you’ve done your homework and feel comfortable with the consultant’s skills and customer service, it’s time to have a meeting. Not just a phone call either, if at all possible. In this time of instantaneous communication, there is still often no substitute for a face to face meeting. See what your gut is telling you after you meet with the provider. It is critically important that you are able to connect with a consultant – you’ll be partners in this project and will need to be able to communicate effectively and work together smoothly.

Finding a great consultant takes some effort, but the payoff when you find the right fit is definitely worth the work!

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By Neptune Moon, February 15, 2010 6:38 pm

Conversion – it’s been a buzzword in SEO and SEM for the past few years, but with the sluggish economy, it seems to have taken on new vigor lately. It is, in many ways, the holy grail of web site creation and internet marketing.

So, how do you convert web site visitors into customers? How do you get the people who are ready to buy what you’re selling onto your site and then close the deal?

Here are the top web customer conversion factors I recommend focusing on:

1. Be Relevant. If you work hard to be indexed for a particular product or service, make sure you can actually offer that specific product or service. Nothing drives visitors off of your site quicker than feeling like they have been mislead.
2. Be Direct. Search engine optimize your site properly so that when a user finds a link to your site, they will go to a page that is specific to what they are interested in finding. This is especially true with PPC placements! Do not send all traffic to your home page and make them figure it out from there.
3. Ease Pain. From your web site, within a nanosecond a visitor can exit your site and move on to option two, three or four. Make sure that your site clearly spells out exactly what it is you have to offer and why it will make the visitor’s life better.
4. Offer Value. Chances are, you are not the only game in town. What makes working with you or buying from you better? Special expertise or experience? Free shipping? Giveaway products with purchase? Free consultation or report? Offer something!

I often tell clients, think about your own behavior when it comes to interacting with web sites. If something annoys YOU as a user, chances are it will annoy a potential customer. Design and optimize your site with THEM in mind and you’ll be amazed at the results!

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By Neptune Moon, November 11, 2009 11:48 am

While on the whole, I do not recommend using RFPs to find web site vendors, here are a few tips on how to create an RFP that consultants will be glad to respond to:

Consider hiring an industry professional to facilitate the RFP creation process. I know, this seems a little radical, but hear me out. Web site RFPs tend to include a laundry list of anything and everything you might possibly want for your web site. This makes for long, confusing, and hard to compare proposals. If you spend some money creating a very specific, highly organized RFP, consultants will be thrilled to receive such a well thought out document and the proposals you receive will be much easier to compare.

Do your homework before you create or send out an RFP. Again, a little time spent on your end with your trusted management or advisory team or your marketing consultant will produce a more focused RFP document. The better your RFP, the better the proposals.

Include a target budget range in your RFP. I know, another radical idea. There is a rather prevalent school of thought that says NEVER reveal your budget to a vendor of any kind, as they will immediately and only answer that it will cost your maximum budgeted amount. I suppose there are providers out there who would do that. But, by not indicating your budget range for the project, you are wasting valuable time – both yours and that of potential providers. Providers come in all levels of skill, experience, and price. Be honest and up front about your budgetary expectations and you won’t waste time with proposals that are way outside your budget. You may also learn that your expected budget is completely unrealistic for the scope of work desired. Again, valuable information to get quickly.

Be clear about the process when you send out the RFP. Providers should have a clear idea of what the process will be if they choose to submit a proposal. This should include when they will hear back from you – personally – about your decision.

Set a reasonable response deadline. Oftentimes, I will get an RFP that has less than a 10 business day turnaround deadline. Remember that reviewing an RFP takes time and the provider may need to consult with their team to decide if the project makes sense for them. By having a really short window, you may cause a potentially great provider to not respond. I would suggest a minimum of 3 weeks as the proposal deadline.

Bottom line: treat your vendors as you would want to be treated.

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By Neptune Moon, October 29, 2009 4:59 pm

RFPs are making a comeback. Like bad 80s fashion, they’re everywhere. It’s an understandable phenomenon – times are tough and budgets are tight. Using an RFP and getting multiple quotes must be the best way to get the best deal, right?!?

Not necessarily! Let’s take a close look at the top three RFP myths:

Myth #1: I’ll get the best price if I put the project out to bid.

Reality: You can certainly choose the low bidder if you use an RFP as your qualifying method. But are you really getting the best price – defining “best” as “the best product for the best cost”? First, you run the risk of getting a poor product. Low-ball bids often carry that potential. Second, when the project is completed and the final invoice submitted, will you have, in fact, gotten the cheapest deal? The chances are about 50/50. Vendors with low initial bids frequently nickel-and-dime you to death as the project progresses. Consider the following seriously: are you focusing too much on price and not properly vetting the providers?

Myth #2: If I use an RFP I can easily compare bids.

Reality: While using an RFP will generally provide a basis for more similar proposals, there are often still vast differences in what each provider proposes, including the project approach, the technologies utilized, the specifics of what is and is not included in the cost, and what you will ultimately receive and pay. Plus, how you create, execute, and evaluate RFPs is incredibly important. If your process is flawed at any of these three points, your RFP will likely not produce the results you’re seeking.

Myth #3: Everyone who is serious about their project uses an RFP.

Reality: Not everyone uses an RFP to get project proposals. Think about it: why would you cast an RFP out for any vendor to bid on? An approach that is at least as common if not more common is to seek for personal referrals and testimonials, interview vendors one-on-one, and study their portfolio and process intensively. Sure, you may not be able to make a line-by-line comparison of the vendors you interview – but since an RFP doesn’t guarantee that anyway, you’re not losing anything … and you may be gaining everything!