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1. Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) contributes to the profitability of your site by driving potential prospects and/or candidates to your site. The more qualified visitors, the greater the chance one is a prospect with a timely need you can fulfill.
The first step in SEO is to determine what terms your prospects search for when using the Internet to research training vendors and incorporate those words and phrases into your content. The second step is to enhance your content. Websites rich in relevant, frequently updated content are favored by search engines.
Be aware, search engines rank at their own pace, and there is no magic bullet. It takes a minimum of six months to one year to see natural search result improvements, and that's only if you have rich and relevant content.
This being said, there are ways to improve your results faster - if you have the budget. This is where the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) component of SEO comes in. The following are examples of SEM tactics and programs:
- Pay Per Click Buys
- Site Enhancements
- Blogs/RSS Feeds
- Press Releases
- Digital PR
- Online Advertising
- Link Exchange Programs
- Widgets and other Social Media Programs
Pay per click buys can bring you to the top of the rankings for as long as you can afford it. The rest of the programs on the list work because they increase the number of web pages and websites that link to your site. Search engines will index you higher, faster if you have a lot of links to your site, especially from other sites that are already achieving top search results in your space.
2. Content
Content contributes to the profitability of your site first by supporting SEO, and secondly by providing your visitors with the content they expect to achieve their goals. Having the right content to aid a prospect in making a sales decision is critical to getting them to the next phase of the sales cycle. For example, if a potential client for outsourced training services comes to your site and can't find a "services overview" at a glance, they may leave.
The first hurdle when writing content for your website is almost always overcoming "internal speak". Companies tend to look inwards when labeling and organizing departments and tasks. To effectively communicate through your website, you must understand how your audiences see you from an external perspective.
It's important to know:
- How your audiences view your organization, products & services
- How prospects & clients shop for services & products like yours
- What information is important to them in the selection process
- What information builds credibility in their minds
How to find this information out:
- This information can be gathered through conversations with clients and prospects, online surveys and, at the high end, focus groups.
It's also important to make it easy for your website visitors to browse your content and easily find what they're looking for:
- Use headlines and bullet points
- Stick with short, succinct sentences
- Limit each page to 3 - 5 paragraphs
- Don't try to say everything on your home page - let your navigation guide people and help tell your story
3. Usability
Usability is the practice of organizing and displaying content in a manner that meets visitor expectations. What that means to the profitability of your training company website is making it easy for customers to find the courses they want to buy AND allow them to make the purchase with ease.
If customers can't find the course and purchase it within 3 clicks then you're likely to lose the sale. Likewise, if you're selling a higher consideration item (like outsourced training) it should be clear where the information of relevance in the buying decision is located. The content and functionality of the most importance to your visitors needs to be easy to get to within 1 - 3 clicks.
If you understand who your audiences are and what type of information and functionality they expect when doing business through your website, then you'll save yourself a lot of money on re-writes and re-designs.
Common Sense Usability Tips
- Phone number on every page
- Logo link back to home page
- Contact link on every page
- Consistent and clean navigation
TIP to quickly improve your site
- Find five different people and sit them down in front of a computer (not employees, not people who know nothing about your industry)
- Create a list of the top five things you want your website visitors to do (or that you think they want to do)
- Individually sit with the five participants, and ask them to think out loud as they explore your website and perform the tasks you provided.
- Record or take notes!
4. Branding
At its core, branding is effectively communicating to your target audiences through simplicity, definition and consistency. Doing this well will be profitable to your business, improve return on your marketing and communications efforts - and be a key to a profitable website.
- Have you defined your brand? In practical terms this means do you have a clear definition of who you are, what you sell and why what you provide clients with is of value?
- Do you have use a consistent company name, logo, tagline, key message guide and positioning statement? Have you documented color palettes and font preferences - and developed a logo?
- If you have all this, have you properly integrated the brand into your site?
- If not, what steps do you need to take to define and document your brand?
Additionally, there are digital brand attributes to consider. Digital branding is about extending offline, traditional brand attributes to the online realm. For example, let's say one of your key messages is that you are easy to work with. Your site ought to be super easy to navigate through and locate information on.
Likewise, if your position is being a thought-leader, then there should be a wealth of white papers, research studies, webinars and other valuable material available for download.
5. Aesthetics
People make their mind up about whether or a website offers them value in .7 seconds. Unless you've got natural graphic talent and have been working with Photoshop for 10 years - let an expert do it for you! You don't need to shell out tons of money, but you do need to invest resources towards aesthetics. Design doesn't trump content but the fact of the matter is that first impressions count and people expect good aesthetics.
A professionally designed website contributes to the profitability of your web effort by supporting your brand strategy, enhancing the usability of the site and keeping visitors past those first .7 seconds.
This Sounds Like A Lot of Work!
You don't need a huge budget to create a training website that drives sales and contributes to the bottom line. What you do need is a commitment to learning about the web, or hiring someone who understands it and can head up your web efforts. It also helps to know when to bring in outside expertise to provide guidance.
Take the first step today - set up a few informal usability tests and find out what your clients and prospects really think about your site - and what they're really looking for from it. Then, come up with a plan of action to make your training website profitable!
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