Part of the experiment was to test Google. We were looking at what would happen to Google results with such a large change, and we did take a big hit.  We needed to test and see how the bots crawled the new code, can we manipulate them like we used to. We needed to field test and actually see how many devices the site would work on. And finally we used tracking and behavioral software to see what and where people were reading and looking.

Apparently people don’t look that close, the site was loaded with errors like spelling, grammar, and broken links. At the time of this article we have had 87 thousand unique visitors and only six emails pointing out errors. We also discovered an interesting change in search patterns but that is another article.

Anyway, our real new site is up. It is just the basic pages but more will come online as they are finished so in the future look for new portfolio, history, tips and tricks and more.  Check it out, www.lonebird.com and thanks for being such great test subjects.

 Go to www.lonebird.com. First look at it on your desktop. Then check it on a tablet and then a phone, see how it resizes as screen size decreases. On tablets and phones you also have landscape and portrait views.

 A responsive design uses CSS, HTML5 and relies heavily on JavaScript to resize some elements. This also creates new design decisions like what to exclude as the device screen gets smaller. Elements like copy placement and images or what information is important all need to be looked at.

 These are important decisions because a mobile audience for a restaurant is going to be different compared to the audience for a campground. Retailers will have their own needs and all are going to be different from a desktop.

 These are just a few of the new decisions. How you view pages themselves needs to change. Mobile devices scroll differently than traditional websites. Most if not all are touch screen. On the mechanical side, how are you going to handle coupon redemption for example? As you can see the game has changed, and there is much more to consider then there was the “old” way.

 As good as a responsive design is it is not the magic bullet. Not all websites will lend themselves to a responsive design. Data intensive sites, a lot of forms or content management for example.  It depends on your needs but a separate mobile site may be another solution.

 For the rest of us though a responsive web design is the answer. Everybody knew mobile was coming, that was a no brainier, the surprise was how fast. The only question now is how to adapt your business and web presence to meet it.

 There are four basic ways to meet this new mobile demand. One is really a stop gap measure the others follow a good better best approach. Your choices are:

 1- A desktop site that will at least display on a mobile device.

2 – Modify your existing site, if it can be modified.

3 – One site to work across multiple devices.

4 – A separate mobile website design.

 The first method is what we have been doing up to this point, our website included. While we were waiting for some sort of standardization with HTML5 and what browsers are going to support what, we had to do something. There are a lot of disadvantages to this method and is now becoming obsolete. Oh yeah, be on the lookout for our new mobile website www.lonebirdstudio.mobi, should be done soon.

 Method two, modify the existing web site. Code will detect if it is a desktop or mobile browser and display accordingly. This is just a way to buy some time. To do this some conditions need to be met. First your site needs to be able to be modified and that is really a “depends” type of question. How old is the existing site? If it is less than five years old there is a good chance the code is new enough to be modified but a lot depends on how the back end was written and laid out. A consultation and a quick look at the code can answer this question.

 The next method is to write one site to display across multiple devices and browsers. This is accomplished by layering the website images and features which are then presented depending on the device and its capabilities. This sounds like the ideal solution but actually can lead to an unruly website with a lot of redundancy.

 Finally the best method is to have separate sites for both desktop and mobile. In the long run this is the most cost effective with the added advantage of an expanded Internet footprint.  You will need two URLs your- domain.com and your- domain.mobi. Mobile devices are detected and automatically sent to the mobile website or users can go directly to the mobile page.

 Those are your choices if you have not addressed a mobile program yet it is time get started. Studies show that mobile devices will outnumber all other devices combined and as always a business needs to adapt.

When it comes to trending and predictions people who know me, know I am usually pretty
close. Some past predictions:

- Back in the late 90’s I predicted how online commerce would take off. In fact my very first web site was to sell t-shirts back in 1996.

- I predicted the end of the phone number in advertising, now it is mostly web addresses you see.

-  Back in 2000 we predicted Cyber Monday, though not by that name. You can still find some of my old ”Tech Tips” articles on line if you want to try and find it.

- Last year in a workshop I stuck my neck out and said we would see the end of Cyber Monday, this week it was all over the News.

-  As little as five years ago I started pushing mobile but until this past year it has been a hard sell, well here we are. Now the new business model requires both a “normal” site and a separate mobile site.

I said a separate mobile site. In the past I have been handling the issue by designing sites that were primarily for a desktop but would display properly on a mobile. That has changed for many reasons, mostly technical and due to the number of devices out there but, to take advantage of this new generation Internet and its features you will need a
separate site.

Now that we are in this new world and I’m going to stick my neck out again with another prediction. I say that in less than five years desktops and mobiles devices are going to be one device.  My prediction is: Death of the desktop as we know it.

You will have one computer or device at home, at work and on the move. When home the device can be in a docking station or mobile. When you go to work you will take it with you and dock it there. When on the road it will be your mobile device and, because of texting, chatting, messaging and email the phone is going back to just being a phone.  Everybody will have just one device and will have access to all their stuff all the time. Actually, following the current path it is only logical. You Know I’m right and if you want to know how I think it will affect your business give me a call.

 People love the internet and people love to take it with them. You can see how this is shaping up to be a “Tablet” Christmas, the writing is on the wall. Towers have been regulated to workstations and lap tops are turning in to tablets. This time there is no argument, you will need a mobile presence or you will die no ifs or buts.

 And here are some reasons why:

“By 2013 more people will use their mobile device rather than a PC to access the Internet.”
Gartner, 2010

“Mobile searches have grown by 4 times since 2010.”
Google Mobile Optimization Webinar, 2011

” There will be one mobile device for every person on earth by 2015.”
Cisco, 2011

 A business like yours can drive purchases with a mobile-friendly site

  70% of mobile users have compared product prices on their mobile phones

Lightspeed Research

65% have read product reviews on their smart phones or tablets.

Google “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” 2011                                                                         

50% of mobile searches lead to purchases.

Google “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” 2011                                                                         

“Some might argue that going mobile isn’t necessary yet, however, what no one will disagree with is that it’s an inevitable” PC Magazine.

 The Internet has broken down into a world of micro specialization each with its own acronym. Everything is a specialty. You don’t have web designers anymore you have front-end specialist, back-end specialist, web page optimizers, database specialist, SEO specialist, PPC specialist, web content, web marketing, blog content, social specialist and the list goes on.  And each of those can be broken down to their inner specialties. What is a poor business to do?

 Let’s face it the days of DYI are gone. Years back you had half a chance. If you could at least grasp HTML you could get a web page for your business together, not true anymore. This is due mostly to changes in technology as the Internet has evolved and grown. There is no possible way you could learn everything you need to know and still have the time to get it done. There is simply too much to know but do you need all these specialist?  In a single word no.

 Think of it like the medical field, there are many different specialists but you don’t need them until you have specific issues to address. Same with the web, if you start out with a good web design and optimization team and if they do their job right you can avoid the specialist.

 Oh yeah, for those of you who are interested:

CDN, Content Delivery Network

OCA, Origin Content Acceleration

FEO, Front-end Optimization

WPO, Web Page Optimization

SEO, Search Engine Optimization

ROI, Return on Investment

 I don’t have to tell you what WTF means.

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There are two main sides to a web site the side we see which is the pretty design, the navigation, the content, and the pictures. Then there is the backside that we don’t see but the bots do and that is the code side. The code is the glue that pulls it all together. It places all the elements and controls how the website looks, navigates, plus how fast the site loads and performs its functions. Through the use and placement of certain tags within the code you can tell the bots where and how you want to be indexed.

The visible side is very important because elements like design, navigation, and content all contribute greatly to conversion rate. But, none of that can work its magic if the site is not found or seen by your audience and for that you need the on-page optimization. There is great debate, in our shop anyway, which is more important. I lean toward the code side of the battle because like I said it doesn’t do any good if your website is not being seen. I used the word battle because that is exactly what it is, there is only so much room on the front page and everybody wants it. There are only so many keywords and everybody is using them.

So what can you do to make your page more attractive to the search engines than your competition? Simple, by how easy you make if for them to list your site. What I am touching on today is call Strategic Code Placement. There are a several parts to this but one of the more important points is the order of the page elements.

When a web page opens the page elements appear in a certain order. First is the banner across the top, navigation links down the left side or across the top, copy and content in the center then the text links followed by the trailer. In the old days the code order on the page would equal the visible order. First the bots hit the banner then the navigation column followed by the content or body and finally the text links and the trailer.  What is wrong with that?

If you have looked at optimizing your website at all you have learned how important the content is. The search engines are content driven.  The problem is that many times the bots never reach the content. Why? Because the bots only read so many words or characters deep in to a page. This is done for speed. The search engines have literally thousands of pages a day to index. How many words varies between search engines but it is never more than a few 100.

New code standards have changed the way we can piece together these elements. You can still have the elements on the visible side appear in the same familiar order but the back side, the code side is totally different. The new code order is first the banner with relevant search engine information added to it followed by your important body copy then the navigation, the text links and the trailer.

Now you have your hard crafted content right on top for the search engines to find. Then, through the manipulation of copy and tags within this block we tell the search engines what we want them to do, but that is for another time.  Most code editors when used in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mode will not deliver this type of code or element placement. Generally the better code is hand written in text mode or with text editors. This is another good reason to seek out a professional web developer.

If your site is like mine, then you are trying to sell a product or service, then that is what you write about. If your site is about real estate, have content that teaches people how to shop for a house or what to look for when buying land. Include articles about neighborhoods and school zones in the area, recreation then point people to these articles. If your site is about, gardening then have information about planting seasons, soil conditioning etc. You get the idea, what ever your website is about, have related content.

Good content is also multipurpose. Not only is it good for your web pages it is also good for your blog and for article distribution. Send your content out as articles through distribution services, this working with your blog creates back links. The more back links from credible sites the better your ranking .The better your ranking the more you website can work for you.

What should you use for content? The most popular topics by far are ‘How To” articles. Articles that offer tips, tricks, and short cuts have a very high readership. The more you let your audience know, the more they think you know. Current events are good if there is a way to work them into what your website is about. It lets people know that you are staying up to date on your topic. Stay away from opinions, opinion related articles tend to polarize one site or another, so should be averted, because you want the most traffic your website can generate.

Writing dos and don’ts.

- Keep it relevant. If your site is about cars don’t write about fishing.
- Know your topics.
- Know your goals, are you writing to attract sales for example.
- Know your keywords and where to place them, there are formulas you can use.
- Keep your content positive.
- Keep your content as current as you possibly can. You don’t want to be caught with information that is not up to date.
- Distribute. Take all that good content you have created (or had created), and double the mileage by using it on your blog, and using it to create articles to distribute through article services.

So the reasons for good content are many. It helps page ranking, it engages your audience and it brings them back and you can use it for distribution. The more people are drawn to your site, the more effective your site will work for you. In this day and age you can’t afford not to have good solid content.

Yes, you read that correctly, websites can appreciate in value. Actually there is a whole market built around the buying and selling of websites and domains by domain brokers.

My point is this … your website is real estate. You buy it, build it, improve it and you can re-sell it. And once you adjust to this many other things fall into place like marketing. Understand that your website is the same as a brick and mortar store and all the same rules of driving traffic apply. With that comes an increase in value.

 What is your web site worth? There are sites you can Google that will tell you the estimated value of your domain.  Don’t get your hopes too high; many things affect the value including age, traffic, and popularity of the keywords to name a few. The client example above is bakerstreetmusic.com (http://www.bakerstreet.com). He invested in a one page landing site, followed our recommendations was diligent in his web site listing and doubled his money in a few months.

 Bakerstreet.com is one example of real value in a virtual world and it is one you can understand because in a way you get something, you get ownership of a domain or website. Now let’s talk about “real” virtual real estate. Have you ever heard of Anshe Chung? Anshe Chung was the world’s first virtual millionaire, meaning her holdings in a make-believe world are worth more than $1 million in US dollars. And she made this money in the virtual world of Second Life (http://secondlife.com/).

 Second life is an entire virtual world it has towns, bars, clubs, shopping centers and malls. All the big boys are there Best Buy, Sears etc. You can go to concerts and shows and see bands like Aerosmith. People and businesses in this virtual world buy and sell properties, virtual properties but still property. People create avatars and live in this world and Second Life is only one example.

 Money is being made and it has not gone un-noticed. Caldwell Banker has been there since 2006 (http://money.cnn.com/blogs/legalpad/2006/11/anshe-chung-first-virtual-millionaire.html). To quote the article:” In March, the company put up for sale more than 500 homes in Second Life. This isn’t a way for Coldwell Banker to cash in on virtual real estate, says Young, but to find new ways to reach some of the estimated 80 million echo boomers and make them familiar with the Coldwell Banker brand says Charlie Young, senior vice president for marketing.

 So, what is the difference between virtual and “real” real estate? Well first there will never be a land shortage. How can you run out of something that does not exist in the first place? According to what I read prices tend to remain pretty stable no bubbles like in the real world. One big difference is the way a mortgage works, there really isn’t one. It is usually a small monthly fee paid forever unless you quit or sell. We are not talking thousands of dollars like real mortgages but you get 500 people paying you $20 a month and that is $10,000 dollars. Or you generate a store with sales and you have a business with a location to sell. Taxes, you cannot escape. Real money made in a virtual world is taxable.

 So there you have it, like Dire Straits said “Money for nothing”. Who knew?

In reality it could be hand coded pages, a blog, a shopping cart, or any other number of database driven applications. But all most people see is a “website”.

 A website is anything with a URL (Universal Resource Locator) or as you and I know them, a web address. Used to be a website was hand coded pages written in HTML. Things have evolved way beyond that. Now a typical web site is a mix of technologies and languages. A simple site with one index / landing page can take several languages, CSS for what the browser presents (what you see), JavaScript for any forms and form verification and a server script to format the form and either send it to email or a database. And, if we are using databases, that is a whole other side to a project.

So you see, when a client comes to me and wants a web site it can mean many things.

 What is the difference? Let’s start with a hand coded site. This is exactly what it says, hand coded, written by a human and, to get the most out the search engines, this is the only way to go.

I say this because clean code is very important to search engine placement. This includes the placement of key worded content, images, and accessory scripts. And follows rules like content to code ratio and site load speed to name a couple. On the optimization side there are rules like the ratio of keywords in the content, page titles, and link text. This is the short list.

Next is application software as mentioned above. These are more akin to applications and are ‘installed’ rather than written. Artwork and content are added during the setup.

Blogs and content management systems (CMS) are both software designed to let an end user modify and change their site. The CMS software being much more powerful in scope and options than blog software. Blogs are popular because they are easy to setup and more important to the end user, easy to use and update. There are many options and plug-ins available. On the optimization side they are quite limited. To help with search optimization we often create an index / landing page that looks like the application but actually links to it.

  Shopping carts, reservation systems, point of sale systems (POS) called transaction software. Again these are database driven, artwork and content are added during the setup. The administration back side handles everything from credit card processing through inventory control. They also have many built in marketing and email tools. Again from the optimization side they are quite limited. As with blogs and CMS software we often create a search engine friendly landing page.

 For a website to work it has to be a blend of design, scripting, marketing and it all has to be balanced correctly. You do not get this kind of expertise, control and level of optimization with application software. These include content management systems (CMS), blogs, shopping carts etc.  What you get is less cost and minute control to do what you want when you want, but warning there is a steep learning curve especially with a CMS.