Yesterday we launched what has to be one of the coolest looking Coming Soon pages ever. (Kudos to our designer, Ryan Goan.)
It’s for Chez Suz, a startup t-shirt company run by entrepreneur Susan Price. She also started a blog (at my pushing!) to tell her story about starting a business. Be sure to check it out!
flyte launched a Web site redesign yesterday for the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, "The World’s Leading Adult AD/HD Organization," with the enviable URL of add.org.
The new site has a Member Only section and the ability for visitors to become members online via a secure server and get immediate access to ADDA’s premium content.
In addtion, Professional Gold and Professional Platinum members can get a listing in ADDA’s Yellow Pages, which is searchable by the public. The Yellow Pages are a little thin right now as this is a newly relaunched tool, but as Gold and Platinum members continue to add their information to this directory, it will be a great resource for adults looking for help with AD/HD.
Rich Brooks
The World’s Leading Web site Provider to LD and ADD (ADHD) Organizations (I think)
We wanted to do something different for our "About Our Team" page. Something more interesting than the regular assortment of professionally taken photos that populate the Web sites of most businesses.
We looked into some illustrators, but their rates were too high or they looked like what you would get at the midway next to the cotton candy stand.
So we took another tack. Check it out.
As I was meeting with a client today to discuss a revamp of their Web site, one thing we talked about was the fact that they have multiple audiences. This is an issue that comes up time and again. Who among us doesn’t talk to more than one audience in regards to our goods and services?
Although how to handle multiple audiences isn’t on today’s agenda, it did bring up a topic I think needs discussing: focus.
Focus is important; the more laser-like your focus on a problem or goal the more likely you’ll find success. Athletes become Olympians not through talent alone, but because they focus on one thing: running, archery, or water polo for example. Within each discipline the focus goes even further: the 100 meter dash, the 200, the 400, the marathon, the relay…the first leg, the last leg…
Search engines and they people that use them are also looking for focus. If your Web site or Web page focuses on just one subject, you will rank higher than another site (all other things being equal) if that site is also discussing other topics.
A page that is on dog grooming tips will rank higher than a page on dogs or on pet grooming tips, if the search is for "dog grooming."
As humans, we search out specialists rather than generalists in most cases. People who focus on a niche are at least perceived as being more knowledgeable than generalists who dabble in that field. (Jack of all trades, master of none.)
The book "Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition" by Jack Trout talks about how companies that lose their focus (by diluting their message, by expanding into areas that they are not familiar with, etc.,) lose market share.
Take a look at your Web site and determine if it focuses on what separates you from your competition. Too often we want to include everything we do for fear that we’ll lose out on some type of business…we want to be all things to all people. You’ll find that your site, and your business, is better, stronger and more profitable if you focus on just one thing and become known for your expertise on that subject.
Rich Brooks
Focused Web Marketing Expert
Although the Web site for the LDW (Learning Disabilities Worldwide)–designed by flyte–has been up for quite some time, yesterday we officially launched their International Service Directory.
People looking for services for individuals with learning disabilities can now search for help through this online global directory. Searches can be done by geography, by a type of service, such as tutors or colleges, or by using a keyword.
The system also allows service providers to signup online and appear either as a regular or premium advertiser. Payments are taken through a secure server, although the admin we built can also handle offline payments just as easily. Service providers can also login to update information and list multiple offices.
Yesterday I talked about some of our growing pains as we are developing larger and more complex Web sites. Today I’m going to talk about what we’re going to do to improve the situation going forward.
Part of the problem is that people who aren’t in the Web development business don’t always understand how an admin system, or a sign up process, or an interactive service directory is going to work when it’s live. It’s one thing to show them a layout of how the page may look, but that’s like explaining Citizen Kane through a snapshot of Rosebud. Doesn’t tell you how you got there.
We’re now creating storyboards that take the client through the admin process…"here’s the screen you’ll see once you log in. Here are your choices. Here’s how you add a new member. Here’s how you update meeting information. Here’s where you can check the status of a given employee/job/member."
When going through the process with the client, we often uncover hurdles that wouldn’t have been discovered until after much of the programming had been completed. This saves our programmers time and clumps of hair. Also, the client feels like they’re part of the process, which is something we’re trying to explain to all of our clients. Buying a Web site is not like buying a toaster. You don’t plunk down some cash and get something back in return. It’s more like a partnership. We can’t develop the best possible Web site unless the client is actively involved and driven to build a successful site.
With clients’ permission, and some more experience under our belts, I may post some storyboards up here in the future to help other people and developers.
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