Need a web design or internet marketing tip? Just reach into the jar.

At the Social Media FTW conference the other day flyte had a booth. On that booth was a tip jar. However, instead of asking attendees to leave loose change behind, we asked them to pull a web design or internet marketing tip out of the jar.

Despite the fact that there were loads of people at the conference, math tells us that many more couldn’t make it. Even those who did were not able to read all the tips.

So, to share the knowledge, here’s our list of web design and internet marketing tips that appeared in the jar.

Web Design Tips:

• To increase contact form conversion rates keep the number of fields to 5 or less.
• Good web design is not just about pretty pictures. It’s also about having a user-centric philosophy.
• When designing a web site give priority to the website user’s needs.
• Before designing a web site, clearly define the objectives of your company and your user.
• Before the design process begins, create wireframes to help define the overall structure of the website.
• Hire a professional web copywriter to write your website content.
• To design a great website, you must understand the needs of your users.
• Include a site search on your website.
• Limit primary navigation categories to eight.
• Limit the number of fonts to 3.
• When developing navigation naming, the text should be clear as to where the navigation button is taking you.
• Each page on your web site should contain a “call-to-action”.
• No two web users are alike so make sure you offer multiple ways to navigate your web site.
• Don’t make web users think. The web page should be obvious and self-explanatory.
• Limit the number of clicks it takes a user to locate the information they are looking for.
• Keep it simple. This principle should be the primary goal of web site design.
• Limit the primary color palette to 3 colors.
• An e-newsletter signup form on your website is a great way to grow your customer database and initiate customer relationships.
• Utilize video on your web site. It’s another great way to deliver content.
• To avoid overwhelming, confusing and frustrating the user, limit the number of items on your home page.

Web Marketing Tips:

• Visit Google Trends and look at the Hot Trends for the day to come up with blog titles/topics.
• Check out keywords by region in Google Insights for good terms to use in blog posts targeting local audiences.
• Check out Google’s Contextual Targeting Tool via Google Adwords, for help with keyword ideas and organizing and structuring your keyword lists.
• Use Wordtracker’s Keyword Questions Tool for good blog post titles/subjects.
• Google Instant Search provides suggestions while you are typing your search term, use these suggestions for blog topics.
• Check Out Ubersuggest for keyword ideas http://suggest.thinkpragmatic.net/.
• Look at Ask.com’s Related Questions and Related Searches for good blog posts ideas.
• Think long tail keyword phrases not single keywords.
• Title tags are the most important part of your site for SEO.
• Spend extra time to create compelling titles that grab attention.
• When using images for content optimize them by using alt text, captions, and URLs.
• Your audience consists of 3 types of searchers: Navigational, Informational and Transactional; make sure your content serves the correct audience.
• Place your keywords early in your content and make them prominent, bold, in header tags, linked, title, and bulleted.
• Facebook ads are a cheap way to get information out to a highly targeted audience.
• Update your Facebook page at least once a day. It will help your Edgerank.
• Posting questions on your Facebook page, especially T/F, Multi Choice, and Agree/ Disagree type questions will get you more engagement.
• Check out this cool Free Tool on SEOmoz LDA http://www.virante.com/seo-tools/lda- content-optimizer.
• Post links in your Twitter updates; shown to get more Retweets and engagement.
• Twitter Tip: “Please ReTweet” gets 3x more ReTweet’s than “Please RT “.
• Post to Facebook and Twitter on Saturdays and Sundays to beat the competition.
• The least shared type of information on social media are negative messages; stay positive.
• Create a Facebook landing page to welcome new fans and inform them why they should like you.
• Repurpose your blog posts for Facebook updates, Twitter updates and YouTube videos.
• Use NetworkedBlogs to syndicate your blogposts to Facebook.
• Make sure you have sharing tools on your blogposts.
• Set up Google Alerts on your brand and keywords for blogposts, articles and status update ideas.
• For more bloggers in your niche, check out AllTop.com.
• Create blogposts that are short, sweet, to the point, and that have a catchy title.
• Make sure your social media status updates provide your audience with content they want.
• Use Twitter Search (http://twitter.com/search) to find tweeps in your niche.
• Keep blogposts around 250 – 500 words and articles 500 – 1,000 words.
• As you think of blogposts, be sure to make a note of them. You’ll be glad you did for a rainy day.
• When possible, use a photo in your blogposts. They’ll help enhance the content.
• Don’t forget about video. Even a “talking head” clip of you can help add personality to your content.
• Remember, images and video are just one more way to rank well at the search engines.
• If you have a local business, don’t forget about local search. Try starting with Google Places: http://www.google.com/places/.
• It seems simple, but make sure all of your social profiles are 100% filled out. That means a photo, information, and a background (depending on the site).
• One of the best ways to get an incoming link to your website? Guest blogging. Make sure you have a blogpost ready to go before you make contact.
• Make sure all of your web efforts are connected; and that they all link back to your website.
• Do you make PowerPoint presentations? Try uploading them to Slideshare.net and get some traffic to your website that way.
• Don’t join every social networking site under the sun. Find out where your audience spends their time and spend yours there, too.
• Use Twitter as your new RSS feed. Follow the movers and shakers in your industry and read the articles they talk about.
• The web-based Twitter not working well for your lifestyle? No problem! There are easy to used web, desktop, and mobile apps that are easy to use. [TweetDeck is one of our favorites.]
• One of the toughest (and most important) social media decisions to make is what voice your account will be coming from. The business? The owner? An employee?
• Remember to always add value. So, always be less “sales-y” and more resourceful.
• Add your personality to everything you put out there. People like doing business with people.
• Don’t dilute your message. If you don’t have a lot of time to devote to social media, do one thing and do it well.
• On both Twitter and Facebook, try doing at least a few tweets and status updates every day. And feel free to use the same ones.

Thanks to Ryan Goan for the web design tips, and Joan Crocker and Nicki Hicks for the web marketing tips.

Rich Brooks
Delegating

Photo credit: Tina Burnell