1. Is your site mobile friendly? Now more than ever before it is important for your website to be mobile-friendly. According to a July 2012 Google survey of the more than 1,000 smartphone users people are more likely to make an online purchase when visiting a business s mobile-friendly website. In fact the majority of people surveyed said they d most likely leave a website that wasn t mobile optimized. You need a mobile-friendly website to maintain your edge in today s competitive business environment. So what constitutes a mobile-friendly website from your customer s viewpoint? Google s survey shows there are three key points to a mobile-friendly site: Fast loading Mobile-friendly navigation Quick access to contact information At PhotoBiz, we offer a variety of website solutions accessible from computers, tablets, and phones so that your customers can access your website from anywhere. Page 2
2. Is your logo and branding consistent? Color, logo, font all of these are elements of your brand and say something to your customers about who you are. Your brand is also critical for build recognition and trust with your customers and target market. It is important to develop a consistent brand and then use it in all your communication methods including your website, email marketing, social media, and print collateral materials. Whatever your brand is, PhotoBiz s website solutions offer a wide variety of designs and customization options to help you communicate it. Page 3
3. Is your domain name simple and easy to remember? Your domain name is one of the most visible parts of your website. People see your domain name before they even see your site. By following some simple guidelines you can ensure your domain name enhances your online presence: Make sure your domain name is easy to spell and remember. Brand your email address with your domain name so that every email you send reinforces your brand. Be aware of how your domain name impacts the eye. At PhotoBiz, we make it easy for you to use your own domain name with all of our website solutions. Our Passionate Support team will even help you set it up. Page 4
4. Do you have easy to find contact info on your site? If a customer can t get in touch with you, they can t do business with you. So make your contact information easy to find! Accessible contact information does more than make it easy for your clients to reach you; it tells them you re invested in the business relationship, and that you want to talk to them. Include the most basic information such as a phone number in the footer of every page, and then have a contact page with more details including: Phone Email Address PhotoBiz website solutions allow you to edit the content in the footer of your site, as well as build a contact form with custom fields to make your contact info accessible to your visitors. Page 5
5. Is your navigation user friendly? You can build the best looking website in the world, but if it s difficult to find anything people won t stick around. Take a few moments to plan out what you want your visitors to see, and then make it easy for them to find it. Some tips: Provide a simple, easy structure people can follow intuitively. Use simple page names. Obscure page names may confuse customers. Make it easy for people to get back to your home page. Remember the 3-click rule. If someone can t find what they are looking for within 3 clicks, chances are they aren t going to find it. PhotoBiz websites feature customizable menus that allow you to create attractive, easy-to-use navigation for your visitors. In addition, our Control Panel utilizes user friendly drag-and-drop technology so you can arrange your menus easily and intuitively, with just a few clicks. With PhotoBiz, it s simple to create an intuitive menu system so your visitors can spend their time enjoying your site hassle free. Page 6
6. Do you keep your site up to date and relevant? Once you ve got your website up with all your pictures and great info about who you are and what you do, it doesn t stop there. In order to engage repeat website visitors, you need to give them something to come back for. Tell your story through blog posts with info about what you are up to. Do you run specials? Create a specials page and update it monthly. Pick 7-10 pictures for each gallery and change them out every few months, showing off your best work. PhotoBiz provides an integrated blog solution you can add on to your HTML5 Content Site, and it is included in our Core Business Solution and our E-Commerce Solution. Our SEO-friendly blogs let you schedule blog posts, set custom tags, and moderate comments. Like all of our great website solutions, our blogs include social media integration. Plus, with so many interchangeable designs to choose from you can update your look as often as you want. Page 7
7. Are you displaying your best work? First impressions are everything! Your website will be the first interaction most of your potential customers have with you so it is important to showcase your best work and ideas. Some suggestions include: Hand-pick your best pictures. Organize your pictures by subject matter so your visitors can focus on their areas of interest. Put the pictures in a logical order so that there is a visible beginning, middle and end to the gallery. PhotoBiz makes it easy to showcase your best work. Our Portfolio Sites feature color-shifting technology that allows you to accent each of your pictures with complimentary colors, as well as captions to help tell your story, and the ability to add your own custom logo and background to compliment your products in your own unique style. Page 8
8. Have you optimizedyour website for search engines? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about good content that is easy to find. Clear, descriptive website titles, strong keywords targeting the audience you want to reach, and an informative and concise website description all contribute to your site s Search Appeal. There are many good, free tools out there to help you understand how your website appears to search engines. PhotoBiz supports both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools. These are valuable tools that allow you to analyze your site traffic. Not sure where to start? PhotoBiz Passionate Support includes free SEO consultations in which we will coach you how to optimize your site. Want us to optimize your site for you? We offer a paid SEO service as well. Page 9
9. Do you have an engaging about page? Your customers want to know who you are and what you have to offer. An About page is a great way to provide that information. It should include your mission, your philosophy, and how you stand out from the competition. With PhotoBiz s easy-to-build content pages you can create an engaging About page. You can even add a picture so people know the person behind the brand! Page 10
10. Have you integrated social media with your site? Social media is a powerful tool for getting people talking about your brand. Integrating social media into your website gives you and your customers tools to do just that. As you set up social media on your website remember to: Include visible social media buttons that link to your brand s pages. You don t need to use every social media outlet out there, just the ones that work best with your brand. Have a share button so your visitors can easily share your website with a link back to you. PhotoBiz offers easy-to-use social media tools that allow you to smoothly integrate your social media outreach into your website solution. You can even upload your own custom social media icons. Want to learn more about how to take your social media to the next level? Consider purchasing our Social Media Boot Camp service and we will teach you what you need to know and help you set it up. Page 11