How to make a successful Website

A simple beginners guide to the parts of the web (in particular Google and other search engines) that are a mystery to most small business owners.

It covers how Google really ranks you, and how important good content is to the success of your website.

Before you commission an agency for your first website, brush up on your skills by reading this.

Produced and originally presented by the team at Red Carrot, a web design company in Kent, UK. http://www.redcarrot.co.uk/portfolio

Transcript

1. HOW TO: MAKE A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE
2. YOUR TOOLKIT… • Web experts • Knowledge about how Google works • A good understanding about your users and what they want • Resources (money and time) to invest
3. HOW DOES GOOGLE WORK?
4. GOOGLE DOESN’T… • Rank you based on the number of people who visit your website • Use A-Z listings like the Yellow Pages • Charge to list you in top position* * there are ads, which often appear before the “organic results”, but these aren’t technically “the top spot”
5. GOOGLE DOES… • Rank you based on how much they trust your site • Adjust listings based on location • Change how they rank constantly • Take into account feedback from your connections on social networks
6. …SO… • If the listings change based on where you are • And they consider what your social connections think and like… • That means there isn’t a “top of Google” – because everyone’s Google is different! • EUREKA!
7. BUILDING TRUST
8. ABOUT TRUST • Google gives every site and every page on that site a certain level of authority. • When one website links to another, they’re vouching for that website’s credibility, basically telling Google “We trust them, you should too”.
9. THE MORE TRUST… • … the bigger impact it’ll have on your ranking. • For example: if BBC links to your website, it’ll have a much greater impact than if “Mrs. Jones’ Butcher Shop” from down the road links to you.
10. THIS ALL ADDS UP • If dozens of well trusted websites link to you, Google will start to take notice • “Well if all of these guys like it, it must be good!”
11. VICE-VERSA • If a bunch of poorly trusted websites link to you, Google will start to take notice • Directories, spammy websites, paid advertorials, etc. can be considered parts of “bad neighborhoods”. • Be found in them and the value of your site can go down…. just like with property.
12. ABOUT LINKS • Links can be broadly categorised into two types… Follow Nofollow Google, take a look at this link! Google, ignore this one please… • Only links that are “follow” will contribute to your SEO
13. NOFOLLOW’s • Are used when a website doesn’t want to endorse another website, normally because they can’t be sure they trust them. • Normally blog comments will be nofollow’ed. This is because the blog can’t vouch for the links but anybody can post a link if they want to. • Having “nofollow” links is pointless for SEO
14. In other words Surround yourself with the right people, and the rest comes easy
15. POSITIVE IMPACT BBC Yahoo Universities Large companies Popular blogs Your site
16. NEGATIVE IMPACT Directory4U BizLinkz LinksRUs SpamCity Dodgy Paid Blog Your site
17. CONTENT
18. Content is King • Once Google knows that other sites like you, they will judge you based on your content • Their technology is ridiculously good at picking up bad content, including:- • Content without any value to customers • Spammy material (keywords every 3rd word!) • Duplicate content (never copy anyone else's, it doesn’t work – ever)
19. So all Hail King Content! • It’s the only reason anybody will visit your website • It’s the primary reason somebody will leave it
20. And don’t commit this treason • Content is not something you add to your design • Design is something you wrap around your content • Content comes first. Content is your website. Everything else just rounds the rough corners. • Respect the importance of content – otherwise it will fail
21. What content? • What do your users want to know? • What added value can you give them? • What is no one else talking about that you think people should know?
22. LOCAL
23. Where you are matters • Google has a rough idea about where you are in the World. • Especially on mobile devices, they rank local businesses higher where appropriate. • For example search “Chinese Takeaway” on your phone. It should show you takeaways near your current position.
24. Get Listed! • Getting Listed on local searches is easy, just sign up for Google+ Local at https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1713911?hl=en- GB&ref_topic=2489960 • Also be sure to add your location to Yelp, Bing, FourSquare and Facebook. Not everyone uses Google!
25. SOCIAL
26. It’s not what you know… • Google has it’s own social network, Google+ • This is going to become increasingly prominent • If your friends have +1’ed a site, it is more likely to rank higher for you. • After all, if Google is all about trust – surely what your friends say should be trusted above machines?
28. How to do it • Incorporate social buttons on your website. In particular for SEO “Google+”, but for general social media Facebook and Twitter also. • Google+ : http://www.google.com/+1/button/ • Twitter : https://dev.twitter.com/docs/tweet-button • Facebook : https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like/
29. What next? • Find a great web agency • Use and abuse them – they do this each and every day and know how to get your site working
30. About Us • We’re a web agency in Kent, UK • We’re pretty damn good • We’re at www.redcarrot.co.uk • We blog at www.redcarrot.co.uk/blog/