Who ate my Breadcrumbs?

This month’s theme topic is Website Features, so this blog post will be covering a feature that many sites still implement in their websites to give a more robust user experience for finding your important information.

Breadcrumbs …

Do you utilize breadcrumb navigation in your website? What is it? Perhaps you are picturing a little mouse crawling around your website pages following the breadcrumbs because he knows it will lead to the cheese. (Who moved the Cheese? – my favourite book on “Change Management”) In web terminology it simply is that. Breadcrumbs is a navigation format that leads the site visitor down a path/trail, easily spelt out where they came from and where they are currently at, in the relation to the website’s hierarchy. Typically this format of navigation is found in larger sites that have lots of deep content laid out in subpages. I came across a pretty good article on the benefits and best practices of using breadcrumbs. He also covered a lot of good examples. Some highlights include:

  • Breadcrumbs eliminates additional clicks
  • Visually pleasing
  • Reduce your overall bounce rates
  • It is best to position your breadcrumbs consistently at the top of your content throughout each page of your site
  • Do not use breadcrumbs as a primary navigation

Check it out here, http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/breadcrumb-navigation-examined-best-practices-examples/ WordPress Users: If your website is built on the WordPress Platform here are some suggested Breadcrumb plugins:

Sample of breadcrumb hierarchy       Another breadcrumb example

So what formats of navigation do you currently use and have you considered using breadcrumbs in your website? Consider having a discussion of the pros and cons of using breadcrumbs in your site with your in-house web team or web developer.

If you need help installing or reviewing whether they could be helpful for your site,
book a consultation with Jemma.

Podcasts: Tools of the Trade

Sound button for podcastsKeeping up with technology is a full time job, new developments coming in everyday. For example, the new WordPress Version 3.9 is coming out on April 16th, Facebook is changing closer to being like Twitter (with hashtag capability), and Twitter is starting to change closer to looking like Facebook (facebook cover page). So how do I keep up? Well each day I listen to podcasts and surf the tech news. When I hear something that peaks my interest I look it up right away and see how that can be of benefit to my clients and possibly my own business.

My favourite podcasts are:

Each of these speakers either share their own expertise in their industry with their audience or interview others to share their expertise. I find each one hits most aspects of my business and much of the information I can then share with my clients and fellow associates. What I like about them, they are all personable and not afraid to tell it like it is, what’s real to them, whether good times or bad, they are authentic and inspirational in their own way. I think if you are considering doing a podcast for your own business, it is important to have these qualities – authenticity, genuine kindness to share, truthful and engaging.

So what type of podcasts do you listen to? Please list them below and share with others.

WordPress Plugins – use FREE or Pro Plans?

Many clients ask me whether they should use the free version or paid versions of Plugins, what is the difference and what are the benefits?

You may believe that if it is a “paid” product that it has many more features or enhancements, but that isn’t always the case. Typically paid versions offer technical support service and/or user-forum support and free updates for a given time period.

Whether paid or FREE plugin, choosing whether to download it or not typically is based on the frequency of downloads.

Some free plugins include a donate button, as opposed to charging. It’s a subtle way of saying “would love to get paid for this if you like it!”

Plugin Information

My suggestion is to try the FREE plugin version and if you feel the plugin is a good one and does what you like, look at the developers website and see whether they have a paid or pro version and examine what the extra benefits they are offering. Truly paid plugins can be a good thing or a bad thing. When considering a paid plugin for your site, see how responsive the developer is when contacted, see how frequently the plugin is updated and check to see how others feel about the plugin and its support. This will help you understand the level of commitment and the long-term stability of the product.

Google Hangout - Sign Up!Want to learn more about adding plugins to your blog or WordPress website? Sign up to join us live on the Thursday HangoutFebruary 6th at 7:00 PM

(Please note change of time – usually we hold them in the afternoon, but this week it is changed.)

Is it time to upgrade your site?

Strategic ReviewA new year is upon us and you may be looking at your technology setup and budget and possibly tired of spending monies on asking your web developer to update something you feel is simple or waiting for them to have time to update it. Either way, it can be a hassle as well, a feeling of little control over keeping your site up to date.  Perhaps your site was created a few years ago and you are fully aware technologies have changed considerably and wonder if you are falling behind in using the latest technologies to reach your customers. It can all seem overwhelming, but to help you sort out whether it is feasible and worth your while to upgrade, consider some of these questions or statements.

Site Upgrade or Not?

  1. Do you feel you are spending way too much on small maintenance updates for your website content to be updated?
  2. Are you putting off updating your website because it takes way too long to get the attention of your web developer?
  3. Perhaps you got your website done by a developer a long time ago, and have no idea whether they are still in business?
  4. Was your site built using HTML and you look at the code and wonder — “whaaat???”. I don’t know how to update my site?
  5. You heard of some really cool features that you believe could be beneficial for collecting valuable data from your prospects but don’t have the current capacity on your site to implement.
  6. You want the flexibility and control to be able to go in and update your own content.
  7. You have heard that over 20% of sites on the Internet are powered by WordPress and you are wondering why yours isn’t. And wonder how you can be.

InSite Creations highly recommends you consider an annual review and proposed upgrade of technologies. What this entails, is taking a close look at your existing set-up, a review of your return on existing investment, a review to see whether you are reaching your goals and if not, what things to consider to do so. Having a web presence is the most effective marketing tool out there that drives interest, designs multiple methods of engagement with prospective and existing clients and effective ways to convert those interested into loyal customers. Unfortunately though, strategies are not always reviewed or implemented and thus we fall short of reaching our goals. Feel free to set up a consultation to discuss how we may be able to reach your goals for 2014.

WordPress Self-Hosting (the .org)

WordPress LogoInSite Creations works with a number of content management systems, but lately many of our small business and non-profit clients are taking advantage of the benefits WordPress self-hosting platform has to offer.

We can set you up with a new platform or migrate over an existing platform to a managed through us, WordPress. How this benefits you is the capacity to budget from very affordable utilizing existing templates to the sky is the limit fully customized solutions. WordPress has the flexibility to offer full control over administration, content updating and as your business grows, it too can grow with you.

Updates to the overall look and feel can be easily changed, and yet your content remains in the database, this cuts down in overall budget when considering upgrading.

Why we like it as developers, is because of its ability to utilize a whole community of 3rd party developers on an open source system, geared to working towards bettering a platform, keeping it current, stable and up to date.

We also offer one-on-one WordPress training for those who are currently on the platform who need some extra help in maintaining their sites or exploring at adding new features and functionalities.

A Great Visual Guide Example to Article Optimization

Article Optimization Step By Step Guide

Met with a potential client today to discuss some key strategies for SEO and thought I would share with him and others out there, this great infographic that visually explains article optimization – check it out,

A Visual Guide to Article Optimization

Optimization Highlights include:

  • Step 1: Determine your audience
  • Step 2: Write valuable content
  • Step 3: Include title in <h1> tag
  • Step 4: Appropriate use of keywords
  • Step 5: Use of format options
  • Step 6: Use anchor text
  • Step 7: Check spelling and grammar
  • Step 8: Post your article to your own site
  • Step 9: Share your article
  • Step 10: Make sure site pages are indexed
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

 

Generating Leads – using Squeeze Pages

What is a Squeeze Page?

According to Wikipedia, it is a squeeze page created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers and typically for something in return. (an ethical offer)

Benefits:

  • Gives you a chance to offer customers something different, something that’s not available to everyone
  • Helps build a targeted list of email leads
  • Can be implemented in any web format – on web page, in social platforms, within a video embed

Types of Squeeze Pages:

  • Event or Pre-Launch pre-registration (for webinars, seminars, product launches etc.)
  • Social Like campaigns
  • Video campaigns
  • Downloads

What it should include:

  • Description
  • Offer
  • Testimonials
  • Packages
  • Simple, clean design

Sample of Webinar Squeeze Page

Sample of Webinar Register Page

simple-squeeze-page

Sample of a Simple Squeeze Page

Sample of a video squeeze page

Sample of a Video Lead Generation Page

Sample of a Facebook Fan Squeeze Page

Sample of a Facebook Fan Page

Software that offer lead generation campaigns

Grow your leads — Get started with creating your campaign today!

Call Jemma 416-451-2063 if you need help with a marketing strategy and campaign execution.