2010 Strategy for a Redesign

Before you change your strategy or completely redesign your website in 2010, you should think about how you want things to work first.

Here are what I would consider the most pivotal pieces to develop your site around:

• The concept of a website should get turned on its head in 2010.   Companies spend 90% of their "internet" time worrying about what is happening on their website when they should be spending 90% of their time out where the customers are -- blogs, other websites, twitter, facebook, linkedin, etc.

• As a marketer, you should be more concerned with getting found, and less concerned with getting found in search engines.  Don't get too attached to search. If your referral traffic is growing and quality is consistent, who cares whether it's coming from Google, Facebook or Twitter?

• Marketers stop worrying about "social media ROI" and just start doing it.   What's the ROI of putting your pants on in the morning?

• Your Blog  - Your blog shouldn't just be a shouting platform where you promote your own products and services. It should incorporate and portray the spirit of your industry.  You should put your time and energy into blog posts that share new data, break news or offer unique new advice.  Allow your employees to blog, build Before you change your strategy or completely redesign your website in 2010, you should think about how you want things to work first.
• Lights, Camera...Customers!   People are 7 - 10 times more likely to click on a video than text.

• Conversion Avenues (Offers and Calls to Action)  - Perhaps the most important part of your internet marketing effort is the method by which you actually convert leads.

• Site Optimization (SEO) -  Optimization initially tends to go hand in hand with any re-design that may be happening on your site today.  Start by thinking about what terms or keywords you want to align your company with.  You're then going to want to determine how to break out and build the pages on your site and optimize them with your relevant keywords on an ongoing basis.
 
• Keep in mind that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.  Though your on-page SEO vision should be initially focused on the optimizing and building your site pages, also consider ongoing efforts such as how you plan to continually research keywords and develop content in order to generate inbound links.

• Will Your Business Be a Window or a Wall in 2010?  Become a Leader in Business Transparency in Your Industry.  Encourage customers to share their ideas and write about their experience with your brand in a public forum.