Web Critic

As an example…an online clothing website.

1. The copy is centred around the features of the product…no lifestyle or aspirational copy.

2. No Calls To Action  (CTA)

3. The page titles are the same…written in blue at the very top of your monitor.

4. No staff photos or “Helpline personnel” on the site

5. Using your bank’s payment gateway, not your own customised one.

That’s just 5 mistakes but Jo Public and Jo The Ad Man are very creative and continue to come up with new ways to make a mess of websites.

If you think it’s like print or even a bit like print and you think this web stuff can’t be that difficult, call me and tell me that you have been more successful then me. 9 out of 10 web sites are suffering from an Internet Tragedy and Google can tell you what that is.

Stop mucking about and get some proper advice! Or you can always stick knitting needles in your eyes, it’s nearly as painful as having a lousy website but it’s not as expensive.

You have a choice.

Till soon…

TWC,

OK, the answer is NO!  Now, what’s your question?

Heard this before?

Just how much authority is placed in the hands of the company’s telephone receptionist or first point of contact in a company? Too much! How can they filter out unwanted calls from the interesting callers? It’s just not possible as they don’t have the wit or knowledge to get it right.

So many company staff continue to live in their protected world without change, if they can. They remain unaware of new ideas, new products and new opportunities. It is these gatekeepers who effectively prevent the company from discovering anything new. What a shame for those who say NO.

I called a company the other day who had a NO gatekeeper…so I called their competitor (who had a neutral gatekeeper) and offered them  the same opportunity. The first gatekeeper didn’t even listen. Their competitor recently enjoyed tens of thousands of pounds worth of free PR (on Radio 4) and now enjoys an increasing number of new customers.

Listen, learn and benefit…or of course you can listen to the expert at the pub who always knows the truth, the comfortable truth.

Can companies please put someone intelligent and open minded on the phone please before the NO word kills your company.

Try the YES word soon…it’s great for business! Go on, try it now…it doesn’t hurt.

Yours optimistically,

Till soon,

TWC

So you are now looking at this page and thinking that it’s my website called Web Critic.

In many ways you are right and no doubt you will like or dislike the look and feel of the site. The only error that you can make at this point is thinking that it is a website. It is NOT!

You are only looking at the image of the website. A website is the code and structure that is written behind what you see. Google and all the other search engines rate you on what they see in the code, not the image or anything that you see on your monitor. But if you click on View- Source from the menu bar at the top left of the screen you will see the code…now that’s a website!

Subjective opinions based on image will never be a reliable method to determine the likely success of a web project but there are plenty of people that do…and that’s why 9 out of 10 websites will never bring a commercial success.

Marketing personnel with no practical knowledge of the www really do need to listen to advice and find out about the very large power in a website. It’s not just about image, it’s about words mainly. Image is a given…it’s the  written offer that’s important to a product seeker.

I trebled my turnover in 4 years with just a website. Try and speak with someone who understands web success instead of appreciating pretty images of yourself and your company. Failure is truly ugly.

Call me if you are serious.

Till soon,

TWC

Form follows function? Not even remotely likely if you are an ad agency.

Ad agencies really have got a big problem with understanding the new technology of the web. For them it is still a question of pushing creative image and design through the new medium of the web. Ad agencies have failed to understand the vast difference between push and pull marketing.It is wholly inappropriate to try and deliver old marketing messages through the new medium of the web.

Why, oh why is that then? Before I even get to disability and partially sighted access websites, let’s just think about what a website is for…It could be brand reinforcement, lead generation, e-commerce or plain old info sites. It’s not just to “show off” one’s own creative talents. I have yet to find an Ad agency with a decent website that conveys an appropriate corporate image. OK, they may want to be a creative looking company but as a corporate customer, I’m looking for a corporate partner that understands ROI and business strategy, not fancy designs from the kid just out of college.

So the ad agencies continue to put up their creative looking websites. There is a famous Leeds based agency that has broken all the rules of convention, accessibility and usability. Their site is all in Flash so that means a high percentage of corporate clients will not see it. Why? Because many companies will  not install flash on their servers. Flash is for streaming voice and video, not for watching a half rate presentation that deserves the “Skip Intro” treatment. Just how many times have you Skipped Intro? Many ad agencies will get their whole site skipped by website visitors.

As a company’s brand depends on what customers feel, see and think about you, do the ad agencies just want to be regarded as creative only? It must be…they are not projecting anything else, not even website functionality.

C’mon ad agencies, get to grips with what it’s all about! …try and present some other sides to your precious image. Mono images are dull.

Till soon,

TWC

I had a meeting in Harrrogate a few weeks ago with a web design company that was looking to use some of our SEO and PPC skills. Before I went to visit them, I had a look at their site. I met their charming company representative and I asked why pictures of the staff were shown as cows on their company website. I was told that it was quirky to do so.

Unfortunately it also prevents potential customers and colleagues finding out more about the individuals and their relative skills and talents. I like to know who I’m dealing with and that’s why company websites should be more open with their staff images and profiles. Why hide your greatest assets?

Please try to be “available” and not just another anonymous website with no human image or warmth. Maybe cows are self indulgent; don’t let your designers get that way.

Till soon. TWC

http://www.magnitude.co.uk/about_company.php