It Doesn’t Have to be Shakespeare: Adding Content

We often get asked by clients: “How often should I add content to my website?”

As an internet marketing company who gains profit from web programming and maintenance, it is hard to answer this question. Most likely, we will adding the content to their website and, therefore, charging them for the programming involved. We do not wish to look like we are “beefing up” our estimate to our benefit. However, as a reputable web programming firm which prides itself on good customer relationships, we owe it to our clients to be honest in our answers and estimations.

Search Engine Optimization advisors recommend that you add new content to your website once a week. This gives the search engines more meat to work with and also shows them (and your customers) that your site is active.

Upon receiving the content, you may need to adjust the timetable for your client, so be sure that you clarify at the beginning of your relationship that you will give them an estimate of how long the edits will take before you begin updates. Case in point, if they want to add a new section, your estimate should be much larger than adding one page of content to an existing department.

Don’t forget that just adding photos to a site does not constitute adding content. While the search engines will notice a slight difference, this does not match the benefit of including keyword rich content to an established website. This doesn’t mean that the new content needs to be 10,000 words of technical specs on a new product. Rather, it should be a summary of your new information with important phrases that will help your current and prospective customers find you through a search engine.

So, how often should you add content to your website? Try to add a page a week and maybe a new section every six months. Sticking to this timetable will ensure that you can handle updates in a timely manner and not be overwhelmed by trying to get 20 pages of content onto your site before that big presentation.

Would you like to find out about a maintenance package to handle your new content? Consider contacting Intra-Focus, Inc. to ask about their affordable web maintenance and SEO packages.

Get Noticed Online

Publishing press releases can support your internet marketing and PR program in several ways. Creating an entire online PR campaign opens up lesser known opportunities and also generate leads to direct inquiries from the media and prospective customers. Use the following steps to help you realize your online PR campaign.

Step 1 – The Press Release

The first step is to identify a topic for your press release. Popular topics include new or improved products, relocations or new locations, website or blog launches, or any other unique stories associated with your company. Be sure that you have a competent person create a professional press release that identifies your target audience. Be aware that writing for print media and writing for the web can differ. If you do not have an employee that can meet these needs, you should hire a marketing firm to write the article for you. You might be surprised at how little it will cost for this service!

---

TARGET AUDIENCE QUIZ

Which of these sentences would appeal to men aged 16 – 20.

#1. The new Speedster skateboard uses ionized paint to anticipate the retroactive artistic styles of master artisans of the past century.

#2. The new Speedster skateboard has a retro look that will appeal to your senses.

Both of these sentences say the same thing and are professionally written, but the first sentence will probably cause the target audience to immediately stop reading. If you do not have someone in your business to handle these duties, you should consider hiring a marketing firm that has a copywriter. You might be surprised how little you will have to pay for this service.

---

NOTE: Do not finalize the press release until it has been checked for spelling and grammar by someone other than the copywriter. It never hurts to have a second set of eyes!

Step 2 – Releasing to the Media

Once you have the press release finalized, it is time to release it to the media for release in their publication or electronic medium. Send your PR to prweb.com and prnewswire.com. These websites are two of the most sophisticated online press release services around and many media outlets use these two websites to find news. Your article might just get picked up by dozens of newspapers! By combining your marketing firm’s knowledge and experience with the powerful distribution networks of sites like PRweb, you can transform your press release into an online promotional vehicle with unlimited reach.

You should also send your press release to your local newspaper and any local television or radio stations. Make sure that they have good contact information for you in case they would like to use you in a feature story!

Step 3 – The E-campaign

At this point, you should strongly consider hiring a marketing firm to handle the creation of your e-campaign. If you used a copywriter to write the press release, see if they will also set up the e-campaign. (Better yet, try to get everything in one package!) The e-campaign should be attractive and eye-catching and have at least one link to a landing page. Make sure that the landing page contains a form for lead generation or, at the very least, a button for people to contact you.

An important item that is largely ignored is the size of the e-campaign. If you choose to send the entire press release in the e-mail, then the campaign should be no wider than 600 pixels. This will fit in most e-mail clients. If you choose to send a summary of the article or an eye-catching graphic that will go to the press release, then the campaign should be no wider than 600 pixels and no taller than 395 pixels.

Your marketing firm should also have a system that will track how many people viewed and clicked on the e-mail. Be sure to ask for reports. This is an excellent opportunity to not only judge the success of your e-campaign, but also to remove any defunct e-mail addresses from your customer database.

Step 4 – Updating Your Website

If you don’t have a news page on your existing website, you are missing out on a great opportunity to add fresh content and to expand your profile on search engines. Get your news section built and add your first article.

If you do have a news page, get your article up there with a dateline at the top and contact information at the bottom.

Be sure to link no more than five phrases in your article to other pages in your website. This is called an optimized press release and will be beneficial to your search engine optimization efforts.

Step 5 – To Blog or Not to Blog

This step is optional, but can bring great rewards to your online presence. If you have a blog, post your press releases with target phrases linked back to your existing website. Optimized press releases get a lot of visibility in the major search engines. They can also generate new links back to your website, as other sites republish your release. These "backlinks" play an important role in the overall search engine visibility of your website.

---

INDUSTRY EXAMPLE – Online PR Campaign (Intra-Focus, Inc.)

An online PR campaign was recently created for Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes and their work on Extreme Makeovers: Home Edition. In addition to electronic press releases, they also created a special website to generate buzz about the project.

>> Read the press releases
>> View an example of an e-press release
>> See the website
>> Visit the main website

---

The world is becoming more internet focused by the minute and you need to stay on top of this technology wave or your company will drown. Don’t wait! Get proactive and start your online PR campaigns today!

Learn More
If you are interested in getting a quote from a marketing firm or just finding out more about the process, you should contact Intra-Focus, Inc. Intra-Focus has a wealth of experience writing press releases, optimizing them for the search engines, and distributing them online. They can transform your press release into an online promotional vehicle with unlimited reach.

Your Website is Your Best Employee

Imagine an employee who performs multiple roles for you — PR, branding, lead generation and customer communications to name a few. Now imagine this employee works 24 hours a day and never calls in sick. With a well-planned and properly designed website, that’s exactly what you get… a round-the-clock virtual employee to further your company’s growth.

You deserve the kind of website that makes customers say “wow” and “thank you” at the same time. The “wow” part comes from an attractive web design that enhances your company’s brand. The “thank you” part comes from quality content and ease of navigation.

But let’s not forget other important factors in a good internet presence. A fast loading website (24 seconds or less on a 56K connection) is gaining significance in the online world. Many think that to have an attractive website, you have to have one that takes a long time to load. This is not true. Web designers who really know their trade can build an online presence for you that is fast and appealing to the eye.

>> What is the load time of your website?

Also take note that most sites are moving away from the graphic heavy design and towards sites that contain text menus and no flash or animated gifs. This will ensure that your site can be crawled easily by search engines and will be better on the eyes of those who are visually challenged. This may seem like small potatoes to your current clients, but what about your current clients in 10 years? And don’t forget about new clients that may choose you over your competitors for the sole reason that your site was easy to use!

Internet marketing companies such as Intra-Focus, Inc. give you these things and more through their web development and design services. Not only do they have many years of experience, but they also continue to follow trends and learn about new technologies and internet guidelines. As an added bonus, you can use Intra-Site which helps you to manage incoming web traffic, customer communication and lead generation!

The Ideal Website Design Process

Before Intra-Focus designs a single element of a website, they actively get to know you and your organization. They do this through a combination of conference calls, survey questionnaires, and in-person meetings. What is your company all about? Who is your audience? What sets you apart from the competition?

Any good design company wants to hear you describe these things in your own words. Armed with this information, they can design a website that will enhance your company’s brand and help you achieve your objectives, while still presenting your site with today’s internet standards in mind.

If your web design company hasn’t been focusing on the items mentioned in this article, then there is a good chance that you are using someone who is behind the times. Approach them with your concerns. If they don’t seem troubled or cannot fix the problems, it is time to create an internet marketing relationship elsewhere.

Have questions or need a quote on a website build? Contact Intra-Focus today and ask about their corporate web design and internet branding services.