We here at Viget Labs know that your web site might not be the sexy, sleek machine you know it could be. Here are some recommendations that will bring the type of gratifying results you can tell your friends about:

1. Get Analytics: Knowing what’s happening on your web site is crucial. My heart breaks a little when clients don’t track their site’s performance – especially because it’s free (see Google Analytics). If you need help, check Google’s list of Google Authorized Analytics Consultants, (we’re one) and just ask.


2. Get focused: Why do you have a web site? Do visitors know what you’re offering? Can your customers find what they’re looking for? Answer these questions, and then fix areas that aren’t achieving your goals and those of your customers, too.


3. Start Optimizing for Search: If none of your content is text-based, you are making a mistake. Have a link-building strategy and target keyword list to optimize your online presence for growth. Take the time to read about search engine optimization at SEOMOZ.org or one of the other 60,000 articles about it. Test your content’s performance. Substantiate your online budget with factual data.

This can be the year you radically improve your web site. These three tips will get you started in the right direction. Stay tuned for more.

I’ve decided to break our don’t-blog-about-entertainment-clients rule this morning.  Last night, several of us caught Brian Regan‘s show at the Strathmore Theater.  The show was hilarious, and we had a blast.

If you’ve never seen Brian’s act, he does ”observational comedy”, with a particular gift for expressive delivery.  As I listened to the jokes, I thought: this material comes across like a series of blog posts.  Very funny blog posts.  Quick stories about childhood memories, insights into the world around us, and simple-but-true reflections on everyday life.  What’s more, Brian is one of those rare people who is just really funny to be around.  He has a way of thinking and talking that cracks you up.

Who better to write a blog than Brian Regan?  I’d read it every day.  So would many of the other 2,000 folks who saw the show last night and the hundreds of thousands of fans who follow him.  He’s got great content at the tip of his tongue and a pre-established audience.  It would be a sure hit.

Brian was gracious enough to invite us backstage after the show for a few photos and a brief chat.

So I had to ask him, “Any interest in blogging?” The short answer: not really.

His focus is on continuing to make his stand-up show the best it can be.  That takes time and effort.  Regular blogging takes time and effort.  As funny as Brian’s Daily Reflections would be (his, not mine), it’s just not a priority for him professionally or personally right now.  Until he decides it is, I would never advise him to launch one.

Blogging isn’t for everyone.  It takes a certain personality.  Think about Brian’s scenario if you’re asking “Should I blog?” Before you consider how hilarious (or informative, compelling, inspiring) your content would be, how many fans (or friends, contacts, colleagues) you already have who would read it, or how much a successful blog will help your career by filling theaters (or sales funnels, job offers, speaking gigs), you should ask, “Do I really want to?” Am I really inspired to share my thoughts with the world several times each week?  Am I really motivated to keep it up over months and years?”

I think many blogs start out because people think they have great information and insight to share.  While that’s significant, it’s more important to know that you’re ready to stick with it.

Oh, and Brian’s best comment backstage?  Kyle, who has managed to meet Brian after a few shows, asked what he could do so that he’d be remembered during their next encounter.  Simple, Brian said. “A one-thousand dollar bill.”

Our clients spend an awful lot of time obsessing over the homepages of their sites. And there is some merit to that; typically, the homepage is one of the most visited pages of a Web site. But in the age of search, any page of your Web site can act as a homepage.

What to do? Put the same amount of thought into secondary pages. As you carefully craft copy and calls to action on the homepage, ensure that each page of your site is designed to convert your visitors by influencing them to take actions you deem important.

Need more convincing? Well, if you have any analytics on your site, it will likely show an interesting long tail trend. The number of people who visit your secondary pages probably exceeds the total visits of your homepage. The impact is even greater if you are building a knowledge-based site like Squidoo or Wikipedia.

The Web has changed. People no longer come in solely the front door of your site - some visitors get dropped straight into your living room, and you need to be prepared to serve them equally.

The importance of correct grammar and snappy text can seem like a low-priority item when blinking, moving visuals, or mind-blowing development options are available to clients. But all the bells and whistles quickly can be forgotten if your content doesn’t convince readers that you are the authority.

Why? Aside from understanding that they should keep it concise, easy-to-read, and objective (thanks to Nielsen’s classic research), clients may not know how to write effective text. Often, in lieu of taking advantage of invaluable copywriting services, the project manager must spend hours of research on the client’s dime to craft content about a subject on which she or he is not an expert just so the plan can move forward—almost as an afterthought to the larger web venture.

So you may be asking, “But these entrepreneurs must have convinced at least some people that they are knowledgeable.” Of course—some of the best businesses are run by brilliant people who are naturals at articulating their expertise. But, translating that same voice to the web can be tricky for several reasons:

• Grammar: For those who remember at least a portion of the teachings of their fourth grade teacher like my own Mr. Grammer (and I’m not lying about that name), basic syntax and language usage are critical to demonstrating that you are credible. And credibility is vital to success.


• Usage: Don’t be outrageously embarrassed if you habitually use “over” instead of “more than” or “which” instead of “that,” or you never fully embraced the difference between “your” and “you’re.” Just stop doing it starting … now. Check out Strunk & White’s Elements of Style for a quick lesson or have an expert proofread your work. Don’t be too stubborn to learn.


• Styles: AP and Chicago are the most popular styles in writing for B2B. They are the styles you see in newspaper writing and throughout the publishing industry. MLA is used mostly in academic writing and is most notably remembered for its reckless use of the serial or Oxford comma (a major debate between English and journalism camps). Pick a style, buy a book (or an online subscription), and keep your site consistent. Or, come up with your own style guide, but write it down and use it in all of your communications.


• Voice: Pick a formal or conversational voice and go with it. I’m talking about the differences between, “Singading Company provides its customers … ” and, “We offer you ... .” There is no correct answer as to which is more effective. You don’t want to turn off readers by sounding like a stiff; but, you don’t want to sound like you’re wearing paint-stained, cut-off jean shorts and inviting them to a BYOB barbeque. Find your happy medium and keep it consistent.

Be among those site owners who ask for help or, at least, a proofread. Above all else, make learning to use language correctly a priority. It’s the little things that make a difference.

As Brian mentioned in his 2007 Resolution post, widgets are going to be one of the trends to watch in 2007. Arguably, they already made big news in 2006 - but only within certain demographics (including teens, young adults, and geeks).

So, what’s a widget anyway?

On a technical level, it’s just some code you insert into your website. But from a conceptual standpoint, a widget is a little tool that packs a great punch, providing fun and useful functionality to websites. Widgets are often placed in sidebars and are very popular amongst bloggers because they allow them to create more personality on their sites. They also can often help site visitors stay better engaged.

While widgets are “fun” for their users, they offer site owners the power to essentially export both the messaging (i.e., content), as well as the branding of their website across the Internet.

Although widgets are somewhat new, the technology behind them is maturing quickly. Services like Widgetbox and ClearSpring now allow widget creators to track the usage of their widgets. KickApps, which does much more than just widgets, also allows widget owners to switch out the content of their widgets. In the case where a significant number of people have placed your widget on their sites (websites, blogs, social networking profiles, etc.), that becomes a very powerful communication tool.

Widgets won’t make or break your web strategy. They are just another tool in the toolbox. But expect to see them start being used in some innovative ways as we continue through 2007.

Manoj Jasra is a Senior Web Analytics Analyst at Enquiro. He recently wrote a post entitled “Predicting Potential Website Traffic” where he is thinking through the variables needed to accurately predict organic web site traffic (just as a reminder—organic traffic is the non-paid part of the traffic that comes to your site).

He notes that there are a handful of different elements that can come into play, including Keyword Search Volume, Search Engine Market Share, and Competitors. It’s a good list and contains many of the elements we typically use to help clients with their keyword analysis and web reporting.

While useful, accurately predicting organic traffic would be quite difficult for a number of reasons, including the fact that some of the variables (e.g., incoming links) are very complex. An incoming link from a highly-trafficked site will yield significantly more visitors than a link from an obscure blogger. But Manoj’s point is well taken—a more formulaic approach to estimating organic traffic would be of great benefit, especially when launching a new web site.

The good news is that if you have already installed web analytics on your site and have reported on that data regularly, you’ll have more than a clear picture as to what your organic traffic should look like. And with that data, you can see what causes fluctuations in it, as well as compare it to your Pay-per-Click campaigns, affiliate advertising, and other web marketing channels to see how each of them are performing against each other.

Relevant Links: Predicting Potential Website Traffic , Enquiro

In today’s Internet age, this seemingly simple question may no longer have a simple answer. The anonymity of the Internet allows users to communicate without fear of retribution and without fear of being labeled an “outsider” in their community.  The freedom of anonymous speech is necessary in a true democratic state – from government watchdogs to social critics to spiritual and ethical leaders, society benefits from the free exchange of ideas.  However, in some situations, anonymity can be a double-edged sword.

Word of mouth (or ‘buzz marketing’) relies on the power of trust. I trust my friends to have my best interests at heart when they tell me about the new album that came out last week that I should hear. When they tell me to go see a new movie, or try out this great Indian restaurant that just opened, I take their recommendations seriously because I believe that they know me and they know what I like. And, they wouldn’t mislead me.

Now, in the online world of recommendations, reviews, and product evaluations, the high-level seeds of buzz marketing, we never have a face-to-face connection with the person on the other end of the page.  This was true even before the Internet age when reviews and the like were only available through consumer magazines with a vested interest in not betraying their subscription base with inaccurate or biased reviews.  But, online, it is very hard to tell not only if people are who they say they are, but also why they are saying what they are saying.  The anonymity of the Internet seems custom-made for guerilla marketing campaigns, and it is sometimes almost impossible to judge an article’s authenticity in isolation.

But, members of the Internet generation (including yours truly) are not unaware of this problem. We accept that guerilla marketing campaigns exist, that product placement is a thriving industry, and that people online are rarely who they say they are. And, yet, our trust in the Internet is not shaken to the core. We trust the wikipedia to be, if not an immaculate bastion of truth and beauty, at least an accurate source for most technical and factual queries. We trust various blogs and forums which have proven their value to us time and again. The reason? Community. We have evolved brand-new methods of evaluating online sources of information – trial by community. This evaluation is made possible through the open-ended structure of the source. If a blogger were consistently lying to his readership, someone would find out about it and wreak havoc on his/her comments and the related blogosphere, destroying the blogger’s credibility. The same theory applies to wikis that anyone can edit and open forums. The reason we trust is simple: it is clear that it is in the author’s best interest to be telling the truth and, if he/she is not, we’ll find out about it soon and stop trusting them.

In a world where brands and corporations no longer inspire the same degree of trust they once did, losing it through steady incompetence or through insidious activity, community can serve as the bridge to once again reach consumers and gain their trust. So, how can companies take advantage of this new trust structure? They can’t. That is, they can’t take advantage of consumers anymore. What they can do is participate. Companies need to engage consumers in open-ended dialogue. They need to expose both their faults and their virtues. In short, they need to be honest and trust their consumers to understand that no company is perfect and that real progress takes time. Then, they will have learned what the Internet generation has known all along – trust is a two-way street.