Contact Us · (360) 566-2451 · Email

Hello -

Map out your Conversion pages: How do you keep score if you don’t know where your opportunities lie? Just like a football team seeks to “convert” on fourth down by executing a play with a flow toward the “conversion,” so should you map out your site the way a coach maps out the play.

Hey… yesterday was the Superbowl… so you know why I’m using football analogies. But, they fit. The coach draws a play for the team so they know what to do. Then coaches make adjustments as things unfold on the playing field. Plan carefully. Watch how things unfold and adjust. Right coach? And, all this so you can… convert  In football, convert a fourth down into a first down, and on the web… convert a visitor into a lead or a customer.

Above, two sitemaps are given in this downloadable (click it) pdf… along with some “secret sauce.”

So draw your play first — that is, make a sitemap. Just like a team would not go onto a field without knowing a play, you need to visualize your own “play” at your website. Especially if you’re designing or redesigning your site. But also if you’re well into a site that has grown and changed for a few years — time to step back and see the sitemap so you can reevaluate strategies and tactics.

I’ve attached a couple of sitemaps (I call them “Mission Maps”) that I recently produced for real clients (click to download it – PDF). Note that conversion pages are clearly marked. And, you’ll find a great formula on it that you can use at your own site. Remember to begin with the end in mind — that’s the only way teams get to the SuperBowl.

WordPress 2.7 Rocks: WordPress has really come a long way since its humble beginnings as a blogging platform. Nowadays, it’s a full-blown Content Management solution used by Fortune 500 companies from Ford to CNN. And you should be using it too, for dynamic websites, optimization, engagement with prospects and customers, plus easy editing. And now, version 2.7 makes editing even easier.

Using an older version of WordPress? Upgrade now. Older versions are security risks, and don’t work well with updated plugins.

I’ve made a video overview for you with editing tips as you migrate to 2.7 — and an Optimization tip thrown in for good measure:

That’s it for this edition — contact me to discuss how you can Optimize, Connect and Convert… at your website.

- Scott

Contact Us · (360) 566-2451 · Email

Hello -

What actions do you want visitors to take at your website?: Seems like a logical enough question for you to ask during the development process, right?  Strange then, that I was at a Search Engine Marketing seminar this past week where three different companies had put their sites up for review, and one could not answer the question, one wasn’t sure what their prospective customers were searching for, and another had a “buy” button that did not lead to a shopping cart.  That’s why I always insist on identifying key landing pages and conversion routes when you first make your site map (a conversion happens when a visitor “converts” to a lead or a customer).  Begin with the end in mind. Always know what your visitors must do at your site so that you will meet your business goals, and precisely where at your site the action should take place, and how you will persuade them to do it.  The rest is optimization — I’ll chat with you more about that in future issues.

Speaking of chat… did you notice that you can contact me quickly via chat in my sidebar at WebFadds.com?  Stumped, need a quick fix or troubleshoot?  Just jump over here and page me via two different chat systems — Google or Skype.  Your choice.

A forms creation plugin I use on most development projects: CForms for creation of professional contact forms on your site, has been updated and revised to work with WordPress 2.7 (you have upgraded to 2.7, haven’t you?  If not — do so soon for the great new streamlined admin. features, for security, and so the latest plugins will function well). 

Let’s have a closer look at some favorite CForms Features:

• Multi-Part / Multi-Page form chains

• Multiple forms on one or many pages / posts

• Tell-A-Friend functionality, see Help documentation

• File attachments / Upload, fully configurable per form

• Multiple upload fields allowed

• Cloning / duplication of forms

• Drag and drop form management

• Timing of forms (start & end dates)

There are other forms plugins for WordPress — around a dozen — but none I have found offer the features and functionality of cForms including the built in CSS styling of forms:

Above, CformsII admin. links appear on your sidebar (lower left), and the “Styling” link gives you a number of preset (but editable) CSS looks for your forms (red arrow).

Best of luck and success online -

Scott

You can sign up for our RSS feed… here