Getting Started on the web

For the last decade or so, getting on the web means building a web site. Scary thought if you haven't done it. Many people start by looking for tools (software) that will generate fancy design, with pretty colors, and a logo. A much better first step is figuring what you are going to put on the web site, and how you are going to organize it.

I am amazed how many people have said "I want to build a web site." Okay, "What is going to be on the web site, and how will you make the content so interesting that people will want to see it?" "What do you want to say?" I have even offered to help people build their first web site as soon as they had the text and pictures organized. Nobody has come back for my help. If they don't know what they want to say, and have pictures to go with it, why do they want a web site? Or maybe they want to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for someone to build something, then rebuild it, then rebuild it, maybe someday (like the million monkeys at the typewriters) coming up with the compelling story.

I have also met several people who say "I already have a web site, but nobody comes to see it, and Google doesn't find it." "What's on your web site that people are looking for?" "I provide a service." Not what do you do, but what pages are on your web site that people would search for? They continue to tell me a story, not give me specific topics (separate web pages) that someone would go looking for.

Probably the biggest thing I learned was that Google (and other search engines) are not looking for web sites, they are looking for pages on specific topics. They offer to find the best pages on each topic that someone might be searching for. My first woodworking web site tried to get people to come and talk to me about what they wanted made. The site painted a grand picture about how we could design whatever, how I could build it, how they would love it. But nobody came, and Google (and other search engines) didn't recommend it. 50 years ago there was a song that was popular for a few days, "I took my harp to a party, but nobody asked me to play." I think of that song when I think about some web sites, including my first woodworking site. Beautiful sites, but no content that people would go looking for - nobody asked me to play.

Finally I rebuilt that web site, with many separate pages, each focused on a single topic to make it attractive for the search engines. Yes, the overall site tells a story, but the search engines never direct people to my site, just to specific pages in the site. My first web-based sale was a coffee table, to a customer 50 miles away. He had searched for "cherry coffee table central Texas." My web site had a page on coffee tables. It mentioned that I could build a coffee table out of cherry among other woods. It said I served Austin and the Central Texas area. My page matched his search close enough that it was near the beginning of the list. (I must have dropped the Central Texas words from that page because it wasn't in the first 10 pages of a recent Google search, but was the first non-paid listing when I searched for "Cherry coffee table Austin Texas.") Two lessons: First it found the page on coffee tables, not end tables, dining room tables, or any other kind of table. The search was very specific. Second, it found Austin Texas, not Central Texas. If I want to serve Austin, I need to mention it on every page. If I want to serve more than just Austin, I need to list the other areas ON EVERY PAGE. It can be small print at the bottom of each page, but it must be there! I have gone back and added it to most of my pages.

SEL - the Search Engine Landing page

The internet experts talk about the "Landing Page" or the SEL page. In this coffee table example, the Search Engine directed the user to the Coffee Table page - that is the Search Engine Landing page, not to my home page. That page must be attractive, and quickly start answering questions... yes you can have a custom coffee table built, this is not a display in a museum. Personally I think you should suggest a price... this isn't the $20 used table shop, nor is it a site selling $10,000 antiques. If you want a good quality but affordable table, keep reading. If you wanted a $20 table this isn't it. Experts say you only have a few seconds to catch the user... if they don't see something interesting in the first few seconds, they will go to the next page suggested by the search. Don't start with pretty animations or music... get to the point.

Once I have your attention on the landing page of my web site, then I give you a few options... If you are sold, how do you proceed? Every page can link back to the home page where you can learn about who you are dealing with and how I do business. But more likely, you want to get confidence that I do good work. So every page has a "previous" and "next" button to help you walk through a variety of my work. Practically everyone who comes to me through the web site says "I looked through your web site and you do wonderful work. Can you make..." So every landing page has to

1. Keep the visitor's attention, usually by quickly and directly showing that you have the answer they were searching for
2. Give them confidence that you are the one that they want to deal with
1. That your prices are what they consider reasonable - I don't try to give all the price variations, but just "I would currently reproduce the piece as shown for $500"
2. That your work is good quality, of a style they would like (links to other work)
3. That they would enjoy working with you - you are not the crook on the street corner selling watches from inside his coat. (about us, from the home page, including a friendly picture that doesn't look like an axe murderer). Personally I am turned off by pictures of dogs or kids on the page "about us." This is where I am trying to learn who I am dealing with.
3. Show them how to proceed - I do it through links back to my home page, and specialized pages on "what next" - how to proceed through ballpark estimates, design fees, detailed design, deposit, construction, delivery, and so forth. I provide, but play down, address and phone numbers since I prefer to work by email, but I recognize that may lose some customers who prefer working in person or by phone.

As you plan the contents of your web site, keep in mind that it will probably grow. Therefore you will want to have a structure. On my woodworking site, www.plesums.com/wood I list bedroom furniture, living room furniture, and other. I am not sure that is the best structure, but it works. I plan to add multiple items for quilters and scrapbookers, so rather than continuing to expand "other" that may become a new "hobby" section. And I have thought of isolating some items in a "home office" section. It is far easier to work with a site that isn't just dumped in one giant pile (no structure), but it is a lot of work to change the structure of the site... especially if there are a lot of links (which are good) to help people move around the site.

To build your web site, start with a 3 ring notebook. Plan what will be on each page... each paragraph of text, each picture or chart. What pages you might want to link to from various parts of this page. Only after you have 20-30 or more pages, are you ready to start building a site. Don't pick your construction tools yet, just get the text and pictures together.

Getting found

You need to plan the ways that the search engines engines will find the page. What terms are your customers going to enter into their search engine, that can be matched to your page... in fact, the better match, the higher your page will be in the list provided by the search engine.

First you must select key words (or phrases) for each page. In the example above, "Coffee Table," "Cherry," "Austin Texas," "Central Texas." But how about "Cocktail Table?" Or after some research, it appears that "Coffee Tables" (plural) match more searches than "Coffee Table" (singular) - but when it comes to Saddle Stands, singular is much more effective than plural.

Google offers an "Ad Words" product to place your listing or ads in yellow at the head of the search results list, based on key words you choose (your ad words). They have some tools that may help you find key words to use... search for "Keyword Tool." Although these are oriented to helping you choose the best keywords for your Ad Words, you can take their suggestions without being an Ad Words Customer. With Google Ad Words, you bid for how much you are willing to pay to be near the top of the list when people search for specific words - from a few cents to a few dollars. No charge for just being there, but you pay as soon as the user clicks and is directed to your web site. I know one woodworking site that found this didn't pay at all, but have seen stories of other sites have found this tremendously helpful. I have focused on getting my pages near the head of the list without paying, and get all the traffic I want, but someday I may try the Ad Words "product" as an experiment.

"Ad Words" should not be confused with "Ad Sense." Google senses what is on this and other web page and selects ads to appear on my web pages. If someone clicks on one of the ads on my page, I get a portion of the amount the advertiser paid for your click. Some people make a living from "Ad Sense" on their site; I make less than $100 per year. If you are selling a product on a web page, don't use Google Ad Sense on that page... the relevant ads will be your competitors. If you are giving free advice, there is no risk to the ads.

Once you have chosen the set of keywords for each web page, there are several places to take advantage of them.

1. In the title to the web page, at the top of the browser. Get rid of "Welcome" or "Page 1." Put a title relevant to this page, with keywords, there. "Charlie's Woodworking" is good but "Coffee Tables" is better
2. In the "invisible" header to the page are tags for specifically listing keywords. Take advantage of them, but be careful - the search engines check to be sure they match the page.
3. Another part of the invisible header is a one paragraph description of the page, that is often used in the search engine results list... your opportunity for a brief compelling paragraph to catch the customer
4. The URL itself... an address .../livingroom/coffeetable.html is more user friendly than .../AAB1275uvw.htm or .../index.php?content=gallery&product=54&picture=11
5. The text of the page itself. You can have a note at the bottom about the geographic area you serve, so it doesn't distract from the description of the product, but everything you want to say, and that you want the search engines to find, needs to be somewhere on the page.

An early web trick was to make a title or keyword list describe something popular... that would get a lot of search engine hits ... and then link to something else - even a porn site. Google and the other search engines have gotten very smart, matching the search terms you suggested with the actual content of the web page, and not listing pages that don't match. They even recognize words that are in fonts too small to see, or white print on white background, and don't consider them part of the real web page. Be honest, and be sure all the parts fit together.

A page that is held in high regard by the experts gets a higher place in the search engine results. How do you identify a page recognized by the experts? One way is that other sites link to it. Wonderful - you link to me and I will link to you - a link exchange. But when we participate in a link exchange, we aren't endorsing the page with expertise. So Google not only ignores the exchange in ranking the page, but some even believe it reduces your page ranking. If someone links to you, great, but a link exchange doesn't help and may hurt.

What now

Once you have your text, your pictures, your structure, and your keywords, you are finally ready to begin. There are lots of web hosting providers who provide low cost web sites, complete with domain names and generic site building tools. After trying several others, I have been very happy with a large company nobody seems to have heard of, IX Web Hosting. Both of my web sites are supported on their cheap "expert plan" for $3.95 per month (total for both sites). You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars for a basic site.

If you already have a web site that doesn't get traffic, you need to follow these suggestions, but you also need to be sure the site, as seen by your customer, is fast and friendly. Some of the "free" web sites we start with are very slow - it only takes a few seconds for me to go elsewhere if your site hasn't responded. Some tools (or web design services) make very pretty sites that are slow - large pages or complex programs. Slow is bad. Some web sites play music. I may be looking at your site in the office or late at night, and any sound could drive me away. Some start with pretty animated picture... okay, you had your three seconds and you haven't answered my search ... goodbye. Are you getting customers but driving them away?

I can make a lot of arguments about why you want a simple web site structure, built with simple tools. I believe most people can build their own web pages using simple "HTML" commands, and the simple structure, and would have a more user friendly (and search engine friendly) site than the fancy alternatives. If you want to go on, look at my page on web technology, or my other page on tricks to use when setting up your web site.