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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I'm not crazy: 10 great, content-friendly web designs


A marketer walks into a meeting, ready to see the newest designs for their client’s site. The new design is beautiful. It makes everyone weep with joy. It’s also totally devoid of text.


The marketer (or SEO, or copywriter, or strategist) walks back out of the meeting, punches a wall until their hand flattens, and then goes back to work.


Stop me if you’ve heard this one.


A few months later, they’re called into an "all-hands" meeting. Turns out the CEO just read about SEO, or conversion rate optimization, or the need for great copywriting. Now she wants to know why the shiny new site doesn’t rank, converts like crap and seems to spur more questions than it answers.


I'd swear that this whole internet thing started as a way to pass around information. And text content remains the most foolproof way to communicate online. Text content = information.


Far too many designers seem to think text is the enemy of great design. To me, they’re inseparable: Web sites that best fulfill their business goals design for text content, instead of burying it. When I say that, though, everyone in the room looks at me like I just started gibbering madly about purple elephants and acid trips.


In the interest of either proving my sanity or showing there are other crazy people out there, here are 10 spectacular text-friendly web sites that also happen to brilliantly do their assigned jobs:


No page of the site resists text more than the home page. The home page is like text Gore-Tex. If I suggest as little as five words of real, readable copy on some home pages, the design team looks at me like I turned into a large, talking turd.


And no, a small paragraph of 5-point type that’s 2 shades away from the background color and 200 pixels below the footer is not a "compromise". I want home pages that are informative and easy to read. Can we do that? Turns out, yes:


37Signals remains the state of the art when it comes to simplicity. Check out their company home page:

37signals Home Page 122710

Lots of text, and very few images. The page loads and renders in 5 seconds. It looks great. And it’s unique in layout and concept, or at least was, before people started copying it.


A lot of brand managers tell me that 37Signals isn’t a "real company", though. That’s ridiculous, but I'll play along and show companies that sell or promote stuff we all know about, like web hosting.


Media Temple sells (oddly enough) web hosting. Their home page has a purty image with a slide show, but it also has a decent proportion of text, and full text navigation, all above the fold:

Media Temple Home Page 122710

It’s not exactly a content bonanza, but it’s clear, and it’s obvious the content wasn’t slapped up there as an afterthought.


Doesn’t get much more traditional than wine. Jax Vineyards created a slick layout that presents the product, front-and-center:

Jax Vineyards Home Page 122710

Look at how they use type to create a beautiful, easy-to-read page. Their font choices and line spacing make me sweaty. Yes, I’m a typography geek.


The point, though, is that this page practically reads itself to you. The reader can take it all in in a matter of seconds.


I’m not thrilled with the way they page between wines using javascript, but that’s the SEO in me complaining. This is still a great text-driven design.

Adobe makes Flash and Photoshop, among other things. But their home page is a study in creative, readable text placement in a bright, deep design:

Adobe Home Page 122710

Aside from the logo, every letter on this page is cut-and-paste-able text.


A great, content-friendly design doesn’t have to have tons of text on it. The Emptees site focuses on images, but also includes the "just arrived" and other listings at the bottom of the page, and the "What’s going on here?" section at the top right.

Emptees Home Page 127710

That adds up to a page where I can quickly figure out my next steps, and learn about the company at the same time.


Once the content team wins the Battle of the Home Page, they often lose the War of Internal Pages. Every page on a site is a potential landing page. So providing text-friendly internal pages can be every bit as important:


37Signals’ HighRise leaves nothing to the imagination, explaining their entire product on a single, easy-to-read page that makes you want the product:

Highrise Internal Page 122710

Not everyone can pull this off. You need fantastic copywriters, and a designer who can use whitespace, columns and type the way most of use air.


O2 Alternative, a web site design and development shop, works in bright colors while still emphasizing information:

02a Internal Page 122710

This is a design firm that made a conscious choice to build text into their layout. Note the line spacing, use of large fonts to make their site easy to read, and my favorite part, the red peppers.


Did you know that you can sell more products by actually telling people about them? It’s true:


A great, content-driven design doesn’t have to put text above the fold. Note how Apple leads your eye down the page, then shows key features of their top-end laptop:

Apple Macbook Pro Page 122710

Click any sub-navigation, such as "design", and you find even more text-intensive layouts:

Apple Macbook Design Page 122710

Apple has mastered the art of progressive content: As you dig deeper, they assume you want more information, so they provide increasingly dense content on deeper layers of the site. It makes sense: If you take the time to click further into the site, you’re looking for details. So Apple delivers them.


Postbox puts their call to action front-and-center. They also take advantage of text-shadow and other emerging CSS properties to get some great text effects, while ensuring the site will degrade gracefully for people with older browsers:

Postbox Home Page 122710

You learn all of the high-level benefits of their product on the home page, then click to internal pages when you are ready for details.


Even fashion companies get into the text-friendly act. Rapha features lots of products on their home page, as well as blog post summaries:

Rapha Home Page 122710

And their internal pages are ultra-informative. They have a short description and "buy now" block at the top right. Readers who want more information – including cycling nerds like me – can scroll down to dig deeper:

Rapha Home Page 122710

This site looks great because of text, not in spite of it.


Some brands do just fine with image-focused, text-repellent designs. Some demand it. I’m not suggesting that every web site has to be text-friendly. But if:

You’re already struggling for organic search traffic;You’re have PPC quality score problems;Your customer service line is ringing off the hook with the same questions, again and again;You need to explain your product and let visitors get more details when they want them;You want ultra fast-loading, attractive pages; orYou have a great copywriting team, and think your writing is an asset.

…then looking at the sites listed here should show you the way.

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4 exit strategies for marketing agency owners


I'm not a big 'exit strategy' kind of guy. I prefer to build a cool business that's going to last, and keep at it. Hence my 16-year stint (thus far) at Portent. But there's always someone asking me what my strategy is for getting out. So, here you go—created by the Portent-ites—4 exit strategies for marketing agency owners:


(click for the full sized version)
Exit strategies for agency owners


Print it, hang it, make underwear out of it if you like. Just keep the copyright statement in place.

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How to advertise when the giant gorilla doesn't seem to be doing the trick.


gorillasale.jpeg


This is a guest post by Bruce Lee. Bruce is one of the best marketers and marketing writers I know, and I'm excited to have him writing for Conversation Marketing. Hopefully more from Bruce in the future.

Critters respond to contrast. They tend to ignore conformity. In Jurassic Park, the tyrannosaurus seemed to see prey animals (including lawyers) only when they moved against a static background. Bass fishermen know to jerk their lures through the water, the better to provoke a strike. Even near-microscopic flatworms move in response to changes in light level.


People are critters too. They too respond to contrast, differences, distinctions. This is the very basis of entertainment, for example. Successful entertainers tend to wear unconventional clothing, they tend to move about - often dancing - on a stage that focuses audience attention. They speak louder, or sing. They do so in recognition that doing something out of the ordinary, something with a high "contrast ratio" will draw attention (and sell tickets).


As advertisers and marketers, we need to exploit this characteristic, on behalf of our clients. As "fishers of buyers," our job is to provoke a strike, in the form of a sale.

Few car buyers would cite as a major factor in their decision making process the fact that the dealer had a 40-foot inflatable gorilla in the lot

It isn't easy. It usually doesn't work to just turn up the volume (ala annoying infomercials) or to dress colorfully (most people find clowns to be kind of creepy) or outrageous (few car buyers would cite as a major factor in their decision making process the fact that the dealer had a 40-foot inflatable gorilla in the lot).


Still, people buy differences, not similarities. In commodities (such as groceries), that difference is mostly limited to issues of price or convenience. But even with products or services that seem rather mundane, it's worth sussing out the difference and making that the key selling feature.


This came up recently with a client who sells pizza. When asked why people should patronize his business instead of the many others already well established in the marketplace, he cited that he used "fresh ingredients," offered "delivery and pick-up," and that his was a "gourmet" pizza.


Please stifle the urge to yawn.


However, digging deeper, it was revealed that he does a very substantial amount of business in pizzas with gluten-free crusts. It started as a courtesy (and savvy business move) to accommodate gluten-sensitive customers, but it turns out the crusts taste so good, that lots of gluten-insensitive customers became fans.


In this case, we were able to convince the client to focus their advertising message on the unique feature of offering gluten-free crusts. In so doing, they distinguished themselves against of background of "me too" convenience food vendors.


And the pizzas, like the lawyer in Jurassic Park, were gobbled up.

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18 ways to build morale at a marketing agency (not)


Most marketing agencies are filled with the stench of fear. I'm not talking about that energized we-have-a-lot-to-do-get-moving feeling. I'm talking about "Oh, crap, what if I work here for the rest of my life?" fear, compounded by the "Oh, crap, what if the CEO decides he wants a bigger bonus this year?" fear.


I've worked at companies like that. It stinks.


So, based on my own personal experience at past jobs, here's how you too can run your very own Pit of Despair:

Scream a lot. I freely admit that, as someone who grew up in New Jersey, I can raise my voice with the best of 'em. But until you've been called a f#$cking moron by your boss (personal experience) or had a stapler thrown at you (anecdote from a colleague) you haven't lived. Don't deny your employees the experience. Let 'em have it.Assume the client is always, 100%, every second, right. There's no way all of the experts you spent tons of time evaluating, interviewing and hiring could possibly know more than the person who pays you for their expertise. Noooooo. So next time the client demands animated naked mole rats on the home page, slap your account manager and say "Of course, Mr. Client, no problem." Everyone will feel better.Make it clear: You are not on your staff's side. Just in case 1-2 didn't cover it, make sure the team understands that you are the Enemy. Dirty looks, snooping over shoulders, denying flex time and using the crappiest, carpal-tunnel-inducing furniture will all work wonders.Deny training. Hey, if you treat your staff like crap and then let them learn, they're going to leave. Make sure they learn nothing. Bury them with menial crap work and deny all travel requests. Don't even buy them a book.Be opaque. Never, ever let your worker bees know why you're doing things. If they expect you to zig, zag. If they expect raises, cut their pay. Constantly imply impending financial ruin.Provide terrible instructions. When sending a task to an underling, make the subject line something like 'stuff'. In the e-mail body, write "please do this" and then attach a completely ambiguous letter from a client. Even better: Just print the letter, put a large exclamation point on it and pin it to some poor sucker's chair. They'll find it in the morning and panic. Have a video camera ready.Turn the dogs on each other. Mwahahahah. Find an employee you really don't like. Tell 3 others on her team that she's really hurting everyone's performance right before bonus time. Step back and watch them eat each other alive.Criticize in public. If someone does something wrong, declare it in the middle of the office, at peak volume (see #1). It's a great learning experience.Punch the clock. Make sure everyone is in by 8 AM. At 8:01, make a list. Then personally chastise every employee who was late. Don't forget to track lunches, too. Asking someone why they spent 47 minutes at lunch right before Christmas is a source of endless fun.Squelch innovation. If anyone takes on a personal project - a cool blog, or a design, or an SEO project for the company on their own time - crush them. That kind of go-getter makes everyone else feel inferior. See The Adventures of Baron Munchausen for more info. Any drive to excel must be stifled before it leads to demands for raises, smiles and high-fives.Be a hack and slash editor. If someone sends you something to edit, delete 3 random paragraphs, write "AWFUL" in the margins and send it back with no explanation. It'll put a smile on your face every time.Outlaw weekends. Ensure that Saturday and Sunday are, at best, a time for employees to sit at home, fretting about the work piling up.Leer at employees of the opposite or same gender, depending on your preference. The age of Mad Men is alive and well, trust me. You won't be alone. Again, personal experience. Well, not personal, unless someone has a strong desire for overweight, pale, somewhat damp smart asses. But witnessed, certainly.Keep no promises. Told everyone they'd get Christmas bonuses? Cancel 'em! Best if combined with #5.Discourage input. It's your way or the highway. Never let 'em forget it.Encourage time sucks. On the other hand, if one person wants to take a meeting 400 miles off course and leave everyone dying on a desert island, encourage them!Hold lots of meetings. While I'm on the subject, be sure to have at least one grueling, 90-minute meeting per day. Be sure it involves a small, stuffy room, bad seating and chairs that squeak a lot.Point the finger. If a client catches on to the fact that you're an idiot, blame your staff! Make sure you tell the client that the 'person in question has been dealt with'. Then tell the employee you went to bat for them. This sets up a client versus employee mentality that's a joy to watch.

I was watching the Portent Horde bowl and basically have fun at our Christmas party last week, and am pretty sure that, when I die, I can be proud of one thing: I've built a great team.


It's not all me, of course. And the number of great teams I split asunder in a perfect storm of stupidity boggles the mind. But finally, I've got a bunch of people who like working together, like what they work on, and who I like to work with.


So, instead of frustration with SEO silliness, ripoff artists, plagiarism and the like, I end this post on a positive note: Portent has a great team.


Toodles, till tomorrow.

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SEO 101: Defining the long tail


Just what is the long tail, in SEO?


I do lots of writing about SEO and keywords, and I throw all kinds of terms around. But sometimes I suddenly realize I don't define them. I'm building a glossary for The Fat Free Guide - one of the first terms I'm working on is the long tail.


Here's my shot at the short version:

The Long TailSpecific, niche search phrases, usually more than 2 words in length, that offer a low competition, low search volume and high searcher intent.Now, for a little more detail.

This example is from real data, with the terms and business changed.


Say you sell socks. You obviously would love to rank #1 for 'socks'. So you hire an SEO professional, and they go to work. After spending a ton of money, you still aren't ranking #1 for 'socks' - you're #3. That ain't bad.


So you look at your data, and sure enough, 'socks' is by far your biggest traffic generator:


socks is clearly a 'head' term


Socks is your 'head' term. After that, there are hundreds of other phrases that generate little dribs and drabs of traffic. Examples might include:


'red wool socks'
'socks with dogs on them'
'socks with cats on them'
'socks that knock my socks off'


Jill Whalen rightly pointed out that 'red wool socks' is not a long tail term in any universe. So I inserted a better one.

At first, it seems like you should dismiss them. But when you add them all up, they're generating as much traffic as 'socks':


long tail terms generate as much traffic as the 'head' term


And they convert better, because the people searching on them know just what they want:


the long tail generates a higher conversion rate


The end result is that all those long tail phrases actually generate more revenue:


the long tail can be a better revenue source


Huh.


In this example, 'red wool socks' and the other lesser phrases are the long tail.


SEOMOZ has collected some great data about the long tail, so I'll just summarize:

'Long tail' terms comprise 70% of all search queries;The top 1000 terms searched only comprise 10% of all search queries.The long tail is where it happens. No one long tail phrase will show up in an SEO's portfolio - getting a high ranking for 'socks that are blue with spots' is far less sexy than ranking #3 for 'socks'. But they do the work, because folks who search for them are more likely to buy/become leads, and because the vast majority of searches are long tail.

Long tail phrases are the blue collar workers of the search world. They make it happen. Ignore them and your whole internet marketing economy may fall apart.


I'm not saying you should ignore head terms. Just understand that they're only half the picture, at most.

If you want to capitalize on the long tail, look beyond rabid link grubbing and learn to optimize your pages. Optimized, relevant content is what gets long tail traction.


Another point of clarification, thanks to Jill: When I say 'optimized' I mean 'written so that search engines can categorize it' and 'delivered so that search engines can find it'. You don't necessarily have to insert specific keywords in specific places to grab the long tail.

Also, learn to make your site 100% visible to search crawlers. Content can't be indexed if it never gets crawled, right?


Most important, don't forget about the long tail in your pursuit of high rankings for high-traffic 'head' phrases. Your boss wants the head rankings. Your sales team wants the head rankings. But your business wants the long tail as well.

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