Web Fitness. Do You Measure Up?

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“I Don’t Know Why My Website Isn’t Working.”

I overheard this statement about web fitness at my gym the other day but it could have been anywhere. It reflects the same level of frustration I hear repeatedly from professionals, small business owners, and enterprise executives. They’ve spent thousands of dollars developing an attractive looking website with between 20 and 1000+ pages of content. But now, a few months or even years later, they are still experiencing a disappointing return on their investment. They may have had a spike in visitors, page views, and engagement, but no significant increase in what really counts — form submissions, conversions, and web-driven phone calls.

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Get WebFit with The 5 Second Home Page Test

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Forget What Your Website Says…What Do Visitors Actually See?

Take the 5 second home page test!

Test #1 (of 3) in the Doctor Of Content series: “Get Webfit & Get More Clients”

Your home page may have several well-crafted paragraphs detailing your product, service, and company history. But what does your audience actually “get” and what will they remember?

  • Did you answer any of their burning questions?
  • Does your website offer a personal touch or just that same old “corporate speak”?
  • Will visitors think you are a hard-sell, a scam, or a reliable source of information?

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Is Your Website Working For You?

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Five seconds is all the time you get to make an impression on a visitor to your business or professional website and capture their interest in the service you provide. Can your website do that?

I recently wrote an article for the Sharon Patch titled: “Is Your Website Working For You?”. In the article, I point out seven tips for determining if your website is an effective tool and customer magnet or just cyber trash.
Check out the article and see if your website provides these key elements: Read more →

Hot Flash Mob Video

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Fifteen “hot” women, a dance studio, a video camera, and a little editing magic. That’s all that was needed to promote “Period Peace”, a new book for peri-meopausal women going through hot flashes, cold sweats, itchy feet, and thinning hair. So what’s there to brag about? Well, actually a lot. These women have “balls”. Rather than sitting back and just suffering through this life transition, they’re getting out there and laughing their way through it – and forming a community to bolster other women. If guys did this kind of thing, it might put an end to war. Read more →

What Are Effective Content Services?

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Effective content services assess your business requirements, your user goals, and content needs. This includes developing a competitive site analysis and Gap analysis (identifying where your competition is weak and how you can use that to your advantage). Finally, it means developing a content strategy that is aligned with your particular business. The details look like this:

  • Conduct content audits and inventories
  • Create editorial guidelines
  • Define the editorial workflow for each client’s projects
  • Advocate for the user’s needs
  • Educate clients on best practice
  • Defines and approves UI standards, templates, and site structure
  • Approves new site creation, structure and permissions
  • Create a search optimization plan for content

Execution

  • Write original content
 or edit content written by others
  • Develop, maintain, and enforce editorial style guidelines
  • Facilitate content reviews
  • Help with CMS (content management system) selection
  • Develop a content strategy document
  • Assess, catalog, and organize web site content (called a content inventory)
  • Assign and track new content development (called a content matrix
  • Create taxonomy/nomenclature lists and definitions

The Siri Revolution – Computer LOVE

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The Next Revolution is upon us and it is in the form of iPhone 4’s Siri. Siri is a new technology which assists users with guidance and a female’s friendly voice! Ask “her”, “I want to make a reservation at a Chinese restaurant somewhere in Back Bay” and she responds softly with “John, I found four.” What’s not to love?

Is this “The Next Great Thing?” Absolutely – I’m convinced! If predicting the future is worth anything (considering how inaccurate making predictions has proven in the past) – the next revolution it’s all about Relationships with you laptop, iPad, and iPhone/Android/Blackberry. Read more →

Content Fitness Test

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Content Fitness“My website is failing at getting traffic, leads or clients. I’m not really sure what’s wrong. Should I try what my competitors are doing?” Does this sound like you?

Take our fast and simple Top-10 True/False Test and find out if your content is optimized for maximum business performance.

Then, find out how Doctor Of Content can help.

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How To Tell A Story : NPR’s Scott Simon

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I came across this piece by National Public Radio’s Scott Simon on “How to Tell a Story”. Scott works in the radio world, but everything he says here relates to storytelling excellence in video as well. At Doctor Of Content (my alter ego), I also think about storytelling as the most powerful and memorable way to get across a message. Here are some of the qualities that Scott suggests should be part of any great story.

  • Great stories should have a point – something you can take away.
  • Great stories should have a great beginning.
  • Great stories should be told in short, breathable sections (tell it in breaths with a rhythm).
  • Great stories should be conversational.
  • Great storytellers should use new technologies (such as Twitter) to help find, and help others find, new stories.
  • Great storytellers should have fun creating their stories (your energy will come through).

Here’s a few items that I would add. Read more →

Origin of a Yoga Instructor

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While studying to be a classical percussionist in college, Ben McLellan developed tendinitis in his forearms. He explored many options, none that worked, until his sister recommended yoga.

Ben is now a yoga instructor and owns Underground Studios in Watertown, MA. Its mission is focused around the concept of wellness and giving. The studio’s highly trained teachers and practitioners strive to provide clients and students with the space and guidance needed to reenergize, relax, strengthen, share, learn, grow and flourish.

I visited Ben’s studio to interview him about his practice. After the taping I mentioned that I was experiencing some lower back pain from moving camera and lighting equipment. Ben graciously offered me a half-hour of yoga stretches. I felt calmer and my back pain eased and then disappeared the next day. I’ve continued the practice each morning since.

If you live in the Boston area, I highly recommend checking out Underground Studios.