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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
2 fundamental digital paradigms
▸Search
▸Most of your customers will SEARCH for you or your
competitors on Google, BING, Yandex, etc, using
keywords, long-tail phrases, etc.
▸Social
▸Social is not just about Facebook, but also the spectrum
of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and all emerging
content platforms that allow engagement.
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
Search is your key
▸Whether you are a B2B or a B2C business, you need to be
found (i.e. your customers can SEARCH for what they need
or want, and FIND you on search engines like Google and
BING).
▸While some content platforms can be found by search
engines, the primary platform for customers to find you, is
your WEBSITE.
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
Website - Pretty or Functional?
▸A “pretty” website tends to have poor SEO. Why?
▸Big graphics/images, which slows your website down.
▸Worse, animations and “flash”, which slow it further.
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
3 Litmus Tests for a profitable website
▸Choose a website designer/developer wisely.
▸Think about these 3 factors:
▸1. Speed (SEO)
▸2. Security (more than SSL)
▸3. UX (user experience)
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
1. Speed (and SEO)
▸Speed is everything.
▸A slow website ruins your SEO, turns away your customers,
and reduces your audiences (especially on smartphones).
▸Don’t forget, more and more people use mobiles now!
▸Run your website (or your developer’s) through this test:
▸https://gtmetrix.com
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
2. Security
▸Security is critical. It is a job for sysadmins, not designers.
▸Don’t stop at SSL (https://). That is the minimum today.
Configure your server well. If you are using a CMS like
WordPress, configure it securely.
▸Especially important for e-commerce and B2B websites.
▸Run your website (or your developer’s) through this test:
▸https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
3. UX (User eXperience)
▸Is your website effective and user-friendly?
▸Can your website be viewed by mobile users?
▸Can your website load quickly on 3G/LTE connections?
▸Does it have sufficient text content to explain things well?
▸Try this fascinating test:
▸http://nibbler.silktide.com
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
Fast, Secure, Mobile & Wallet-friendly
▸Design - keep it simple, minimalist, for speed and SEO.
▸Secure - keep it updated, properly configured, for peace of
mind for your customers (and yourself).
▸Wide - keep it pervasive to desktop, tablet and also mobile
users. Don’t shut out emerging and important users.
▸E-commerce - and if you intend to sell products,
subscriptions or services, make the buying journey easy for
customers.
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
How much would a website cost?
▸You can go cheap, or expensive. Try this simple calculator:
▸http://howmuchdoesawebsiteco.st
▸If you use WordPress or any other CMS, look for minimalist,
responsive (mobile-friendly), and safe templates. There are
many FREE ones available. Check the theme for security:
▸http://themecheck.org
▸Remember, keep it simple and secure.
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Copyright© McGallen & Bolden Group + Seamus Phan. All rights reserved.
McGallen & Bolden Primer - 3 Litmus Tests for a Profitable Website
Website - your business lifeline
▸Stick to the 3 critical factors and your website will become
your business lifeline:
▸1. Speed (SEO)
▸2. Security (more than SSL)
▸3. UX (user experience)
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