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What They’re Saying…
Successful online initiatives require a balanced layering of content, design, technology, and search engine optimization.
CONTENT
Content is king. Without content, there is no reason for visitors to return to a website. Relevant, accurate, and timely content is the key for creating a site that gives users a reason to rely on the published content, over and over again. There always exist opportunities in every organization to further encourage online engagement via a careful implementation of a variety of community development and new media tools.
DESIGN
Content is king, but presentation is critical. A website can offer substantive content, but if it is not presented in a compelling and engaging manner, it will not be read.
Online development is evolving rapidly. That which was current last year is no longer current or relevant today. In the world of online political activism, this is especially true. The 2008 Obama campaign truly transformed the role of new media and set a higher standard for features, functionality, design, and the role of community in online initiatives. The online efforts of the Obama campaign is now the gold standard in political activism.
When designing online communities in these late stages of the Web 2.0 era, the following keywords should be considered: Fresh, Clean, Light, Fast, Relevant, Intuitive, Engaging, Compelling, Substantive, Community, Interactive, Mobility, Continuity, Simple, Flexible
TECHNOLOGY
Technology should meet the needs and expectations of your users. Websites are living documents and are easily upgraded. If your technology is more than 18 months old, it is time for a technology audit.
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
SEO is a critical component in reaching your audience. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN have the ability to drive significant traffic to websites. When a site is actively managed to be search engine friendly, it ensures better search results, higher page rankings, and more traffic.
There is not a silver bullet solution for optimizing online content for major search engines. The effort involves many nuanced activities and requires diligence over an extended period of time.
The first step in this process is to identify a high quality statistics and analytics tool to measure website performance and monitor the relationship between SEO efforts and traffic growth. Understanding this important relationship will result in a more effective use of resources and improved measures of accountability.