Online presence, Web tools, SEO Tony Farrelly Web & Online Media

Topics Building your website Creating social media strategy Blogging, articles, posts & advertising SEO Engagement Landing Pages Analytics

Building your website Choose a hosting option (free – WIX, paid – Wordpress.com w/Blacknight solutions) Select a relevant URL Build your website or hire designer Create relevant informative content Mobile Responsive SEO friendly Notes: I studied journalism and one of the first things a lecturer told us was that we had to produce simple written communications that a child of 9 or 10 could understand. Even with just a Leaving Cert, this is difficult so it takes a lot of practice. Lots of short or long sentences in a row can be boring, so vary your sentence length. One long sentence followed by two short ones will keep the attention of your reader.

Building your website Options: Wix – free professional websites . Drag & drop editor Many different templates in free version No coding knowledge required Mobile Responsive Wordpress.com Multiple templates/themes No coding required Responsive + SEO friendly Notes: For a general reader, your article is their entertainment on the bus into work or at lunchtime so make it enjoyable. Having said most people want to learn something from your writing so make your point, and back it up with an accessible case study or piece of research that you think a general reader could repeat.

Building your website Purchased Options: Self-hosted Wordpress Website Requires hosting & Domain Purchase 1000’s templates/themes available No coding required but template setup can be tricky, but guides are available online & Youtube. Responsive + SEO friendly Owner has total control of files/content/security Initial setup cost: €50-€80 Ongoing cost: approx. €30 per year

Building your website URL – memorable & relevant to your business Short URL is best and easily remembered if possible Build website: Mobile responsive – more than 87% of internet users are smartphone users Since 2015 smartphones used more than tablet & desktop to visit websites.

Building your website Website Content: Products/Services: People need to know what you offer. (Different page per product/service = better SEO) Web is a visual medium: Images, graphics and/or Videos are helpful Navigation – Information can be found easily Industries: If you serve particular industries promote that fact. Also good for SEO. Social Media feeds if relevant

Building your website Contact – The more options people have, the more likely they’ll do so. Email/Phone/Address visible on most pages – Header/Sidebar/Footer Call to Action: ‘Click here to subscribe’ or ‘Request more info’. Tell visitors what to do next. SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – see slide 12

Creating social media strategy Top 5 Rules Research your audience and match your choice of social media to that target demographic Don’t just broadcast on social media – engage, it’s a conversation! Create content that is relevant, useful and shareable. Don’t just create content, create contentment. That rule of marketing remains the same regardless of the medium used. When communicating via social media you are dealing with a person. Neglecting to listen and respond is always a #fail

Creating social media strategy If relevant use feed on Website – keeps content refreshed – Good for SEO Good for consumer engagement Widely used on mobile 1st stop for potential customers to find information about your business/product - Social media more info

Blogging, articles, posts & advertising Create & share content to provide information, create engagement, connect with industry influencers, drive traffic to website & improve online presence Blog posts on own website Guest posts on external websites (links back & forth) Advertising content (relevant advertising) Videos and other visual content Publish well-written and relevant content

SEO Search Engine Optimisation Search engine algorithms (content/keywords/time online/loading time/responsive website Create SEO friendly website; Use keyword generators (i.e. Google keyword generator) to find best keywords and use them in content on site. 1 page per product/Service improves SEO results Keeping content updated regularly Fast loading, mobile responsive pages Improves your search engine rankings Easier to be found online

Engagement Engage people in conversations Develop ongoing relationships Establish reputation Grow your brand Social media, share content, opinions Post content that answers questions Use a consistent tone of voice that aligns with your branding

Landing Pages A landing page is a web page designed to provide more information about a product, service or special offer, and encourage a visitor to answer a call to action i.e subscribe to newsletter, request price, request call back or more info. Pages for each product/service Landing pages are the last thing people see before deciding to use your service/product or not. Defamaton

Analytics Use analytics (Google analytics if you host website) to see what page visitors are landing on, staying on, and exiting your site from Many online tools like Wix/wordpress have analytics ‘plugins’ (free add-ons that can be installed easily onto your website to track analytics) that will collect lots of user/visitor data for you to view.

Analytics Helps you understand the type of content appeals to your visitors i.e. pages with video, infographics or text or text heavy content with bullet points etc. These analytics can provide you with the information needed to improve the pages/content on your website going forward.

Questions Ask Lisa or Linda

Questions Email: web@dit.ie Tony Farrelly Thanks