posted by Mark

If you were able to check a web designer’s sites for W3C compliance and want to go even further under the hood, there are a few more things you can look for in their samples. Although some of the terms might seem a bit technical, you don’t have to fully understand what you are looking at to be able recognize certain characteristics. Here are two important questions to ask:

Are their websites coded using table-less techniques? The only thing you have to know about designing with tables is that it was once a very popular technique, but isn’t acceptable for a professional solution these days. Most of the designers still using them are either very inexperienced, or lack the coding skills to stay with the times – either way, it spells trouble for your site.

To check for tables, just right click on empty space somewhere on the sample page and select: “View Page Source” or “View Source.” You can also access the command from the menu at the top. It could be worded or placed differently on your browser, but it should be easy enough to find.

Scan the HTML code that comes up and look for a lot of these: ‹table› or ‹tr›; or ‹td›. Seeing more than a couple indicates that the site may be built with tables, and that you should be looking elsewhere for help.

Are their websites well optimized for search engines? Frankly, this isn’t going to be all that obvious to the naked eye. Still, there are a few things worth looking at, like whether the site has search engine friendly URL’s (something like www.websiteaddress.com/about-us is good; seeing www.websiteaddress.com/?id=294 isn’t). You can also check to see if each page on the site seems unique, and whether they have titles (the text that appears at the top of your browser) that describes them well and accurately. Or, you could even view the page source code again and look for tags like ‹h1› and ‹h2›, since these indicate that the content has been properly structured.

As we mentioned, a trip “under the hood” of a sample website isn’t going to be a familiar experience for most people who are evaluating web designers and firms. By taking the time to examine these clues, however, you can go a long way toward figuring out what sort of value you’re going to get for your money.

posted by Mark

Once you have examined a web designer’s portfolio, looked for clues about their design style and understanding of usability, you can take a deeper look at their work by peeking under the hood.

Obviously, just as a non-mechanic would struggle to gauge how well an auto shop had repaired an engine, it’s going to be difficult for most marketers and business owners to tell a lot about a site beyond its appearance. For that reason, you’ll probably have to be content to use some simple tools to point you in the right direction.

Ideally, you would want to know how well a sample website had been optimized for search engines (SEO), how secure it was, whether it featured a content management system, was easy to maintain and update, and so on.  Unfortunately, these issues are a bit too technical to dig into in this short post (although we may revisit them in a future series), but one thing you can quickly and easily determine is whether their sites conform to W3C standards or not.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with W3C, check out our post from a couple of months back that explains the concept, or simply know that it’s a way of measuring how well a site is coded for access and usability for different platforms and devices. Checking any website’s score is easy: just type or copy and paste the address in the form field at: validator.w3.org and hit “Check.” One or two errors/warnings here or there is not a major issue, but when you get a report with hundreds or errors, beware.

Another quick way to tell whether a site really works well, instead of just being a pretty sample, is checking whether it loads as it should in other browsers. Good web design companies will make sure that their sites work in all the major browsers (Internet Explorer v6 or 7 and upwards, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari), and on both Windows and Mac systems.

You don’t have to use sophisticated tools to get a sense of whether a web design team is doing quality work behind the scenes – you just have to know what you’re looking for, where to find it, and why the answers matter.

posted by Mark

When evaluating prospective web design and online marketing companies here in Dubai, another good idea is to stop thinking about someone interested in getting a website for a moment, and look at things from the perspective of someone who would be using one.

What this really comes down to is usability. For any vendor you are thinking about working with, assess some of their finished projects with an eye toward thinking about how easy they are to navigate and use. Do they load quickly? Is it easy to get from one page to another, and are the content and links clearly marked? These might seem like minor points, when you are looking at page after page of dazzling designs, but they aren't. Usability isn't just one more issue – it’s a key issue that can determine whether your new site helps you to reach any of your marketing goals.

Not every shortcoming in usability is going to be the design team's fault. There certainly are times when, even though one idea or layout is recommended, the client makes a final decision that forces the design in another direction. But if you are seeing page after page of Flash intros that take forever to load, nearly hidden navigation bars, and other issues that make it hard for the site to be useful, then it's fair to wonder why the designers didn't warn or inform their clients to make better choices.

It doesn't matter how wonderful your pages look; no one is going to stick around to view them, read them, or find the information they're looking for if your site doesn't feature the highest level of usability. That's especially true if they haven't done business with you before, since they aren't likely to stick around and see whether you are worth the time and effort.

To know whether a design firm is doing their job, you have to think like your own best future customer, and that means keeping usability at the front of your mind. Remember that, make sure you look for obvious clues, and look for vendors that make sites that are as easy to work with as they are to look at.

posted by Mark

In the last post, we looked at why it is so hard to choose a quality web design firm in Dubai, and how it can be difficult for businesses to tell what they are really getting for their money, given that so many web design samples look the same.

Even so, those samples aren't a bad place to start.

Regardless of whether you've come in contact with a design firm by way of referral, a search engine, or some other method, a quick peek through their portfolio should be your first step. Don't simply click on the images; have a close look at each one to see if there are any particular features, stylistic preferences, or tendencies that jump out at you.

Once you've done that, it's not a bad idea to take a look at the "portfolio behind the portfolio." What are we talking about? All of the things that aren't on the web pages you see, but that can be inferred from them: like how many clients the firm has, how recent the samples are, which industries they tend to work in, and who has been happy enough to write a testimonial about the designer’s work. By thinking about the samples in this way, rather than just checking to see if they "look good" or not, you can start to get strong clues as to what kind of work you can expect.

Although, as part of this process, I should point out a common mistake that many prospective clients make: looking for sites that are exactly like the ones they want to end up with – in other words, similar sites from the same industry, or having the exact type of layout you are planning to use. It's amazing how many clients fall for this trap; it's like going to a photographer and expecting them to have a picture of you on the wall already. It isn't important that your prospective designer have exactly the kind of site you want in their portfolio. What does matter is that they have worked on a variety of projects, and that you like the overall feel and professionalism shown in their samples.

While there are a lot of obvious and not so obvious pieces of information you can get from a web design firm’s portfolio, you're still going to have to dig a lot deeper. In the next couple of posts, we are going to show you how…

posted by Mark

It’s often said that selecting a company to help you design your web site, or get your online marketing off the ground, is a bit like buying a used car. Here in Dubai, that’s a pretty good analogy… if the car were sitting in the middle of a minefield.

What makes it so tough to find a company that’s reliable and worth the investment? Some of the difficulty has to do with the fact that there are a lot of different kinds of companies operating here – and each with their own ideas of what things should cost and what standards to work to. It isn’t unusual for a company to look for the standard three bids and get back anything ranging from AED10K to AED100K for the same job.

Even worse, paying more might not get you anything extra, in terms of real quality. The basics of web design and development are actually very easy. Anyone with text-editing software and a pair of brain cells to rub together can arrange a functioning  HTML page; add a little bit of artistic flair, or even a decent-looking template, and they might come up with something that looks passable.

But “functioning” and “passable” aren’t what most business want, or need. To really help them meet their marketing goals, it doesn’t have to simply look about right or feature your logo on the home page – it has to serve a business need properly to have any real impact. That means loading quickly, being optimized for SEO, and working across different browsers and platforms, just to name a few of the details that might not be obvious at first glance.

Over the next few posts, we are going to offer more in-depth advice on choosing the right web partner for your business. As you read through, however, remember this important piece of advice that we are opening with: it takes more than a quick look to choose the right vendor. When it comes to web designers in Dubai, it really is a minefield out there – but we’re going to show you how to keep your business from becoming another crater beside the road to online profits.

posted by Fakhri

You've done it. After months or even years, you've created a winning online marketing strategy that's bringing you new customers – and a healthy bottom line – month after month. Just as the realization sets in and you find time to congratulate yourself, however, the question "how do I make this work?" is quickly replaced by another that's just as likely to keep you up at night: "how do I keep it going?"

In other words, when should you change a winning formula?

As tough as it is to hear, the answer is usually right away. That's because, as the saying goes, what got you there isn't enough to keep you there. Usually, you've achieved a strong online marketing position by studying what others have done, emulating their efforts, and doing your best to catch up. But once you're to the front of the pack, isn't an option; in fact, there are probably dozens of competitors out there trying to catch up to you.

And so, finding success doesn't mean letting up. Instead, you have to find new ways to reach buyers, as well as find fresh messages to keep them engaged. Success can turn quickly to failure if customers become bored with what you sell, or can find better prices and service elsewhere. Making your business thrive online may have made you weary, but there isn't any rest…

You shouldn't take this as bad news, though, because the only thing better than a successful online marketing program is a more successful online marketing program. By continuing to learn, test, and improve, you raise the ceiling on your potential profits going forward – trading small victories for bigger ones.

At Blue Beetle, we are constantly looking for ways to help our clients find more profitability online. What we want them, and you, to understand is that "success" is never any fixed destination, but a series of stops along the journey.

posted by Mark

It has been said that the best way to predict the future is to invent it, and as far as search engine positioning goes, that’s not bad advice. If you can come up with the next hot buzzword or key phrase in a particular industry – or even amongst a targeted search group – then it should be pretty easy for you to grab the top spots on Google and the other major engines before anyone else can.

Accomplishing this can be easier than it sounds. All you have to do is choose a target market, find out what the industry leaders are talking about (or will be in a few months), and either get there, in an SEO sense, before any of your competitors do. Or, if your site is popular enough already, you can use new content to tilt the conversation in the direction you want to see it go. Before you know it, you’ll have a steady stream of visitors that you pulled out of thin air.

Creating the future in search is a great way to put yourself at the front of the pack. Here are a few more steps to get started.

Focus. Just as you can’t be all things to all people, neither can most of us dominate large numbers of search terms and phrases at once. Try to pick one or two that you think are likely to become more popular – and profitable – and use those as a starting point.

Be consistent. When it comes to building traffic, treat your new SEO efforts as you would any other. That means articles, links, and a steady stream of fresh content for search engine spiders to find.

Define yourself as an authority. Make sure that what you write and post isn’t just filled with new keywords, but positions you as the authority on the matter. “Buyers” are always preferable to “visitors,” and people like to buy from experts.

If you see a trend coming, don’t be content to spot it and move out of the way. Start optimizing your site for search engines now – you’ll be in prime position when the rest of the world catches up.

posted by Mark

For all the talk and theories about how to take advantage of the YouTube explosion – few can agree whether the billion-hits-a-day site is mostly Internet TV, search engine, digital university, or social media – it might be that answer has been with us all along. That’s because, rather than thinking about YouTube as a marketing medium, it’s better to see it the way users do: as a series of channels and clips.

Some viewers go to YouTube for entertainment; others to learn, or to stay in touch with their favorite teams, shows, and characters. But what makes them so great isn’t that they are uniform (they aren’t), but that they’re self selecting.

In other words, as with Google or Yahoo, users will tell you what they’re looking for by entering in a search term or visiting a certain channel. But on YouTube, because they’re searching videos, rather than web pages, you can even more closely guess at what they’re hoping to find… and then give it to them.

If the people who are likely to find your videos seem to be searching for an informational resource, provide them with one. If they seem to want to be entertained, wrap your marketing message in something silly and light. But no matter what you do, don’t treat titles and descriptions as tools to simply reel them in. You need hits to gain attention, but you need to hold that attention before you can persuade anyone to do anything.

YouTube works best as a marketing tool when it’s treated with the same common sense as any other online medium. Remember that attention leads to action, and then make a point to give people just what they want … along with a taste of your marketing message – they’ll reward you by not changing the channel.

posted by Amir

Here at Blue Beetle, we spend a lot of time helping our clients to find the flood of new traffic, orders, and profits that can come with a successful online marketing plan.

I guess we just take it for granted that they’re ready to handle them when the time comes.

To be fair, they usually are. For a lot of businesses, ramping operations up to meet a jump in demand is a good problem to have, and an easy one to deal with. For others, though, a sudden spike in orders can be a big headache.

With that in mind, ask yourself: are you really ready for online marketing success? Here are a ways to tell:

You could easily double your sales volume next month. If handling extra production, shipping, credit card transactions, and other details wouldn’t represent a problem, you’re probably well-poised for online growth.

Your site is ready for more traffic. It used to be fairly common to see business websites crashed by spikes in traffic. These days, most webmasters are better prepared, but it’s still a good idea to be sure your site could handle a rush of new shoppers.

Customer service isn’t a weak point. Often, where a lot of companies fail isn’t in finding new buyers, but keeping them happy once they do. Finding customers only to watch them leave after their first order – and possibly start spreading bad word of mouth about you when they do – is never going to lead to big bottom line improvements.

Most entrepreneurs and marketing managers don’t sit up nights worrying about what will happen if their online marketing plans are too successful, but it’s worth taking a few minutes to figure out whether you’re really prepared for the flood of new customers you’re trying to find.

posted by Amir

Even if you aren't a fan of football, you have to love the way players and news outlets have embraced social networking sites to broadcast news, opinions, and personal updates. You don't have to be a world-class striker or holding midfielder to follow their example. Here are a few things the World Cup has shown us about social networking:

Twitter is a great tool for broadcasting news, but only if people are already interested in what you have to say. We've heard from players, agents, and managers about their opinions on different games, their predictions about what's ahead, and even thoughts on the business side of things like transfers, new signings, etc.

For the biggest names, tweeting has been a quick and efficient way to share their thoughts, largely because they've already gathered thousands of followers. Take steps to build a large following of your own, then you'll start to realize the power of Twitter.

Facebook can help the world get to know you. For those who are newer faces to a lot of audiences, Facebook has been a popular first stop. With bios, pictures, and lots of background information, you can quickly learn everything you'd need to know about a player just by looking at his profile.

As your company gains dance and reputation, make sure that your Facebook page reflects that. If someone were to view your profile for the first time, what impression would they get?

YouTube is more popular than BBC, ESPN, or any other single channel... and a lot more cost effective as a marketing medium. By serving as an almost universal news and replay outlet for most of the Internet-connected world, YouTube is a first stop for fans looking for World Cup highlights. It's also an important destination for your customers and prospects.

Don't underestimate YouTube's importance; make sure that your videos, channel, and profiles are aimed at helping searchers first to find your company, and then leaving them with the impression that they would be better off doing business with you.