Web Strategy

With an amazing aspect of surprise and measured fanfare, Google launched their new web browser Chrome yesterday to the delight of web technology enthusiasts everywhere. Unlike the nosedive of Cuil, Chrome is actually a very solid product on launch and man, it is fast.

We’re already getting asked “What does Google mean for search?” — if anything — and having had a chance to see Google present the product yesterday (which was refreshingly NOT filled with “leading edge next generation new paradigm” type gobbledygook) and test drive the software myself, I can honestly say that… well, Chrome simultaneously both does and does not mean anything for search.

Ignoring the eerie monopolistic and privacy concerns of Chrome, I’d like to remark on the statement Google made by launching the browser. In my eyes, Chrome is like a hydrogen car — it doesn’t mean that the gasoline-based car isn’t going to be around for a while, but it’s a powerful statement about where the web is headed.

Websites today have evolved rapidly from where they were just, jeez, a year or two ago, and even the foggiest, scuffed-up, cracked crystal ball can see a web that’s dominated by social media discussions and audio-video content. And, undoubtedly, a healthy Google, who in a large part is creating this world we’re soon going to be living in. A world of the thin client-side applications, where Google Docs and Gmail rule the world.

So it obviously makes sense to build a browser that improves the experience of using online applications, and hopefully it does, as Google suggests it will, spur more creativity, competition and innovation with the web browser.

A token of good news, for us search-loving types, is the seamless integration of the “omnibar” with the search experience. One prediction — if everyone starts using Chrome, we’ll see a rise in hits for “my company name” in Google Search (Chrome’s default behavior if you type in words rather than a URL).

For now? Chrome doesn’t affect your immediate web strategy, but is a clear signal of what’s to come. And if you weren’t already thinking about how the web was going to be different a year or two or five from now, it’s time to get on the train before it leaves the station, and your static, isolated site becomes an island in a sea of limitless noise, extreme entertainment, and ADD-driven discussions.

photo credit: Menlo School

Ahhh, back to school. Time for the kids to get packing with new backpacks, fresh notebooks, the latest fashions and, oh yes, sharp pencils (okay, maybe that’s a little old school, but bear with the metaphor for a moment).

We all spent an inordinate amount of time each year preparing for the school year, but what do we really get out of all that effort?

Do sharp pencils and clean notebooks really make a difference? Couldn’t we do fine with the last 100 pages of last year’s notebooks and the chewed-up leftovers from last spring?

But of course, as every student — and parent — knows, it’s not the sharpness of the pencil, per sey, that makes the good student. We could, if we really wanted to, get away with dull pencils. But it’s not about the pencils, it’s about the attitude.

I am here, I am ready to learn, I am serious.

That’s what sharpness says.

So, how about your website?

Does it say, “My business is sharp and can serve your needs splendidly?”

Or does it say, “Hey… I put this up and I know it’s not good, and I kept meaning to update it, but never really got around to it?”

And, based on what your website says, what impression do you think your customers will have?

You put the time into showing up sharp to your office every day, and your website should be no exception. Even if no one ever shakes your website’s hand, you can be assured that they can and do make a lasting impression of your capability based on what they see.

So, wanna get sharp? You can learn the basics at our webinar this afternoon, “Creating a Website That Works.”

photo credit: mattyturner

As I’ve made no effort to hide, I’m a fan of Seth Godin and in particular his philosophy on marketing as storytelling. This morning he wrote a nice post on “Creating stories that resonate” that leads to the inevitable question: does your website resonate?

This question is kind of an extension of an earlier question we asked — Is your website brochureware?, where we asked if your site is something that’s up there because you felt obligated to put it up, or if it’s a strategic, core piece of your company’s identity and marketing.

Having a website that resonates is not one thing. It’s not great design, it’s not great SEO, it’s not a great testimonial or whitepaper. In fact, many websites resonate while missing some of these components, and many fail to resonate with them.

What makes a resonating site different from their bland competitors is that they demonstrate an understanding of their intended audience and meet their needs.

What made MySpace or YouTube succeed where dozens of clones failed?

What makes craigslist such minimalist perfection and Copyblogger a site you can’t help subscribing to?

It’s not one element on the site. It’s the owners’ understanding of what their audience wants and a million minor things tweaked to meet those needs.

Once you’ve aligned your web site’s strategy to meet the needs of your customers, those million little things will start to work for you, too. The choices of keyword targeting become clear. The kinds of offers that work are evident. The design becomes a byproduct of function, not a me-centric portfolio piece. And of course, you start generating the stats that help you do better, and better, and better.

Just like there is no “quick fix” to turning around a site that’s not doing well in organic search, you won’t create a site that resonates from a bland one in a day. But you can start thinking about and connecting with, the hopes, fears, and desires of your customers and use that as your most important strategic advantage.

I couldn’t miss this sign on a local hotel chain (name obscured to protect the innocent) - “WELCOME: WE PATIENTLY AWAIT YOUR ARRIVAL.”

While I can kind of see what the manager responsible for this message was going for, all it did for me was conjure an image of dozens of happy, smiling employees sitting at the desk in a merrily-lit, but bleakly empty hotel lobby, as rooms upon rooms sat empty and the phone gave nary a ring.

Maybe it’s all the Seth Godin on the brain lately (I recently listened to “Small is the New Big” and have been chewing on different ways to be remarkable…), but this just seems all the wrong way to go about your business.

If you’ve got staff, use them! As much as I would love to be welcomed by your happy, patient people… it ain’t likely to happen, since I’m not probably not going to visit at all.

What makes this place better than the Marriot Courtyard down the street? Does it have better amenities? Stellar food? Better transport service? Room attendees that won’t steal my towels when I try to hang them up and use them more than once?

Sorry, your patient staff doesn’t make you any less forgettable among dozens of mediocre lodging experiences.

Unfortunately, I think this attitude prevails on websites, too. Many people seem to have a “build it and they will come” mentality when it comes to their website, all about pleasing what the business owner’s personal tastes are, but without a glimmer of attention for that of the customer’s.

You know what? I don’t care how much you love your eccentric design and cryptic navigation - I’m going to your competitor’s website because I can find what I’m looking for!

This same model applies to the marketing side of things, too. Building the coolest website in the world and just putting it out there, with the expectation that droves of interested customers will crash down the gates without any cohesive marketing strategy, is… well… not much of a strategy at all. A

nd if you’re just thinking about marketing your site as it’s ready to go live, it’s way, way too late.

So what’s the message here? Stop waiting around!

There are a million-million things in our modern digital lives that scream look-at-me-look-at-me-look-at-me-look-at-me. Your website needs to be a product of and exist in that world — but at the same time not be the “stick the foot in the door” salesperson of the last century.

Instead of patiently awaiting your customer’s arrival, concentrate on making your website a destination.