Entries Tagged 'Web Maintenance'

Last week AOL Advertising, the largest online ad network, released a study revealing that Spanish-language online ads are not only failing to connect with Hispanic audiences, but actually alienating them. These ads are typically translated from English to Spanish, segmenting the audiences only by the languages they speak with little regard for their life stages, interests, or other psychographics… No wonder they’re turned off.

This report begs us to examine the way we build foreign language websites and how we speak to our multi-cultural site visitors. At Boston Interactive, we receive frequent inquiries from companies looking to expand their web presence into multiple languages. And as we operate in a global economy and a world that is so connected by the web, more and more organizations have to consider this every day. Even if your company does not need a foreign language site today, it’s important to consider whether it may need one in a few years. That way you can build your website to accommodate future phases. Read On

Inevitably, you are going to come to a point where you need to make a decision about how to grow your website or online communications efforts. Do you buy an off-the-shelf product or build a custom solution for content management, member management or an online community? There are a lot of options out there from Software as a Service (SaaS) models to open source tools. Read On

Smart marketers know that website content is the backbone of a company’s web presence. It defines the first interaction between the user and the company and sets a tone for further communication. What many don’t realize is that the forces of search engines have changed expectations for effective website content. Only two years ago, we sent out an article highlighting that the keys to good website content were concise writing, easy scanning, objectivity, and credibility. While all these things are still true, the prevalence of search engines as a marketing channel has brought more considerations into the mix. So how do you write content that is effective for both the user and the search engines? Here are five keys to keep in mind:

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I was watching the Pats game on Sunday at a bar on Boylston in Boston and ended up having a conversation with the VP of Sales for a large Telemarketing firm.  We shot the proverbial, well you know, but the conversation ultimately turned to business.  After our respective self downloads he posed an interesting situation to me.  Seems his company is spread out across the country in various departments and structures.   It is hard for all the players to stay in touch with each other and disseminate information except through email, which can slow the network down and also clutter the inbox.

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One of the worst assumptions a company can make about their website is: “The site is up, whew, glad we have that done!” This idea stands in stark contrast to best web practices and most web savvy business people know it.

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