Custom website development is usually too complicated and costly in the long run.

I often work with clients who are rethinking their current website -some are simply outdated; others need a fresh design to optimize responses and increase traffic. But the ones that cause the biggest headaches – both for my team and the customer – are those built in a complex code language.

Let me give you an example. A new client of mine, which sold diet and weight loss foods, was getting plenty of traffic to his website, but wasn’t converting visitors to customers. We did a website analysis which revealed some reasons why: the homepage didn’t immediately communicate that it was a product driven, e-commerce site (versus informational), the most popular products weren’t featured prominently, the navigation was ineffective and the checkout process was cumbersome and confusing. Overall it didn’t provide a very intuitive or user-friendly experience.

From a marketing perspective, those issues are easy enough to fix. The big issue lurked in the site’s back-end programming. Because of the code language this site was built on, it would cost the client thousands of dollars to correct these otherwise straightforward problems.

Don’t Get Locked Into the Wrong Platform

This site was custom-made using Microsoft’s .NET framework and an older ASP programming language. Over the years, the client had hired several different developers to make changes to the site, and this caused a major problem. Every developer had added their own quirky bits of code, creating a ball of “code spaghetti” in the back-end. It would have be nice if each programmer had left detailed instructions as to what code changes they made, but they didn’t, which meant that when something doesn’t work right it becomes a nightmare to straighten out – even the simplest updates became time-consuming and expensive.

For example, we needed to change the hosting service for the website – a process that should have taken a few hours at most. But code idiosyncratic and workarounds with the shopping cart slowed things down to the point that it actually took more than 20 hours to complete.

That’s the problem with choosing a complex custom systems for your website, if you are dissatisfied with your current web developer, it’s not going to be easy to pick-up your site and move it to another firm – unfortunately its a unethical way to keep you locked-in and limit your options. So unless you’re will to scrap the site and start over, you options are limited and going to be expensive. In reality, only larger companies require those custom programming solutions and have the budget to maintain them.

Choose a well-known and supported CMS Instead

The client was understandably shocked by the cost to update his current site. What would I recommend instead? Well, my team would have built the site using one of the more popular and free Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla; something well-established, widely supported and robust. These platforms are easy to use, enjoy a large user base and are supported by a number of programmers and developers that provide frequent bug and security fixes.

In addition, these CMS’s offer a wide-range of pre-made themes (a website template) for under a hundred bucks. So you can have a professional looking website without spending thousands on website design. Because these CMS platforms are becoming so popular, there are thousands of widgets and plug-ins that provide almost every type of solution, flexibility  or functionality you would need in most websites – from shopping carts to search engine optimization, to polls to blogs.

You don’t have to know a lot about programming languages to select the right developer to build your next website, but you should do a little due diligence before hiring a web development firm. Here are 10 questions to ask a prospective web developer:

1. What programming language or platform are you using to build my site?
2. Why did you choose it?
3. What are its strengths and shortcomings?
4. What problems could it cause in the future?
5. Will it be easy to update, redesign and move my site?
6. Is it scalable?
7. How about reliable?
8. How large is the user base?
9. Is it widely supported?
10. Is there a more cost-effective option you haven’t presented and why?

Web development and design is moving towards implementing simpler CMS platforms and already own the majority marketshare. And designers are coming up with hundreds of new templates for them every month. So don’t pay more to reinvent the wheel – or, more accurately, to reinvent the entire car. Because when it breaks down, you’ll pay through the nose for parts.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Watching Super Bowl Commercials has become as entertaining as watching the game. And each year there are great new commercial that debut during the game (and plenty of duds as well). But Apple’s first ever TV commercial titled  “Big Brother” which aired during the 1984 Super Bowl, is still regarded as the most effective use of the advertising medium.

Consistent with the Apple brand, it broke many of the time-tested rules regarding advertising: it was long – one full minute; it only aired once (during the Super Bowl) and yet this ad is still talked about today as a masterpiece of advertising. It is one of the greatest marketing/concept ideas in terms of how to launch a product – and do it in such a way that has a tremendous amount of impact.

And because the commercial, which announced Apple’s launch of its Macintosh personal computer, had such inherently strong PR value – people and the news media were talking about it for days – which made the Mac’s launch a tremendous success.

Why didn’t Apple run the commercial again? In fact, running it again would have been counterproductive. Having it appear once made the commercial uber popular – because everyone wanted to talk about it and you were not “with it” if you hadn’t seen it.

Which also goes to show, there really is no hard-and-fast formula about marketing, especially with those media priests who preach that the power of advertising is in repetition. In this instance, repetition was unnecessary because the creative was so powerful in creating a perfect storm of an engaging, timely and unique advertising sensation.

This series breaks down different marketing tactics to help you determine which ones will best support your marketing strategy.

Today internet marketing plays a central role in how customers learn about your business.

Suppose you wanted to purchase business accounting software. Your search would probably look something like this:

1. Go to a search engine and type “small business accounting software.”

2. Scan the first page of search results.

3. Click on a link that looks promising, and then scan the website for features and pricing.

4. Bookmark it for comparison later, and look at a few more options.

5. Choose a product, buy it online with a credit card and download the software.

And you may have done it all without much consideration – before asking a friend for their opinion or driving to Staples to hear what a salesperson recommends.

Today people jump online for even the smallest purchase decisions, so internet marketing should be a regular part of your marketing activities. It’s probably the most versatile medium out there, allowing businesses to provide information, build brands, capture leads, offer promotions and close sales.

Below, we break down internet marketing by its most common components, and discuss how they’ll fit into your marketing mix.

Websites

At a minimum, every company needs a website – there’s just no way around it. It provides a low-pressure environment where customers can learn about your products or services, and then decide if yours is the best choice. Your site can also act as a hub for other marketing efforts, helping to integrate campaigns (online and off) and make sure those responses are measurable.

There are no real downsides to building a website. But there are a few basic guidelines you should follow to help it perform its best:

• Your website should explain who you are, what you do, why you do it, and why prospects should choose you over the competition. Try to answer any questions or objections visitors may have.
• Make it easy for visitors to find the information they want. Design your site with their needs in mind first, followed by the needs of your brand.
• Provide numerous opportunities for prospects to contact you throughout the site.
• Update your website frequently with blogs, articles or other content. Search engines love new content, and it builds credibility with prospective customers.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Of course, a website is only useful if people can actually find it. That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. Using keywords in your website copy and inbound links from respected websites helps your site rank higher in search results, which can significantly increase the amount of traffic your site draws from Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Is SEO really that important? After all, you’ll be sending prospects to your site every chance you get. Well, a 2011 survey by Forrester Research found that organic search results drive most website traffic. That means if your site doesn’t rank high enough on search engines, most prospects won’t know you’re out there at all.

Services like Google’s Keyword Tool help identify phrases your customers use to find you online.

The trick is identifying the right keywords and using them wisely. When researching keywords, look for relevant phrases your customers frequently use to find your product or service in search engines – particularly those few competitors are using. The more specific, the better. (Services like Google’s free Keyword Tool and WordTracker.com make it easy.) Then weave these into your headlines, subheads, page titles and page descriptions to get the best results.

But be careful not to get greedy with your search engine optimization. Stuffing your website with hundreds of keywords doesn’t work anymore, and in fact will work against you. The algorithms search engines use are very sophisticated. They’re good at recognizing websites that provide useful content for visitors and not just SEO tricks and schemes. As Google says in its own SEO guidelines: write for people, not search engines.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

With “pay-per-click” advertising (PPC), you purchase ad space next to search results by bidding on keywords your prospects use. The higher the bid, the more prominent your ad’s position on the page. And you only pay when someone clicks. (Actually, it gets more complicated, but that’s the basic idea.)

PPC campaigns can be highly effective for advertising specific offers. Your ads drive traffic to dedicated landing pages on your site that sell products and services or generate leads. Unlike SEO, it’s easy to calculate your return on investment.

However, PPC can also be complex and expensive. A successful program requires constant monitoring, maintenance and fine-tuning to get the most from each campaign. And the higher you want your ad to appear, the more you’ll have to shell out. Some companies budget thousands of dollars for PPC alone.

Banner Advertising

Banner ads are everywhere, so they must be effective, right? Guess again. In 2010 web users clicked on banner ads just .09 percent of the time, according to Google. In fact, eye-tracking studies show website visitors have simply learned to ignore them. It even has a name: “banner blindness.”

So if they don’t generate leads, why are banner ads still so widely used? In theory, banners can at least raise awareness when placed on websites that appeal to your prospects. More and more companies use animation, video and interactive elements to attract attention – like waving their arms in a crowded room.

But outside of clicks, there’s no reliable way to gauge their impact yet. In the end, designing a flashy banner may well cost your company more than it’s worth.

Need more tips on marketing tactics? Read the previous post in this series:

Your Marketing Toolbox: Public Relations
Your Marketing Toolbox: Advertising