Winning a Website Award Is Only Half of the Battle
Prestigious website awards have long been used to help marketing professionals promote an organization's Internet efforts. But, what does it take to have an award winning website? According to the Web Marketing Association, it takes a site that brings many aspects together to create a total user experience. Since 1997 their WebAward Competition for Website Development has set the standard of excellence for website development all over the globe through the seven criteria of a successful website they developed and use to judge the annual WebAward Competition.
Here are the seven criteria of a successful website:
Design - Most of us judge the book by its cover and the same goes for Web sites. If a site looks old and unsophisticated, the site will loose much of its credibility. If the design it current and up to date, then the user will be more likely to continue on.
Content - "Content is king" has been the mantra of most award winning Web sites. People go to Web sites for the content and if the content is missing then they will leave disappointed.
Innovation - Sometimes called the "wow" factor, innovation is probably the most difficult to achieve. As soon as everyone realizes what is on your site and copy it, you have last the innovative edge and have to come up with something new again.
Technology - Use of technology can significantly impact a website's usefulness and ability to deliver its content. If a site uses too much technology, users may have to work harder to get what they are looking for. On the other hand, effective use of emerging technology can enhance the user experience by adding to the sense of innovation and "coolness".
Interactivity - Some websites are designed only to supply information. Other sites use calculators or tools to take the data a user supplies and extrapolate it into useful information or employ games to improve the online experience.
Copywriting - Thousands of dollars are spent designing a site and programming a site and all too often the words used are confusing or inadequate to convey the proper meaning. However, the best sites are well written and proofread to eliminate typos.
Ease of use - In the early days, some of the "coolest" sites also were impossible to navigate. Today web sites are much better at letting the user know where they are in the site and how to find the information you are looking for. On the best Web sites, you can get to any other content on the site in three "clicks" or less.
After You've Won
Once you entered and won an award, it's time to kick into high gear and make that award earn back its entry fee. Here are some ideas to help you promote your award once you've won.
The cornerstone of many successful PR programs starts with a press release. In the past, a press release was an efficient way to get information about a "newsworthy" event to your industry's media outlets. Today, releases also play and important role in search engine optimization. First, a release will show up in the search engines providing excellent content for users searching for those keywords. Secondly, the major search engines rely on "back links" or sites that are linked to the main site that is being ranked. Make sure to include the winning site's URL in the release and send it through one of the major distribution services, like PR.com for the greatest effect.
These days, social media is another great place to get the word out about your "award-winning" website. Once the news is posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn or any other platform you participate in, make sure your employees like and share the posts with their networks to gain the maximum traction. Supporting the post with a social media ad campaign will further increase the visibility of the win.
If your "award-winning" site has an awards page, makes sure to link the award back to the award website. Being linked to a site with lots of award winning sites will certainly not hurt your ranking with the search engines. If you don't have an awards page on your site, maybe now is the time to start one. The credibility of even a major brand's website can be helped by the third party endorsements of winning awards recognized by the online community.
Another important aspect of promoting an award is the award itself. Every reputable award program provides a plaque, certificate, trophy, bowl or similar physical award for the winner to display. Make sure these awards are shown where employees and clients alike can see them displayed proudly and boost morale. It's also a smart idea to order awards for the winning clients so they, too, have a physical reminder of your work for them.
Employees can be a company's biggest fans and making sure they know about the award will be the best form of viral marketing. Encourage employees to add the award in their signature file sent with emails. They need to know as much about the award as they can before they will feel comfortable talking with customers and prospects, so make sure they are in the loop early.
In this competitive job market, having a series of awards listed on your personal resume and LinkedIn Profile can only help you when it comes time for promotion or to explore new opportunities for personal growth. If and when you do move up the corporate ladder or move to a new company, make sure you update your email address with the various award programs so you’ll stay informed when future award opportunities are at hand.
William Rice is President of the Web Marketing Association and has served as a judge for its WebAward Competition for Website Development since its founding 27 years ago. Entering the WebAwards can provide not only a great marketing opportunity, but independent feedback in terms of industry benchmarks and judges feedback. Enter at www.WebAward.org.
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