Receiving feedback, ideas and constructive criticism from others can be enlightening. It can open  our eyes to things in plain sight that we just couldn’t see. It can reveal possibilities that we just had not explored.

And so it is with your website.

Although it’s important to define our corporate identity and stick to it to the end, gaining outside input can help us gain new perspectives on what is working with our website, what is worth testing and what needs to be jettisoned altogether.

To that end, here are 5 critical things that you can do in 2010 to ensure a more successful website, all revolving around the exploration of new, outside perspectives:

5 Keys to a Successful Website

1. Ask Your Prospects

Who better to ask than those who are in a position to purchase your products and services? By far and away, this is the most important group to engage in soliciting feedback on your website.

2. Ask Your Clients

Getting input from existing clients is also invaluable. When soliciting feedback, though, remember to keep digging. Because you already have a relationship with them, they may initially hold back their deepest criticisms.

3. Ask Your Employees

It’s amazing how many companies do not ask their employees for input on their website. Employees can have keen insights into the market given the frontline nature of their roles, yet often this wealth of expertise goes untapped with regards to the company website.

4. Ask Your Mother

Ask someone from a different generation. It really doesn’t matter if you ask your mother, father, grandmother or grandfather. The point is, different generations interface with the web in different ways. Seek out the opinion of someone from a different generation to help you make your website easier for everyone to navigate and to use.

5. Ask a Pro

Get the opinion of a professional. Ask a web designer or usability expert. Ask a web marketer or website consultant. Here at Website Marketing NOW, we review and evaluate a steady stream of websites. Whether through a Website Audit or Website Consulting, we are continuously finding ways for websites to achieve greater monetization, and can help you take your website to the next level as well.

The point is, ask, ask, ask. Hear what others have to say. You do not have to implement every single recommendation that crosses your desk. However, by learning additional perspectives on your website, you will be able to improve and refine your site to ensure a much more successful year in 2010.

Now is an opportune time to take a step back and assess the website trends for the coming year. By identifying website trends for 2010 now, you will be able to develop a progressive plan for your website that will achieve greater results for your business this year.

So, let’s dig in and check out some of the biggest trends to expect:

10 Website Trends for 2010

Digital Keystone

Your web identity now goes way beyond your company website. Think about your blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page, Flickr images and any involvement you have in online social conversations. However, your website still acts as the keystone of your corporate digital profile. Just expect it to integrate more with your expansive digital footprint.

Practicality Reigns

The economy still stinks. And this means that companies are taking a more practical approach to websites. It’s not going to be about flashiness and novelty this year. Instead, brainstorm ways to make your website as useful to your target audience as possible.

The Power of Blogs

Blogs are still a tremendous vehicle for enhancing your online brand and for raising your visibility in the search engines. Setting up a blog is extremely easy. The value proposition is just too outrageously strong for companies to ignore it in 2010. Although some people said that blogs were dead upon the arrival of Twitter, that is simply not the case. Expect not only more blogs this year, but also better integration with corporate websites and also more video blogs.

Digital Integration

With the explosion of social media and social networking, expect a lot of social marketing integration with websites this year. Take a look at Skittles.com for a great example of this. Skittles has gone to the extreme of dropping you on their Facebook Fan Page when you head to their website, with a dashboard panel that connects you with its Twitter feed, YouTube videos, product pages, etc.

Mobile, Mobile, Mobile

The iPhone and iTouch have reached an adoption rate 8X that of AOL after its launch. More than 3 billion iPhone apps have been downloaded to date. Mobile app downloads are to reach $5 billion by 2014. More than 50 million people access the web via their mobile device. Face it, we are mobile. Get used to it. And this means ensuring that your website is viewable and optimized on mobile devices. It also means you should explore all mobile specific options for your site.

Interactivity

Expect more interactivity in 2010. Interactivity is a key advantage of the web over many offline marketing vehicles, and the technology keeps making it easier to incorporate interactivity into websites. Explore options such as forums, Q&A, surveys, polls, contests, suggestions, commenting, crowdsourcing, etc. If you do not provide options for interactivity, users will take it into their own hands — just check out Google Sidewiki, which enables users to comment on ANY website.

Video Everywhere

People love video. It’s as simple as that. YouTube serves roughly 10 billion videos on a monthly basis. Expect to see videos EVERYWHERE in 2010. They will be on home pages, on product pages, in educational content, on YouTube.com and MetaCafe.com, and in blogs. A good example of this is Wine Library TV, with more than 125,000 monthly unique visitors.

Clean, High Quality Design

Expect design to get better this year. There has been an overemphasis on DIY and free templates/tools for the small business community in the past. For anyone serious about their website, they need to take their website design seriously. This typically means hiring a professional website designer. The investment is worth it. In 2010, expect a higher level of quality of illustrations. Check out Meomi Design’s website, and it will open your mind to the possibilities of exceptional design for your site.

Personalization

Leveraging the examples of Threadless.com, Zazzle.com or Lulu.com, expect more personalization in websites in 2010. What the world is really waiting for is a simpler, easier and more scalable way to implement personalization in small business websites. The Website Marketing NOW team believes that such platforms will start to appear in 2010.

Big

There’s a trend towards big now. This means big headers, big type, big images, big calls to action. Think big, big, big. For examples, check out Matt Mullenweg’s blog, Infusionsoft and PixelResort.

Is your website ready for 2010? Are you planning ahead and proactively ensuring your website success? Have you taken the time to plan what you need from your website to maximize your business results in the coming year?

To help you get the most out of your website in 2010, here is a list of 10 keys to website planning.

Website Planning – 10 Keys for 2010

1. Goals

Be sure to identify, clarify and document the annual, quarterly and monthly business goals of your website. The more specific your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them.

2. Audience Segmentation

Be sure that your website is set up to target and resonate with very specific audience segments. You’ll have much more success by targeting your best prospective customers than by trying to be all things to all people.

3. Differentiation

Too many companies ignore differentiation and think that anyone visiting their website will of course understand why they should purchase from their particular company. Wrong. Make sure that your differentiation is very clear, right from the home page.

4. Customer Voice

Consumers and business buyers are now expecting a voice in the conversation. Empower them with multiple ways to communicate with your business, whether through online forms, toll-free numbers, email, online chat, forums, surveys, polls, Q&A, crowdsourcing, etc.

5. Customer Value

Make sure your website is truly serving the needs of your prospective customers, and not just “selling” to them. People are tired of being sold to. You should offer real value throughout the year. Identify how the needs and wants of your prospective customers change through the different seasons, quarters and months of the year, and align your website updates accordingly.

6. The WOW! Factor

Remember that your customers are real people with real emotions. Part of their decision to purchase from you or to do business with you will come from their emotions. Be sure to include some great “WOW!” elements to your website to evoke a positive emotive response in your site visitors. These could range from an amazingly useful eBook to a fantastic blog to a special, seasonal offer.

7. Budget

Remember the basics when you conduct your website planning. How much money will you dedicate towards website improvements and upgrades in the coming year? How will these funds be allocated throughout the year? Are your budgets aligned with your priorities?

8. Schedule

Many companies update their websites randomly. Don’t fall into this trap. You’ll enjoy much greater success by allocating set times in your schedule for continual website updates. Remember to allocate time for keeping up-to-date on the latest web capabilities and trends (e.g., real-time search) as well, and to incorporate changes to your site accordingly. Remember also to include a testing schedule in your calendar, to ensure that you are consistently pushing to achieve the full potential that your site has to offer your business.

9. Resources

Plan ahead to ensure you have all the resources you need to maximize your website results in 2010. There’s no need to feel that you have to take it all on yourself. Hire expert marketers, designers, programmers, copywriters and blog specialists to help you achieve your website goals.

10. Plan

Take all of the above and document a solid website plan for 2010. Documenting your website planning will ensure that you have thought through your site visitors’ needs upfront and have all of the time/money/resources you need to execute successfully throughout the year.

The holidays are a time for celebrating. And that means attending a string of parties and eating out at restaurants.

If you own or run a restaurant, the holidays are a time to capitalize on this opportunity by attracting new customers and building an absolutely amazing bond with your diners. But where should you start? What should you do? How can you maximize your marketing performance during the holiday season?

To answer that, we are providing a list of tips and advice for your website, online marketing, offline marketing and in-restaurant marketing during this critical time of the year for restaurants:

Restaurant Marketing for the Holidays

Restaurant Website

* Home Page – Have you customized your home page for the holidays?

* Specials – Let everyone know about your holiday special promotions.

* Holiday Parties – If you host holiday parties, make that clear and promote just how wonderful your establishment is for parties.

* Social Media Integration – Include links to your Yelp Profile Page, Twitter feed, Facebook Fan Page. Mention what people can expect from these platforms (special promotions, exclusive offers, inside information, the story behind the story, invitations to events, etc.).

* Mobile – Make absolutely certain that your website is mobile-friendly. People in their cars looking for a local restaurant ARE going to check out Yelp and your website on their iPhone and other mobile devices. You would be shocked to see how many websites just don’t function properly on a mobile device.

Online Marketing

* Yelp – If you run a restaurant, Yelp (with over 27 million monthly unique visitors) is a MUST. Manage your profile, respond to customer comments, get engaged. Do your best, as the Yelp app on the iPhone is fast-becoming an essential tool for anyone looking for a restaurant while traveling.

* Twitter – With over 22 million monthly unique visitors, Twitter is quite popular and a useful way for you to send real-time messages to your audience. Make them feel special for signing up to “follow” you by offering exclusive Twitter-only promotions.

* Facebook – With over 300 million users, half of whom log-in everyday, Facebook is critical. Create a Fan Page. Provide your crowd behind-the-scenes stories, photos and videos. Share special recipes. Offer special promotions. Announce an event. Etc.

* Blogs - Do you know the top bloggers in your area and around the country covering food, restaurant and dining topics? Identify 5 important bloggers and build a relationship. Offer them truly amazing and useful ideas and content. Help them serve their audience. The more organic mentions and links you receive from credible bloggers, the more the word will spread and the more visible your website will become in the search engines.

Offline Marketing

* Holiday Cards - Remember to send out a holiday card to your database of customers.

* Birthday Specials - According to the National Restaurant Association, more than half of Americans eat out on their birthday. Make sure you give ‘em a reason to celebrate at your establishment. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean there are not a huge number of individuals celebrating their birthdays at this time.

* Social Causes - Can you help feed the homeless and hungry in your community? It’s important to remember that we are all in this together. Help others.

* PR - Get involved. Get quoted. Get talked about.

* Partner - Partner with complementary businesses in your community. For example, you and your local movie theater can jointly promote a special “Dinner and a Movie” night.

In-Restaurant Marketing

* Holiday Party - Host an amazing holiday party. (And don’t forget to promote the event through Twitter, Facebook, email, your website, your partners, in-restaurant materials, word-of-mouth, etc.)

* Decorate - Tastefully decorate your restaurant with touches of the holidays.

* Surprise - Surprise each diner with a small gift of thanks.

* Holiday Fundraiser - Host a holiday fundraiser for a worthwhile local cause. (And don’t forget to promote the event through Twitter, Facebook, email, your website, your partners, in-restaurant materials, word-of-mouth, etc.)

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Earlier this year Fast Company announced The Fast Company 50 for 2009, identifying the country’s most innovative companies.

This is the seventh in a series of quick website evaluations, in which Website Marketing NOW is reviewing the websites of the top 10 of The Fast Company list. Are the websites of these companies just as innovative as the companies themselves? Or not…

Number seven on The Fast Company 50 list is Pure Digital Technologies (TheFlip.com), makers of the Flip video camcorder:

TheFlip.com Website Strengths

TheFlip.com website has various strengths. The rotating imagery above-the-fold on the home page is stunning and enticing. The main message of the simplicity of The Flip comes through cleanly and effectively.

The home page design is clean and extremely easy to navigate. Including video footage right on the home page helps site visitors see exactly what they get by purchasing the product.

Beyond the home page, there are product pages, buzz and community pages, and an online store.

One of the website’s greatest strengths is the personalization features, empowering users to upload their own photo or design and to apply it to the outside of the camcorder. Alternatively, the user can select a design from a vast, continuously updated library, including design selections from celebrities and musicians. And if this array of choice is just not for you, then create your own pattern using the online pattern generator tool on the site. TheFlip.com is one of the best, most practical applications of website personalization available in online retail today.

Another nice aspect of the site is the sample videos in the Products  section and DoYouFlip.com microsite. It makes sense to have actual videos created by the product so that users understand the potential of what they are about to buy.

TheFlip.com Website Weaknesses

Although the website is visually appealing and contains some positive aspects, the site overall is weak in fulfilling its potential. For such a fun product with so many potentially fun applications in people’s lives, the site does a surprisingly limited job in conveying such excitement or potential.

Although the simplicity of the site is a strength, the execution of what is selectively on the screen is a bit of a puzzle. For example, under the main window on the home page are three options. The first is: “Do You Flip? See our ads.” Huh? Seeing their ads is supposed to get me excited? What does seeing their ads have to do with the user? It’s a company-focused approach rather than a customer-focused approach.

Upon entering the site, music automatically starts playing. The user is not given any choice in the matter, with only a tiny speaker icon on the page as the option to turn off the sound. If the user doesn’t see this icon, tough luck. Not a great feature for a website, when many users would rather have full control of the sound on their machine.

The Buzz section of the site is especially disappointing. You’d think that for such a fun product, the Buzz section would be chock full o’ fun videos, fun PR, fun interactivity, etc. Instead, the presentation is mostly limited and static.

Why does the Products section not contain tons of videos of the camera in action? There are a few videos, but they are limited and not exciting by any means. How about adding videos of product feature walk-throughs? How about showing actual people using the product in their lives, showing the full potential? How about segmenting the audience so that different types of people can see exactly how the product is relevant to them? Think of the potential of TheFlip.com for schools? For kids? For sports teams? For clubs? For small business owners? For bloggers?

The Do You Flip link takes you to another domain: DoYouFlip.com. The videos there are fun, which is a good start. But there is no explanation of what you might find, or how to find more, or how to get more engaged in The Flip community.

Where is all the web page copy? The site makes a lot of assumptions, without explanations to the site visitor.

And finally, one of the purposes of a retail website is to convince people to purchase products. The site seems to have been constructed with the assumption that site visitors will understand exactly why they need to make a purchase. There is a difference, though, between the inclusion of “buy now” icons and the inclusion of compelling messaging that resonates with the site visitor. For example, it’s completely unclear why anyone with the latest iPhone (video functionality included) would need or even want The Flip. That’s a large audience that the website is ignoring…

We agree that The Flip is a GREAT product. It empowers people to create and share videos simply and easily. Bravo! However, in order to make the website as innovative as the product itself, Pure Digital Technologies should make a greater effort to add compelling video, messaging and engagement with its website.

Check out our other evaluations of the organizations ranked atop the Fast Company 50:

#1 Team Obama

#2 Google

#3 Hulu.com

#4 Apple.com

#5 Cisco.com

#6 Intel.com

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In case you haven’t read the news or ventured out of your house this year, guess what. The mobile web is here. And it’s coming on strong. Very strong!

If the 1950’s were about mainframe computing, the 60’s about mini computing, the 80’s about desktop computing, the 90’s about personal Internet computing, then we are now heading into an era of mobile Internet computing. In contrast to the mainframe or even the PC, the number of devices supporting mobile Internet computing is just staggering. The support includes cellphones, PDAs, smartphones, Kindle and other eBook readers, car electronics (GPS, etc.), games, wireless home appliances, and more.

Mobile Internet adoption is far outpacing its predecessors. According to Mary Meeker, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, the iPhone and iTouch have reached an adoption rate 8X that of AOL after its launch. More than 2 billion iPhone apps have been downloaded to date. Expect the pace of app development and app usage to increase in the coming year.

In the industrialized world there are more mobile phone subscriptions than people. (Think about that!) At 1.6 billion subscriptions, there are 1.3 mobile phone subscriptions for every person in the industrialized world. And in the developing world? Believe it or not, there are already over 3 billion mobile phone subscriptions!

What more needs to be said? If you want to be ahead of the curve in 2010, get mobile. What does this mean for your small business website?

• Make absolutely sure that your website is viewable and usable on an iPhone.
• Make sure it works on other mobile devices as well.
• Explore mobile site options such as m.domainname.com or domainname.mobi. These should be streamlined, slimmed-down, large icon implementations of your website.
• Expect mobile Internet usage to increase. For certain populations like the US Hispanic population, expect more people to rely on their smartphone as their main computer. Start developing for the platform.
• If you have a product or service that could help people in emerging global markets, get mobile. Fast.
• And for testing purposes of your site, purchase a few different mobile devices. If that’s too expensive for your business, at the very least check your site on a number of your friends’ and colleagues’ devices.
• Explore the development of apps. There are already more than 85,000 apps for the iPhone. What unique, value-add app could your business provide to your prospective customers?

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So, you start a new business and you know you need a website. But wait a second.

• Why is it exactly that you need the website?
• How does it tie-in to your overall business model and marketing strategy?
• How will you measure success?

Too many companies rush to create a website, without thinking through the fundamentals of their website strategy. Hopefully, you’ve given it some thought. Hopefully, you’ve documented your website strategy. Hopefully, you’ve aligned your team around common website goals.

But even if you haven’t, it’s not too late. Anytime is a good time to focus on your website strategy. And to that end, here are some pointers to ensure your website strategy helps you achieve your business objectives.

Website Strategy

In developing an effective website strategy, you should define the following elements:

• Your audience
• Your audience segments
• Your ideal customer
• Your products, services or solutions
• The problems that you solve
• The goals that you help your customers achieve
• Your positioning in the market relative to your competitors
• Your differentiation
• Your unique value proposition (If you were a prospective customer, why would you feel compelled to visit the website?)
• The reasons site visitors will value your site
• The reasons site visitors will remember you
• Your specific website objectives
• An understanding of how your site fits into your business model
• An understanding of how your site fits into your overarching marketing strategy
• The actions you want your site visitors to take
• Your calls to action in the site
• Your success metrics
• A schedule for success measurement

So remember. It’s never too late. If you have not yet defined your website strategy, block off half a day and get to work.

A focused site that provides amazing value to the site visitor will just about always outperform a directionless website. The returns on the time you put into developing and executing your website strategy can be exponential. So get to work and see your website results skyrocket!

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Women and men are different. They make purchasing decisions differently, and in turn, it’s important that your website is not ignoring the preferences, tastes and needs of your female audience.

A fantastic book published recently on the subject of the female buyer is Bridget Brennan’s Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching The World’s Most Powerful Consumers.

For example, in the book Brennan points out how many companies use images of women ineffectively. They assume that “youthful” equates to young, when in fact women tend to respond positively to images of “youthful” looking women in their upper ages. In another example, she highlights how men are more interested in how things work, whereas women tend to be more interested in what something will do for them.

In addition to the book, there are many wonderful resources online now to learn further about how to market effectively to women, in a way that truly resonates. To that end, here are 10 online resources for you to learn further about customizing your website and marketing to better align to the female segment of your audience:

• Marketing to Women Online
• Reaching Women Daily
• Diva Marketing Blog
• Lip-Sticking
• Wonder Branding
• Womentum
• andHow to Reach Women
• Advisory Link – Marketing to Women
• Learned on Women
• Holly Buchanan at GrokDotCom

Remember, women are females first, and consumers second. Learn to communicate effectively with them, and it will serve both you and your female customers better.

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Check out our latest blog posts on StartupNation.com, a site devoted to helping entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners build business and achieve success.

Our two most recent posts cover website usability and website planning for the upcoming holiday shopping season:

Improve Your Website’s Usability in 30 Minutes or Less
(The same amount of time it takes to clean your sock drawer!)

Are You Ready for the Holidays?
(If you are an online retailer, you NEED to read this now.)

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It’s as simple as this.

A person, let’s call her Jane, comes to your website. She reads through your web pages. She reads through your blog. She searches “your company name” on Google to find out more about you.

Then…she does the same exact thing for your main competitor.

What do you think happens next? Is it easy for her to make the decision to contact you or purchase from you? Or, is it nearly impossible for her to figure out how you are any different than your competitor.

Face it. One of the very most important things you can do to improve your website and build your business is to DIFFERENTIATE.

Don’t believe us?

Well, think about Jane. Think about how many times she’s purchasing from your main competitor rather than you. Think about all the Janes out there who rightfully SHOULD be purchasing from you, but instead are taking that money and funding your main competitor simply because they don’t see how you are different? Think about if even half of the Janes out there currently purchasing from your main competitor switched to you.

Now, that’s a lot of money. And it’s money that is driving your competitor’s growth today, rather than yours.

Want to change things and start driving increased sales for your business? Differentiate. Make that differentiation crystal clear in your website.

Leave no doubt in Jane’s mind.

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