An Impromptu Blog Review- Theraputic Family Law

Recently B. James Stinson, author of Theraputic Family Law blog, sent a comment and some link love my way. As a small token of thanks, I offered a suggestion or two for improving his site, which has good content but a few design issues.

Here's what I had to say:

Hey James, thanks for the terrific comment and the 'link love' to ADRPracticebuilder.com.

Last year we did a teleseminar on websites and blogs with Lisa Welles. If I were channeling her now, she might offer suggestions like:

Ease readability by using a white background instead and increasing the font size. 60 million baby boomers get their info online, but only if they can read it!

Boost readership by having a publication schedule- bi-weekly, weekly or daily. If your content is valuable (and it looks like it is), people will want to know when to expect the next gem.

Make thing simple by adding categories or search function. An avid reader or a newbie will want to search quickly to find the post they need.

Last, consider turning relevant website section, which is very robust and valuable, intoa resource guide that you can exchange for email addresses or sell to create a small revenue stream.

Generally, I share this level of insights with my coaching clients on a Breakthrough Call. I had so much fun writiing this comment I think I'll turn it into a full post.

Have a look and share your feedback here with James. The more, the merrier. (Special thanks to Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger who runs a community blog critique that inspired this post. Darren is a real pro.)

Want your blog critiqued?

Let's try an experiment. I'll review and offer insights and resources for three mediation blogs for free. I'll select the winners based on the useful, insightful, encouaging comments you leave for James. Specifically, please help James think about:

1. How to make the blog more user-friendly?
   
   
2. What should be added or removed from the site?
   
   
3. What niche should he target?

Try. Fail. Learn. Grow!
Dina

Biz, Net, Info or Not: Picking a Domain Extension

It never ceases to amaze me how complicated something very easy can become. Got a problem. Easy solution- talk it out. Want a domain name- get the .com. Quick,simple, easy...right? Wrong, there are many options about domain strategy. This is my take on it.


Which One is Best?

Monica, one of our members, recently made the huge transition from her day job to full-time ADR professional (Yeah, Monica!) She wondered about whether she should get the .biz,net,info domain extensions when she purchased her .com. Here's my answer:

Way to go! About domain extension. It's personal choice although Go Daddy will tell you that it protects your site from future competitors or loss of redirected traffic (i.e. wonderful.biz grabs traffic from wonderful.com) It's a toss up.

So this last shopping trip I split the different and bought one domain with 'all the sides' and one without. We'll see over the year ifthe investment pays off.

Of course, there's a better answer than this. So, if you know it, please leave a comment.

Getting a Bargain Domain

Every little penny adds up when you're building a practice. Get in the habit of looking for less expensive options (that doesn't just mean low cost but also high value).

Before purchasing domains from Go Daddy ( the registrar I use) SEARCH for a COUPON. I got the annual rate down from 9.99 to 6.95. HOw? I Googled 'go daddy coupons' found a site and plugged in codes until one worked in the shopping cart

What's this mean to you?

Pick what you want. It's highly unlikely that failing to get the extra extensions will be the end of your practice. The real gem I got from Monica is: TAKE ACTION.

Try. Fail.Learn. Grow!

Dina

What the Bleep is Your Website About?

In the wacky world of website development, it's easy to get distracted. What with SEO, long tail copy, keywords and such - there's a lot to pay attention to, especially if you want people to find your site and engage with you.

Now, I thought I was doing a pretty good job. I recently revised my homepage copy at ADRPracticebuilder.com to longer copy that satisfies the basic questions about being a member. I added some fancy picture testimonials (that was tough but very worth it). I even added the Google analytics codes to my pages (next step is actually reading the reports). Sounds great, huh. Eh, no.

What the Bleep is My Site About

After all that work, I thought I'd captured what the site is about - you know, marketing for mediators. Wrong! Turns out my site is about mediators only. How'd that happen?

Larry Chase, who has a terrific newsletter filled with all sorts of cool, useful software and tips, suggested that the keywords on a site, and their concentration, will tell a different story about the purpose of the site than the creator intended. When creating the copy, I was thinking about marketing, niche practice and mediators but somehow the word marketing doesn't appear on the site. Not once. How do I know? I took the test, and you can, too.

Google Keyword Tool

This is a great tool for figuring out the best keywords to use or how to evaluate a niche. It's also a terrific way to find out what Google thinks your site is about and who your competitors are.

Here's the link: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Copy and paste this into your browser.

Go to the Related Keywords Tab, then check off 'include other linked pages'. Then plug in your URL. A minute later you'll get a list of the keywords on your site and the related keywords. Turns out 'divorce mediator' is the second biggest keyword group behind 'mediators'. Since I'm really talking about marketing and niche practice development...I got some 'splaining to do' as Ricky often said to Lucy.

Websites and Gardens

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Websites are like gardens. They always need tending. If you have tech questions, you'll be delighted to know that Sandy De Freitas, Tech Coach, is going to join me on Sept. 28th to calm our fears and dispense practical advice. Register now so you don't miss out.

Try. Fail. Learn. Grow.

Dina

Could 60 Million People be Wrong?

It's possible, but I don't think so. According to the Pew Institute 60 million Americans use the internet to make major life decisions. The Internet is becoming, or perhaps already is, a primary source of information and resources for Americans.

Question is: Will anyone find your mediation website and if they do will they choose you?

For whatever reason, mediators have been slow to embrace technology as a means to market better and improve the efficiency of their practices. Too bad because it makes a world of difference and it's really not that hard to have a web presence that educates and attracts consumers.

If You're Stuck

If you've been avoiding starting, finishing or updating your website because you:

a) don't know html
b) don't know what to write about
c) are just too confused

There's help out there for you. Let me point you in the right direction.

You don't need to learn html, although it's helpful to know a handful of basic formatting codes. You can hire someone to create a 5 page website for under $1000. Guru.com is a site full of web design professionals. That's what I did to launch the beta site for ADRPracticebuilder.com. You get a good products but it can be a bit confusing working with folks from around the world. (Maybe I'll host a call on using outsources this fall)

You can also find local gems like Lisa Wells of Coast2CoastBusiness.com. Lisa is a techy VA (virtual assistant) who offers a terrific Starter Web Package that creates a 5 page website that's ready to go. She does all the heavy lifting like getting the URL, providing hosting, setting up email and some graphics. All for $600. At that price point, there's really no excuse for not having an interactive website.

Lisa will be my guest on Thursday, July 26th at 1:30 when I grill her about the best and worst of websites. She'll share all her pet peeves, and I've even convinced her to talk about her strategy about putting pricing on your website. If you're just starting out this call is perfect for you because it hits the basics.

You already have plenty to write about, believe it or not. As a mediator who works on problem-solving on a regular basis you have valuable information to share--and I'm not talking about the benefits of mediation. Sit down that think about the 3 questions you are asked most often by prospective clients. Write them down. Answer them. Eh! viola, you now have a short (300-500 word) article entitled, Three Things People Need to Know about Mediating Blank.

You can also hire writers to take your ideas and thoughts and turn them into articles. Drop by CreativeMoonlighters.com and browse their panel of creative geniuses. You can buy articles in bulk (25-50) for about $5-7.

Personally, I think it's better to write your own with help. That's why I was so excited to find Linda Dessau, a professional writer from Ontario, Canada. Linda's doing a series of teleseminars for me on how to write articles this August. She's so easy to work with that she's helping me craft a Mediation Mensch book.

No worries if you're still feeling a bit tentative or confused. You'll get the hang of it and there's plenty of support available. Tammy Lenski offers some fine ideas over at Mediator Tech. And, we have a whole community over at ADRPracticebuilder.com and you're more than welcome to join us.

Two Great Examples

I'm inspired by examples so I wanted to leave you with a few websites that I consider effective and high quality.

Chi-Resolutions.com Carole Houk's healthcare dispute resolution firm

MediationtoStayMarried.com Laurie Israel's marital mediation firm

Oh, I almost forgot! Lisa and I invite you to enter our contest. Everyone who registers for Website Do's and Dont's on or before JULY 24th will be eligible to win 60 minutes of tech and content coaching for your website from Lisa and I and a mention in Mediation Mensch. Nancy Milton our last winner said traffic to her site soared after a mention.

Try. Fail. Learn. Grow!
Dina