Social Media Domination

Compendium has not simply designed our user administration interface with simplicity, we've extended that simplicity out to our standard template. During the sales and implementation cycles, we're often asked to mimic a complex web design, or customize the interface with lots of 'stuff' per other Blog CMS platforms.

We push back... hard.

The templating system we utilize is open and 100% CSS driven so that anything is possible. The problem is that anything is not the thing that will drive results to your business.

The value of blogging is simple from an SEO standpoint:

People search.
Search engines provide the relevant answer.
People read the answer.
Some people engage further.

There are quite a few articles and a couple of books on maximizing conversion rates and landing page optimization. All of them agree:

Show the relevant content that people were looking for.
Provide a compelling call to action for the person to engage your business future.

Sidebar widgets and gadgets and other information are diversions from the task at hand. They clog the interface, divert attention from the answer, and confuse the person's next step.

Here's an example from fellow blogger, John Chow:

John's page has no less than 50 calls to action (text and image ads) on it. Why? John's page is not a corporate blog, it's a blog to make money off of corporate sponsorships and advertising revenue. Other than to buy ad space, the purpose of the site is to make money from folks hitting ads.

The way to ensure this happens is to place ads everywhere you can find real estate. It's a great blog and it works at driving advertising revenue to John. John also does NOT rely on search engine traffic for acquisition. In fact, I believe Google dropped him from the index a while ago.

Here's an example from Compendium Blogware's Business Blog:

Our focus is not that of a content management system nor of the off the shelf blogging software. We designed our system + our standard template + our call to action strategy to drive business results from search back to your company. It’s a proven force already in the industry. Extraneous features are a diversion and will significantly reduce the conversion rates of those people who land on your blog.

We absolutely want to cross-promote your site – where you can have all of the gadgets and widgets you'd like (and hopefully information in a neatly organized, easy to find, and attractive interface). However, on your blog, it’s going to hurt your investment.

A minimalist approach is the best approach – with distinctive call to action(s) that leave nothing to the imagination for organic searchers who land there. I would add that we’ve proven this methodology by drinking our own Kool Aid!

Additional Resources on Optimized Landing Pages and Maximizing Conversions: