In the early days of the web many sites were created with the simple idea of establishing a presence on a new medium.  Other sites were created with the idea of generating new business or fulfilling some other business function, but little was known about how people used the web and what strategies would maximize the effectiveness of a web site.

Eventually, web sites began to give more focus to attracting visitors and getting these visitors to take action.  With a lack of detailed tracking, these marketing efforts were difficult to measure and adjust.  The booming market in search advertising helped fuel the creation of modern analytics software which gave web sites the ability to segment their audience and truly evaluate their marketing campaigns.  This not only gave advertisers a level of tracking unavailable in any other form of advertising, it also furthered the science of creating web sites by giving designers a better understanding of how to build sites for maximum effectiveness.

The future of the web will focus highly on action-oriented web sites which are tested and adjusted, over time, to maximize performance.  Software is already available that allows for sophisticated methods of testing different designs, layouts, and text, ultimately determining what makes a website more effective. 

We’re not at a stage where it is practical or cost effective for small businesses to conduct this level of testing and analysis, but clearly a lot has changed in how sites are created today based on what the past has taught us. By taking a fresh look at your old web site and defining a better strategy, determining the needs of your target market, and meeting those needs with strong calls to action, the finished product will be a site design which is better oriented toward achieving your goals.

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Blogs are great tools for maximizing the effectiveness of your web site. They allow you to quickly and easily add content, build up the size of your site and keep postings fresh for a low cost. Blogs are what you make of them; there is not one specific way they have to be used or a schedule you need to keep up with. You just need to be clear with their capabilities and develop a strategy that fits the goals of your practice.

Below are some ways you can use a blog as a marketing vehicle for your practice. You can use some or all of these ideas to help build your own blogging strategy. Over time you will begin to discover the value of having a blog associated with your web site.

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What are Blogs?
Blogs are web logs that are updated on a regular basis by their author. They can contain information related to a specific topic. In some cases blogs are used as daily diaries about people’s personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever you, the author, want them to be.

Blog’s give you an opportunity to write content that is unique to you and your practice. While some people are uncomfortable with self promotion, your blog gives you an occasion to interact with your visitors while promoting who you are and what you do.

Today blog’s are being used for all sorts of purposes. You have companies that use blogs to communicate and interact with customers and other stake holders. Newspapers incorporate blogs to their main website to offer a new channel for their writers. Individuals also created blogs to share with the world their expertise on specific topics. And so on.

How do you get people to read your blog?
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Plug ins and widgets are programming scripts that add functionality to a blog. By default, blog installations come with a set of standard widgets and plug ins. The standard settings are normally sufficient for a practice in order to create an effective blog. A few practices, however, expand the functionality of their blog by installing additional widgets and plug ins.

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