As a part of the UW-Extension-led “Building Community Capacity through Broadband” program, and their efforts to demonstrate the importance of affordable, high-speed, rural broadband access, WebWise Design & Marketing and Carr Valley Cheese were recently featured in this video.

So, who are you trying to benefit from those changes you just made, or are contemplating making, to your website? What, or who, is driving those website updates? Are they being made because of any of the following?

• You, your boss, relative, or friend,  saw or read about, what they feel, is a cool feature on another website.
• Your  ___________ (fill in the blank) took a class on web design, and the instructor said  __________(fill in the blank).
• Several businesses similar to yours have large photos at the very top of the page, and rank well in Google Search results.
• Several businesses similar to yours have small photos at the very top of the page, and rank well in Google Search results.
• Several businesses similar to yours have no photos at the very top of the page, and rank well in Google Search results.
• Several businesses similar to yours have videos at the very top of the page, and rank well in Google Search results.
• You read on Facebook that you should __________(fill in the blank).
• You read on a blog with SEO tips that you should __________(fill in the blank).
• You saw a Tweet that said you should __________(fill in the blank).
• @@@@@@@ (Celebrity name withheld) had I guy on her TV show talking about having a YouTube video on all your main pages helping in Google rankings.

What often is forgotten is your target audience. Ask yourself, will the changes make your site more attractive and/or more user-friendly for your target audience? Is your website better because of the changes? Do those changes better describe the benefits of your services, or the quality of your products? How will your audience perceive you, your company, or what you offer?

When reviewing our client’s websites and prospective changes, we sometimes have to remind them, they are not the users, nor are we. We are changing their website for their target audience, not us, or the boss, relative, friend, or someone on TV. It is the website visitor we should be considering.

Are you making changes to your website for yourself, or for your target audience? There is only one correct answer.

Despite all the blog posts listing right and wrong ways to use Twitter, the reality is you should use Twitter in the manner that works best for you, and that can vary  greatly from business to business.  Of course, there are some basic Do’s and Don’ts, but you can find those nearly anywhere (including a link later in this post). Here are a few simple things to think about before sending the next tweet.

• Proof before you tweet
• Don’t retweet an url without clicking on and reading the landing page. It may not be what you think.
• Don’t use all 140 characters. Leave room so you get credit when retweeted.
• Spread your tweets out over time. Don’t flood your followers with ten tweets at a time.
• Don’t forget, you are not tweeting to @justsomeoneyouknow. Potentially, millions can see your tweet
• Help others. Retweet what is interesting to you and hopefully your followers.
• If you want to get tweeted, retweet others.
• If you want to get retweeted for specific topics, use hashtags (“#” Symbols)

For those of you who want more Twitter information, the excellent “The Ultimate Guide to Twitter Marketing” by @Copyblogger is a great resource.

And, of course, we always appreciate follows: Follow @webwisedesign