Webmaster level: Intermediate

It’s a moment any site owner both looks forward to, and dreads: a huge surge in traffic to your site (yay!) can often cause your site to crash (boo!). Maybe you’ll create a piece of viral content, or get Slashdotted, or maybe Larry Page will get a tattoo and your site on tech tattoos will be suddenly in vogue.

Many people go online immediately after a noteworthy event—a political debate, the death of a celebrity, or a natural disaster—to get news and information about that event. This can cause a rapid increase in traffic to websites that provide relevant information, and may even cause sites to crash at the moment they’re becoming most popular. While it’s not always possible to anticipate such events, you can prepare your site in a variety of ways so that you’ll be ready to handle a sudden surge in traffic if one should occur:
Prepare a lightweight version of your site.
Consider maintaining a lightweight version of your website; you can then switch all of your traffic over to this lightweight version if you start to experience a spike in traffic. One good way to do this is to have a mobile version of your site, and to make the mobile site available to desktop/PC users during periods of high traffic. Another low-effort option is to just maintain a lightweight version of your homepage, since the homepage is often the most-requested page of a site as visitors start there and then navigate out to the specific area of the site that they’re interested in. If a particular article or picture on your site has gone viral, you could similarly create a lightweight version of just that page.
A couple tips for creating lightweight pages: Exclude decorative elements like images or Flash wherever possible; use text instead of images in the site navigation and chrome, and put most of the content in HTML. Use static HTML pages rather than dynamic ones; the latter place more load on your servers. You can also cache the static output of dynamic pages to reduce server load. Take advantage of stable third-party services.
Another alternative is to host a copy of your site on a third-party service that you know will be able to withstand a heavy stream of traffic. For example, you could create a copy of your site—or a pared-down version with a focus on information relevant to the spike—on a platform like Google Sites or Blogger; use services like Google Docs to host documents or forms; or use a content delivery network (CDN). Use lightweight file formats.
If you offer downloadable information, try to make the downloaded files as small as possible by using lightweight file formats. For example, offering the same data as a plain text file rather than a PDF can allow users to download the exact same content at a fraction of the filesize (thereby lightening the load on your servers). Also keep in mind that, if it’s not possible to use plain text files, PDFs generated from textual content are more lightweight than PDFs with images in them. Text-based PDFs are also easier for Google to understand and index fully. Make tabular data available in CSV and XML formats.
If you offer numerical or tabular data (data displayed in tables), we recommend also providing it in CSV and/or XML format. These filetypes are relatively lightweight and make it easy for external developers to use your data in external applications or services in cases where you want the data to reach as many people as possible, such as in the wake of a natural disaster. We’d love to hear your tips and tricks for weathering traffic spikes—come join us in our Webmaster Help Forum.

Posted by Susan Moskwa, Webmaster Trends Analyst

Let’s be honest—most business blogs suck. See, companies have been launching blogs for a few years now just because “it’s the thing to do.” Everyone else is doing it, so they do it too. Normally, they launch a blog that only a few people read and that offers no benefit to their company.

What’s so terrible about most business blogs? Business blogs that suck often:

�

Bring nothing new to the table—If people can read the content you’re publishing on dozens of other blogs in your niche, why would they bother reading your blog? If you want to build a loyal base of readers, you need to provide people with content they can’t find anywhere else. That doesn’t mean that you can’t focus on topics others are writing about. It just means that you need to find fresh angles and offer unique insights. Write for the search engines first—Blogging is still a great tool for increasing your search engine presence, but if that’s the only reason you’re blogging, you’re doing it wrong. Optimizing your blog is smart, but if you’re only focused on writing posts for the search engines, you’re going to end up with a low quality blog that no one is passionate about reading. Try to be someone you’re not—There are a lot of great bloggers out there who have truly special voices. Some are funny and witty, others are tough and biting. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other bloggers, but if you try to mimic their style and be someone you’re not, it’s going to ring false with readers. Never take a stand on the issues—Stop playing it safe. This is your blog. People read it because they want to know what you think about certain topics. Don’t try to be on both sides of the fence at once. Tell your readers what you really think. Offer your opinions and back them up with research and facts. Don’t apologize for what you think. Be strong in your convictions, whether people like them or not. Let spammers take over the comments—Comment moderation is an important part of blogging. If you don’t clean up your comments, readers will be turned off by all of the spammy comments. Simply put, it makes your blog look unprofessional and unmaintained.

�

If you want your business blog to be successful, avoid the 5 mistakes above.

Most companies make the mistake of selling their products based on price alone. As a result, they get in price wars with competitors and attract price shoppers who lack loyalty and just want the cheapest price.

Rather than selling on price, you should be selling on value. There’s a difference. Why do customers pay more for name brand products when they could get the same basic product at a cheaper price from a generic brand? It’s because they see the name brand product as higher quality and a better value.

Here are some ways you can start selling on value instead of price.

�

Focus on the benefits—Too many times, companies get in skirmishes with other companies about whose product offers the most features. I’m sure you’ve seen the comparison charts some companies use to show how their product has more features than the competition’s. Stop talking about features, and start talking about how customers will benefit by using your product. How will your product improve their life? When you focus on answering this question, you’ll start increasing the value of your product. Study testimonials from satisfied customers—What do your customers love about your product or services? What problem did it solve for them? How did they benefit from using it? By reading your testimonials, you can get a better idea of what customers really like about your product, and you can focus your messaging around those things. Build confidence in your company—Why are consumers willing to pay more for a 2 liter of Coca Cola rather than buying the generic brand? It’s because they have confidence in the Coca Cola brand. They know Coca Cola. They trust Coca Cola. You have to build that same confidence in your company. Don’t water down your product’s value with discounts—What’s the first thing most companies do when they’re trying to attract more customers? They hold a sale. With the popularity of daily deal websites (like Groupon and LivingSocial) more and more companies are using discounts to attract new customers. But consider this. If you offer a discount on your products, you’re going to have a hard time convincing customers later on that your product is worth its regular full price. Discounts can water down your product’s value. Provide exceptional customer service—Increase the value of your products by offering a great overall buying experience. Intangibles, like excellent customer service, set your company apart and increase the value of your products. Focus on building relationships with your customers, exceeding expectations every time, and offering great service after the sale.

�

What tips would you add to this list?

Not all customers are created equal. If your business is like most others, you have a few great customers, a few bad customers, and a lot of customers that fall somewhere in between. The key, of course, is to get as many great customers as you can. Great customers are the ones who are loyal, refer you to their friends, don’t try to beat you up on your prices, don’t complain every time they get a chance, etc.

The reason most companies don’t attract more great customers is because they don’t really know who their best customers are in the first place. See, once you identify your best customers, you can focus on appealing to more customers like them.

To identify your best customers, you need to:

�

Identify what makes a customer valuable to your business—You might think that your best customers are the ones who spend the most money, and that may be the case. However, the customers you find most valuable may be ones who offer value in a different way. Maybe they’re just easy to have a relationship with. Maybe they’re low maintenance. Or maybe they like to tell others about your company. Make a list of the traits you value in customers. Create a list of all customers and prospects—Now that you know what makes a customer valuable to your business, you need to make a complete list of all your customers and prospects. Don’t leave anyone off this list. Rate each customer based on the value they bring to your business—On a scale of 1 to 5, rate each customer or prospect on the value they bring to your business, based on the criteria you set forth earlier. This will help you quick way to clearly see who your best customers are (and who your worst ones are too, by the way). You can then focus your time and energy on your top clients and prospects, so you can build better relationships with them.

�

Do you know who your best customers are?

The best businesses have loyal customers who buy from them time and time again. Take a look at Apple. Apple customers are among the most loyal in the world. They line up every time Apple releases a new product. They put Apple bumper stickers on their cars. They show off their Apple gadgets to anyone who will listen. Wouldn’t you love to have loyal customers like that?

Growing a loyal customer base requires work, but it’s worth it. After all, it’s far more profitable for you to keep customers than to try to attract new ones.

Here are some things you can do to build a more loyal customer base.

�

Build relationships with your customers—Stop thinking in terms of sales and start thinking in terms of relationships. Your sales philosophy needs to focus on relationship building. Your business can’t lose that personal touch. Take time to get to really know your clients, and keep in touch with them to make sure their needs are always being met. Position yourself as the expert in your niche—When customers trust you and view you as an expert, they’ll turn to you every time they need the services or products you offer. No matter what your niche, you need to be seen as an expert. If you sell bicycles, learn everything there is to know about bicycles and share that knowledge with your customers. Always deliver on your promises—Relationships are built on trust. If you routinely fail to live up to your promises, you’ll lose the trust of your customers, and the relationship will be damaged, usually beyond repair. It’s pretty simple. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Give great service after the sale—Don’t ignore your customers after they’ve given you their money. Demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction by providing them with great service after the sale. Follow up with them to make sure they’re happy with their purchase. If they contact you needing help after the sale, be quick to respond. Ask for feedback (and use it!)—Do you really know what your customers want? A lot of businesses think they know, but they’re usually wrong because they don’t actually listen to their customers. Always encourage your customers to provide you with honest feedback, and use that feedback to improve your offerings.

�

What’s your approach for building a loyal customer base? Share your tips by commenting below.

I’ve spent some time on this blog dispelling the myth that all clients are good clients. The truth is that not all customers are good for your business. A bad client can cost you time, resources, energy, sanity, and most importantly, money. That’s why I advocate firing your bad clients. Let them go. Think you can’t survive without their money? Fire them and spend that extra time working up a plan to attract A-list clients. Trust me, it will be worth it in the long run.

But how exactly do you fire a bad client? I’ve fired more than a few clients in my day, so I’ll share some tips with you based on my personal experiences.

�

Stay calm and professional—There’s a good chance you might be pretty upset with your client. Maybe they’re way behind on paying you, or maybe they talk down to you and you’re tired of it. No matter what the situation, you have to be the professional. You can’t control how others behave, but you can control your behavior. You’re running a business, so you can’t treat this like a nasty breakup with a significant other. Professionalism is your main goal. Blame yourself—Ever heard the classic breakup line “It’s not you, it’s me”? You can use this approach when firing a client. Take the blame if you feel it will help diffuse the situation. Tell them you’re not the right person for the job. Tell them you’re booked up. You can find any number of ways to use the “it’s not you, it’s me” approach to firing a client. Suggest another service provider—One way to soften the blow of your breakup with the client is to refer them to someone else who can provide them with the services they need. This shows that you’re not holding a grudge and that you care about their future success and satisfaction. Raise your prices—A lot of bad clients are clients who don’t want to pay you what you’re worth. They’re constantly trying to haggle with you to get your prices down. You can usually get rid of price shoppers simply by raising your prices. Take care of any remaining loose ends—Before severing the relationship with your bad client, make sure you’ve taken care of any loose ends. If you still owe them work that they’ve paid for, finish the project.

 

Have you fired any bad clients? How did you do it? Share your experiences by leaving a comment below.

You’re never going to please everybody, and at some point, somebody is going to post something online about your company that makes you look bad. In some cases, the information will be flat out incorrect. In others, it will be a matter of opinion. Regardless of the circumstance, it’s important that you act fast to minimize the damage to your brand.

So, what should you do when a blogger lets loose on your company?

�

Leave a comment—Show the blogger and the readers that you care about making things right. Leave a comment on the blog addressing the statements made about your company. If there is any misleading or false information, point it out in a professional, polite manner. Don’t be defensive or hostile—No company ever looks good when being defensive. The internet is a tough place, and the more defensive you get, the harsher the criticism will become. Stay professional. Contact the blogger directly—Most bloggers will post their contact information on their website, or you can find them on Facebook or Twitter. Get in touch with the blogger directly to try to smooth over the situation. If there are any inaccuracies in the article, let them know. If you made a mistake, try to see what you can do to correct it. Stick around to monitor the ensuing conversation—After you leave your initial comment addressing the blogger’s criticism of your company, you can bet that others will probably respond to what you have to say. Stick around, and if you feel the need to jump in again on the conversation, do so. But stay professional and don’t get into spats with other commenters. Know when it’s time to move on—Eventually, there may come a point where you’re not going to change the blogger’s opinion and you just have to move on. Bad press happens, and one article isn’t going to kill your reputation. You just have to continue to actively monitor your reputation online.

 

Have you ever been ripped by a blogger? How did you handle it?

If you’ve been in business for any extended period of time, you know that you’re not going to satisfy every customer. Occasionally, a customer is going to get ticked off at you. They might threaten to stop doing business with you, or they may go online and say some nasty things about your company. The situation might have been caused by a mistake you or someone at your company made. Or it could have been caused by something that was totally out of your control.

While I don’t subscribe to the theory that the customer is always right, I do believe there are many instances where your best play is to apologize and try to smooth things over with the customer. And because you only get one chance to apologize (and you can’t apologize for a bad apology, Larry David), you have to make sure you get the apology right.

Here are some helpful tips for apologizing to a customer.

�

Don’t blame others—Customers hate it when companies try to pass the buck. Even if you’re not directly responsible for the mistake, you need to take full responsibility and give a sincere apology. Playing the blame game will only upset the customer more. Don’t add a “but”—You can’t say “We apologize, but…” and expect the customer to accept your apology. Swallow your pride, apologize, and move forward. A half-hearted apology is often worse than no apology at all. Be prompt—Don’t wait until it’s too late to apologize. You have to take swift action when a customer is angry at your company. The longer you wait, the angrier they get and the harder it gets to win the customer back. Make sure you actually apologize—Apologizing means using words like “sorry” and “apologize.” Too many times, people are afraid to fully apologize because they think that admitting guilt will harm their reputation. But the reality is that you have to fully apologize in order for the customer to get over their anger and resentment toward your brand. An effective apology can restore that relationship.

�

Have you ever had to apologize to a customer? How did you handle it?

No company is immune to the risk of a PR crisis. From BP to Toyota, we’ve seen some major brands take huge blows to their reputations over the past few years. While you might not find yourself facing a crisis that garners as much attention as those previously mentioned, your brand’s reputation could still take a serious blow that puts your company’s future at risk.

Here’s what you need to do when the worst happens.

�

Act swiftly—The longer you wait to respond to the crisis at hand, the worse it will get. You can’t just bury your head in the sand and pretend nothing is wrong. You have to jump on the problem immediately to minimize the damage and gain control of the situation. Admit fault—Why do so many people hate corporations? It’s because corporations rarely take responsibility for their actions. They point fingers at others any time a problem arises, killing any goodwill they might have had with their customers. There comes a time where you just have to swallow your pride, step up to the plate, and admit you made a mistake. A sincere apology can go a long way to recovering your reputation. Correct the problem and take measures to prevent it from happening again—Just saying your sorry isn’t going to cut it if you make the same mistake again and again. You have to identify the source of the problem and take major steps to correct it and keep it from ever happening again. Go above and beyond to make things right—It’s important that you take the necessary steps to make things right with anyone you may have wronged. But rather than doing just enough to make it right, go above and beyond what’s expected to show your commitment to rebuilding the relationship. Don’t give up—Repairing your reputation is going to take time. Think about it like this. When someone you know does something horrible to you, do you repair that relationship overnight? Not usually. It takes time for them to win back your trust. The same goes for when your company gets caught in a scandal. You have to keep working to win back the trust of your customers. Just look at BP. They’re still running ads trying to recover from damage done to their brand after the oil spill disaster.

 

What other tips would you add? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.