Jackie Baker is an internet marketing analyst with SiteLogic Marketing where she focuses on auditing websites as well as SEO, social media, usability, and information architecture consulting. She comes to the industry from a marketing/PR and website development background. Jackie maintains an active presence online through her blog RegardingHorses.com (http://www.regardinghorses.com) where she shares her love all things equine, particularly therapeutic riding.

Site Clinic: Navigation Usability Can Make Or Break Your Website

by Jackie Baker    June 27, 2008

When it comes to the front end of a website, there are two primary areas that can make or break your online success ... your content and your navigation. SmallShipCruises.com is a very useful site offering a large selection of cruises with a variety of destinations, themes, ship types, and deals. Unfortunately, the current navigation poses some major hindrances for both search engines and visitors....

Site Clinic: Blogging Done Right

by Jackie Baker    June 20, 2008

This week's site clinic focuses on a relatively young blog, BeFitAndStrong.com. Blog owner Curtis Penner is doing many things very well, and I'd like to take some time to point those out as well as suggest a few improvements he can make to better reach his goals. As much as we learn from our own (and other people's) mistakes, we can also learn a lot when we see something done well....

Site Clinic: Basic Principles Of E-Commerce Design

by Jackie Baker    June 6, 2008

An independent distributor sent me a plea for help: her site, Pets Love Flint River, is only generating a sale every few months. There are a few principles of web design and usability that are universally used on effective e-commerce sites that if implemented could make her site more user friendly and her sales go through the roof....

Site Clinic: Crafting Persuasive Web Content

by Jackie Baker    May 30, 2008

Quality content is one of the key ingredients for improving search engine placement, gaining links, and driving conversions. If your content isn't written well, doesn't answer visitor needs, isn't asking for the conversion, and is hard to read, you're losing a whole lot of sales and leads from your website....

Site Clinic: Professional Looking Design Drives Conversions

by Jackie Baker    May 23, 2008

This week's site clinic is focused on making sure visitors like what they see when they come to your website. Studies have shown that one of the key reasons visitors spend time on or buy from a site is a professional design. If your site doesn't live up to their visual standards, you're losing conversions....

Site Clinic: Beat Competitors With Better SEO And Backlinks

by Jackie Baker    May 16, 2008

This week we are taking a look at GolfAsian.com, an agency that plans golf vacations in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. With a well-organized website and great customer service, they are poised to become a leader in the golf vacation industry - with a few website tweaks and online marketing strategies....

Site Clinic: Easy to Navigate Equals Easy To Buy

by Jackie Baker    May 9, 2008

This week we're looking at an e-commerce website for educational toys, Brainwaves Toys. The current Brainwaves site has done many things well, especially usability of the shopping cart and checkout process. However, it needs a little help with design and navigation to get visitors to that point....

Site Clinic: Content Is Key To Attracting Customers

by Jackie Baker    May 2, 2008

Today we begin the first installment of a weekly site clinic column, where small businesses are invited to submit their websites for review. Can't beat a little free advice, right? I'll be looking at the design, copy, usability, SEO, marketing, and any technical issues that may prevent websites from drawing loyal, active visitors and meeting goals. Each week, I'll give the top five issues the website owner/manager can address to significantly improve performance. ...