The Sunshine Coast digital agency working all over the world

The Kook difference

• Kook has been helping people navigate ‘the business of internet’ since 1999. In the era of DIY web developers, it’s heartening to know you’re dealing with long-term professionals. 
• Kook makes a point of putting things into language anyone can understand.  
• In the age of online communication, our clients tell us that they like the fact that the Kook team will actually pick up the phone.
• Our staff work in our office so you can call them, or sit down with them. Nothing is outsourced, except the occasional coffee.

Meet the team

Oh, you want more? OK 

Obeying the Google gods

Let’s face it … Google is in first place for search, then there’s daylight. Google’s entire business model revolves around relevant search results. It came to prominence by ignoring newsfeeds and clickbait headlines like MSN and Yahoo were doing, and concentrating on outstanding search result relevancy.

Today, maintaining search result relevancy means content also needs to be formatted correctly for multiple devices and deliver the best possible user experience.

That means meeting the expectations of increasingly impatient users who demand lightning fast websites once a link has been clicked. Users don’t need to be “wowed” so much with pretty websites as they do just getting the info or product they require as fast as possible.

The smallest roadblock in that funnel and they will ditch you for someone else. And if Google didn’t take this into account, frustrated users would turn to another search engine for their results.

OK, so that’s the most obvious piece of the puzzle. Next is your digital footprint across multiple platforms and products.

Widening your digital footprint

Google (sorry, we are going to mention them a lot) also places a solid amount of kudos on its auxiliary services such as Google Business Profile listings, Google reviews and the like. This is becoming an increasingly important part of ensuring you stand out in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

The other big one is Facebook. Having a page on there and working on it over time definitely pays dividends. With the level of user tracking these days it’s highly likely Google knows you’ve been visiting the Facebook pages of the same businesses’ websites you have been visiting and they mark this as “highly engaging content” and give that content more kudos.

Add in Instagram, YouTube and whatever other social channels you can think of and they are also taps of the hammer that may get you noticed. Of course, they need some upkeep and they aren’t as important for some demographics, but it’s worthwhile for many.

Content is still king

Relevant content is still essentially the number one thing you can DIY. If we compared two sites, and every aspect of those two sites was equal but one had 20 pages of content and one had 5, the 20-page site wins. If for no other reason, there are (theoretically) an extra 15 topics that the larger site could rank for.

Sidebar: No, you cannot put all 20 topics on one page – Google generously rewards themed pages. And a warning: Keep your pages relevant to your overall business – adding a recipe for damper to your website that sells camper trailers could do you as much damage as it does good. A well-written article on the latest innovations in suspension components is far more likely to get you qualified traffic and not “confuse” Google about what you do (i.e. build camper trailers or make scones).

Advertising

The reality is you cannot rank well for everything. It’s also tough to rank well geographically unless you have a physical presence wherever you are trying to attract an audience (see Google Business Profiles above).

Google AdWords and Facebook Ads come into their own here, especially AdWords Display and Facebook as you can use photos, and “a picture paints a thousand words” is as true as ever.

A big difference with Facebook, however, is that as much as they would loved to be classed as a “search” platform, no-one uses it that way. But people spend a LOT of time on there, especially when they are in research mode for a new product, so you need to get in front of them.

The other thing advertising allows that the SERPs do not, is different content. With ads you can have a different call to action to target different types of users. Not clickbait, but subtle wording changes that speak to the different tastes and moods and of consumers, as well as where they are in the purchase cycle.

You can also have multiple combinations of ads, and split test them to work out your best conversions.

Google and Facebook also offer remarketing services that are terrific bang for your buck. Once you’ve been seen, you keep reminding people of your brand or offering and make sure you are still reminding them when they are ready to make their decision.

UI/UX

So, you have managed to be found by some means, then what?

There is both art and science behind successful User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX). Vibrant colours and layouts that keep a shopper engaged? All well and good having 20 photos on a page until that kills your conversion rate with those super impatient shoppers who want everything now and click back to Google because they won’t wait. Or are you trying to instil confidence in your service requiring less wow and more explanation? Or maybe it needs to be straight-out utilitarian, totally functional, such as a re-ordering system for repeat customers. No need for eye-popping experience, just let me get my order to you in the least possible amount of time.

Did you know: If you make a website look “too good”, prospective customers will often automatically assume you are expensive. True story. So, if one of your competitive advantages is price, making a website that looks like Moet & Chandon is not going to serve you well. People will just assume and click back to go to another site.

Measure, learn, refine, improve

Formula One teams build race cars based on experience, but they still need to test them and make improvements. And the same as they have different races on different tracks throughout the year, so the web has different seasons and trends. And, of course, Google is forever changing the rules. So, if you want peak performance, you have to keep on top of your stats and tweak things as necessary.

Your brand is your uniform
People make split-second judgments about just about everything in life. Food that looks old in the supermarket, a restaurant’s cleanliness etc. Do you think that your clipart logo with a font you asked your apprentice for advice on is up to the task of making you look better than your competitors?

Your brand is your uniform. And no-one wears tie-dye shirts to work. Well not many people anyways. But visitors to your site will make a call on what they see.

What's next, Kook?

A meeting with us costs NOTHING. Even if you have an inkling you aren't getting the results you'd expect, let's have a chat.