There are basic SEO activities that can be implemented immediately:

• Develop separate pages for services
• Avoid frames and heavy flash in websites
• Add images that says the exact message (Image optimization is also a part of Search Engine Optimization
• Place a complete website site map in the footer of the website - So that the user can reach all the major pages of the website.
• Use unique title and description for each page - This will immediately help the website’s ranking, thus improving search engine result pages
• Avoid use of complex tables
• Use External Scripts such as (Java Script, CSS) to reduce the page size
• Implement headlines on each webpage. This assists in rating identifying what pages are more important than the others on the site, when searched on by search engines. NB To take advantage of this, we also recommend keywords in each page headline.
• Use keywords in the website inner pages urls, when linking or cross-referencing other parts of the web page
• Establishing http://delicious.com/ for global shared / social bookmarking
• Start a parallel blog and forum site.
• Understand the sites sub-domain strategy and implement a separate domain for related sites or partner organisations.
• Ask more related sites to link their first pages to your site, thus allowing your site to inherit ranking from these sites.

NB It is important to understand that SEO is not an instant ‘fix’ or ‘cure’ to improve low visibility sites. Content availability, associated quality and impact on respondents is variable and unpredictable. The nature of the Internet is similar to living networks, this organic penetration is what sustains a websites presence and therefore, ranking and visibility.

Search engine optimisation services can include:

• Keyword analysis
• Page optimisation
• Copywriting
• Search engine submission
• Search engine reporting
• Analytics review - Understanding and optimising pay-per click costs

I was always told never to use the term, ‘Stress testing’ when it came to assuring solution reliability and resilience.
Often user and steering groups are a great way to gather opinion.

I was intrigued by an article by Christian Rohrer. He suggests:

The field of user experience, is blessed (or cursed) with a very wide range of research methods, ranging from tried-and-true methods such as lab-based usability studies to those that have been more recently developed, such as desirability studies (to measure aesthetic appeal).

You can’t use the full set of methods on every project, but most design teams benefit from combining insights from multiple research methods.

3 Dimensions are suggested:

1. Attitudinal vs. Behavioral
2. Qualitative vs. Quantitative
3. Context of Website or Product Use

Read more from his article here.

However, what we need to understand is the various stages of development and their various inputs from participants whether they be developers/ technical or user - the latter can vary from moderate users to power user types. NB Power user types are better for pilot / trial stages.

In addition, there needs to be an understanding of testing stages for web development, for example:

1. Specify
2. Design and agree testing methodology
3. Prototype
4. Refine Prototype
5. Develop components
6. Component Test
7. Systems Test
8. Integration Test
9. Release Test
10. Pilot user test - Normally 10-20% of the entire end user population.

The article also suggests a polarity between qualitative (direct results) and quantitative (indirect).

This test cycle is an ideal application for New media deploying RSS feeds. For example, test status / project updates.

Interestingly, this area of project support or control through say, a project office could be an ideal Project / corporate podcasting application.