New Robotics Online: Best in Class

ANN ARBOR, Michigan (July 1, 2008) – Google is already happy with the all-new Robotics Online – observers can tell because member content from Robotics Online is quickly showing up on searches. In just one month after its June 1, 2008, debut, search engines have given the site a lot of attention, busily indexing and delivering referrals to people on the World Wide Web. In fact, within days of its launch Google bestowed a very good PageRank of six (out of 10) on Robotics Online.

“There are two big stories here,” explained Jeff Burnstein, Executive Vice President of Robotic Industries Association. “On the one hand, the site was optimized for search engines and quickly met this goal. But more importantly it was completely redesigned from the previous version to optimize the user experience.”

A site built on industry-wide input
Developing the site to deliver a better user experience involved input from RIA members, committees, benchmarking and an all out effort by staff and teams of people.

“This site is our statement to the world that Robotic Industries Association has an open ear to its public and a huge desire to please,” said Burnstein. “It was redesigned from the ground up based on a multitude of recommendations from people who understand the industry and know what it takes to make a best-in-class website.”

Volunteers on RIA’s Marketing Communications Committee and Membership Committee are among those who influenced the site’s new look and architecture. They advocated for strong search engine optimization and tighter navigation. Just as importantly, the Association database is architected into the site, commerce is improved, and information is more easily found for technical and managerial needs.

Members are not just on the site – they are in the site posting information and providing expertise. One of the biggest changes for Robotics Online is a dashboard environment for members; a place where they can post content, respond to quotes for products and services, and generally do more to broadcast their message and interact with the public.

URL changes for Robotics Online
While most Robotics Online visitors will observe the obvious such as three main tabs at the top to find products, companies and services, a more fundamental change may go unnoticed by many. Robotic Industries Association changed the URL of its site from a “dot com” to a “dot org.”

“You can find the site by its old ‘dot com’ URL or the new one, which is ‘robotics.org,’ but more importantly, a ‘dot org’ designation is more appropriate for an association site and increases its relevance to search engines,” said Burnstein. “Not only does this give Robotics Online more ‘juice’ with the search engines, members get a boost from links and content tied to the site.”

Members granted special access
Association members are encouraged to explore the newly released Member Control Panel where they can add and modify content. For the first time ever with Robotics Online, members are completely in charge of their information, from pictures and descriptions of their products to editorial they contribute about applications.

To create a best-in-class website, RIA went with first-rate support from developer AIMG | Accurate Imaging, Inc. Just after the launch of Robotics Online, the company was named by Goldline Research as a top-10 company for Most Dependable Search Engine Marketing Firms in the United States. AIMG | Accurate Imaging, Inc. was awarded the RIA job after a rigorous and selective process including many other fine developers.

About Robotic Industries Association
Founded in 1974, RIA is North America’s leading robotics trade group, representing robotics manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms. The Association is known for exclusive industry statistics, the biennial International Robots & Vision Show (Chicago), its annual Robotics Industry Forum and Robotics Online (www.robotics.org) the world’s leading online resource dedicated to robotics. For more information on RIA, visit Robotics Online at www.robotics.org or contact RIA Headquarters at 734/994-6088.

Contact: 
Brian Huse
734/994-6088