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| Discover 8 Simple Tips To Improve
Your Website |
| Posted: 4-05-2006 |
| Author: Chris Staten |
For years the Internet,
and success on it, has been veiled by mystery ' no direct
answers, constant change, ambiguous advice and just plain
confusion. But by observing the tips listed below you
can establish yourself a sound web presence regardless
of your market, target audience or geographic location!
1) Credibility
One of the key challenges faced by businesses on the web,
primarily small/new businesses and charities, is the issue
of credibility. Already the Internet is regarded as a
somewhat impersonal medium which breeds a certain level
of mistrust. For your web site to be successful you need
to eliminate this disposition.
You can do this by taking notice of the following:
Design: ignore people (and experts) who proclaim to you
design is not important, people just want content. As
with anything in the physical world, packaging is key,
and though it shouldn't be the focus it certainly helps
with emotional appeal. Things are no different online
' nice, clean, professional design is always a safe bet.
Up-time: make certain your web site is always accessible
and all pages are correctly linked.
Content: keep it up to date and refreshed every so often
(one to two months at the minimum)
Privacy Policy: every commercial web site ought to have
a privacy policy that outlines how information given by
your visitors is treated
Contact Information: nothing is worse than a web site
without contact information
2) Audience
Know who your potential customers are and cater to their
needs and wants. Various companies are so wrapped up in
what they do, the jargon they use and the neat little
features they feel are the coolest. This is all well and
good, but unless your customer clearly understands what
you're saying then you're fighting a losing battle.
Also, make sure your web site reflects the values of your
potential customers. Is your market mostly business professionals'
Adventure travelers' Stay-at-home moms' Teenagers or young
adults' The key is to know your market and build your
site to their preferences.
3) Build for Speed
No matter how fast things are they're never fast enough.
This is true for the Internet as well.
So what's the impact on your web site'Basically, you have
between 8 to 20 seconds to capture the attention of a
potential customer. If most of this time is spent waiting
for items to download on their screen then you guessed
it - they're going elsewhere.
To minimize wait time, make graphics small and compress
them wherever doable. Photoshop offers a 'Save for Web'
option (when you're saving your images) that does a great
job of bringing the image size down. On your home page,
use flashy technology sparingly (Flash, animation, Audio/Video)
and only if it's absolutely critical to your presentation.
4) Don't Re-invent the Wheel
An all too common problem is the reality that some web
sites try to be too cute. Navigation should always be
simple and never leave your audience guessing what's behind
the next click.
Instead of common terms like "Mission', you could use
'Tenets' but what does this mean to your customer' Resist
the urge to be complicated and use Navigation terms that
are common. To explain who you are use terms like 'About
Us', 'Profile' or 'Who We Are' ' there's no guessing.
If you offer services then list them under a main link
called 'Services.' You get the point.
5) Make Payment Easy
Offer a few alternate methods of payment for your customer.
If you don't take credit cards right now, apply for a
Merchant Account. Of course, you can also register a PayPal
account. PayPal is accredited and trusted as one of the
best ways to exchange funds online.
Make sure the payment process is clear, easy to access
and simple to use. Eliminate or minimize as many steps
as possible by not asking for more information than is
required.
6) Consistency
Make sure your web site is consistent from front to back.
Nothing is more awkward than navigating a web site that
takes you to completely different looking pages, colours
and navigation menus.
Always maintain a consistent navigation menu so that your
visitors are never more than a click away from anywhere
else on your web site.
7) Design for Search Engines
Would you believe that 85% of Internet users find what
they're looking for via search engines and directories
(for example, Google, Yahoo! and MSN). Well, there are
certain things you can do to improve your positioning
on these web sites so that you can increase targeted traffic
to yours. Use meta-tag keywords, description and titles
(use keywords when naming your pages) and never forget
the ever important fact that relevant content within the
body of your web site is critical.
8) Content is King
Good content sells products. Poor content ' punctuation/spelling
mistakes, inconclusive, too technical, confusing ' doesn't.
Ask yourself the following questions. Does your copy convey
a message you wish to get across to your visitors' Is
it compelling' Does it lead your visitor through the sales
(or contact) process' What has been the response by those
you have asked to critique or edit your copy' Good'Bad'
No response (bad)'
Always double check your spelling and grammar ' maybe
even triple check
Remember knowledge applied is power!
About the author: Chris Staten has discovered some no
nonsense tips on marketing your traditional or internet
business on and offline. Also he has discovered a simple
tool that can save you frustration if you have your own
website or desire one. For exciting details visit: http://www.friendlywebbuilder.com/
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