How YOU Can ENHANCE YOUR Web Site

Introduction

So much of the web is filled with websites that have been thrown together and posted because someone thought they needed a site. It's as if they went to a seminar and were making certain they checked it off their list.

I agree, you do need a website. But, everything you actually need a "good" website; one which conveys your some great benefits of your business to you customers and prospects. Notice, that I did so not say you will need a fancy site or some graphically enhanced masterpiece. A good website is one that accomplishes good usability and the business goal set for this.

Business goals for my web site?

Yes, your website is a business tool, not an art project. Be sure you think about what you want your site to perform first and foremost.

An effective website is harder work than you may think and usually you can find no quick fixes but this list should supply you with a few methods to make some improvements immediately, without necessarily starting over from scratch.

As a business tool, it is best to invest as much into your site as you do any other aspect of your organization. Your website should be one of your primary marketing tools. If your site is not "around snuff", you will be losing the opportunity to mention to your prospects everything you have to offer and they'll move on.

Stop losing those sales!

Usability

Usability matters. There's one simple rule on the Internet: If people can't use your website, they won't.

Navigation

Make sure that your navigation is easy to utilize and consistent. You may be able to use it, but could a newcomer find the information they really want? Remember, most people to your website are there for the very first time.

Contextual Links

Remember those "Click here" links everyone used to use? They're a throwback to the times when people had no idea how to use a website. Today everyone knows you can select hyper links, so having some actual relevant text because the link is much better.

Besides the user go through the search engines utilize this as an indicator of relevant keyphrases for its index.

Change "Just click here" links to something like "Find out more on motorcycle safety" or "Download the 10 things Guide".

There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as after some content box having an abstract in it, a small "Read More" link may be appropriate.

Title & Alt Attributes

These are elements that are a part of the web page code you don't directly see. They show up when you hover over them or if you have an issue loading a graphic. If you've heard the word "Tool Tip", you probably know what these are. See below image to observe how they display in a web browser. Use them to clearly indicate what the link is centered on. E.g.: "Find out more on organic plastics" If you haven"t used any at all, a quick fix will be to start adding them to navigation along with other elements on every page.

SEO (SEO)

SEO is the practice of preparing your site to be ready for both search engine indexing and users. If you don't keep your users in mind, they won't have the ability to use your site which can eventually lower it's ranking. Remember, if you don't ensure that your site could be indexed properly, no-one will find it.

Title Tag (Page title tag)

The title tag isn't seen by your users on the page itself, if displays in the web browsers title bar.

Add consistent, relevant but different titles (title tag) to every page in your website. Check that they're short and describe this content of the page and be sure you have your keywords listed.

Linking

Internal links (from one page to another on your own site from inside your site's content) are as important as external links. Aside from the usability gain, you can use your keywords within the hyperlink text and anchor tag which helps with the site indexing.

External links (links to other websites) can be a good idea. Be sure that you link to relevant sites and information otherwise you could be look at such as a link farmer (trying to scam the various search engines). For those who have a site about Dogs, your external links might be to a site about pet food ingredients, or custom dog tags, etc.

Strengthen Keywords/Phrases

Highlight some keywords and phrases with the addition of a "" tag (which makes the text bold) around them. This must not be overused but can provide some positive results.

Header Tags

Use the H1 and H2 header tags to get your keywords noticed. The H1 tag may be the most important - use some keywords in there. Use only one H1 per page. The net code looks something similar to this:



[h1]Organic Dog Collars[/h1]

Don't Go Nuts

It is vital that you don't overload and make an effort to jam-pack every tip listed here into every little bit of text on your own site. The search engine companies look down on this and assume you're trying to trick them. They could blacklist you and remove your site from the index altogether.

Design/Development

Images

Using images is important, but make sure you get them to correctly optimized for the net. If you don't it will take a long time for the page to display (render) and when this take more than a couple seconds, many users just hit the trunk button. There are various software you need to use to compress your photos appropriately. Something around 85% (compressed 15%) is an excellent place to start.

Contrast/Text-size

Ensure that contrast levels and text sizes are thought out. While there aren't really any "rules", you will find the proper balance to be among those pleasing things that you don't really notice. Try looking for this on some websites and see if you can find some good and bad examples.

Consistency

There's nothing worse when compared to a website it doesn't function consistently. A user will get it hard enough to understand how a website is put together without having to understand that you don't utilize the Home link or Contact Us the same in every places. Make sure that you make your website easy for people. Which means you should try and be, at least somewhat, just like almost every other website out there. Beyond that, ensure that your pages all act exactly the same way.

A really good exemplory case of something in order to avoid is having a primary menu (the main site navigation) that changes per page (some pages have significantly more items than others). Ensure you main menu stays exactly the same, but feel absolve to add a sub menu or contextual links.

Testing

Make sure you proceed through your site to confirm everything works, especially after any major changes. Another fun thing to do is have someone else find something on your site while you watch (no helping now). Should they can't find it, it isn't built properly.

Don't take you site personally, it is a business tool, address it just like you would treat a merchandising display or add you're investing in the paper. Short of perfect is unacceptable.

Content

You site's content is it's reason behind existing. It's why people come to your site. Make sure it is clear why it's there and get it in their mind in as little time as possible.

Text and White Space

Make sure you give enough room around your content in order that it is well separated and an easy task to follow visually. Here is a practical example. Can you see how the after version is simpler to read and contains the keywords highlighted and linked?

Before:

Widgets. We've been in business for years and we have found that when you try to do the proper thing, people figure out how to trust you. Knowing that, our widgets are made of high quality materials and only to the very best in class manufacturing processes. If you need a good widget, please consider our widgets. We would love to speak to you about your widget needs.

We're honest, hard working and just the place to get all of your widget supplies. We're also a GREAT value. Don't lose out on the best widget deals in town. If you are someone who needs widget and widget accessories, look no further. We have contracts too for widget tuning and cleaning services to ensure your blingo tolerances don't exceed .3

We love widgets!

After:

Widgets. Our widgets are all designed to make your daily life easier. We deliver widgets that are:

Made from supertanium,

Do not have defects, guaranteed!

Our widgets are simple to use.

Widget Service. We have been also have a complete service widget shop

24/7 Widget service

Tune-ups keep your widget running great

Yearly widget servicing contracts save you money.



Write for your audience

Always remember, your website is not for you, it's for the users. You might be excited about everything you do and everything you offer or your history, etc, but make sure that your articles is properly prepared for the net audience. Only put content that will enhance the experience for the visitors. You need them to get from you, so throw out everything else.

Here are some things you need to be sure you do:

Bulleted lists. Separate anything resembling an inventory into a list.

Less is more. People don't enjoy reading on some type of computer screen so be very concise. Don't take your articles personally.

Highlight it. It's important to bold words and phrases as needed to draw the appropriate focus on them. This is also true for just about any contextual headers.

Contextual links. As stated earlier, be sure you connect to relevant information from inside your content. Use key term and phrases as links to find more information that way as your user is reading, they might jump to that market right away.

Guide Your Users

If someone is on your site reading about something in particular then it is fair to assume they were interested in that information. Try pointing them somewhere related, whether another article/area on your own site, a related product or service and even off-site resources. By doing this you're showing that you care about their interests and not simply about making a sale.

Why and What For

When writing content sure you only put up information you know why the information is there and what it's for (from the user's perspective). Don't just throw text up concerning the history of the banking system because you find it fascinating.

Be very clear and concise. In case you have articles about financial security, be sure you are making the purpose of that information obvious and tell your users how to proceed about it.

If they are looking at the information, they need to be thinking about their future, so be sure to let them know if they should "complete this form" or "give us a call today for a free consultation" or whatever.

Wrapping Up

So, we've given you too much to think about. Which might be good and bad. Do not get overwhelmed by everything you've just read. Go on it one idea at the same time and work the right path during your site. Consistency is key; it is better to possess everything look and functional the same way even if it isn't ideal than to have a couple of pages be perfect and yet the rest of the site is still a mess.

Chris Shockley is owner of Envision Design Solutions and contains been building websites for over 12 years. He can be reached via the web: Envision Design Solutions