There are some guidelines
for a
successfull website.
1. Decide if
you are going to develop your own website or
contract with a
developer. If the latter, search the web
for possible
candidates. If you are doing it yourself, visit
a bookstore or search the web and pick up one of the
many excellent references on Web Publishing and html.
If you don't have the time, hire someone and ensure
they have the required expertise. A child can write
html code. Designing an effective website takes
an expert. We can help!
2.
Apply for a domain name. (You can do it yourself at
online or have your ISP do it for you. Think up
three names ... it is likely you will not get your first
choice. Take your time ... this domain name becomes
your permanent identifier! We can do this for you.
3.
Carefully outline and organize the material you want to
place on the web. Don't do it "on the fly."
4.
Decide on the "look" of your pages. Browse the web
for
ideas, and create sketches if necessary.
5.
Your website MUST provide a service as well as present
your product or service that you are selling.
6.
Your website must be EASY to use. The design of the
site must make it easy for the user to navigate and
not
get lost. A confused visitor will simply leave. You
MUST
gain the visitors attention within the first 10
seconds of entering your site or they will leave!
7.
Your website will go nowhere without a sustained
marketing effort. We Can Help!
WEB
DESIGN TIPS: -
Get the most out of your site!
1 LARGER
PACKAGES Buy your Domain and Hosting
Package for a long time! The search engines look higher
on a website that is registered for 3 years; than a site
that is only registered for a year!
2. LOADING
TIME. Users will not wait. You have about
10-seconds to catch and keep a visitor. Your home page
should load quickly. Ensure this by keeping graphic files
small (optimize all graphics with "Gif Wizard" at
http://www.gifwizard.com), backgrounds simple and by
using height and width tags with every graphic. The
height/width tags will force the text to load first giving
the user something to read while the graphics load. It is
also a good idea to use ALT tags with the graphic tag so
that the graphic is identified to the user while it loads.
3.
BROWSER FRIENDLINESS. There are many different
browsers in use. Ensure your home page is friendly to all
of them. Do this by keeping your page simple and if you
are using frames, tables, image maps and other
enhancements, ensure you have an alternate page
available for browsers that cannot display the
enhancements. For example, we use frames so we
provide a "non-frame" gateway for those users with
older non-frame friendly browsers.
4.
ORGANIZED MESSAGE. The user should be
immediately presented with a description of your site ...
what it's for and what's in it. Also, make it easy for the
user to navigate your site. For example, make certain
there is always an obvious way to return to the home
page from anywhere within your site.
5.
META TAGS. These html tags are used to define
the
name and content of you site. Proper use of META tags
will ensure that some important (large) search engines
can find and properly index your site. Also ensure each
webpage is property "titled" within the header tags.
Learn about meta statements at
http://www.metatag.webpromote.com.
6.
UPDATE FREQUENTLY. Ensure that visitors will
return
to your site by constantly updating its content. This
cannot be stressed enough - a static site will not grow.
7.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK. Make it easy for a visitor
to
e-mail you comments.
MARKETING
IDEAS -
Attracting Vistors
We have found the following to be very effective in building
and
sustaining traffic to our website. I hope it goes without
saying that website sales are directly proportional to traffic!
1.
Get listed with the major search engines.
You can pay
each one individually for submission (Google , Yahoo,
MSN, which can get expensive!) or let us do this for you
for a much smaller fee!
2.
Utilize traditional and internet-based news
releases.
3.
Engage in strategic mutual link development.
This is
quite important - 25% of our traffic comes to us via
these links This takes time but is worth the effort.
4.
Participate in newsgroups and listservs.
Don't advertise -
provide useful information. Let your "signature"
do the
advertising. Don't become a pest.
5.
Include your URL on EVERYthing: telephone
answering
machine, literature, business cards and stationary,
traditional adverts, etc. We added our website to the
outside sign and traffic increased 20%
6.
Develop a newsletter. (Preferably e-mail
based) This
brings traffic ... and sales. Got a new special? Let your
list
know about it - at no cost.
7.
Write articles for journals and periodicals
that relate to
what you do. Include a byline with your URL, of course.
8.
Make sure you are using a "signature"
with your e-mail
and include your URL.
KEEPING
VISITORS -
Attracting Vistors is easy
.. Now Keep Them!
1.
Content, content, content. Your site must
say
something, teach something, provide valuable useful
information. This is the most important element of any
successful website. Furthermore, this information must
be dynamic - kept up to date and always changing.
2.
As noted earlier, website navigation is very
important.
It must be easy to find anything within your site and it
should not be impossible to "get lost." It is amazing
how
many websites ignore this important element of website
design.
These strategies
are what work for us,
and we know they will work for you.
As you can see; There is a lot of time
and hard work involved in creating a successfull website.
If you feel this is going to be too
much for you or you want us to
speed up the process and get you online now...
CONTACT US
... That's our job! |
