Notes

How YOU Can ENHANCE YOUR Web Site
Introduction

So much of the Internet 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 require a website. But, what you actually need a "good" website; one that conveys your some great benefits of your business for 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 which accomplishes good usability and the business goal set for this.

Business goals for my internet site?

Yes, your website is really a business tool, not an art project. Ensure you think about what you want your site to accomplish first and foremost.

An effective website is harder work than you may think and usually there are no quick fixes but this list should provide you with a few ways to make some improvements right away, without necessarily starting over from scratch.

As a small business tool, you should always invest just as much into your website as you do any other aspect of your organization. Your website ought to be one of most of your marketing tools. If your site is not "up to snuff", you will end up losing the opportunity to convey to your prospects what you have to offer and they'll move on.

Stop losing those sales!

Usability

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

Navigation

Make sure that your navigation is easy to use and consistent. You may well be able to utilize it, but could a newcomer find the information they desire? Remember, most visitors 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 days when people had no idea how to use a website. Today everyone knows you can click on hyper links, so having some actual relevant text because the link is far better.

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

Change "Just click here" links to something similar to "Learn more about motorcycle safety" or "Download the 10 things Guide".

There are several exceptions to the rule, such as after some content box with an abstract in it, a small "Read More" link might be appropriate.

Title & Alt Attributes

These are elements which are a part of the net page code you do not directly see. They show up once you hover over them or when there is 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. Utilize them to clearly indicate what the hyperlink is centered on. E.g.: "Find out more about organic plastics" If you haven"t used any at all, then a quick fix will be to start adding them to navigation along with other elements on every page.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)

SEO may be the practice of preparing your site to be ready for both internet search engine indexing and users. If you don't keep your users at heart, they won't manage to use your site that may eventually lower it's ranking. Remember, unless you ensure that your site can be indexed properly, nobody will find it.

Title Tag (Page title tag)

The title tag is not 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 the 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. Besides the usability gain, you get to use your keywords within the link text and anchor tag which helps with the site indexing.

External links (links to other websites) is also a good idea. Be sure that you connect to relevant sites and information otherwise you could be look at like a link farmer (trying to scam the search engines). Assuming you have a niche site about Dogs, your external links might be to a niche site about pet food ingredients, or custom dog tags, etc.

Strengthen Keywords/Phrases

Highlight some keywords and key phrases by adding a "" tag (making the written text bold) around them. This shouldn't be overused but can offer some positive results.

Header Tags

Use the H1 and H2 header tags to really get your keywords noticed. The H1 tag may be the most important - try using 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 crucial that you don't go overboard and try to jam-pack every tip right here into every little bit of text on your site. The internet search engine companies look down upon this and assume you're attempting to trick them. Telephony 3.0 may blacklist you and remove your site from the index altogether.

Design/Development

Images

The usage of images is very 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 greater than a couple seconds, many users just hit the back button. There are many software you can use to compress your photos appropriately. Something around 85% (compressed 15%) is a great place to start.

Contrast/Text-size

Make sure that contrast levels and text sizes are thought out. While there aren't really any "rules", you will discover the correct balance to be among those pleasing things that you do not really notice. Try looking for this on some websites and see if you can find the right 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 come up with without having to remember that you don't utilize the Home link or Contact Us the same in every places. Be sure that you make your site easy for people. That means you should try and become, at least somewhat, just like 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 primary site navigation) that changes per page (some pages have significantly more items than others). Make sure you main menu stays exactly the same, but feel free to add a sub menu or contextual links.

Testing

Make sure you go through your site to verify everything works, especially after any major changes. Another fun move to make is have another person find something on your own 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's a business tool, treat it like everyone else would treat a merchandising display or add you're putting 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 certain it really is clear why it's there and get it in their mind in only a small amount time as possible.

Text and White Space

Be sure you give enough space around your content so that it is well separated and an easy task to follow visually. Here is a practical example. Can you observe how the after version is easier to read and has the keywords highlighted and linked?

Before:

Widgets. We've been in business for a long period and we have found that when you try to do the proper thing, people learn to trust you. With that in mind, our widgets are produced from top quality materials and and then the best in class manufacturing processes. If you want 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 area to get all your widget supplies. We're also a GREAT value. Don't lose out on the very best widget deals around. If you are somebody 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. Telephony 3.0 are designed to make your life easier. We deliver widgets which are:

Made from supertanium,
Never have defects, guaranteed!
Our widgets are easy to use.
Widget Service. We are also have a full service widget shop
24/7 Widget service
Tune-ups keep your widget running great
Yearly widget servicing contracts save you money.

Write for the audience
Always remember, your site is not for you, it's for the users. You may be excited about what you do and everything you offer or your history, etc, but make sure that your articles is properly prepared for the web audience. Only put content that will enhance the experience for the visitors. You need them to get from you, so get rid of everything else.

Below are a few things you need to make sure you do:

Bulleted lists. Separate anything resembling an inventory into a list.
Less is more. People don't really like reading on some type of computer screen so be very concise. Don't take your articles personally.
Highlight it. It's important to bold content as had a need to draw the appropriate focus on them. This is also true for just about any contextual headers.
Contextual links. As stated earlier, be sure to link to relevant information from within your content. Use key words and phrases as links to find more information that way as your user is reading, he or she can jump to that market right away.
Guide Your Users
If someone is on your site reading about something in particular then it really is fair to assume they were interested in that information. Try pointing them somewhere related, whether another article/area on your site, a related product or service as well as off-site resources. Using this method you're showing that you value their interests and not just about creating a sale.

Why and What For

When writing content sure that you only set 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. When you have an article about financial security, make sure to 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 you let them know if they should "complete this form" or "call us today for a free consultation" or whatever.

Wrapping Up

So, we've given you too much to think about. That could be good and bad. Don't get overwhelmed by everything you've just read. Take it one idea at the same time and work the right path through your site. Consistency is key; it is best to possess everything look and functional the same way even if it isn't ideal than to have one or two pages be perfect 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 is able to be reached via the net: Envision Design Solutions
My Website: https://pbase.com/gardner39nymand/root