Notes

How YOU Can Improve Your Web Site
Introduction

So much of the Internet is filled up with websites which were 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 which conveys your the advantages of your business to you customers and prospects. Notice, that Telephony 3.0 did not say you will need a fancy site or some graphically enhanced masterpiece. An excellent website is one which accomplishes good usability and the business goal set for it.

Business goals for my site?

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

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

As a business tool, it is best to invest just as much into your website as you do any other aspect of your business. Your website ought to be one of your primary marketing tools. If your website is not "up to snuff", you may be 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 is one simple rule online: If people can't use your site, they won't.

Navigation

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

Contextual Links

Remember those "Click here" links everyone used to utilize? They are a throwback to the days when people had no idea how exactly to use a web page. Today everyone knows it is possible to click on hyper links, so having some actual relevant text because the link is greater.

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

Change "Click here" links to something like "Know more about motorcycle safety" or "Download the 10 things Guide".

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

Title & Alt Attributes

These are elements that are a part of the web page code you don't directly see. They arrive once you hover over them or when there is an issue loading a graphic. If you've heard the word "Tool Tip", you almost certainly know what these are. See below image to observe how they display in a browser. Utilize them to clearly indicate what the hyperlink is centered on. E.g.: "Know more about organic plastics" In the event that you haven"t used any at all, then a quick fix is to start adding them to navigation and other elements on every page.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)

SEO is the practice of preparing your website to be equipped for both internet search engine indexing and users. Unless you keep your users at heart, they won't manage to use your site that may eventually lower it's ranking. Remember, unless you make sure your site can be indexed properly, no one 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 site. Check that they're short and describe this content of the page and make sure you have your keywords listed.

Linking

Internal links (in 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 link to relevant sites and information otherwise you might be look at like a link farmer (attempting to scam the various search engines). If you have a niche 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 by adding a "" tag (which makes the text bold) around them. This must not be overused but can provide some positive results.

Header Tags

Utilize the H1 and H2 header tags to really get your keywords noticed. The H1 tag may be the most important - try using some keywords within. Only use 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 right here into every little bit of text on your site. The search engine companies look down on this and assume you are attempting to trick them. They may blacklist you and remove your website from the index altogether.

Design/Development

Images

The utilization of images is essential, but be 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 if this take greater than a couple seconds, many users just hit the trunk button. There are several software you may 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 one of those pleasing things that you don't really notice. Try looking for this on some websites and see when you can find some good and bad examples.

Consistency

There's nothing worse than a website it doesn't function consistently. A user can find it hard enough to learn how a website is come up with without having to understand that you don't use 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 on the market. Beyond that, ensure that your pages all act the same way.

A really good exemplory case of something to avoid is having a primary menu (the main site navigation) that changes per page (some pages have more items than others). Be sure to main menu stays exactly the same, but feel absolve to put in 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 thing to do is have someone else find something on your own site while you watch (no helping now). Should they can't find it, it's not built properly.

Don't take you site personally, it is a business tool, treat it just like you would treat a merchandising display or add you're putting in the paper. Lacking 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 is clear why it's there and get it to them in as little time as possible.

Text and White Space

Be sure to 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 simpler to read and has the keywords highlighted and linked?

Before:

Widgets. We have 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 manufactured from high quality materials and and then 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 area to get all your widget supplies. We're also a GREAT value. Don't lose out on the very best widget deals in town. If you are a person who needs widget and widget accessories, look no further. We've contracts too for widget tuning and cleaning services to make certain 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 full service widget shop
24/7 Widget service
Tune-ups keep your widget running great
Yearly widget servicing contracts save money.

Write for your audience
Always remember, your website is not for you personally, it's for the users. You may be excited about what you do and what you offer or your history, etc, but be sure that your content is properly prepared for the web audience. Only put content that is going to enhance the experience for your visitors. You want 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 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 content as needed to draw the appropriate attention to them. This is especially true for any contextual headers.
Contextual links. As mentioned earlier, be sure to link to relevant information from inside your content. Use key phrases and phrases as links to get more information this way as your user is reading, they might jump to that area of interest right away.
Guide Your Users
If someone is on your site reading about something in particular then it is fair to assume they were thinking about 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 are showing that you care about their interests and not just about creating a sale.

Why and What For

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

Be clear and concise. If you have an article about financial security, make sure to are making the purpose of that information obvious and tell your users what to do about it.

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

Wrapping Up

So, we've given you a lot to think about. That may be good and bad. Do not get overwhelmed by everything you've just read. Take it one idea at a time and work your way through your site. Consistency is key; it is better to have everything look and functional exactly the same way even if it isn't ideal than to possess a couple of pages be perfect and yet all of those other 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 net: Envision Design Solutions
Here's my website: https://www.openlearning.com/u/bowlingschultz-rti9c9/blog/HowYouCanImproveYourWebSite