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Creating A User-Friendly Website
In my last article, I stated several facts about the importance of having a developed search engine friendly website. The website would be visually pleasing and at the same time optimized for high search engine rankings. It stated the differences...
Seven Marketing Questions You should ask before you get a 10 Year Old to build Your Website
Copyright 2005 Empower Business Solutions Google tells us there are 4 billion websites- almost one for everyone on the planet. And today you have decided to make it 4 billion and 1. So, do you think- “If I build it, they will come?” seriously? It...
Ten Steps To A Well Optimized Website - Step 5: Internal Linking
Welcome to part five in this search engine positioning series. Last week we discussed the importance of content optimization. In part five we will cover your website’s internal linking structure and the role that it plays in ranking highly, and...
Think before setting up your website
We have seen an increase in the number of websites since the past couple of years. Significantly after the initial dot com burst. While this is good news, it sure reflects one single point. The Internet is as serious as in the offline community....
Web Coach Tip: 4 ingenious ways to NOT give away the Digital Farm!
Copyright 2005 Donna Payne A few days ago a prospect replied to one of my follow up auto-responders where I asked how they were doing and if they had any questions or if they needed help with my free workbook they downloaded. I was so proud, and...
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Fine Tuning Your Website
Fine-Tuning Your Website
© 2003 Gillian Gaston
You can spend hours, days, weeks or even months getting your website to look wonderful. There is nothing in the world that feels beats the feeling you get when someone comes to at your site and tells you that it looks great. All your hard work has paid off!
But has it? Apart from looking good your site has to work smoothly for it to be successful.
By looking good I don't mean that it has to have loads of pictures and graphics and animated gifs. In fact the opposite is often the case. A well designed site that is clear and simple to navigate will stand head and shoulders above one that is full of complex graphics making it visually confusing. Just remember, when it comes to website design, LESS is MORE.
OK, so you have kept the site clean and simple. That's a great start. But not only must it look great it has to work smoothly and that means regular maintenance and checking.
There is nothing more frustrating than to visit a site offering say a software product where you read the synopsis on the home page and you are interested in what the program could do you for you. You want more information, so you clink the link marked "Detailed Product Information". What happens? The page can't be found. You try again, and again the page still can't be found. Are you impressed? No, not at all, particularly if the site belongs to a company that is supposed to specialise in software programs designed for the analysis of surveys carried out on the web!
Precisely this happened to me today with a company I read about in a professional market research journal. I gave up on this site and checked out the site of one of their competitors - and all their links worked perfectly and their product looked every bit as attractive. Guess which company I would choose if I decide to buy the package?
Checking that ALL your links work is vital. On a one or two page site, that is very simple to do - but if your site is larger it can
take time - but it is time well spent. It is particularly important to remember to check that any banners or other reciprocal links you have on your site are working properly. If the link isn't working properly or the site has ceased to exist, remove it immediately.
It is also a useful exercise to check how your site looks on different browsers and on computers using different screen resolutions. You could ask some people you know to let you view your site on their computers or you could check out the systems used at your local library or Internet café. It is well worth doing - you may see some things that need to be changed to make the site look good regardless of the browser.
How others view your site is obviously of critical importance. Why not ask your visitors for their feedback on your site? You could invite them to send you an email or to fill out a short, on-line questionnaire. To encourage them to respond you might consider offering an incentive such as a free ebook or report or you could hold a prize draw for a product that you sell for the best or most interesting reply.
The Internet is constantly changing and it is vital to keep up to date with trends. Use your visitors to tell you what they want so that you can offer it to them before your competitors do!
***************************************
Gillian Gaston is a marketing specialist with
18 years' experience. She is a partner in
JGN media, which offers expert information
and resources for on-line business.
Visit: http://www.jgnmedia.com
You may reprint this article as long as you
leave the Resource Box intact and do not edit
the article in any way.
***************************************
About the Author
Gillian Gaston is a marketing specialist with 18 years' experience. She is a partner in JGN media, which offers expert information and resources for on-line business. She is also the editor of JGN In-Touch Ezine. Visit: http://www.jgnmedia.com
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