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LET'S GET AHEAD! Make Money, Save Money, Live Better!
The 10 Laws of Highly Effective Business Websites … by neil smith
Posted on 2008-Jul-14 at 07:29 - Post Comment
7/14/08
A website that is user-friendly and easy to figure out can help increase your bottom line!
I see so many websites every day - even large corporations with a horrible online presence. They are hard to navigate and filled with distracting junk that steers the viewer away from their intended purpose. There’s nothing I hate more than waiting for some stupid, glitzy flash page to load. For that matter, I hate flash sites in general. I don’t want to wait for all the little “wow” buttons to finish loading their animations which I don’t care about in the first place. I want to be able to copy and paste information that I need like phone numbers and addresses (without having to hunt for them) so that I can add them to my database and contact the company in the future with ease. I hate sites that are hard to navigate and don’t clearly indicate where to go for the things I need to find. Very frustrating!
But alas! Born of frustration come solutions! Or at least something I can write about. Thus below I give you my 10 LAWS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WEBSITES! (I should probably burn a bush or something right about now...)
1. Relevants Never Forget! (Staying Relevant)
Unless you are a site about video games, I don’t need a link to online versions of Asteroids or Space Invaders or anything else that may be irrelevant to the reason I came to your site (whatever reason that may be.) Be mindful of why people come to your website and keep the focus on meeting their needs. A website that doesn’t waste my time is one I return to often!
2. Be Googalicious! (Search Engine Friendly)
Noone can use your website if noone can find it. Keeping your content in-focus and on-target will help search engines index it properly and help you come up in appropriate searches. It also does not hurt to submit your site to the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo!. Being linked to from other sites is also a huge help. Personally, I have started writing for other websites in exchange for links back to http://www.letsgetahead.com . Be sure to always include links to your website in any online advertising you do (Duh!) and be sure to use the full URL ( i.e. http://www.letsgetahead.com) as opposed to just the truncated version ( www.letsgetahead.com ) because when you add the http:// to the front of the web address, many browsers will automatically turn it into a link. Be sure to do this in emails as well because most email clients work the same way and people are more likely to click a link than copy and paste the URL into a browser.
3. Come Into My Sexy Web! (Visual Appeal)
Just because I hate waiting for a bunch of doo-dads to load doesn’t mean that I’m telling you to make crappy-looking websites. Conducting business has so much to do with how you make a person feel when they come into your “store” regardless of whether or not you have the best prices or the most acclaim. It doesn’t matter if you are selling shingles or donuts! If your website is warm and appealing to the senses, I guarantee it will do better than some drab gray and white page with nothing but endless text on it regardless of how relevant and wonderful the information might be.
4. Psst Buddy! How ‘Bout An Update!? (Content Freshness)
In order to get people to return to your website often, it helps greatly if you continually have new reasons to visit. Update your website (at least the homepage) often with new products, services, tips and tricks, news and information, and you get the idea…
5. Help A User Out! - (Usability)
Can the people visiting your website find what they are looking for quickly and easily? Can they accomplish what they came to do with a minimum of fuss and muss. Think about why people come to your site and put yourself in their shoes and design your site with them in mind. It also helps to ask someone unrelated to your website to navigate it while you watch. You’d be amazed what you can learn. Also, be sure to study your website’s statistics (usually available online through your web host or you can implement Google Analytics) and see what pages people are coming to, where they are coming from, how long they stay on your site, and more importantly, how quickly they leave. Make adjustments accordingly.
6. Links On The Blink! (Working Links)
Check all the links on your website to make sure they go where they are supposed to and fix them if they don’t. Nothing turns off an end-user faster than clicking a link to nowhere and getting a 404 error. If you link to places that are not hosted on your immediate website, check them often to make sure they are still working.
7. Spread ‘Em! (Setting Yourself Apart)
Have something unique to offer even if you are in a crowded and competitive field. Know what makes your offering different and special and highlight it for the world to see!
8. Gitcho “Cred” On! (Credible Presentation)
Help the people coming to your cyber-space of business feel comfortable doing business with you. Consider having a page where they can learn more about you and others in your organization. Have a client testimonial page where people who have used your products or services give their positive comments. If you have done business with any large-name clients, with their permission, tout them on a special page.
9. Ring! Ring! For Ka-Ching! (Publish Your Phone Number)
If you are doing business online, be sure to include a telephone number so that people may reach you and speak with you personally. A lot of folks still want to be able to speak with a live human being before considering parting with their hard-earned cash. If someone can’t call up and speak with you, they may get the feeling that you have something to hide. I personally loathe dealing with a company that can only be reached via email or an online form (LIKE AMAZON.COM !). So many things can be lost in translation via email and you just never know who you are dealing with that way. No matter how far we come with our technology, some things are just always best done the old-fashioned way. Learning how to use this new and wonderful thing called technology to enhance, rather than replace time-tested and “Mother-Approved” ways of doing business (and dealing with your fellow human in general) I really feel strongly is the key to unlocking the greatest success and happiness in your online business and life as a whole. Sometimes you just have to get it done person-to-person!
10. Link to http://www.letsgetahead.com . It works I swear!
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