10 TIPS FOR WEB SUCCESS
BY: DAVID RISLEY
the webmaster's biggest job is to get their
traffic up and keep customers/visitors coming
BACK. BUILDING THE SITE IS ONE THING, BUT SIMPLY
building and posting a website does not
guarantee traffic. in fact, a website could be
BEAUTIFUL AND AN EXAMPLE OF ALL THE LATEST
technology and still not attract a single
visitor if not promoted correctly. here are 10
TIPS TO GUIDE YOU TO SUCCESS WITH YOUR WEBSITE.
(1) the internet is a new medium.
AT LEAST COMPARED TO PRINT, IT IS. A WEBSITE IS
a waste if it simply re-hashes something which
could easily be put into print. don't have the
SITE BE JUST AN ONLINE BROCHURE. PUT UP FEATURES
which take advantage of the internet as a medium
of communication. filter information for them.
PROVIDE SEARCH CAPABILITY. PROVIDE INTERACTIVITY
with features like forums, quizzes and tools.
web visitors like to interact.
(2) treat the customer's time as valuable.
when a person visits your website, you have
THEIR ATTENTION FOR THAT POINT IN TIME. YOU
either need to use it or you will lose it -
fast. most visitors have short attention spans,
WHAT YOU NEED TO DESIGN YOUR SITE HOMEPAGE SO
that it grabs their attention and provides what
they are looking for right away. its like
WALKING INTO A RESTAURANT. IF YOU WALK IN AND
just stand there and nobody comes to greet you,
you might wonder what is happening. but, if the
HOSTESS COMES AND GREETS YOU RIGHT AWAY AND
walks you to a table, then you will be there for
awhile and eat. the same analogy goes for
WEBSITES. DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE YOUR WEBSITE
homepage. best results will be obtained if you
make it very clear where to click to find what
THEY NEED.
(3) design the site for customers, not the
COMPANY.
your site needs to satisfy the needs of
customers, not the company. so, don't post
CONTENT WHICH IS NOT REALLY USEFUL TO THE SITE'S
customer. and avoid over-flattering marketing
hype about the company. it inflates the ego of
THE COMPANY MORE THAN IT HELPS YOUR CUSTOMER.
(4) involve the visitor.
KEEP THE VISITOR INVOLVED AND MAKE THEM FEEL
like a valuable contributor. actively ask for
the feedback and suggestions. ask for
COMMUNICATION FROM YOUR VISITORS AND ANSWER THAT
communication swiftly. when getting that
communication, capture their email address. this
WILL ALLOW YOU TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM LONG
after they have moved on and forgotten about
you.
(5) keep it current.
you need to have content on your website which
IS TIMELY AND RELEVANT TO THE CUSTOMER'S LIFE.
posting month-old news is not interesting.
posting dry product information which never
CHANGES IS NOT INTERESTING. YES, YOU NEED TO
have product information and other information
on your site that won't change much, but you can
ALSO POST MORE TIMELY CONTENT. YOU CAN, FOR
example, post content about how your products
can be used in certain situations in life.
PROVIDE TIPS AND TECHNIQUES - THINGS WHICH ARE
immediately applicable and solve a problem.
(6) PAY ATTENTION TO FORM/DESIGN.
some sites simply over-do it on the eye-candy.
big graphics just for the sake of graphics often
IMPRESS THE SITE'S DESIGNER MORE THAN THE
visitor. do not use graphics that are large and
purposeless. remember, some visitors may still
BE ACCESSING YOUR WEBSITE VIA DIAL-UP. YOUR SITE
needs to load up quickly for all users. a slow
website will cause your users to leave quickly.
ALSO, PAY ATTENTION TO GRAPHIC AND DESIGN SIZE.
many web designers operate on fairly large
screen resolutions and sometimes forget that
EVEN THOUGH A GRAPHIC LOOKS GREAT TO YOU, IT
will appear enormous to somebody on a smaller
resolution. on the flip side, don't go too light
ON GRAPHICS. A SITE WHICH IS POORLY DESIGNED AND
using the default font and no color is not very
aesthetically pleasing. any web visitor, whether
THEY ADMIT IT OR NOT, JUDGES YOUR COMPANY BY
your website unless they have something else to
go on. a well-designed site communicates
PROFESSIONALISM. A POOR DESIGN MAKES THE SITE
seem like an afterthought.
(7) PROMOTE.
when a visitor communicates to you via email, it
is best to use a web form. not only will this
KEEP YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS FROM BEING PICKED UP BY
spammers, it will also allow you to ask your
customers for their email address and then store
THAT ADDRESS FOR LATER USE. EMPLOY THE
"push/pull" marketing strategy. a visitor coming
to your website is the pull, but later you want
TO PUSH CONTENT BACK TO THEM IN THE FORM OF A
newsletter or other promotional material. start
a mailing list and use it. invite visitors to
SIGN UP. PROMOTION MAKES OR BREAKS A BUSINESS,
and as long as you respect the ethical
considerations of your mailing list, you should
USE IT.
(8) don't operate in a cocoon.
THE INTERNET IS A MEDIUM WHICH IS SHARED BY
millions. when you set up your website, don't
operate as if you are a self-contained island.
GET OUT THERE AND KEEP IN TUNE WITH WHAT IS
happening on other websites related to your own.
participate in forums. post links to other
WEBSITES AND ASK FOR A LINK IN RETURN. FORM
partnerships with other sites if it is
appropriate. when it comes to communication,
PEOPLE LIKE PERSONAL CONTACTS. HIDING BEHIND
general email address like "sales" and "info" is
ok as long as there is a way to also email you
DIRECTLY. A COMPANY SITE WHICH ALLOWS EMAIL
direct to the management is good. just remember
how much you hate calling a company and getting
STUCK IN THEIR PHONE SYSTEM. SOMETIMES YOU JUST
want to talk to somebody. give your visitors
that ability.
(9) have a plan to attract repeat traffic.
use newsletters, out-going email, contests,
FORUMS, CLUBS, AUCTIONS - ANYTHING THAT WILL
cause people to return to your website. when
posting links to other websites, don't just send
YOUR VISITORS SOMEWHERE ELSE. THEY MAY NEVER
return. provide them an exit page. give them a
pop-up when they try to leave your site. or at
THE VERY LEAST MAKE EXTERNAL LINKS OPEN IN A NEW
window.
(10) TRACK YOUR VISITORS
pay attention to your site's statistics and
react accordingly. what are people reading? how
ARE THEY FINDING YOU? DO THEY JUST COME AND
leave right from your homepage? how long as they
are on your website? do they return? this data
IS IMMENSELY VALUABLE IN FINE-TUNING YOUR
website based on customer needs and wants.
remember, the biggest mistake of any webmaster
IS DESIGNING THE SITE FOR WHAT THEY WANT. A
successful website is designed for the target
audience, not to impress the site's owner.
about the author:
david risley is a web developer and founder of
PC MEDIA, INC. (
HTTP://WWW.PCMEDIANET.COM).
specializes in php/mysql development, consulting
and internet business management. he is also the
FOUNDER OF PC MECHANIC (
HTTP://WWW.PCMECH.COM),
a large website delivering do-it-yourself
computer information to thousands of users every
DAY.
CIRCULATED BY ARTICLE EMPORIUM [2]
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