I see a lot of mistakes, but here are the top five offenders you need to correct to give your site a boost.
Bad Title. Look at the title for each page. The title shows in the top bar of your browser. It is also what shows when you set a favorite or bookmark a site. Plus, the title is what shows in the search engine results. So you want your page title to be a "headline" - something that will make people want to click on it.
Give every page a different title according to its content. Include your keywords or key phrases in the title. Remember, people won't want to click on your company name, unless they're looking specifically for you. Instead, they are more likely to click on key words or phrases that reflect what they're looking for.
"Me" Language. Read each page of your site from your visitor's perspective. It's an eye-opener in most cases. If you want to "see" the impact of this, print the page and using a brightly colored highlighter, go over everything that is about them. You'll be amazed at how little of the page concentrates on the benefits to them.
Visitors don't care about your mission statement - they want to know what you can do for them. They don't care where you went to school or what degrees you have - they do care about why that matters to them. Speak "benefits" not features.
To be sure you are using benefit-driven language, keep asking the question "so what?" For example:
Our site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
So what?
So that means even at 2am you can access the information and start using it immediately. It means that regardless of where you live around the world, the information is available when you are.
Repeat this process until you get down to the benefit for the visitor. Then express that on the page.
No email capture process. Make sure you have a way to capture visitors' interest in the form of their name and email address. This means you want to "sell" the benefits of subscribing to your electronic newsletter or tips. You may want to offer a free report or ebook as a "bribe". However you do it, get them to sign up. This is the single most important asset you have online - a good list of people who look forward to hearing from you. And be sure to make it easy to sign up - put a form on every page of your site.
No contact information. Contact information online serves a dual purpose. First, it shows legitimacy. Sites without contact info are "suspect" - are they really a "real" company or a fly-by-night operation?
Second, we've all had the frustrating experience of trying to get in touch with a company and not being able to find their address, telephone or fax number. Be kind to your visitors - put your contact information on every page. If you're not comfortable with giving your street address or city, at least let them know what time zone you are in. If you have an unusual URL, include that. You never know which page your visitor will print and file. You want to be sure they can contact you later.
Slow to load. Finally, be considerate of all of your visitors by keeping your page download time to a minimum. If you're used to a fast connection you may not know the pain your visitors are experiencing. Go to an older computer with a slow telephone connection and visit your site. Try to keep your information on the cutting edge and your technology 2 years behind the curve.
If you take care of these five mistakes, your visitors will be happier, your conversion rates will improve and you'll be more successful online.
Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. Jeanette shares her news and views in onlinesuccessnews.com
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareOne product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More
Colors are powerful, and create strong feelings. They can also... Read More
Your home page is the most important page of your... Read More
Imagine you're going on a blind date. You've heard wonderful... Read More
Ecommerce is just exploding right now on the Net. More... Read More
How often, men, have you come home to find the... Read More
There are literally thousands of different options, styles and formats... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
There are many different website design companies, offering different facilities... Read More
Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if... Read More
One of the single most important aspects of effective navigation... Read More
There are many ways to add fancy bells and whistles... Read More
When your company built its website, did you think about... Read More
Here is a quick list of components that make a... Read More
As part of your event planning you should seriously consider... Read More
Developing a software application is not easy at all; apart... Read More
Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any... Read More
No, that's not the real question. The real question is... Read More
Are you thinking that it is about time your small... Read More
You've made your website, added a great title and keywords... Read More
You may not believe it, but people still judge things... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
I want to give you a free web page template... Read More
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More
We will take a look at why your visitors may... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For... Read More
As my occupation is that of a proofreader, one of... Read More
Well, you've got your product, started your home business, and... Read More
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for... Read More
Internet Explorer, created by microsoft has been the most popular... Read More
Developing a software application is not easy at all; apart... Read More
Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More
Here are a few programs I can't do without. They're... Read More
Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all... Read More
Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
There are many different website design companies, offering different facilities... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
Know what you wantMake sure you know why you... Read More
If you are going to have a web presence for... Read More
The question that I most frequently hear from people is... Read More
If you'd like to create/maintain a website, having some HTML... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
The solution lies in creating a 'Database driven website', through... Read More
Many times I've seen a web site undergo a revision... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
From my personal experience of around two year as home... Read More
Content is undoubtedly the most important element of a website.... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
Web Design |