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
professional maid services Deerfield ..Do use a consistent look and feel Your site should... Read More
Building your first website can be very frustrating. It looks... Read More
A long, long time ago? In a galaxy far, far... Read More
Choosing the right typeface for your website copy is important,... Read More
Let me repeat that.."The technology may change, but human nature... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
Ecommerce is just exploding right now on the Net. More... Read More
They say the eyes are the window to the soul.... Read More
You may not bother with html validation or writing simple... Read More
If you are one of those who wonder how people... Read More
The Questions You Should Be Asking ? The Answers You... Read More
Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding... Read More
You know... Before purchasing your product a person comes to... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
A web site builder can be a real life saver... Read More
Copyright 2005 Robert EvansSetting yourself up to earn a steady... Read More
In today's world, a web site is virtually mandatory for... Read More
Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More
Every action has a beginning phase where you launch your... Read More
So you're on the computer, as usual. Your eyes are... Read More
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More
You spend time and money promoting your website; but what... Read More
When creating an e-cover the what's the first thought that... Read More
The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
quick home cleaning Lake Forest ..1. DO NOT use excessive graphics or banner images on... Read More
They say the eyes are the window to the soul.... Read More
Don't make a splash!Are you thinking about using a splash... Read More
The "Wow" factor that accompanied the introduction of streaming media... Read More
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More
The time it takes to load your site can make... Read More
My site is working fine. The links work. Content is... Read More
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More
QUESTION: We promote our web site in all our... Read More
From my personal experience of around two year as home... Read More
As of September, Smartads went through what so many have... Read More
The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
Countdown to Armageddon - at least you'd think so judging... Read More
If you need a web designer, but have no clue... Read More
It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for... Read More
Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has... Read More
This is my second article on maximising web site viewability.... Read More
First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do... Read More
Hire a designer or a programmer for your website is... Read More
**How Colors are Used in web design:**Demarcates screen elements into... Read More
When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be... Read More
Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any... Read More
When building your website you might not have a large... Read More
An ongoing challenge for webmasters today is to provide fresh... Read More
Web Design |