SOME TIPS FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

STEP 1: Start by creating a basic road map that will set the tone for what you’re doing. Keep in mind that this is an evolutionary process. In the beginning, don’t try to be Amazon.com. (It took them years to become a powerhouse on the Internet.) Grandiose visions are fine, but you need to build up to realizing them. Walk before you run; start small and grow big.

STEP 2: Determine what tools you need to help drive the right traffic to your site. The web is a very competitive space—today there are over 11 billion web pages, so you need to be strategic in deciding what works best for you and your website objectives. Some of these tools include search engine marketing, e-mail marketing and search engine optimization. Also, now’s the time to decide how and where you’re going to spend your (limited) marketing budget.

STEP 3: How will you determine what’s working on your site and what isn’t? Some industry best practices will work for you; others may need some tinkering. Deciding how to measure your ROI (return on investment) and other crucial metrics is key to the success of your business. The best way to find this out is through website traffic reports, but you should listen to your customers as well. They will let you know what market tactics are working for you, what ones aren’t, and how to improve your results.

STEP 4: Apply what you learn from your metrics. These include page views, length of visits, site traffic volume and trends, and you should study them to improve your site’s content, navigation and performance. This enables you to offer a better experience to your visitors.


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10 THINGS YOUR SITE MUST HAVE

Getting these ten things right will help you impress customers and compete more effectively with larger businesses. When customers visit your website, they want information instantly. If they can’t find what they are looking for, they can get frustrated pretty quickly and leave, or worse they could go looking for one of your competitors to find what they need. It is important to keep the user experience in mind, meaning you need to find a balance between your need to promote your business and your customer’s need to get the information they want.

So just what are customers looking for when they come to your site? Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 things customers are trying to find on your website:

1. Contact Information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical location.


2. Product Information, which means in-depth information on the products or services you provide, including prices.


3. Samples of your products or previous work.


4. Support, including product information, troubleshooting help, FAQs, etc.


5. Shopping, it is important for your customers to quickly find out how to purchase products, be it online or at a physical location where your products are being sold.


6. Company Information, such as background information on the business and the management team.


7. News and announcements, including press releases and updated product or service enhancements.


8. Employment opportunities.


9. Back Home, an easy way to get back to your home page where all paths begin in the customer’s mind.


10. Simple Navigation that makes all these other items easy to find.

And AS A BONUS, don’t ever forget that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Use them liberally throughout your website, especially to break up large amounts of text.


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9 Tips For Effective Website Content

Writing for the Internet is a different skill to writing for paper print or paper publications. Website readers digest smaller amounts of information in less time when compared to reading from paper.

Web readers may be a difficult bunch, they may take a while to digest information and they may need convincing of every single point you deliver but they are essential. They can become long term, loyal customers, as long as you give them what they want.
This means that website content needs to be very well organized, concise, well formatted, and appealing. Throw in the proper use of search engine keywords, a powerful Call To Action (CTA), your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and the natural skepticism of web users and it's easy to see why many website owners use professional content writers.

1 - Use An Inverted Pyramid Style Of Writing; this means getting your point across early in the text. Web readers are an impatient bunch and they need to know that the page they're reading is relevant. Include a summary or conclusion of the page's main points at the beginning of the text and then elaborate on this as you progress.

2 - Make It Concise; as well as being impatient, web readers aren't able to digest and process information as well on a computer screen as they are on paper. There are masses of studies and numerous sets of data giving statistics on this, but the general point is that basic pages need to be between a third and a half of the length they would be on paper. Try to aim for 300-500 words for web pages, with longer pages for technical articles, newsletters, and other web based publications.

3 - Use Headers and Sub-Headers not only enable you, as the writer, to properly structure the page; they also enable the reader to scan through and find the information that is most pertinent to them. Don't try anything too clever with your headers and do ensure that they are relevant and informational.

4 - Use Bullets and Lists; these are another method of enabling readers to quickly navigate around a page and grab the most important information. Many readers will simply scroll down a page and if no information jumps out at them then they won't read anything. Prevent these readers from clicking away from your website by offering bite sized chunks of information.

5 - Use Simple Language; another area where statistics and figures differ is in the comprehension level of website readers. No matter which figures you listen to, though, one point is clear - we simply can't process information as well when reading from a computer. Use simple language, avoid jargon that isn't necessary or clearly defined, and engage your readers using language that everybody can understand.

6 - Use Short Paragraphs And Shorter Sentences; a paragraph should contain text relating to a single, simple idea. When you reach the conclusion of that idea, you should also reach the end of that paragraph. Paragraphs should contain no more than 70-80 words where possible. If a paragraph requires fewer words then make it shorter. The same goes for sentences.

7 - Make It Easy to Scan; shorter paragraphs, more concise pages, and good headers make a page easy to scan. So too do bullets and lists. Add formatting such as bold and italicized text, quotes, and even hyperlinked text to make the page easier to scan. Remember to use a degree of caution, however, because a page that consists of different formatting techniques will be very difficult to read and understand. Many readers will simply close your page and move on.

8 - Write Objectively; we've already discussed how Internet users are impatient and find it difficult to digest information; they're also a highly skeptical bunch that will take convincing of virtually anything you have to say. Use objective language and avoid the use of too much marketing fluff. Avoid exaggerated claims such telling readers that yours is the best product in the world and instead show them why - convince them to come to that conclusion on their own and you will enjoy better results for your effort.

9 - One Idea per Paragraph, One Subject per Page

A single paragraph should contain a single idea and a single page should cover one topic. If a page is becoming too wordy because it includes information on other subjects, then break it down and hyperlink to those other pages. For longer pages remember the bookmark function and use it wisely to help readers navigate their way around your site and take in all of the information that you have to offer.

Giving Visitors What They Want

As stated at the beginning, Web readers may be a difficult bunch, they may take a while to digest information and they may need convincing of every single point you deliver but they are essential. They can become long term, loyal customers, as long as you give them what they want and that's why we love them so much. If you don't have the time or the resource to write your own compelling and effective website content then consider using professional copywriters.

Source: Entireweb Newsletter #581, 10/13/09

HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

■STEP 1: Start by creating a basic road map. This will set the tone for what you’re doing. Keep in mind that this is an evolutionary process. In the beginning, don’t try to be Amazon.com. (It took them years to become a web powerhouse.) Grandiose visions are fine, but you need to build up to realizing them. Start small and grow big.

■STEP 2: Determine what tools you need to help drive the right traffic to your site. The web is a very competitive space—today there are over 11 billion web pages, so you need to be strategic in deciding what works best for you. Some of these tools include search engine marketing, e-mail marketing and search engine optimization. This then is the time to decide how and where you’re going to spend your (limited) marketing budget.

■STEP 3: How will you determine what’s working on your site and what isn’t? Some industry best practices will work for you; others may need some tinkering. Deciding how to measure your ROI (return on investment) and other crucial metrics is key to the success of your business. The best way to find this out is through website traffic reports, but you should listen to your customers as well. They will let you know what market tactics are working for you, what ones aren’t, and how to improve your results. You’ll need to go further than that—but don’t worry, there’s a lot of help out there to make these tasks easier.

■STEP 4: Apply what you learn from your metrics. These include page views, length of visits, site traffic volume and trends, and you should study them to improve your site’s content, navigation and performance. This enables you to offer a better experience to your visitors.

Sounds simple, but like any successful venture, it will take hard work and refinements to ensure the success that you desire from your Internet presence.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT FOR WEB

Internet users make up their minds about the quality of a website in the blink of an eye, a study shows. Researchers found that the brain makes decisions in just a 20th of a second of viewing a webpage. They were surprised as they believed it would take at least 10 times longer to form an opinion.

Speedy conclusions
The study, published in the journal Behavior and Information Technology, also suggests that first impressions have a lasting impact. The Canadian team showed volunteers glimpses of websites, lasting for only 50 milliseconds. The volunteers then had to rate the websites in terms of their aesthetic appeal. The researchers found that the speedily formed conclusions closely tallied with opinions of the websites that had been made after much longer periods of examination.

Gitte Lindgaard, of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, the lead researcher of the paper expressed her surprise at the results. "My colleagues believed it would be impossible to really see anything in less than 500 milliseconds," she told the website of the Nature journal, which reported the research. The judgments were being formed almost as quickly as the eye can take in information.

Lasting impressions
The researchers also believe that these quickly formed first impressions last because of what is known to psychologists as the "halo effect". If people believe a website looks good, then this positive quality will spread to other areas, such as the website's content. Since people like to be right, they will continue to use the website that made a good first impression, as this will further confirm that their initial decision was a good one.

As websites increasingly jostle for business, Dr Lindgaard added that companies should take note. "Unless the first impression is favorable, visitors will be out of your site before they even know that you might be offering more than your competitors," she warned.

Story from BBC NEWS, Published 01/16/2006

10 WORDS NO LONGER IN VOGUE

Here are a few terms that have faded from everyday use over the past 10 to 20 years and this info should be helpful for 20-somethings; when the more senior people in your life use one of these terms, you'll know what they're talking about. [1]

1. Intranet

Popular in the mid-90s, the term "intranet" usually referred to a private business network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as HTTP. It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP, so you can just use the term virtual private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.

2. Extranet

An "extranet" referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP and HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.

3. Web Surfing

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don't know what it means. To teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the same thing. So it's better to use the term "browsing" the Web if you want to be understood.

4. Push Technology

The debate over the merits of "push" versus "pull" technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast and other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)

During this decade, the term "Application Service Provider" evolved into "Software-as-a-Service." Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by "SaaS." Now, the latest buzz is to talk about "cloud computing."

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term "personal digital assistant" referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a "smartphone".

7. Internet Telephony

You need to purge the term "Internet telephony" from your vocabulary and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It's probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.

8. Weblog

A blog is a shortened version of "Weblog," a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as "blogger" and "blogosphere." Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are "microblogging," which is another word that's heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

9. Thin Client

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term "thin client" to refer to Oracle's alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to "virtual desktops" that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

10. World Wide Web

Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web" anymore, or the "Information Superhighway," for that matter. It's just the Internet. It's a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the "Worldwide Interweb." Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as "infobahn" or "electronic highway."

[1] Source: Carol Duffy Marsan, 8/09

10 USABILITY PRINCIPLES FOR WEB DESIGN

1. Motivate – Design your website to meet specific user goals.

2. User Taskflow – What are your users tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match workflow.

3. Architecture – Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember if it can’t be found in 3 clicks; they’re gone.

4. Affordance makes obvious – Make controls understandable, avoiding confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.

5. Replicate – and use consistent color, themes, and navigation throughout your web site.

6. Usability – Test users with prototypes early in the design. Don’t wait until the end when it’s too late.

7. Know technological limits – identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware; test HTML, JavaScripts, etc. for compatibility.

8. Know user tolerances – they tend to be impatient. Design for a 2-10 second maximum download. Reuse graphics so they can be loaded from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.

9. Multimedia – good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement distracts reading and slows comprehension.

10. Use Stats – Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust the site accordingly.

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