| |
| |
|
Web Development Information |
|
|
|
9 Keys to an Effective Website
Many small companies choose not to invest in a professionally designed website, although a well-designed Web site may raise the company's level of professionalism and exposure - AND drive business and sales! Make sure your website is working for you with the following characteristics: Usability enables your users to get the most out of your site. This means that the site's navigation is consistent, clear and easy to follow; forms and links are in working order; and the information on the site is current and answers incoming clients' potential questions. Findable: If people can't find you, then they won't buy from you. Make sure your pages have text coded in HTML instead of embedded in the graphics, so that search engines can read it. Put ALT tags on the images you do have - search engines look at these, and they can improve your rankings. Include META tags in your code and submit them to at least the major search engines. You can do this for free - ask me how! Finally, find some online directories where your site would be a fit and add your site to those directories. This is one more way potential clients can find your site; having directories and other sites linked to yours can also increase your ranking in the search engines. Legible fonts, sized for easy reading on different platforms and browsers. Also, make sure your font is either significantly lighter or darker than your background color or pattern, so that your site is readable for colorblind people, too. If you're using a background pattern, make sure that it doesn't interfere with the text. Cleanly designed, with graphics that enhance the website's message, instead of detracting from it. This applies to animations as well, which should be designed with a purpose. Reinforces and repeats elements of your brand image, building upon the design of your corporate logo and other materials and repeating your company's message. Consistency of your company's brand is important across all media. High-quality graphics that are optimized and saved in the correct format for their content - JPEG format should be used for gradients or photos, and GIF format should be used for images with areas of solid color. Fast loading: Optimizing your graphics and writing clean code will ensure that your users only wait a minimal amount of time for the page to come up. If people don't see your site quickly, they're more likely to click away from it or not return in the future. Cross-platform compatible: Make sure that your site looks the same on PC and Macintosh systems, and on Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla and all the other browsers - that way, you're not missing any of your audience! You'll also want to make sure that the site looks equally as good in older versions of the browsers - not everyone updates their browser software when new versions come out. Clean code will load fast! Well-written code is also less likely to load incorrectly in different browsers. Clean code will also enable other web designers to pick up the maintenance of your site easily if you decide to transfer those responsibilities to a new designer. A well-designed website works as a qualifying agent and also provides information 24/7 about your business to all your potential clients. It is a vital resource and marketing tool for doing business in today's global marketplace. About the Author Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Web-Development - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Trinkets, Lockets And Empty Pockets It never ceases to amaze me how many people set-up a website, without any type of plan or clue about how to promote it, how to write a sales letter, how to write an ad-- nothing!Even more amazing is how many people try to conduct business online without any money.The other day, I received an e-mail from a woman named Nadia inquiring about my E-mail Consultation Service. Having a Portfolio on the Internet Can Help you Infiltate the Workforce If you're an up and coming graphic/web designer just out of university, you'll know it's quite hard to break into the workforce. You have to contact employers one by one, spend your time traveling and lugging your portfolio to their offices. Do You Need a Web Database? Does My Web Site Require A Web Database?If your web site require constant updates and feeding of information, a web database is the solution. In short, this applies to web sites that handle online products, news feed, members- based subscription and other functions as well. Web Success Secret - Keep Your Visitors Interested Visitors to your site come looking for information or solutions to their problems. They will remain there if they find what they are looking for. Why a CSS Website Layout Will Make You Money Although CSS layouts have been around for years, they haven't become so commonplace until recently. This was basically due to limited browser support (especially from Netscape 4) - nowadays though, CSS 2. Web Accessibility: The Basics What is web accessibility & why is it important?Web accessibility is about making your website accessible to all Internet users (both disabled and non-disabled), regardless of what browsing technology they're using. In addition to complying with the law, an accessible website can reap huge benefits on to your website and your business. Getting a Web Site Can Be Fast, Easy, and Inexpensive When You Know Your Options So what do you do if need to get a web site but you're not sure how to go about getting one. The good news is you have several options. Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) & Web Accessibility There's been widespread speculation about the new legislation being introduced under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), which will ensure that websites are accessible to blind and disabled users. Try to find specific information about it on the Internet and chances are you'll come up empty handed. Improving Usability for Screen Reader Users Simply ensuring your website is accessible to screen reader users is unfortunately not enough to ensure these users can find what they're looking for in a reasonably quick and efficient manner. Even if your site is accessible to screen reader users, its usability could be so incredibly poor that they needn't have bothered coming to your site. Learn What 98% of Targeted Visitors Do On Your Website Getting a Targeted Visitor to a website is a waste of time and money if you've got no idea what 98% of them do when they get there.I'm assuming that if you have a website selling products that your conversion rate is at least 2%. The Secret Benefit Of Accessibility: Part 1 - Increased Usability Web accessibility has so many benefits that I really do wonder why such a large number of websites have such diabolically bad accessibility. One of the main benefits is increased usability, which according to usability guru, Jakob Nielson, can increase the sales/conversion rate of a website by 100% and traffic by 150%. In Business? 10 Reasons Why You Need a Website -- Now! 1) Word of Mouth The single most powerful form of new business creation is word of mouth. Your past customers, friends, acquaintances and staff aren't likely to carry your brochure or even your business card everywhere they go. Websites for Writers - Why You Need One and How to Get Started Today It may seem like the publishing industry's equivalent of Beanie Baby madness- everyone is talking about writer's websites. Freelancers and authors everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, publishing sites to promote themselves and their work. 5 Ways to Build a Website If you are like me you have wanted to build a website but didn't know how!Why?Because you haven't learned htmlBecause it costs too much to have someone do it for you.The software you have found is too complicatedYou just didn't have the time or patience to read the 500-page manualThere was no one to teach you how to do it. The Topic Of Your Website The first thing you will have to deal building your website has nothing to do with the web design itself, it's me related to content writing but it must be defined and will effect the rest of your actions. So first of all you need to decide what the topic of your future website is. Successful Commercial Sites Do you make your website just to entertain yourself or do you want it to be a great web store? The fact is more than 80% of websites are trying to sell you something. There is nothing wrong if you want to get some money from the website you made, but remember to put some REALLY interesting information on your pages. Search Engines and Customers Want Focused Web Site Content How do you decide on the content, products and or services you will promote on your Web site.Or should I go back one step further and ask why did you decide to create a website in the first place. How Did You Get Here? When marketing your website, it's important to know which of your efforts are producing results and which of them are a waste of time.You can learn a lot about this by analyzing your website's statistics (assuming your webhost offers this service). How Improving Your Sites Usability Can Increase Your Buyers by 40% and Boost Each Order By 10%! With all of the factors involved in designing and building a web site, one of the most influential questions is often overlooked:Is your site easy to use?Usability isn't the same as design. Just because you've hired a talented designer to craft your site and make it look great doesn't mean it's easy to use. Remember This When Building A New Site - Beginners Guide I recently helped my mom to launch a website (www.mom2me.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |