HELPFUL HINTS   FOR WEBSITE OWNERS - PART 1

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An up-to-date website helps enhance the image of your company, so take some time to examine your site with a critical eye. Does it need dusting off, lightening up or revitalizing?

Here is a list to help you assess your site:

	Is your News recent? What impression do you get from a competitor’s site when their News was last updated two or more months ago?
	Are your “Coming Events” this year’s or last year’s?
	Are your prices current? Your clients won’t be pleased to be charged higher than they expected, based on your website information.
	Is your business offering new services or products? Announce them!
	Has your business had some great good news lately? Tell the world about it - we all need good news!
	When did you last change the “monthly” tip, article, newsletter or feature that you promised your visitors?
	Does your company have a new image, packaging or logo? Reflect it in your site.
	Has your e-mail address, telephone number or fax number changed?

You put a lot of time and money into your website – don’t let it become moribund through lack of attention.

Your website creates the first impression many potential customers have of your business. Does your website work for you or against you?

What makes a good website?

While it is tempting to exploit every capability of website design technology, don’t let the medium hide the message.

Consider the following:

	You have 10 seconds to catch and hold the visitor. Don’t waste that time with frivolous animations, Flash presentations or fluffy text.
	People don’t read – they scan. Be concise. Use hyperlinks to guide the visitor quickly to the details they want.
	Yes, many people still use old browsers and/or dial-up internet connections. A site must function efficiently with the lowest common technology, not just the most recent.
	A difficult-to-navigate site quickly turns potential clients into lost opportunities. Originality and creativity are great for your business, but not for site navigation.

A good website is relevant, efficient and easy to navigate.

Writing 101

Congratulations! Your potential client has reached the information of interest in less than 10 seconds but – the best website layout on the internet is useless if the information itself is poorly presented.

Ask yourself: Is the text well written? Does it say exactly, and only, what you want it to say? Are there spelling and grammatical errors, undefined acronyms and specialized terminology? What about the sentence structure? Is the language pompous, condescending, flowery or stilted?

Poor or inappropriate writing gives a poor impression,  whether on paper or on the screen.

How do I get visitors to my site?

Submitting your site to search engines is equivalent to advertising in the newspaper classifieds. Far more effective is to:

	Put the website address on your business cards, stationery, brochures and e-mails
	Put it on your voice mail
	Send an e-mail to your entire mailing list announcing the opening of the site and what it has to offer
	Put up a Links page and arrange as many relevant link exchanges as you can
	Give people a reason for visiting and for returning again and again. Include a newsletter, Tip of the Week/Month, Bulletin Board … Keep the site up-to-date and interesting
	Don’t forget the search engines! They do bring some visitors

With all the website design programs on the market, why hire a professional?

A website takes time (do you have any?), expertise, attention to detail and a critical eye. A good professional website designer will create an attractive, easy to navigate, error-free, efficient and effective site in a reasonable length of time.

A good website designer will get satisfaction from helping your business prosper. The designer combines your vision with their expertise to create a site of which you are both proud.

Once people have found your web site, you need to keep them coming back - so if they require your product or service, yours is the first business to come to mind. 

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