How to Build a More Effective Website
As of February 2007, there were over 108 million distinct websites on the World Wide Web, according to Netcraft Web Server. More recent estimates put the current total at 160-185 million distinct websites. On July 25, 2008, Google announced that it had indexed over 1 trillion unique URL's (Uniform Resource Locators) or web addresses. And today, there are an estimated 9 billion live web pages in cyberspace.
Some basic tips before you begin.
With so much clutter and traffic on the Internet, how will you get your website to stand out in the crowd? What basic information do you need before you start building your site?
First and foremost, you should know the purpose of your site. What is your goal for having a website? Who is your target audience for the site? What do they want/need/expect from you? Once you have answered these questions, you can begin to focus on the creation of your site.
Some important design/writing considerations.
1) Avoid wallpapers. Your target audience is looking for information, not cleverly designed wallpapers or graphic treatments.
2) Avoid dark background colors. Treatments such as white text on a dark background make reading web text difficult, particularly for the older members of your target audience.
3) Use color judiciously to highlight and draw attention to important information.
4) Avoid using “flash” opening pages. These may look terrific, but they take longer to load and will surely frustrate your visitors, especially those who are still using dial-up 56k modems.
5) Most web surfers want their information quickly. That’s why they spend more for DSL and cable services.
6) Avoid having music on your site unless you’re selling music.
7) Text should be professionally written and to-the-point. Your target audience wants to know how they will benefit from your services. Period. From their perspective, nothing else matters. Text should be “you”-oriented, not “we”-oriented. Instead of beginning with “Welcome to our website,” write “If you’ve been searching for pain relief (or some other health benefit), you’ve come to the right place.”
8) Avoid letting your personal preferences get in the way. Leave the design and writing to professionals who are educated, trained and experienced in this medium.
Better still, call Practice Builders for real expert help with your website. Call 800.679.1262 today.
Click here for a free website evaluation
Some basic tips before you begin.
With so much clutter and traffic on the Internet, how will you get your website to stand out in the crowd? What basic information do you need before you start building your site?
First and foremost, you should know the purpose of your site. What is your goal for having a website? Who is your target audience for the site? What do they want/need/expect from you? Once you have answered these questions, you can begin to focus on the creation of your site.
Some important design/writing considerations.
1) Avoid wallpapers. Your target audience is looking for information, not cleverly designed wallpapers or graphic treatments.
2) Avoid dark background colors. Treatments such as white text on a dark background make reading web text difficult, particularly for the older members of your target audience.
3) Use color judiciously to highlight and draw attention to important information.
4) Avoid using “flash” opening pages. These may look terrific, but they take longer to load and will surely frustrate your visitors, especially those who are still using dial-up 56k modems.
5) Most web surfers want their information quickly. That’s why they spend more for DSL and cable services.
6) Avoid having music on your site unless you’re selling music.
7) Text should be professionally written and to-the-point. Your target audience wants to know how they will benefit from your services. Period. From their perspective, nothing else matters. Text should be “you”-oriented, not “we”-oriented. Instead of beginning with “Welcome to our website,” write “If you’ve been searching for pain relief (or some other health benefit), you’ve come to the right place.”
8) Avoid letting your personal preferences get in the way. Leave the design and writing to professionals who are educated, trained and experienced in this medium.
Better still, call Practice Builders for real expert help with your website. Call 800.679.1262 today.
Click here for a free website evaluation