Your website is the first impression any visitor will have of your business. It needs to be right first time as there’s too much competition out there to get a second chance.
The key objectives of your website are to promote your business, sell products or services and provide customer support.
In addition, depending on your niche market, you may want your visitors to sign up for a newsletter, register to buy (like Amazon), follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook.
Whatever your objectives, you want your website design to encourage visitors to take that action, and make it easy as possible for them to do so.
Website Content List
The best way to gather together what you need for your website is to create a content list. As you develop your site you may need to add to this and edit often. A list could contain:-
- Company Logo
- Ordering information
- Contact Information
- Terms & Conditions policy
- About Us page
- Welcome message for Home page
- Photos of each product
- Description of newsletter and invitation to sign up
- Description of each product or service
- Linked icons to Twitter, Facebook and my Blog
- FAQs page
Getting a Professional look
You need to convey to your visitors that you are a professional, to give them the confidence to do business with you. You can do this on your website using the following techniques:-
- Create an easy to use navigation system so your visitors can browse through your site without confusion.
- Be consistent in design. Don’t use different layouts or colours on each page as this confuses your visitors.
- Make sure your site is content rich. Visitors love information so give them top tips and articles, photos and video clips, newsletter archives, all concerning topics within your niche market.
- Use only high quality graphics and photographs on your website. This is essential as anything blurry will leave a bad impression on your visitors who will rate your site as amateurish. The standard resolution for digital images is 300 dpi, so, an image size 3” x 5” on your page would require 1.35 million pixels (900 x 1500).
- Give real contact details. This includes an email address, telephone number and business address. The email address usually comes with your hosting package. Ideally choose a telephone number that’s dedicated to your business. Use a mobile or choose a package from your telecom service provider. If you want to keep your home address private opt for a P O Box.
When you’re in business you can’t be a wallflower. You need to get out there and shout that you’re here. Your website should do this for you. It needs to create excitement and intimate that what you’re offering is an essential ‘must have’. It needs to get people talking and recommending you to their family, friends and colleagues. Nothing beats recommendations and if visitors enjoy your site then they’ll talk about it and return, hopefully, bringing a stream of admirers with them.
4 comments
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Mark
February 5, 2012 at 3:16 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks, great post
SBC
March 26, 2012 at 10:55 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You’re welcome. Let me know how you get on.
SBC
March 26, 2012 at 11:16 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You’re welcome.
Brian48
February 5, 2012 at 2:28 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Really great info. Thanks for sharing.