11 Web Site Design Tips to Keep Your Visitors Coming Back

Written by Joe Gracia


1. KEEP IT SIMPLE

While Java and Shockwave animations may look neat, they rarely increase your marketing results. More often than not, they will distract your visitors from your marketing message, or even crash your visitors' computers.

Many of your visitors won't haverepparttar necessary plug-ins needed to view these animations.

Perhaps in a few years Internet technology will makerepparttar 134767 use of these animation techniques more accessible to your visitors. Until then, you are much better off keeping your Web site simple and focusing on your marketing strategy and your content.

2. MAKE IT EASY TO READ

If content is king, then easy reading is queen. If trying to readrepparttar 134768 information on your Web site is difficult in any way,repparttar 134769 majority of your visitors will leave and not come back.

Don't put your words on dark or black backgrounds--the Star Wars effect. It's very difficult to read.

Don't put your words on patterned backgrounds, even ifrepparttar 134770 pattern is very simple. Anything behind your words will be distracting and make your copy difficult to read.

Use black or very dark text on plain white backgrounds forrepparttar 134771 bulk of your text on your Web site. People are used to reading black type on white paper.

Don't use fancy fonts. Many of your visitors have limited or different fonts on their computers. Their computer will then simply replace your fancy font with something totally different. You'll never know what your visitors are seeing withrepparttar 134772 substitute fonts.

Use Times Roman, Helvetica or Arial for your fonts because these fonts are available on everyone's computer. By sticking to these basic fonts you will be safe in assuming that your visitors are seeing what you created.

Use ALL CAPS very sparingly. It's okay to use all caps for a short headline or subhead here and there, but don't overdo it. ALL CAPS is like yelling or DECLARING WAR!! You especially don't want to set an entire paragraph in all caps or you will definitely repel your visitors.

Create a consistent format for your fonts. Use one font and size for your major page titles, one for your subheads, and one forrepparttar 134773 body text of your articles.

Create standard and consistent links. Links should be blue and underlined whenever possible. Be careful not to underline other phrases that are not links, because your visitors will think they are links and get very frustrated clicking on them.

Keep it simple. Keep it consistent.

3. KEEP YOUR LINE LENGTHS SHORT FOR EASY READING

Pick up your local newspaper or a national magazine and look atrepparttar 134774 articles printed in them. Notice how narrowrepparttar 134775 columns are. They are designed like that for a purpose.

Narrow copy is much easier for people to read than long lines. For one, people can absorb a very short line of copy much more easily than a long one that they must break down mentally into smaller segments.

Plus, when your copy lines are long, people often have a more difficult time findingrepparttar 134776 beginning ofrepparttar 134777 next line.

If you keep your copy lines short, no more than 85 characters, you will make it much easier for your visitors to read your articles.

Long lines repel. Short lines attract.

4. KEEP YOUR PARAGRAPHS SHORT

Nothing is more repellant to a Web surfer than a solid block of text that is 20-40 lines long. Ugh! It's like reading a legal document.

If you want your readers to keep reading your copy, then you have to make it as easy and as inviting as possible for them.

Keep your lines short, and keep your paragraphs to 5-6 lines each. The shorter,repparttar 134778 better.

5. USE SUB-HEADS TO BREAK UP YOUR PARAGRAPHS

You can also make your copy more appealing to your visitors, by breaking up your paragraphs with bold sub- heads that describerepparttar 134779 next section. It relievesrepparttar 134780 monotony, plus it helps them to understand what is coming up next.

You can also use bulleted lists to make it easy to see listed points.

6. MAKE YOUR PAGES LOAD FAST

Your visitors aren't going to wait forever for your neat animation or graphics to load. Keep your graphics small and use them sparingly. The faster your Web page loadsrepparttar 134781 fewer visitors you will lose. You want to keep your loading time under 20 seconds. Focus on content not graphics.

7. TELL YOUR VISITORS WHAT TO DO

Too many Web site owners mistakenly believe that everyone surfingrepparttar 134782 Web is an Internet expert. They are not. They don't know much about navigation, or Java, or forms, etc.

6 Web Site Content Tips to Attract Potential Customers Like a Magnet!

Written by Joe Gracia


1. PROVIDE LOTS OF FREE CONTENT

The lure ofrepparttar Internet isrepparttar 134766 promise of unlimited information--for free. Information on any and every subject known to man is accessible onrepparttar 134767 net.

If you want to attract potential customers to your Web site and you want to keep them coming back again and again, then provide lots of useful, interesting, or entertaining content for your visitors.

Of course, you want to make surerepparttar 134768 type of content you provide on your Web site is directly related to your product or service. Otherwise, you'll just be providing free content without any potential for selling your products or services to your visitors.

2. UPDATE YOUR CONTENT OFTEN

If you want to get your prospect list and your customer list coming back to your site, your newsletter will help, but you have to give them a reason to come back.

That reason will be fresh and interesting content on your site. Putting new content on your site is a never ending process. It's not something you do once and then forget about it.

3. CHECK FOR DEAD LINKS

It's very frustrating for Web site visitors to click on a link and find a Page Not Found message. Double check your page links and make sure there are no dead ones.

4. ELIMINATE UNDER CONSTRUCTION PAGES

You see them allrepparttar 134769 time, and it is a real turn-off for Web site visitors.

Page Under Construction.

If your page is not ready for your visitors, then don't put a link to it.

Imagine opening a store and inviting people into one of your departments and then telling them that "Oh, uh, actually, this room is still under construction. Watch your head onrepparttar 134770 way out."

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