7 Web Site Design Mistakes That Will Lose You Clients

Written by Frauke Nonnenmacher


In today's world, a web site is virtually mandatory for any successful business. But there are web sites that will win you customers, and there are web sites that will lose you customers. Good design has a lot to do with which category your web site will fall into. But what is it that makes good or bad web site design? In my personal opinion, a good web site is one that's simple, informative and gives me a reason to come back frequently. That's what you should get from a good web designer/writer team. Bad sites, onrepparttar other hand, are complicated to use, slow loading, confusing or just plain annoying. Here's a list of my personal top 7 turn-offs as far as web site design is concerned:

1.Slow loading pages Studies have shown that you have less than ten seconds to grab a visitor's attention. If your web page hasn't finished loading within that (very short) amount of time, you might as well forget about it. The main culprit I've found here are huge, slow- loading graphics, especially when they are embedded in tables. If large images are absolutely vital to presenting your business, compromise by adding thumbnails torepparttar 132462 main page and allowrepparttar 132463 visitor to click on them to accessrepparttar 132464 main image. Nobody minds a longer loading time, as long as it's them who can make that choice.

2.No contact information As I've already mentioned in my article "Do's and don'ts of web site copy", one of my pet peeves is a web site that has no contact information accessible formrepparttar 132465 main page. If I can't get in touch with a company quickly and easily, chances are that I'll go torepparttar 132466 competition. My advice is to have a whole page dedicated to contact information – address, phone, fax, email, and preferably a map of where you can be found (remember item #1, though – no huge graphics!) And please, don't use a graphic to display that information in a particularly clever way. I like to copy and paste that information directly fromrepparttar 132467 web page to my contact management program. If I can't do that, you'll likely never hear form me – and all other customers who dorepparttar 132468 same!

Conversion Counts: Improving Web Conversion Rates

Written by Barry Harrison


It seems that everyone’s looking for better Search Engine rankings. If you haverepparttar right keywords, a high ranking can attract targeted traffic to your site. But how many of these visitors become customers and clients? Conversion-- not ranking-- is what paysrepparttar 132460 rent.

Converting Visitors into Clients Search Engines, print ads, referrals, email newsletters, and links all play a role in an effective web marketing strategy. But once visitors arrive at your site, how do you go about persuading them to takerepparttar 132461 actions you want them to take? There are two main tools at your command: content and usability.

Content Counts Make sure that your fundamental message is crystal clear to your visitors. Don’t make them think. Provide answers to their most obvious questions and you’ll build your credibility.

Good copywriting may berepparttar 132462 single most important factor in raising your conversion levels. The text on your pages should speak to your visitors in an appropriate, consistent voice. And it should offerrepparttar 132463 right information atrepparttar 132464 right time.

Supportrepparttar 132465 personal and psychological variables of your potential clients. Some people want to read. But others prefer to see photographs and diagrams. Still other prospects may respond better when they hear your instructions (think about web audio).

Providerepparttar 132466 photographs and documents they need to evaluate your products and services. Make sure they’re really useful: not every picture is worth a thousand words. Use high-quality detail shots and enlargements to tellrepparttar 132467 full story.

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