7 Web Site Design Mistakes That Will Lose You ClientsWritten 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, on 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 to main page and allow visitor to click on them to access 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 form main page. If I can't get in touch with a company quickly and easily, chances are that I'll go to 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 from 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 do same!
| | Conversion Counts: Improving Web Conversion RatesWritten by Barry Harrison
It seems that everyone’s looking for better Search Engine rankings. If you have 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 pays 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 take 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 be 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 offer right information at right time. Support 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). Provide 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 tell full story.
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