Are You Making These Critical Mistakes with Your Website?

Creating a website, whether you’re starting from scratch or revising an existing site, can be both exciting and frustrating at the same time.  On one hand, you have a world of design possibilities to work with.  New web design software and online publishing tools have made creating a web site accessible to everyone. 

But just because it’s easier than ever, doesn’t mean the whole process is a cakewalk. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with a professional web designer or doing it yourself, there are five crucial areas of your website that must work together for your online success.  If just one of these parts of your website fails, you’re almost certainly losing profits and sales.  

They are:

1. The structure – also known as your website layout.  Deciding how you want your site to “flow” is vital to delivering your content and message.  Do you go for a simple “sales page” style design with no sidebars, or do you choose a popular two-column or even a three column design?

   The bulk of your decision should be made according to what your target audience is already used to.  Visit your competitor’s sites as a potential customer and notice how they’re laid out.  Are they easy to follow and navigate?  Can you find what you’re looking for or does it take a lot of searching to get to where you want to go?

   All of these questions play an important role in how your own site will be perceived by your visitors – so take notes on what works, and throw out what doesn’t.

2. The navigation – How easy is it to get around?  If you haven’t created your own website yet – this is another area where browsing the competition can help.  Navigation ties right in with your site’s structure and is used by your visitors to move around your site.  If they can’t easily find what they came there for – you can be sure they won’t stick around and waste time looking. 

   Having user-friendly, easily accessible website navigation isn’t difficult. Most internet users are accustomed to seeing links across the top or left side of your pages (or both), and that is where they will naturally be drawn first.  Graphic or text-only links are ideal as both people and search engines can “read” and follow them easily.

3. The content – Content is the “heart” of your web site.  Having fresh, relevant content – whether it’s articles or a continually-updated store inventory, shows that you’re serious about your online success.  Your website content demonstrates that you genuinely want your visitors to learn more about what you offer and feel comfortable enough to make a purchase or inquiry.  It can also showcase your expertise in a subject and help your potential customer make an informed decision before they buy.

   A good idea before you begin to create your website is to write 3-5 articles addressing some of the most common questions your prospective buyer may have about your product or service.  Study your competitor’s FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on their web sites to get a good idea of what questions are being asked.  Don’t plagiarize their content though – write it yourself using their questions as a starting point.

4. The design – The design is the fun part, where you get to choose the visual elements that will make your site stand out and get noticed.  Before you unleash your inner artist though – keep in mind what you might want to see as a potential visitor to your own site. Design involves everything from typography (text and fonts) to graphics, logos and color schemes.Aim for maximum readability in your font choices. 

   Sans-serif fonts (letters without the “bars” across the top and bottom), such as Arial and Helvetica have been proven best for readability on computer screens. When leading visitors through different areas of your site, use icons to help direct their attention and focus.  A good web designer can help you create all of the custom graphics you’ll need for your website.

5. The trust factor – Establishing trust in a world of online scams can seem overwhelming at first.  But there are several things you can do to help build credibility on your own website. Include your contact information – name, physical address and phone number, on your pages. 

   Don’t include your e-mail address directly on the page, as junk mail programs can “read” this information and store it in their files.  This is one of the main reasons why so many people get spam in their inboxes.  Instead, use an online contact form (your web designer should be able to set one up for you easily).  In addition to displaying your contact information, also include links to your privacy policy, a guarantee if you have one, and any refund or replacement terms for your product or service.

If you’ve put each of these factors into place when creating your website, you’ve already done much of the work that goes into making a web site successful.

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