Jim Hedger, SEO & search marketing consultant
Elements of a Professional Web site
Designing a professional web site takes more than just getting a copy of a web design program off the shelf at the local store. Even with all the great tools available there are areas of concern that the novice or the nice graphics guy next door does not know or understand about designing a business web site. Even the local colleges leave out a great deal of information in their web design classes.
In 2001, we designed a project for client who had taken a web design class at a local college. The client had the principal ideas down about design concepts, but they did not know much about the "behind-the-scenes" information. During the design process the client noted that they never realized that there was so much that went into the design. They said, "It's not as simple as making a nice graphic presentation and using the editor to place the information into the site."
Another client, after we had finished their web site stated, "I had friends crawling out of the woodwork saying they could design me a web site, but after learning everything we learned from you we realized they did not know what was really needed." Here again is a perfect example of a happy customer that was glad they spent the money getting their web site designed by professionals. The client's friends had no idea what was required to get the site up and running and ready for business.
Is your web site capable of providing a return on investment?
- Your web site is content driven?
(hint: Make sure your most important content is at the top of each page.) - Ensure there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
(hint: Use spellcheckers and use the primary definition of the word.) - Your site is designed to work well with search engines.
(hint: Proper placement of keywords and phrases.) - You've limited your graphics for faster download time.
(hint: more content, less graphics = better search engine indexing) - Is it well organized?
(hint: Navigation is extremely important.) - Do you update it frequently?
(hint: The object is to get them to come back!) - Are your links all working?
(hint: Use a strong designer program.) - Is your email address on it?
(hint: Make sure they can contact you.) - Is your web site accessible to everyone?
(hint: Make your web site compliant with the American's with Disabilities Act.) - Does your web site need to be accessible via portable devices? Do you have the appropriate coding set up for your web site?
(hint: Examine whether people would be using devices like Palm Pilots™ to access your web site.)
Contact us today at 405-329-8500 or use our contact form to schedule a demo and learn if Merchant Metrix is right for your business.