Web Site Content that Counts
Don't use too many different fonts in one page or throughout your site:
Keep it simple and stick with commonly used fonts - Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, etc. Avoid using small serif fonts (like Times Roman): they are difficult to read from a computer screen. Verdana is the most web-friendly font, since it is wide, clean and easy to read.
Use high contrasting font and background colors to aid in readability:
Black text on white background, or white text on black background work best.
Avoid long blocks of text, long sentences and unnecessary content:
Use tools that facilitate scan-ability, like bullets, subtitles, highlighted keywords, hyperlinks, bolded text, etc.
Don't over use any of the above
Avoid amateurish features like:
Numeric page counters, over use of exclamation points, all caps, center justified blocks of text (does not promote good readability), excessive animated gifs (this can be distracting your visitors attention away from your content) or busy backgrounds (makes text too hard to read).
Don't use advertising pop-up windows:
They distract your visitors and are immediately dismissed as ads. (besides, they are annoying!) Many people now have pop-up blockers installed on their computers.
Top Ten Pages to Include in Your Website
About The Author: Tara Kachaturoff is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. For more information about driving Website traffic to your site, visit www.webtrafficessentials.com.
1. Home page
Your home page is the very first page that someone will find when they input your domain name into their browser and press the enter key. Within seconds, they will form an opinion of you and your company. For that reason, make sure it is attractive, easy to read and easy to navigate. Simple is better. Use few colors and make sure that you do not use multiple fonts and font sizes, as too much of any of these can make your site appear chaotic and unprofessional.
2. Vision or Philosophy
Although this isn’t a necessary page, I think it is really important, especially if you are trying to attract your ideal client. Write about your vision and mission, and your overall philosophy when it comes to dealing with your customers or clients. This is the place to tell people about what is important to you, and the values you hold most dearly.
3. Product or service offerings
Make sure that you have a page listing all of your product or service offerings as well as detailed descriptions or testimonials from satisfied users.
4. Articles
Create a separate page where you can post your articles or those from others (used with their permission, of course). These pages are a wonderful resource for visitors.
5. Resources
Provide a Web page for resources. You can include affiliate links to other products and services, books, links to informational Websites and names of others who offer complimentary services or products. You can use this page to post interesting articles that others have written, thereby reserving the formal “Articles” Web page for your own articles.
6. Free offer or report
Always provide some sort of complimentary article, report, or other offer to visitors. Make sure that you include all of your contact information on whatever you offer. If you don’t have anything to offer, pay someone to write an article or special report for you, or ask someone if you can give away an article that they’ve written. Even though it will include their contact information, at least you are the one providing the information. By giving things away, you’ll become known as someone who provides great resources.
7. Seminars, classes and workshops
If you offer seminars or classes, make sure you include them on your Website, complete with meeting dates, times, locations, and costs. If you have access to an online shopping cart or PayPal™, create a way for visitors to sign up and pay for the classes online.
8. Testimonials
Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools you can use to build your business. They hold a great deal of credibility because they are written by a third party about you.
9. About us
This page is exactly what it sounds like. Write a professional biography that provides the visitor information about your background and experience. It’s also a good idea to include a picture if you have one. Consumers like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. A nice picture of you smiling can help with relationship building.
10. Contact Us
This Web page should include every possible way to contact you. Include your name, address, telephone number, fax number, business hours (especially important if you are a brick and mortar establishment), and all the various email addresses through which people might contact you. If you have several employees or departments, make sure that you list the appropriate contact telephone numbers as well. In fact, it is a good idea to include your complete contact information as well as a link to your email on every page in your Website. Make it easy for people to contact you. If they have to hunt around for your name or other contact information, they’ll probably click away to another site first!
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