| As the Internet grows in popularity and importance, the | | | | entertainment web site for children!). It is supposed to |
| quality of web sites needs to keep pace and creating | | | | be a serious tool in your marketing armoury and should |
| and maintaining high-quality, professional web sites is | | | | be used to convey useful information to your visitors |
| more important today than ever. In this month's issue, | | | | and convince them that you are worth doing business |
| we cover the basics of "What Not To Do" if you want | | | | with. Filling it full of swirling graphics, flashing logos and |
| to convert your visitors into customers and keep them | | | | spinning pictures and the rest of Pandora's box of |
| coming back for more.There is a lot written about how | | | | visual delights will just make your visitors distracted and |
| to design a great web site and ways to attract and | | | | nauseous.Sites that include "clever" Flash animations; |
| keep visitors, but a lot less information is available to | | | | multiple animated gifs or flying words are really |
| outline how, every day, thousands of web sites are | | | | annoying. They take away from the content and |
| finding common ways to confuse or alienate hoards of | | | | distract the visitor from achieving their goals. Unless |
| potential customers. Although many professional web | | | | your site is an entertainment site, try to avoid |
| site designers know about the obvious "no-no's", there | | | | maddening motion. However, if your product or service |
| are still many finer points that frustrate or irritate | | | | can be better demonstrated using Flash, Quick Time, |
| visitors and make them leave.We have identified 11 | | | | or other multimedia, and many can, offer your visitors |
| design and construction mistakes that can make or | | | | the chance to click a link to view it. But don't |
| break a web site. To avoid having your visitors | | | | force-feed them.7. Unreadable TextComputer |
| "click-away" from your site in droves, make sure you | | | | monitors really aren't the best medium for reading. By |
| are not falling into any of the following traps:1. Clogging | | | | the time you've scrolled down a full screen's worth, |
| Up Their Internet ConnectionImagine, your new | | | | your eyes start to blur, you feel slightly lost, your head |
| potential customer is happily surfing using their favourite | | | | hurts and your interest begins to wane. If a page |
| search engine looking for your product or service and | | | | requires two full screens of scrolling or more, simply |
| everything's going smoothly. Your web site appears in | | | | split it up into multiple pages. |
| the first page of listings (congratulations, you must | | | | Don't make your visitors wade through big chunks of |
| have put into practice all the information you read our | | | | unbroken text, use titles, sub-titles, small paragraphs, |
| DIY Internet Marketing Guides or taken out one of our | | | | bullet points and numbering. Don't torture your visitors; |
| highly-esteemed web site marketing packages J) and | | | | make your pages easy to read and therefore less |
| they click through to your homepage.Then their Internet | | | | daunting.8. Who are You/Where are You? No |
| connection starts to clog up. It begins to creak and | | | | Obvious Ways to Contact The Company |
| groan under the strain of downloading your | | | | So now you've built a logical web site, you've instilled |
| homepage's numerous images, animated bits and bobs | | | | confidence and credibility and your new potential |
| an all its bells and whistles and it takes an age to | | | | customer just has one question... They click on three, |
| appear. They look at the progress bar at the bottom | | | | four, five pages but can't find your contact details |
| of their screen and it's more grey than blue. They look | | | | anywhere. They already have another window open |
| at their watch, start picking at their finger nails, tapping | | | | with your competitor's website - complete with email |
| their toes, rolling their eyes... and then in frustration they | | | | address, telephone number, fax number, street |
| click on the back button at the top of their screen and | | | | address and map.Guess who makes the sale?If all |
| click on the next web site in the search engines results | | | | you supply is an order form on your website, your |
| list. Well done - you've just sent another visitor to your | | | | legitimacy may be questioned. Why can't you answer |
| competition.For tips on how to design a web site that is | | | | the telephone? Why hide behind an anonymous and |
| both appealing to your customers and to the "organic" | | | | cold email address? Make it easy for your existing and |
| search engines, read our DIY Internet Marketing Guide | | | | potential customers to talk with you.It is vital that you |
| "Start at the Beginning". For an excerpt visit: Counting | | | | list all possible ways that they can reach you. By |
| CustomersOne of the classic mistakes that really | | | | creating a contact page, you will be able to answer |
| makes me cringe every time I see it is visitor counters. | | | | enquiries and reinforce the fact that there is an actual |
| It makes 3 distinct impressions:1. "Do you like my new | | | | person or persons behind the website.9. Unchanging or |
| toy web site, my cousins-stepsisters-uncle built it for | | | | Out-Dated ContentIf you work in a constantly changing |
| me. Did you see the picture of my dog on the front | | | | industry, it's important that your content remains fresh |
| page? Isn't it great?" Endearing? Maybe. Professional? | | | | and up to date. Nothing will turn away visitors more |
| No.2. "You are not important, you are just visitor | | | | quickly than out of date information. In addition, if you |
| number 62. 61 was just here and 63 will be along in a | | | | keep your content fresh your site will attract repeat |
| minute. You're not an individual customer with specific | | | | visitors and repeat visitors are more likely to turn into |
| needs to fulfil, just a number."3. Then a visitor looks at | | | | customers.Have a "What's New" or "Latest News" |
| the actual number and thinks..."62? Has this site has | | | | section. Even if your industry is not that fast moving, |
| only had 62 visitors? They must be rubbish." or | | | | there will be times when you want to update your |
| conversely, "162,853,426 visitors, they must rig that | | | | visitors with current news or promotions and using this |
| counter thing." | | | | section of your web site enables you to inform repeat |
| Get rid of your counters - now!Measuring your sites | | | | visitors that there is information they have not seen |
| visitors can be done by analysing your web statistics, | | | | previously on your web site.10. "Me, me, me!" instead of |
| and much more detailed information is normally | | | | "You, you, you" |
| available. For example; which web site or search | | | | Generally speaking, your visitors do not care about |
| engine referred the visitor to you, which pages they | | | | you, your company or your thoughts. What they do |
| visit, which pages they exit from (very important - why | | | | care about is whether or not you can solve their |
| are they leaving?) and also which key-phrases were | | | | particular problem or fulfil their individual need. Web |
| used to find your web site. For more information about | | | | sites that promote their Mission Statement or display |
| how to understand and make use of your web site | | | | pictures of the company building really don't bode well |
| statistics, read our guide "Measuring Success", for an | | | | for keeping the interest of site visitors.On the other |
| excerpt visit: Inconsistent NavigationImagine sitting | | | | hand, sites that speak directly to potential customers |
| down at a restaurant and the waiter comes over to | | | | about how they can solve their problems, make their |
| you and hands you five different menus, one for the | | | | lives easier, safer, richer or more comfortable have a |
| starters, one for the entrees, one for the vegetarian | | | | much better chance of keeping their visitors |
| dishes, one for the desserts, and one for the drinks. | | | | attention.Concentrate on what your customers want |
| Annoying? Then imagine if each menu had a different | | | | to know, rather than what you want to tell them. In |
| design, typeface, format and layout for listing the items. | | | | order to find out what your customers need, it is useful |
| Confusing? Irritating?Nobody wants to work that hard | | | | to solicit feedback from them. A common way to do |
| at choosing their dinner, you're hungry and you just | | | | this is by monitoring your enquiry emails for common |
| want a meal. Don't make your visitors work hard either | | | | themes, creating a feedback-form on the site, or to |
| by expecting them to re-learn your navigation system | | | | add an interactive forum.As well as addressing all the |
| each time they enter another section of your site. | | | | possible questions about your product or service, it is |
| They are also hungry, for useful information, and | | | | important to address other, less obvious anxieties. If |
| they're even more impatient.The pages on your | | | | you are asking for contact details from your |
| website should be easily connected. To do this, every | | | | prospects, for example if you are asking them to |
| section should connect to the main (home) page, with | | | | subscribe to an email list, you must include a Privacy |
| a clear and concise menu. Don't make your visitors | | | | Policy. With the growing problem of email spam, many |
| spend a lot of time looking for different sections. Help | | | | people are afraid to give out personal information. A |
| them by ensuring that the navigation of your site | | | | basic Privacy Policy section will let your visitors know |
| remains constant throughout all pages.Button and link | | | | how the information they are providing will be used and |
| names also need to tell the visitor where the link leads | | | | if they will be contacted in the future.Customers are |
| them. It sounds obvious but make it as easy as | | | | also afraid of what will happen if they are not happy |
| possible for a visitor to know where they're going | | | | you're your product or service once purchased. To |
| before they click. Make your links and buttons as | | | | help alleviate any fears that they might have about |
| descriptive as possible.4. Not Enough InformationIt is a | | | | purchasing online, there needs to be a section where |
| common mistake to give a limited amount of | | | | potential customers can read your policy on accepting |
| information on a web site with a vain hope that the | | | | returns and refunds. |
| customer will contact you for more information. They | | | | For more information about how to write persuasive |
| wont. You can guarantee that a competitor will provide | | | | and customer focussed sales copy for your web site, |
| the technical spec, the price list or what ever else is | | | | have a look at our DIY Internet Marketing Guide |
| required on their web site and that customer will find it | | | | "Writing Text That Sells". For an excerpt visit: |
| and eventually buy the product from them.To keep | | | | Inconsistent Look and Feel |
| your visitors progressing through information gathering | | | | Many web sites confuse their visitors by having |
| stage and on to the buying process on your web site, | | | | different designs or layouts in different sections. This |
| supply all the information they need. Even if they don't | | | | often happens when a new section is added on to the |
| buy today, it will be your page that gets printed off or | | | | original web site such as a shopping cart service. |
| stored in their favourites folder, and you they come | | | | Visitors are left wondering if they are visiting another |
| back to when they're ready to buy. It is helpful to have | | | | web site, another company, a partner or subsidiary. It |
| a section that is devoted to answering common | | | | can be very confusing.It also screams of poor planning |
| questions and by creating a FAQ page your potential | | | | and can lead to design-drift and branding issues. It may |
| customers can easily find the answers to their | | | | be tempting to stray from the original design; it may be |
| questions and will be more likely to order from your | | | | difficult to incorporate the newer sections or you may |
| web site.In addition, many visitors interested in gathering | | | | currently have a better design, but wait till you do a |
| information on a particular subject will sign up for | | | | complete next-generation re-design of the entire site |
| emailed newsletters (like this one!) and stay subscribed | | | | before introducing a new look and feel. Don't leave |
| as long as the correspondence they receive is | | | | your visitors scratching their heads with one hand and |
| relevant and useful. This is a great way to build | | | | possibly clicking away with the other.Finally, any site |
| ongoing, online relationships with your potential | | | | that employs a number of these 11 notorious features |
| customers and establish your credibility. Top web sites | | | | is particularly painful to experience. When I click to a |
| work on developing an email list of prospects that can | | | | website that has six different fonts and colours, scrolls |
| be contacted in the future. Make sure your email list | | | | down never-ending pages, uses flying words and |
| subscription area has a prominent position on your | | | | dancing graphics, big unreadable blocks of text, lists no |
| web site, preferably at the top of every page.For | | | | phone number and has irrelevant or outdated content, I |
| more detailed information about how to design your | | | | scream and bang my head on the desk. Worse than |
| web site with both high search engine listings and | | | | that, I click away from it as fast as I can. Make these |
| customer usage in mind, take a look at our ebook | | | | mistakes at your peril.For a positive look at what to |
| "Start at the Beginning". For an excerpt visit: Skip Intro | | | | include in your web sites design, take a look at |
| Click Here to EnterGo on, admit it - you once thought | | | | September's issue of this newsletter "12 Essential |
| the best thing on the Internet planet was a web site | | | | Design Tips" available here: a more in-depth, |
| that started up by having a revolving animation of the | | | | step-by-step guide to avoiding costly mistakes and |
| company logo that bounced around, spun a few times | | | | making your web site work smarter, take a look at our |
| then settled in the middle of the screen with those the | | | | in-depth DIY Internet Marketing Guides: "Start at the |
| immortal words: "Click here to enter site" Isn't that what | | | | Beginning" and "Writing Text That Sells" available here: |
| you were trying to do when you typed in the web | | | | all of this invaluable information available to you, you |
| address or clicked on the link that bought you | | | | shouldn't go far wrong.For a complete guide to |
| here?"Enter site" is also what all your visitors are trying | | | | marketing on the Internet, including: |
| to do when they type in your web address or click on | | | | · The General Principles of Internet Marketing |
| your link so make sure they are not presented with | | | | · Start at the Beginning |
| some nauseating bouncing, spinning distortions of your | | | | · Writing Text that Sells |
| logo, or worse, duff, irrelevant music. They are not | | | | · Building Online Relationships |
| interested in how clever your web designer is with | | | | · Maximising Your Pay Per Click Campaign |
| Flash or their taste in music, they want to get to the | | | | · Measuring Success |
| information they're looking for as quickly as | | | | Why not purchase the whole series of downloadable |
| possible.Always make sure you home page or | | | | guides for the discounted price of £64.95. Click |
| advert-landing page is quick to load and don't forget to | | | | for more information: |
| check it at different connection speeds. Keep the file | | | | |
| sizes small, and above all, avoid anything on you page | | | | Justine Curtis |
| that would require the dreaded "Loading..." message. If | | | | Enable UK |
| you really can't bear to drop the Flash entry page, at | | | | Internet Marketing Information and Resources |
| the very least give the choice to "Skip the intro" and let | | | | Make your web site work harder! |
| them get to what they're looking for.6. | | | | Web: |
| AnimationChildren under 10 like to watch animated | | | | Email: info@enable-uk.co.uk |
| cartoons. Business professionals and most other adults | | | | Article from Internet Marketing Tips Newsletter, a |
| don't have the time. Your website is here to do | | | | monthly publication of Enable-UK |
| business not entertain children (unless it's an | | | | Copyright © 2004 Enable-UK. |