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Create a Winning Website
(Published in Enterprising Women Magazine - Grow your business Guide 2004)
8 Tips to Make Your Website Irresistible to Your Customers
Creating a website is a lot like cooking. When you cook, you blend different ingredients in just in the right proportion to create a dish that pleases the eye as well as the palette. A well created website follows the same recipe. It should be functional and achieve its objective (which in most cases is to sell a product or service), and at the same time have great aesthetic appeal.
When we prepare a meal, one of the most important things we do to ensure the success of our efforts is to taste the food. However, when building a website, many business owners neglect this essential "test." Companies spend thousands of dollars building websites, but forget to evaluate the end result. The failure rate of websites that cost a fortune to create is needlessly high, since a simple evaluation during construction can prevent a disaster. An ounce of prevention is all it takes.
When you develop your website, whether you are updating an existing site or building a new one, you need to consider a number of important factors, such as aesthetics, the technology used to build your old website, customer requirements, future content changes, search engine optimization, Section 508 compliance, and changes in user technology. The following discussion of some of these essential features will help you to plan a successful website venture and avoid common pitfalls.
Aesthetics
One of the primary reasons business owners decide to redesign their website is for aesthetic reasons. Just as fashions change, so do Internet graphical standards. The web has seen a number of trends come and go, such as colored horizontal lines for impact, buttons that appear to be made of glass, and the "strictly business" e-commerce look. Just as graphical styles change, the underlying technology involved in creating websites also changes. The Internet is no longer a simple gopher, using unglamorous courier-style text and performing mundane tasks with minimal fanfare. Today, your website is the first contact many people have with your company, and you must capitalize on that opportunity. To keep your customer's interest, your website has to be eye catching, interesting, and entertaining, as well as quick and easy to use.
One of the most sought-after technologies in website design is called Flash, a vector-based animation program that allows you to put create dynamic and interactive elements on your website. This program is extremely popular now, due to the small file size and high impact that animations can provide. But remember, your website is only as good as the artist who designs it, so even with an expensive software package you can still wind up with unpredictable or undesirable results.
In a perfect world, your website designer would have all the answers for building the perfect site. However, experience teaches us that this is not always the case. Therefore, you should be familiar with some fundamental guidelines for design so that you can oversee the project and make sure it meets your requirements.
Some design etiquette that you should be aware of, in case your designer isn't:
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Avoid using words with all capital letters, as the reader interprets this as shouting.
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Italics generally give an unfavorable impression because they can appear wobbly and unsubstantial on the computer screen.
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People can misread underlines as a link to other websites.
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Avoid frames, which divides content into multiple, scrollable regions. When used, some items can remain unmoving while you scroll in other areas, thus minimizing disorientation. S ome search engines cannot read frames and hence cannot index your site. If you must use frames, then offer a non-frames version also.
Site Technology
The original technology used to build websites is outdated today. Your existing website may use CGI scripts to run e-commerce sites, but CGI scripts will slow down your website's response time. Today, designers use ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, Cold Fusion and a variety of other vastly superior technologies to bring older websites to state-of-the-art functionality.
Although many business owners agonize over the expense of rebuilding their old website, the initial investment will more than pay for itself over time. It is a good investment for reasons of security, speed, and flexibility, and it is invaluable if you want to remain competitive, retain your clients, and entice new ones to do business with you.
Customer Requirements
When a business decides to redesign its website, enhanced functionality (more customer-friendly features) is usually the primary objective. For example, older website "models" used a shopping cart system alone, with which a customer could click to select and click to purchase, but nothing more. New technology makes it possible to include wish lists, wedding registries, add additional shipping options, retain customer account information, offer auxiliary services or links such as real estate listings, and much more.
You will need to have a firm grasp of your customer requirements before you embark on a website update. Know what you want, write it out in detail, and make sure your designer understands your specifications. Work closely with your designer while he or she is developing your site so that you are apprised of the changes as they are completed. A little vigilance on your part will prevent the pot from boiling over while you are otherwise occupied.
User Technology
Website technology is more sophisticated today, as is user technology. Your customers continue to buy faster computers with better video cards. They change their service from dial-up to broadband and choose the most sophisticated browsers. They are also more knowledgeable about Internet technologies.
To prepare for the various technology permutations available to Internet users, access your web pages from different browsers to test their effectiveness, because web pages can look very different in different browsers. Also, avoid using browser-specific code such as DHTML or XML, which are only functional in certain versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape (among other browsers).
A word to the wise: the average website requires a redesign at least once per year in order to keep up with the changes in technology and user demands. Use this as general rule when planning for you future investment in website technology.
Content
Websites that miss the mark usually fail in the area of online content - what the text on the site says or tells readers to do. On many websites, the marketing directives are unclear, wording is vague, or content is lacking altogether. Customers can easily shop around and visit a competitive website, so you need to evaluate all aspects of your online presence and make each feature as attractive and user-friendly as possible.
To offer the best site architecture and content, give each page a meaningful title. Provide image maps for graphical links with ALT tags. You should also provide a text-based alternative to images for users who have images turned off in their browsers. If you are concerned about reaching an audience which is older or less experienced with surfing the web, you may want to provide a strictly text-based web page which provides the same information that can be found on a standard website with navigable links.
Commit to writing strong, consistent content that is logically organized and consistent with other websites on the Internet.
Site Architecture / Site Functionality
Identifying the functional requirements of a site is paramount to creating comprehensive site architecture. Site architecture can be defined as the content and functional structure of a site, i.e. an index page, a contact us section, an about us section, a products section, a checkout area, etc. Each area comprises a single element of a larger hierarchy of information and functionality. If your website's main goal is to sell a product, clearly identify your product and how to purchase it on your home page. However, if your site is primarily informational, your site will need to convey information in a clear, easy-to-read format.
You and your web designer should work together to the answer the following questions when evaluating your website content:
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Is the scope/mission of the website clear?
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What are the functional requirements of the site?
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Is the author clearly identified?
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Is the content easy to read for intended users?
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Is contact and help information easily located within the website?
Change from Static to Dynamic
One reason business owners decide to redesign their website is to have the ability to sell products. As such, one of your main design concerns should be your customer's safety and security. In order to have a functional e-commerce site, you must purchase or build one which provides the necessary security features and functionality. Each e-commerce package is different and may or may not provide the needed functionality, so be selective when choosing a solution.
Making the move from a static, information-only site to a dynamic, interactive site is both exciting and challenging for business owners. With a marketable product, an audience to market to, and the budget to invest in a dynamic site, the potential gains for your business are sky high.
Section 508 Compliance
Government agency websites usually need to be compliant with Section 508, which is part of the Disability Act. Section 508 establishes requirements for all electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the Federal government.The term "electronic and information technology" has been defined by the Access Board in regulations published December 21, 2000. These requirements can be found by accessing http://www.section508.gov. Section 508 requires that individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. While Section 508 compliance is required for government sites, it may also benefit businesses who want to reach a web audience which may be older or potentially disabled. Section 508 provides guidelines for creating additional methods of viewing information on a site to make it clearer to users who perhaps cannot read small type or who may be blind yet have the ability to have web pages "read" to them by their computers. It is generally only required for government sites, but encouraged for all other sites as well.
Enhance Your Site Today
With a little advance preparation and attention, you can create a highly effective website for your company. Collect your "ingredients" in advance so that you have all your information available before you start. Have an idea of what you expect from the final product. Before you begin, you may want to visit a variety of websites, both those of competitors and those of unrelated businesses, to collect ideas and also to be able to show examples to your designer. The better prepared you are, the easier it is to ensure a successful end product. Remember to check frequently with your designer to make sure your concepts are being realized, and always test the final product before implementing your new website.
An esthetically pleasing, easy-to-use website takes some planning but is well worth the effort. You will capture your customer's interest and keep them coming back for more. Before long, your website can be the model that others emulate. With a little planning, you can be the owner of a winning website.