You Must Know These 10 Steps To Get Success in Your
Work at Home Based Business
The webmaster's biggest job is to get
their traffic up and keep customers/visitors coming
back. Building the site is one thing, but simply building
and posting a website does not guarantee traffic.
In fact, a website could be beautiful and an example
of all the latest technology and still not attract
a single visitor if not promoted correctly. Here are
10 tips to guide you to success with your website.
(1) The internet is a new medium.At
least compared to print, it is. A website is a waste
if it simply re-hashes something which could easily
be put into print. Don't have the site be just an
online brochure. Put up features which take advantage
of the internet as a medium of communication. Filter
information for them. Provide search capability. Provide
interactivity with features like forums, quizzes and
tools. Web visitors like to interact.
(2) Treat the Customer's Time as Valuable.When
a person visits your website, you have their attention
for that point in time. You either need to use it
or you will lose it - fast. Most visitors have short
attention spans, what you need to design your site
homepage so that it grabs their attention and provides
what they are looking for right away. Its like walking
into a restaurant. If you walk in and just stand there
and nobody comes to greet you, you might wonder what
is happening. But, if the hostess comes and greets
you right away and walks you to a table, then you
will be there for awhile and eat. The same analogy
goes for websites. Don't overcomplicate your website
homepage. Best results will be obtained if you make
it very clear where to click to find what they need.
(3) Design the site for customers, not
the company.Your site needs to satisfy the needs of
customers, not the company. So, don't post content
which is not really useful to the site's customer.
And avoid over-flattering marketing hype about the
company. It inflates the ego of the company more than
it helps your customer.
(4) Involve the Visitor.Keep the visitor
involved and make them feel like a valuable contributor.
Actively ask for the feedback and suggestions. Ask
for communication from your visitors and answer that
communication swiftly. When getting that communication,
capture their email address. This will allow you to
communicate with them long after they have moved on
and forgotten about you.
(5) Keep it Current.You need to have
content on your website which is timely and relevant
to the customer's life. Posting month-old news is
not interesting. Posting dry product information which
never changes is not interesting. Yes, you need to
have product information and other information on
your site that won't change much, but you can also
post more timely content. You can, for example, post
content about how your products can be used in certain
situations in life. Provide tips and techniques -
things which are immediately applicable and solve
a problem.
(6) Pay Attention to Form/Design.Some
sites simply over-do it on the eye-candy. Big graphics
just for the sake of graphics often impress the site's
designer more than the visitor. Do not use graphics
that are large and purposeless. Remember, some visitors
may still be accessing your website via dial-up. Your
site needs to load up quickly for all users. A slow
website will cause your users to leave quickly. Also,
pay attention to graphic and design size. Many web
designers operate on fairly large screen resolutions
and sometimes forget that even though a graphic looks
great to you, it will appear enormous to somebody
on a smaller resolution. On the flip side, don't go
too light on graphics. A site which is poorly designed
and using the default font and no color is not very
aesthetically pleasing. Any web visitor, whether they
admit it or not, judges your company by your website
unless they have something else to go on. A well-designed
site communicates professionalism. A poor design makes
the site seem like an afterthought.
(7) Promote.When a visitor communicates
to you via email, it is best to use a web form. not
only will this keep your email address from being
picked up by spammers, it will also allow you to ask
your customers for their email address and then store
that address for later use. Employ the "push/pull"
marketing strategy. A visitor coming to your website
is the pull, but later you want to push content back
to them in the form of a newsletter or other promotional
material. Start a mailing list and use it. Invite
visitors to sign up. Promotion makes or breaks a business,
and as long as you respect the ethical considerations
of your mailing list, you should use it.
(8) Don't Operate in a Cocoon.The internet
is a medium which is shared by millions. When you
set up your website, don't operate as if you are a
self-contained island. Get out there and keep in tune
with what is happening on other websites related to
your own. Participate in forums. Post links to other
websites and ask for a link in return. Form partnerships
with other sites if it is appropriate. When it comes
to communication, people like personal contacts. Hiding
behind general email address like "sales"
and "info" is OK as long as there is a way
to also email you directly. A company site which allows
email direct to the management is good. Just remember
how much you hate calling a company and getting stuck
in their phone system. Sometimes you just want to
talk to somebody. Give your visitors that ability.
(9) Have a Plan to Attract Repeat Traffic.Use
newsletters, out-going email, contests, forums, clubs,
auctions - anything that will cause people to return
to your website. When posting links to other websites,
don't just send your visitors somewhere else. They
may never return. Provide them an exit page. Give
them a pop-up when they try to leave your site. Or
at the very least make external links open in a new
window.
(10) Track Your VisitorsPay attention
to your site's statistics and react accordingly. What
are people reading? How are they finding you? Do they
just come and leave right from your homepage? How
long as they are on your website? Do they return?
This data is immensely valuable in fine-tuning your
website based on customer needs and wants. Remember,
the biggest mistake of any webmaster is designing
the site for what THEY want. A successful website
is designed for the target audience, not to impress
the site's owner.
About the Author:
Visit Gagan Kainth at http://www.adsenselover.com
>> Return to Web
Design Article Knowledgebase Index
