A Checklist Of Things To Consider To Compete In Today'S Online..

Author: Michael Sim

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Tags: Sliding , website , graphic , design , logo , social networking , seo , flash , HTML , Twitter , Facebook, Myspace , LinkedIn , YouTube , WordPress , Blogger , CEO , CRM , Multimedia , Chicago , Zopim , LivePerson , Graphics.ms , Real Estate , Banner , portfolio , developer , development , Carousel

1. Static 800x600 Box-Style Websites are out!

The static width websites that were created for 800x600 screens are by far today's most qualifying feature for a new website. Having such a limited space in which to organize and display your content often forces you to fit the content to the page. It can even limit your creative freedom, and the ability for you to take full advantages of the variety of features available to you. Not only does it restrict valuable content from being provided to your viewers, but it is also very visually compact. Why restrict your viewers to such a small environment from which to gather valuable data about you, your business, or your products and services? New web standards show that standard monitor sizes are between 1024x768 and 1680x1050. In fact, if you're doing business online, up to 95% of your target audience is using a monitor within those sizes. Five to ten years ago, it may have been a different story. Larger monitors were a luxury, and the standard was a much smaller resolution. However, it is important to consider what the majority of your viewers will be expecting in order to stay competitive in today's online economy.

2. Flash as a Splash? Think again.

Although these can be very attractive and stylish, and can add a unique touch to your website, a Flash Animation as a splash page on your website greatly increases the "bounce rate" and diminishes "return visitors". Bounce Rate is a term that is defined by how many people come to your site and leave shortly thereafter. They usually visit your homepage, and then based on a series of expectations and standards, the viewer chooses whether or not to continue to a second page within the website. There are a variety of factors that play into that choice, and one of the major issues contributing to high bounce rates is the time it takes for your page to load. Perhaps it's better to think of your website like a TV Commercial. Companies pay thousands of dollars for a small block of time on the air. Every second must be carefully planned in order to maximize the Return on Investment (R.O.I) with that ad. Think of your splash page as being a small uninformative commercial before your own commercial. If I am a return visitor, I now have to watch your intro "commercial" every single time I visit the site. As a user, I am most likely going to find a company to use and return to based on the quality and presentation of content, a strong brand identity (logo, color scheme), and ease of navigation. In addition to alienating your viewers, Flash Animated Splash Screens make search engine indexing and optimization difficult, if not impossible.

3. Social Networking is your friend

Social networking has quickly become a vast new world of opportunity for a majority of online users. Almost every online user is either a member of, or has in some way participated in a social networking community.

According to Nielson Online, two-thirds of the world's Internet population belongs to a social network and as of April 2009, the total minutes that individuals spent on social networking sites increased by 83 percent when compared with the same period a year ago. (source)

Craigslist, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, YouTube, WordPress, Blogger, etc... From the CEOs of big corporate companies to the ever-present online marketer, businesses and entrepreneurs have experience with, and use social networks on a regular basis. If social networking for the business becomes a widely used and successful marketing form (which it is), shouldn't you consider adding that to your website? Almost all of these different social networks in some way offer you the capability to embed and display specific information in your website. With Twitter, you're able to tap into your stream of posts and display them within a module on your website. You can add it to the sidebar on a blog, or even dedicate an entire page to your feeds (perhaps for multiple accounts?). Twitter is just one example of social networking that can be added to increase the overall user experience on your website. For an example of a site that we've designed that uses social networking, visit www.jeffrago.com

4. Multimedia can be overdone

I'm sure you're familiar with the typical e-book/affiliate marketing sites that have 5 pages of content smashed together into one single column. There are usually a series of YouTube videos explaining their "big ideas" that help to break-up the content a bit, and a big red button to "sign-up". In my mind, whether or not the affiliate program or e-book is actually valuable to me, I instantly classify this site as "Spam", and hit the close button. Why? As mean as this sounds, if you (the website owner) have a "Million Dollar System", why does your website look like a 3rd grader put it together? It seems like they put more work into the content of their presentation, rather than what makes that presentation something that people want to spend time viewing. That same concept carries true for all websites. When used strategically and in moderation, multimedia marketing tools (Video, Audio, Animations, etc) can add a considerable amount of value to your website. You may have the best YouTube video in the world, but depending on the quality of the website design, and the practicality of the layout all affect a users decision on whether or not to hit the "close" button.

5. Communication is the key

Did you know that there are a variety of tools out there that allow you to instantly interact with your website's viewers? Applications such as Zopim and LivePerson give you the ability to chat with users who visit your site. Zopim even has an incredible list of features that makes it one of the top communication tools for website viewer engagement. In fact, I liked it so much that I installed it on our site! Needless to say, communicating with your site viewers is one sure-fire way you can actively engage them with your services or products.

View #'s 6 & 7 on my blog http://graphics.ms/blog/686-website-checklist-compete-online/

6. Put down the blog, and back away slowly!

7. Maximize the Marketability of your Website Real Estate

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A Checklist Of Things To Consider To Compete In Today'S Online...