A Website Can Help

A Friendly Site

  • Avoid distracting widgets, dark backgrounds and clashing colours.
  • Copying is not a good idea but well built sites are an inspiration.
  • Poor spelling or bad grammar stop visitors seeing good aspects.
  • Breaking text into readable chunks helps your audience.
  • Page or section headers can guide users or search engines.
  • Good anchor text in links informs users and search engines.
  • Guide people to do what you want them to do and avoid barriers.

Website Benefit

A small site with a clear picture of what you offer and contact details is a marketing point. If you build this in a way that adds belief.

Websites can serve you in many ways. You do not have to commit huge resources, or be number one on Google to benefit.

Being Found

Whether you are looking for search engine traffic, or just to be found easily for your name, how you build the site still counts.

Making a site accessible, compliant is not just a good thing to do, your content can then be understood by search robots or people.

the web as the heart of the world
 

Creating a Website

The children above see the internet as the heart of the world, allowing them to share a game of football. Not possible yet but much the web can bring is only limited by imagination. Creating a website allows this to flow but use a little caution.

Your website can be more important than your phone number and is seen as the face of your business. Try to avoid personalisation, the site is not for you and if in doubt, leave out elements which are more driven by effect than content.

Even large, primarily online businesses have taken that road and often required an about face. People visit a website for a reason, if that is primarily a business reason let them concentrate on what you offer.

As with any project, good decisions at an early stage are valuable and worth the time they take. An experienced developer can help but whether using one or going alone, create a design to serve your long term purpose and your users.

Elements of a New Website

  • Define the practical method you will use at an early stage. Launching a website is a learning curve but the earlier you establish needed skills and resources, the more you focus on going forward.
  • Website planning to the point of defining detailed page and category structure should happen before you start. All the better if this allows for the site growing to suit future requirements.
  • Create a website you are proud of. This may mean the process requires more time but is quicker and far more satisfying than a constant urge to rewrite or redesign.
  • Represent yourself in a professional way which suits what you are offering, is open, honest and creates trust. If your website fails to do this, technical wizadry will not help.

Building a website is a subject that can and has filled many books yet the principles are simple, purpose, content and ease of use. If they are in place your site offers a good base for other aspects:

 

We hope this article focused on the essentials for a website. If you are working with anyone on a site, helpful if they put usability and search success first. Design is important but many good looking sites see few people.