Whether you want to design your own web site or hand it over to a web design company or independent designer here are some pointers to take note of.
1) Keep it clean and uncluttered
One of the big mistakes the web site owner makes is to try and fit in too much information, too many images, too much advertising in fact too much of everything. Keep your message clear. This applies to the design and navigation as well. The cleaner a site the easier it is for visitors to find the information they are looking for. It also enables search engines to collect information. Check number 2.
2) SEO enabled
Creating a Search Engine Optimised site is not that difficult. Put some effort into researching your keywords that you feel your visitors or customers might be using to search for your services and build these into your site.
3) No Flash
Let go of those animation introductions and banners. Nobody has time for them anymore. Besides this Flash animations tend to irritate search engine bots who are trying to spider their way through your site checking to see what your site is all about. You don’t want to irritate search engines!
4) Use WordPress or equivalent
Do not be at the mercy of your web designer everytime you need to change something on your site. Those days are over thank goodness. Insist on a WordPress site. This great content management tool will allow you to update almost all of your site yourself. This means you can change information as required, upload images and even write a blog.
5) Have a blog on your site
It’s really important that you have some fresh content on your site. Regularly. Build yourself a customer list or just a following of interested people. Work on your reputation by showing you know what you are talking about. Write about your field to inform, impress and for search engine robots to take note.
6) Social networking and all that jazz
Encourage people to recommend you, vote for you, follow you, join you, appreciate you. And the list goes on. Plug into all this sharing world. Be on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Flikr or whatever suits your time and inclination and include widgets on your site that allow people to network with you. But don’t forget you have to share back.
This brief list of tips should help you set up a website that serves your purposes. Still stuck, then contact Yeah Can.
