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Web News & Tips - Issue #286 $7.00 per month Small Business web hosting from MateMedia Web News & Tips Published by MateMedia, Inc. Your Partner on the Web Providing quality Web services at affordable prices since 1995 MateMedia provides the following services: * Web Hosting (Shared & Managed Dedicated Servers) * Web Design & Development - Custom Web Applications * Database Development & Hosting * Website Maintenance & Webmaster Services * Search Engine Promotion (Optimization & Submission) * E-Commerce - Shopping Carts - Sample Shopping Cart * Domain Name Registration * Domain Name Affiliate Program * Web Hosting Affiliate Program * FREE Website when you order a web hosting account! For more information about our services email sales@matemediainc.com or call us at 877-309-7521 - Read what our clients have to say about us IN THIS ISSUE: Become a MateMedia Domain Name Affiliate Become a MateMedia Small Business Web Hosting Affiliate Free Webmaster Tools Free Scripts for Your Website 11 Tips for a Killer Web Site! Web News A Step by Step Guide to Getting Started on the Web Recommend this newsletter to a friend Advertise in Web News & Tips $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia 11 Tips for a Killer Web Site! By Collette Gillian An attractive and user-friendly Web site is crucial to attracting prospects and holding their interest. Seems obvious, yet poor design and even more poorly written content clutter the Web. The basics of a good web site are simple. Generally, if the purpose of your web site is to convey information, the emphasis should be on clear navigation and engaging text. If however, your purpose is to showcase a portfolio or develop a brand identity, then it will be more appropriate to limit the amount of text, and concentrate on the graphics. However you define the purpose of your web site, following a few basic guidelines will keep your web site user-friendly. Keep It Simple. This is the most important rule of Web site design. Keeping things straightforward from a user’s perspective requires some thought and planning. If people find it difficult to get into or move around your site, they may not stay for the show. Ditto if you make it difficult for them to contact you or place an order. A little research into what your visitors will be looking for when they click on your Web site will help keep them happy. Make Your Links Clear. An important part of keeping it simple is making your links clear. If you use icons or pictures for your links, be sure to give them text titles. It may sound boring, but your site visitors don’t want to waste their time trying to guess where to go next. Also, make sure that your links are easily visible. Don’t make your visitors have to scroll across to find them. Typically, links are found across the top of the page, or vertically arranged on the left. Use Straightforward Navigation. Make sure your visitors always know where they are by providing a navigation bar or map on every page. Also, try to arrange your information so that it is never more three clicks away. Make it easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for, and to get around your site. Tell Them What to Do. Web users like to know what’s expected of them. If you want them to order your product, sign up for a newsletter, or contact you - tell them. And then give them an easy way to do it! Give ‘em What They’re Looking For! Your home page should include enough information about your site to let your visitor know they have found what they’re looking for. Nothing annoys users more than wading through multiple click-thru’s, only to find that you don’t have the information or product they’re seeking. Clear, engaging, value-driven content is essential to your web site’s success. Lame language and garbled grammar will ruin your professional image. If you know you're not a skilful writer, or don't have the time to do it right, hire a professional freelance copywriter to do the job. Minimize Download Times. Big graphics, flashy animation, intricate images – they all take time to download. Take care when using whistles and bells. Again, consider your typical visitor. Will they have access to the latest technology? Or will they be dialing up from their rinky-dink home desktop? All the flash technology in the world won’t impress your visitors if they don’t stick around until the page loads. Use Images Sparingly. Images are a great way to add some pizzazz to a Web site. Too many, however, can detract from your site’s appearance or message, and they can make your site slow to load. Try using images that support and add value to your text, not as a substitute for information. Remember too, that although JEPG files are better for photographs, GIF files are quicker to download. Avoid Unnecessary Forms. This is especially relevant for e-commerce sites, but applies equally to subscription forms for anything. Long forms complicate the ordering process, and prospects may not be willing to fill in what they see as unnecessary details. Click - you've lost 'em! Color. Use color with restraint in your Web site design. Too many colors may make your site look garish and incoherent. Stick to two or three complimentary colors to make a better impression. The same goes for textured or colored backgrounds. Often such backgrounds make text difficult to read, for example, a light blue background with yellow text or a black background with light blue text is virtually unreadable. (Don’t laugh! I’ve seen ‘em both.) Text. Different browsers support different fonts, and not all the same ones. So that unusual lettering that you think looks so good as your font choice, may show up as indecipherable gobbledy-gook on your visitor’s screen. But all is not lost. There are a few fonts (called “true type” fonts) that are common to all browsers. The ones most commonly used are Times New Roman, Ariel, Helvetica, and Verdana (which was designed specifically for the Web). Also, allow plenty of “white space” on the page. Spaces give readers a visual break, and allow them to focus more fully on separate elements of the page. Following these simple guidelines, or using them as a checklist for your existing web site, will save you time and money. More importantly, your site visitors will feel understood and appreciated. And that’s a good thing! E-mail: jamaicaski@yahoo.com Author's URL: http://www.bestwriter4u.com Collette Gillian is a freelance copywriter specializing in Web content and Web copy for businesses of all sizes. For clear, powerful writing that zooms through the clutter, visit her at http://www.bestwriter4u.com, and receive a free money-saving report! $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia Increase your rank in the search engines! Check out our new search engine optimization plans Become a MateMedia Web Hosting Affiliate Web News $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia A smaller portion of IT professionals will experience an increase to their network budgets in 2005 (20.6 percent) than those who are currently outsourcing (20.9 percent) or planning to outsource network operations (13.1 percent), according to an ITtoolbox survey that identified server trends. The largest portion of respondents (22.2 percent) allocated between $5,001 and $15,000 for the networking purchasing and maintenance budget in 2004, with nearly an equal percentage spending less than $5,000 (15.2 percent) and $50,001 to $100,000 (15.6 percent). Global digital subscriber line (DSL) subscriptions are entering a high growth phase, achieving three consecutive record-breaking quarters, according to the DSL Forum with statistics from Point Topic. The first quarter of 2004 alone brought 9.5 million new lines worldwide, almost doubling the same period in 2003, bringing the total to 73.426 million DSL subscribers. New local restaurant search site Local-i offers an innovative approach that may enable it to take a bite out of the lucrative local search market. The Brookline, Mass.-based search site, built by co-founders Matthew Berk and Bejul Somaia, launched in beta in May. Local-i's founders have two objectives: to approach local search from the consumer perspective, and to help people discover new things. Eventually, the founders say, the search engine will expand to other cities and other verticals. For now, it's limited to Boston restaurants. Copyright 2000-2004 MateMedia, Inc. |
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