Your
Web Presence:
Creating an Effective Web Site
Web Site Strategy
& Design
The World Wide Web is Exploding as a Communications Medium. Not only
is the technology growing and changing, but the number of people using, and
publishing on, the web is expanding at incredible rates. As the Web
expands, it is critical that your Web site stands out. It should be
linked from high-traffic locations so it can be easily found. As a
result of the exploding growth on the Web, new directories, search resources,
and other listing sites are being added daily. It is vital that this
growth be addressed in your online promotional plan.
Prepare Your
Site
Before you tell the world to rush to your site - make sure it's ready!
This is not something to be casually underestimated, as it so often is.
There are several issues to consider, e.g.
-
Is your site attractive and interesting?
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Can people find their way around in it?
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Is it viewable on only a small number of platforms?
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Would you come back to this site?
Just because your site looks 'cool' to you, it doesn't mean everyone else
will see it that way; e.g. Macintoshes see colors somewhat differently than
PCs. Some other issues are:
-
Loading speed: Small graphics, use of height/width
attributes on images, intelligent use of thumbnails where appropriate.
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User interface design: Readable color/background
combinations, appropriate paragraph sizes, consistent navigation buttons,
etc.
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Appropriate use of structural markup: Headers
used as real section markers and not for font scaling; links are integrated
into text flow(no 'click here'), good use of lists vs. in-text enumerations.
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Support for text-mode browsing: ALT attributes
on all images, navigation possible without imagemap access, content all present
as text.
I offer a short Tutorial on some of the aspects
of Web Site Design if you'd like to "do it yourself." You
might find some of my other Tutorials & Training
Outlines of interest also.
Web Site Marketing
& Promotion
A good Web site is worth having only if it'll be seen by the target
audience. The goal is to get them interested and make them curious
enough to "check it out" I cannot stress enough how important
the correct kind of exposure is. Not all directories
will be appropriate for your business.
Online
Promotion
Each facet in marketing Web sites online should be done with one thing in
mind: to get results. Results can be measured in many ways. Most
people measure the effectiveness of their site by the number of
"hits" or people who visit their site.
One way to guarantee more hits is to list with the major search engines.
Listing on search engines and directories requires a lot of time and
effort. You also need to be aware that not only people, but also 'robots'
(e.g. from search engines) may visit your site. I can help you come
up with an effective strategy to promote your site on the World Wide Web
using the appropriate keywords and descriptions that best describe your
business. And also find, and submit your site to, the correct directories
and search engines for your target audience.
Through an intensive email campaign, you can carefully target prospective
customers or people who may be interested in your site and introduce them
to your company.
Participating in Newsgroups by answering posts asking for help in your area
of expertise is a way to get "hits" for your site.
Becoming part of a Web Ring or Banner Link Exchange is another way to get
more exposure for your site.
I offer a short Tutorial on some of the aspects
of Web Site Promotion for Free if you'd like to "do it
yourself." You might find some of my other
Tutorials & Training Outlines of interest also.
Other
Forms of Marketing Your Site
Use your current advertising by adding your Web site's URL to all your
advertising copy, including Business Cards, Stationary, Flyers, and
Newspaper/Radio/TV Ads.
I can help you with putting together Press Releases for your site and finding
the appropriate news source to send them to.
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