What You Need To Know Aboutr Web Design
Sometimes we are called in to triage a site that was just built or was built not so long ago. Even more painful, is we are asked to perform marketing services and the website we have to work with is anything but user friendly or even searchable, or it just one big flash site and so there are limits as to what we can do in a marketing campaign.
Clients and prospects may have begun to get that sinking feeling that maybe they didn’t get their money’s worth but aren’t exactly sure why. The designer has some really classy and jazzy looking designs and they came from great design schools and have an impressive list of accounts so they really must know what they are doing. And yet, nothing - no more traffic, no more calls, no additional business or leads come flowing in over the phone or by email. The following is about some of the basics of website design and some really important things you need to know before you run off and spend any more money on your website.
1. Do NOT use flash as an opening page (or for your entire web site for that matter), or a large splash page that is all artwork. Think. How many times do you look at the same picture? How is a search engine supposed to translate that image or flash movie and get your site indexed so it can be delivered in a search query? It is a waste of space and most people find them quite annoying thank you. RULE: Artwork should not exceed one third of the above the fold page — that means that if the visitor has to start scrolling to figure things out - you have a bad design.
2. Proof of coding. You want assurance that the job is done completely on each page so you will want to ask your designer to provide the Meta tag title, description and keywords for each and every page on your website. I am not sure if it is lack of knowledge or shear laziness that this does not get done.
3. Redirect pages are a must. If you have had a site up for awhile already, chances are someone, somewhere has linked to one of them and so once the new site is created, if the page names are changed, then redirect pages need to be created for the ones that are disappearing so that you don’t loose any traffic or rankings you have already gained.
4. Navigation is for the visitors not for you. Think about what your clients and prospects are looking for before you align your navigation. Chances are About Us, although important is not the first thing they look for. It is a better guess that the first thing that they want to know is if you can fulfill their needs and then they’ll want to know who you are.
5. Don’t keep your phone number and address a secret. Your phone number should be on every page not buried in a contact us page.
6. Site map is a must. Site maps serve two important purposes, the first is that a visitor can gain a snapshot of your overall site if it is a big site and they just aren’t sure where to go (and let’s hope that isn’t the case) and the second is that it is essential guide for search engines to index your site.
7. Cross platform verifications. Your site must read well on PCs and Macs, work in Internet Explorer both older and recent versions and Safari at the very least. Ask your designer to show you how your site performs in each of these before you launch. If they are using CSS and java there are going to be differences in color and performance so make certain your site plays well in most all of the current browsers. You can check this out yourself at different sites, one is browsershots.org/.
8. Who is this site for anyway? Your content is critical - oh so very critical so think about how you are positioning what you write. Your site should not be a narcissistic attempt at a brag page, leave that to your grandmothers. Your site should be speaking to the visitors and answering immediately what is in it for them. So cut out the I, me, my stuff and think about the You, Your stuff. The I, Me, My sentences go on the About Us page and the You, Your stuff that are not industry lingo or vague sales speak should go on the home page and other relevant content pages. The content should hold words and phrases that match up to the keywords. Then sprinkle in testimonials to let them know you are reputable and great to work with.
9. Your home page should also serve as the concierge desk pointing visitors to other specific pages on your site that explains in more detail a statement of service or offering. There should be links on your home page that lead visitors to other pages.
10. There is more to tell, but to keep this list short and to the point I will end on this last note of suggesting that before you make the final payment, request all of your production files. It is your website and you should be able to do with it as you please once you have paid for it. So, ask your designer to turn over all production files. An example is for flash, you want the .fla files. For everything else you want the Photoshop and Illustrator files unflattened. And any other production files and artwork created to make your website. You paid for it; there should be no further discussion.
If I sound a bit cranky, I apologize. However the business of design should have integrity and I am often left with my mouth hanging open in awe of what ‘web design’ individuals and firms offer up as a finished product. Unfortunately for entrepreneurs and small business owners, web design is sometimes like a physics equation that is just too complicated to understand and therefore one just doesn’t know what to ask for and only pays attention to what it looks like. Yes, design is important, but function is far more critical and for the kind of money you are going to spend on your web site, if you aren’t sure please ask someone knowledgeable to write the specifications and possibly even manage the project for you. After all, you may select a car for its looks but you don’t buy it until you know how it is going to perform on the road and in all weather conditions, think about your website the same way.
Mardy Sitzer
Bumblebee Design & Marketing
http://www.bumblebeellc.com
/ 212-677-4050
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