Is your website Business Ready? Part 2

5. What will the information architecture be like? What are the important top level keywords?
  There needs to be balance between information architecture for usability and keyword information architecture for fundability (SEO). IA is definitely one of the most underappreciated aspects of good search optimization as well as usability.

7. How do we prove high credibility?
You need to maintain your credibility. With ANY business or organization you are only as good as your word. Prove your credibility and make it apparent – don’t make your users wonder about it.

• About page
• Product or services pages
• Pictures of REAL people
• An Helpline or Sales number
• Contact page with physical address
• Quick responses to customer service requests
• References
• Write like a real person Strong Web Design
• Spell correctly
• Privacy policy
• Display a contact e-mail prominently.

There are many web designers out there, eager for your business. A lot of them are well-trained in the technology of building a website, and are quite good at what they do. Still others are graphic designers who needed to offer website design as a service, as this is what their clients needed and wanted. Then there are large companies offering websites with enticing functionality, who have a team of website salesmen, essentially. There is no web designer involved in the sales process, only a technician on the other end of the phone. Then there are those who have taken an online HTML course, and start selling their services as a web designer. No wonder business owners are confused about who to hire, and how to decide who to hire.

“Your website is your public face. It must represent you well. If it looks unprofessional, potential customers will get the impression that you’re not that concerned or serious about your business. A website that looks unprofessional is worse than no website at all.”

There are some specific questions to ask that will give you clues as to whether a web designer that you are considering hiring can produce the results that you desire from your website.

1. How will you build a website that will load fast, capture the attention of the visitor within seven seconds, and keep them coming back again and again?
2. Who will be the Owner of a Domain name, will you transfer domain name to other service provider, if I am not satisfied with your services.
3. Do you know how to set up an email-capture form and hook it up with an autoresponder?
4. Can you design my site so that the call to action is clear and prominent?
5. Will my pages be optimized for the search engines?
6. Which browsers and which versions do you check to ensure that the site is workable?
7. Will my site be designed according to the accessibility guidelines and other W3C standards?
8. Can you design the navigation so that it is clear, understandable, and the visitor will always know where he is in the site and can find what he wants without clicking more than three times?
9. Can I access my Hosting if I need to add files like the Google Webmaster verification file or you will do it for me?
10. Will I have TOTAL control of my website, or will I have to email my requests for changes?

Make sure that YOU are the owner of your domain name. Some web designers register their customers’ sites in their own name. But what if something happens to that person? You have to jump through hoops to convince the domain registry company that you are really the owner!

Is your website Business Ready? Part 1

In an internet edge business needs a website in order to survive and compete in the modern, increasingly Internet-based marketplace.  One of the key elements to your business success is to create a website that works! Create a website that will effectively promote your business.

It is not just a website. It is where the bricks-and-mortar world meets the clicks-and-mortar world, and your website has an impact on your company’s image. Because your online market presence is viewed by individual-defined norms, you must ensure the site meets the expectations of your site visitors who are looking for your products or services. In fact, a visit to your site must not only meet the visitor’s needs, but also delight her to promote subsequent returns.

Before you build a site, or begin searching for a web design firm to build one for you, it is important to take the time to ask yourself some crucial questions about the goals, purpose, and other aspects of your site-to-be.

1. What Is The Purpose Of Your Website?
   Many businesses, particularly smaller ones, have a vague sense that they “need” a website in order to keep up with their competition, but aren’t really sure what they want their website to do.  Websites are a cost-effective way to enhance the reputation and presence of even the smallest businesses, and when combined with e-commerce capabilities, can allow customers worldwide to find and purchase the products and services that your business offers. Deciding what the purpose and goals of your website are is a crucial step towards creating a successful, customer-focused site.
2. Who Is Your Audience?
   The first question is “Who are the people that make up my target market?” What group of people am I going to serve? How old are they? What are their interests? How do they speak? Where do they live? What is their income level? Where do they hang out online? How do they think? What makes them tick? etc.

   That’s just some of the background information you’ll need to collect as you build up a clear picture of the people who will make use of your product or service?

   Once you know your target customer it will allow you to tailor your marketing message so that it speaks directly to them.

3. What Do The People In My Target Market Need/Desire?
   Following on from this, question number three is “What do they need/desire?” What things do they need to make their life (a) bearable or (b) better than it was before?
4. How Will I Make Visitors Want To Return To My Site?
   What will you offer your visitors to ensure that they become repeat visitors? Are you planning on selling products, providing information, or some combination of the two?  Bottom line:  What does your target demographic want, and how will you offer it to them?

To be continued in part 2 of this article

How to Save Your Fanpage and Select the Proper Social Media Agency

Facebook has written, as well as unwritten rules that they expect their user to follow. If you break one of the rules implanted by Facebook you run the risk of getting a warning or getting your account or your Fan page banned completely. There are several different reasons why your account and Fanpage could end up getting banned on Facebook, below is just a list of obvious deactivation reasons: Continue reading »

Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

It’s a great time to be an entrepreneur in the last 5-10 years, if you are thinking about setting up your own business or Have an idea for a new business but unsure about how to proceed. And you have answered yes then; this article could be of benefit to you. I am going to write about Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur.

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is the confidence one has in oneself, one’s knowledge, and one’s abilities. It is the confidence of the type: “I can do this”. “I have the ability to do this”. It seems that people who have confidence get everything. They get the Business Opportunities. They get the promotions and raises at work. Whereas Continue reading »