Designing a website can be a complicated issue without a direct plan in place.
Before you decide on having a website, it is important that you be able to answer the questions below:
Question 1: What is the Goal of your website?
- Do you want to provide an informational website?
- Do you want to sell product/services on your website?
Question 2: What are you planning on doing with your website in the future?
Your Commitment:
- Do you want to learn how to do the updates yourself?
- Will you commit to a regular review and maintenance of your website?
- Will you keep updated on Joomla upgrades to prevent security issues?
Question 3: Who is your Target Audience?
- Who is your primary customer?
- Do you know the computer skill level of your target audience?
- Do you know what kind of website this target audience prefers?
You need to have a clear idea on who your customer is and services/products that they will buy from you.
Question 4: Is Your Site Accessible?
You need to convey information on your website so that it:
- is easily accessed, scanned and navigated through
- loads quickly and provides clear information (Forget about Flash splash pages, these pages are not search engine friendly (SEO) and they are not easily modified by novice computer users. Leave the Flash in the past, today’s websites need to perform in a variety of different situations and sizes. Flash is for TV, not a current website audience.)
Design your site so that your customers can easily locate the information on the various pages that you are presenting. Obscure menus and confusing links and menus may make your customer shop elsewhere.
Remember, studies say that currently websites have 20 seconds to grasp the attention of today’s “Quick Information Consumer”. 20 seconds is a very short time frame for making an impression!
Question 4: What benefit is it to your target audience to view your website? What makes your site different than your competitors?
- Are you giving your customer clear information that they want to view on your site? Are they able to contact you easily from this information?
- Is your information current and is fresh material being added?
- Are you providing free information that is of benefit to your customer? If not, why not? Give additional services that will benefit your customer this could be free information, give aways, contest, coupons, frequently asked questions, photo submission, the list is endless, be creative.
Question 5: Is the vocabulary on your website written to a higher learning level than your customer?
Today’s “Quick Information Consumers” want clear, precise copy that is direct and to the point. Studies say that website copy should be geared to a Grade 9 reading level or even less.
Question 6: Is your website SEO optimized for search engines?
Use Headings and bullets to break up long text. Be direct, keep is simple! Say what you want to say, in as few words as you can. Remember, 20 seconds is your time to grab the attention of your audience who will be scanning your headings and text prior to reading the details.
Spend some time thinking about words that could be used when your target audience is searching for your site on search engines. Create a list of main words that could be used and make sure that these words are placed inside your content.
Do you have a Call to Action on each page of your website?
What do you want your customer to do once they go through your website? Do you want them to contact you, email you, request a quote, come visit you? Plan to have many call to action statements on your pages, this may spark your customer to take action.
Question 7: How are you planning on tracking your website?
- How will you know that it is being viewed by your customer?
- How are you planning on marketing your website to your current and future customers?
Question 8: Who are you planning to host your site with? Who are you going to host your domain with?
Do your research and find a reputable hosting company that will provide and affordable support service and plan for you. If you are planning on hosting a Joomla site, make sure the hosting company you choose has support for this type of site. Most reputable hosting companies do not charge additional money to host this type of website. Shop around and inform yourself, remember buyer beware, it is up to you to understand the details of what you are buying.
Seek Advice
It is important to have a website in today’s world but a “poorly designed” website can be more damaging then not having a website. Studies have shown that the average consumer will invest 20 seconds to view your website home page before they make a decision to stay and view the details. To have a successful website ensure that your website:
- looks professional
- it easily navigated through
- provides the information that your customer requires
- presents content that is easily read
- provides a benefit to your customer
Can We Help?
Let Xpression Webs help you design your site. Please call Yvonne today at (780) 963-5501 for further information or visit our website at www.xpressionwebs.com
We help you take control of your website!
Tags: joomla, search engine optimization, SEO, target audience, website design, website goal, website goals, website marketing, website navigation, website plan, website tracking
