Category Archives: website navigation

10 Reasons Your Website Doesn’t Work

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Posted by admin on March 13, 2009 – 7:27 am
Filed under SEO, attract clients, increase online sales, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, online buying behavior, professional web design, web copy, web traffic, website navigation

Award-winning designer and owner of Bourn Creative, Jennifer Bourn, shares her top 10 website design tips:

10. You Hired Your Friend’s Kid.
You’ve heard all about how he is great with computers and is a tech genius. He took a design class in high school or maybe a couple courses at the local community college and he has done a couple websites. Your friend mentions this a few times and you see a chance to get your website done and save some money. At first you’re excited, and then you start to realize that developing a professional polished website that works isn’t as easy as you thought. Soon you’ve spent hundred of dollars and you’re unhappy. You don’t even want to tell people your have a website because you’re embarrassed. So not only did you waste your money, but you wasted your valuable, billable time and lost out of some potential new business.

9. You Used Free Do-It-Yourself Software.
You knew you needed hosting of some sort and you decided to buy it before consulting with your web designer/developer. In the process of buying hosting you saw a cool tool to design your site yourself. Awesome, right? I mean how hard can slapping together a website be? So you used the free tools, maybe took a class on HTML, or you bought a template to work on. Good for you. But then you start to wonder why the search engines aren’t finding you – in fact why no one is finding you. And you begin to wonder why your site isn’t converting visitors into customers. The bottom line? Go ahead and dabble with HTML and put together a website for fun, or learn enough to make some quick edits on the fly. But when it comes to your business, if you want a site that will attract attention, get remembered, bring in new business, and get the results you want, you should hire a professional. I mean you wouldn’t cut your hair yourself would you? Heck no! For that head-turning, double-take, fabulous cut, you go to a trusted professional.

8. You hired a Marketing/PR/Advertising Consultant Who Does Websites.
Ok. The title of this one alone sounds ludicrous. Would you hire a gardener to take care of your pool? No! Yes, they are in similar fields, but no they are not the same. Most marketing professionals who offer design services do so because to make more money. They outsource the work to a designer, mark up the project and then sell it to you. And then you’re left getting advice from a pseudo expert and the not actual expert. Plus if you hire a good designer who understands the marketing aspect, you’re duplicating costs! Now, in some cases this works great. I subcontract for select marketing professionals because I am brought in on the project from the first day and work directly with the client. The problem arises when the consultant is the intermediary. First, you must be careful your consultant is not outsourcing design work to third-world countries because they can make more money on the project with a cheap subcontractor (Remember the saying you get what you pay for). Second, you want to make sure your message, desires, goals, etc. are not getting lost in the translation from person to person. Don’t let your communications end up like the game telephone we all played as kids.

7. Your Website Design is Awful.
Kym Yancey commented from the stage at the eWomenNetwork conference in 2008, If you don’t take your business seriously, if you don’t value your business enough to have it designed by a professional visual communications expert, then how can you expect anyone else to take you seriously and value what you offer. If your website looks like it was done by a high school kid, was slapped together in a weekend or is just pain unprofessional people will not want to give you their money.

6. You Are Using A Splash Page.
Splash pages with maybe some Flash animation may have been considered cool when they first came out, but they are not anymore. If you’re using one of these on your website, you are loosing out on potential new business every day. Splash pages actually do more harm than good. They add clicks the visitor has to make to get to your information, they usually have no content the search engines can index, and they interrupt the flow of information.

5. Your Website Content is Missing.
If you have a basic website with maybe three pages and barely any content, you’re telling your visitors that you only have a site because some told you that you had to have one. You’re sending the message that you don’t think your site is worth paying attention to and you don’t really value what it can do for you, so you posted something pretty and just left it to sit there. What you need is valuable timely content the user can relate to. Deliver content they want and include information they need on a regular basis

4. Your Website is Boring.
Your site is your opportunity for you to educate visitors on why they need you, what you offer and how you can help them. Answer the questions: 1) What can you do for me and; 2) Why should I care? Make sure the content is interesting and fun and add some personal touches too. People do business with other people they trust. Use your site as a launching ground for building new relationships, invited communication and interaction and have fun doing it.

3. You Forgot SEO and Traffic Building.
You can have the most amazing, fantastic, gorgeous website design ever seen, but if no one can find the site, it was a waste of money. Don’t forget to include in your budget various Search Engine Optimization (SEO), site marketing, and traffic building techniques.

2. Your Website is Too Generic.
You can have the most amazing, fantastic, gorgeous website design ever seen, but if you don’t stand out from your competition, you will not be remembered. A pretty site is completely different from a memorable, “sticky” site that stands out among the rest. A branded site communicates a completely unique selling proposition. It communicates why you are different, what sets you apart, and why your visitors need you. The worst thing a small business is to do is compete on price and that is what your visitors will default to if you don’t give them something else to focus on.

1. Your Website Didn’t Begin at The End.
The absolute first thing you should do when planning your website is to identify the primary and secondary goals of the website. Define exactly what you want to get from completing the project, what change or difference you want to see and what action you want the visitors to take. Be sure to clearly guide your visitors to take that action by communicating with “you” communications instead of “me” communications. If you jump right into the design and development of the site without addressing these issues, it more than likely will not give you’re the return on your investment you were hoping for.

About Jennifer Bourn
Award-winning designer, Jennifer Bourn of Bourn Creative works with entrepreneurs to build their business, generate leads and make more money by effectively communicating their unique message and personality with proven marketing strategies, beautiful attention-getting design and organic search engine optimization techniques. Specializing in Internet marketing and brand development, Jennifer can not only deliver the results you want on time and in budget, but she can help you build a brand everyone else will envy. http://www.bourncreative.com/

Navigation: Increase Chances of Customers Taking Action on your Website

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Posted by admin on February 18, 2009 – 2:33 pm
Filed under attract clients, increase online sales, marketing in bad economy, web traffic, website navigation

Design a website that is clear and easy to use, and decrease your chances of customers leaving based on difficult navigation. You’re less likely to have customers leave your site when it provides clear navigation and a result-driven layout. Don’t leave website traffic to chance; do your research on effective website design and layout.

 

The main goal of your company’s website is to get your target client to take action. Before designing the website layout, decide what action you want your client to take. This action could be to call you for a consultation, apply for your services, purchase your product, make a donation, or join your cause. Make the action obvious on your website. This is where result-driven copy comes into play.

Copy works with design to help facilitate easy navigation through the site. You want visitors to be able to investigate your services / products easily on your website, which means links, contact information, the newsletter subscription box, and the company’s blog should be easy to find. It’s important to have well-written web copy to motivate viewers to move about the site.

 

For example, a travel agency wants clients to call for more information on booking a trip to Italy. This means, there should be a Contact Us tab on your tool bar, your phone number should be in plain sight, and your call to action on your homepage should motivate visitors to call your agency today. Placing your contact information in several spots decreases the chances of a client moving on to your competitor’s website. If your website navigation is confusing, visitors won’t take action because they won’t know how to find the button to contact you.

 

Many businesses lose their customers due to poorly designed navigation. Easy navigation is crucial. Eliminating any ambiguity about where to look for information within a site is important.

The four main things to remember about navigation: Make it simple. Make it fast. Make it clear. Make it work.

SEO Efforts: Rank #1 in Search Engines with Effective Web Copy and Website Design

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Posted by admin on February 13, 2009 – 4:40 am
Filed under SEO, SEO copywriter, client attraction, increase online sales, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, online marketing, update webcopy, web traffic, website navigation

Designing a company website requires some compromising. It involves the perfect balance between visually appealing and functional elements. It’s important that one element doesn’t dominate the other. This is where many companies go wrong.

 Many times company websites are polluted with too much flash, pointless graphics, and unnecessary copy. The combination of these elements is a major risk factor for decreasing website SEO.

In order to ensure your website ranks #1 in search engines, you must adhere to some kind of compromise. Make sure your entire website isn’t in flash. Many people might think flash is more appealing—and it is at times—but it greatly reduces your SEO if overused. Flash limits the amount of copy you can have on your page. Great copy is your best chance at ranking #1 in search engines and should never be substituted for unnecessary elements.

Result-driven copy . . .

·         Increases SEO with effective keywords placed throughout. It’s important that these keywords add to the message and mission of your company.

·         Converts leads into sales and motivates visitors to take action on your website.

·         Increases site traffic.

·         Targets your company’s specific market and keeps them on your website.

·         Works to reinforce your brand image. Compressed, informative, and concise web copy is easy to read, gets to the point, and expresses your brand image in merely a few sentences without compromising important details.

It’s important to hire a web designer and web copywriter who work toward expressing your brand image online. An excellent web designer will ensure your site is attractive and functional, while an effective web copywriter will guarantee your company message comes across accurately and thoroughly.

The functionality and visual elements of your website may require a slight compromise, but you shouldn’t compromise on a web copywriter and web designer who don’t understand your needs and message. Grow your business. Grow to success. Hire the right copywriter and web designer.     

 

Effective Navigation: The Key to Keeping Customers On Your Website

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Posted by admin on February 10, 2009 – 4:29 am
Filed under attract clients, client attraction, increase online sales, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, website navigation

The main goal of your company’s website is to get your target client to take action. If your navigation is confusing, they won’t take action because they won’t know how to.

Caution: This is where many businesses lose their customers. Easy navigation is crucial. Eliminating any ambiguity about where to look for information within a site is important.

Web copy works with design to help promote navigation through the site. Your website should encourage visitors to click on certain links, such as contact information, newsletter subscription, and the company’s blog. It’s important to have well-written web copy to motivate viewers to further investigate your site.

The four main things to remember about navigation: Make it simple. Make it fast. Make it clear. Make it work.

In a nutshell, your customers shouldn’t have to make too many decisions on your website. Too many websites have extra links they don’t need. If you give too many choices, you overwhelm the visitor, and they get frustrated and click out of your site.

People who visit your site are busy and can become impatient if they have to search your entire site to find what they need. Chances are, they won’t stick around to do that. Visitors want to get to what they need quickly and easily. If you make it too difficult, they’re gone, and they’ll buy from your competition. The more copy and graphics you throw at them, the more confused they’ll be, and then you’ve lost them. Your site needs to have strong focus.

Top 5 Website Design Myths

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Posted by admin on February 8, 2009 – 9:47 pm
Filed under Marketing Strategy, SEO, increase online sales, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, update webcopy, website navigation

Is your website design stopping you from ranking higher in the search engines and getting the traffic you want?

Are you frustrated that site visitors aren’t contacting or buying from you?If so, then I have a treat for you.

Join me and my special guest Nina Menezes, professional web designer and owner of InterDream Designs, for a 60-minute, free call on the “Top 5 Website Design Myths.”

Register now at http://webcopywritingqueen.com/designmyths.html

On this call, you’ll discover . . .

 

  • What you are doing that’s preventing your website from ranking #1 in the search engines.
  • What a great site entails—from visuals to functionality.
  • What to avoid on your website and what you need for a successful site.
  • Why your website might be turning away customers instead of attracting them—and how to steer clear of this.  
  • The tools you need to grow your online presence.

If you are in the process of creating or revamping your current website, thinking about redoing your site, or just want to change a few things on your site . . . then you need to be on this call Thursday, February 19, at 8 Eastern  /  4pm Pacific.

Register now at  http://webcopywritingqueen.com/designmyths.html

Nina Menezes works exclusively in the area of web design for women who are small business owners. She understands the challenges small business owners face when building a strong online presence and works with clients to create custom websites that bring in new visitors and convert them to paying customers.

And she’s kind enough to share her expertise with you. For free.

Don’t let your website turn away customers. Register for our free call, and discover how to make your website work for you. The call is being recorded, so if you can’t make it, you can still listen later.

Succeed online in 2009 and sign up today — http://webcopywritingqueen.com/designmyths.html

Are you struggling to make your website work for you?

Observing Customer Behavior Online with Heat Maps

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Posted by admin on January 3, 2009 – 11:16 pm
Filed under Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, marketing trends, online marketing, small business marketing, target market, web traffic, website navigation

In-store selling allows you to make useful observations, helping you to better understand the customer’s wants and needs and helping you to interpret ways to satisfy these needs. You’re able to answer questions immediately in person, observe if the customer seems confused and notice what the customer’s attention is focused on. In-person communication can also help you to use different selling tactics to sell the product / service based on customer objections.

Observing customers online is difficult since there’s no direct interaction with the consumer. There are now excellent online tools that allow you to collect data on where customers are looking on the website. One such tool is a heat map. A heat map is an excellent way to help you make positive changes to your marketing campaigns, selling tactics, advertisements, website element positioning, and web copy changes.

Heat maps track eye movement on a website page to show where viewers are looking the most. Knowing the key areas where consumers are focused allows you to understand where important links and information should go. “Hot spots” are color-coded areas on the webpage, showing where consumers are looking the most.

Let’s say there’s a great deal of eye movement toward a certain area of your site but not many clicks in this area. This is a hint that perhaps the link isn’t enticing enough to click or it’s not important to the user. At this point, you’d either change the phrasing of the link or switch the link with a more significant one. Heat maps can help you redesign your website and try new additions, replacements, and more.

A great website offering heat maps is Crazyegg.com. It provides heat map services for a low price. 

Keep Your Target Market Hooked to Your Website

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Posted by admin on December 9, 2008 – 10:18 pm
Filed under Copywriting, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, attract clients, client attraction, market in economic crisis, online marketing, online sales, small business marketing, target market, web copy, web traffic, website navigation

Keeping your target market interested in your website can be a tricky task, but when done correctly, it can attract thousands of potential clients, increase sales, and improve business recognition. There are several elements for an effective website—elements that can create extraordinary benefits for your company.

It’s imperative for any business website to keep information and aesthetic elements fresh and updated.

No one likes to visit a site that appears neglected.

Website appearance and web copy can sometimes be a consumer’s first impression of your company. It’s important for customers to associate attentiveness and success with your business. You can establish this by keeping up with industry news, site content, and site graphics on the company website.

If customers see a website that is frequently updated, they’ll most likely make the assumption that customers will be tended to as well. It’s essential for all companies to show the customer you’re there to provide constant company updates, great customer service, and dedication to customer satisfaction. Another way to express this is to have an area on your site committed to frequently asked questions by customers, testimonials, and business contact information.

One of the greatest chances you have in keeping the attention of website viewers is through compelling and concise web copy. Address your target’s need immediately, and assure them you’re there to help. Provide them with direct benefits they’ll receive from purchasing your product / service. Your customers’ needs and how your company meets these needs should be captured in engaging and informative web copy presented on your homepage. The marketing message must capture their attention and persuade them to take the next step in purchasing from your company.

For more helpful tips on marketing in economic crisis and to learn about our many marketing services, visit Michelle Salater Writing and Editorial, LLC.

Prevent Losing Customers Online

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Posted by admin on December 7, 2008 – 10:01 pm
Filed under Marketing Tip, attract clients, client attraction, increase site traffic, online marketing, small business marketing, target market, update webcopy, web copy, web traffic, website navigation

One of the greatest benefits of in-store selling is your ability to communicate one-on-one with consumers. Face-to-face communication is an excellent way to observe a customer’s body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Selling on the internet is the opposite and, as a result, often poses challenges to companies that are used to doing business in person.

It’s important to anticipate customer objections, questions, and comments when creating an effective website to simulate the immediacy and success of in-store selling. Since your website is working for you 24 / 7, it’s essential to ensure its result-driven capabilities.

Here are some elements of a successful business website, sure to bring in new customers as well as repeat customers:

·       Navigation must be simple and user-friendly. Viewers will get discouraged easily if they click on tabs that are ambiguous and roundabout. Navigation needs to be straightforward and clear without trying to be overly unique.

·       When customers send emails or comments to you, be timely with your response (usually within 24 hours). It will show customers your dedication to your company and to their satisfaction. The sooner the response the better.

·       Intriguing graphics and captivating web copy will keep the viewer interested and eager to continue searching through your site. Express your company’s personality and professionalism through website graphics, colors, wording, lines, and images.

·       Keep your website constantly updated and give viewers a reason to come back. Provide them with new information, products / services, news, and more. A fresh website will be much more successful than a stale one.

·       Make purchasing online for customers easy, safe, and quick. Assure customers your website has a privacy policy, allowing them to feel more secure to purchase products online.  

How to Grab Your Target Market Online

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Posted by admin on November 25, 2008 – 12:55 am
Filed under Copywriting, Marketing Tip, client attraction, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, online marketing, small business marketing, target market, web copy, web traffic, website, website navigation

When creating or revamping your website, set aside your personal tastes. Instead, think about what your target market wants to see and know. They’re the ones who have to get something out of it in order for you to gain profits. Your website must speak to your target market and grab their attention within the first five seconds of their arrival to the site.

How to grab your target market in those first crucial seconds and keep them:

·       Use words, phrases, and a tone they’re familiar with and that speak to their wants and needs. Web copy is essential in gaining client interest and keeping them on your site. Quick and witty web copy attracts a much different clientele than smooth and seductive copy. Know what style will appeal to your target market and focus web copy around it.

 

·       The personality of your website must be attractive and satisfy a need your target market has. For example, if you own a luxury destination spa, your site design should look much different from a teen clothing company’s site. A sumptuous spa website needs to exude a feeling of lavishness in pictures and essence. It should appear calming, with photos inducing a sense of tranquility, accompanied by soothing colors and maybe even peaceful music in the background.

 

·       Visitors like to see a fresh website with web copy and design updates, news updates, company improvements and changes. This shows potential clients your company is constantly working to gain customers and is up-to-date with advances in the industry.

 

·       A user-friendly website is an absolute must. Potential customers will move to a competitor’s site as soon as they are frustrated and lost in navigating your site. Be simple, obvious, informative, and to the point.

Hiring a professional web copy writer can get your website on track and increase sales. Visit Michelle Salater Writing and Editorial, LLC, to learn more about our many result-driven writing services.

Website Effectiveness: Discover Your Return on Investment

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Posted by admin on September 15, 2008 – 4:32 pm
Filed under Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, client attraction, increase site traffic, web copy, web traffic, website navigation

Curious about what your website is contributing to business? It’s important to measure successful and unsuccessful elements of your website in order to understand what changes need to be made for an increased return on investment.

Once you understand what your target market needs, you can predict their website behavior and track it by logging data about the number of visitors in a specified period. Also, log the number of website sales per week. This will show you the popular and unpopular items, which you can compare to store sales. Are there some items bought online more than in the store? If so, cater to those items online to increase website profits.

Identify patterns in the data that may lead you to make changes to your website content and design. Is there a page you have on your website no one is visiting? It could mean the link isn’t in an obvious spot. If many people are visiting your site, but no one is buying, it could mean your website content, such as web copy, and interactive tabs aren’t developed strongly enough to get you the sales you want. If you notice an area on your website is getting more attention than others, pinpoint the successful aspects and apply them to other pages to see if that helps increase visitors.

It’s important to constantly analyze your website data and connect it to your return on investment. Constantly keep your website fresh, user-friendly, and interactive to ensure you are effectively communicating with users, selling, and providing excellent customer services at all times.

Want to learn more about the services that will help your website be effective and increase return on investment? Visit Michelle Salater Writing and Editorial, LLC, our many result-driven writing services.