Sunday, February 26, 2012

Planning A Website For Small Business Online Marketing

For those who are new to creating websites, the task may seem huge and complicated. However, even the more experienced website owners know that a successful website requires large amounts of effort. Fortunately, there are some tips that can easily be remembered to get started on the right foot.


There are four things to keep in mind when starting a website. These considerations will help a website owner plan carefully and execute such a plan accordingly. Before anything else, the owner should define the site's purpose, content, usability and design. When one of these things are overlooked, the website may not be able to realize its goals or even maximize its potential.


Defining the Purpose

When starting a new website, the very first thing any site owner should do is to clearly define its purpose. First, one has to decide the type of website. Is it a personal or business site? The next thing one must do is to list realistic, achievable goals like introducing a product or service, creating leads or closing sales. A well-defined purpose and set of goals will make the task of creating relevant content easier and more efficient.


Creating Content

Content creation may be the most critical of all all processes involved in creating a website. This is because both written and visual content are the ones that do the work of converting a visitor into a customer or client. Written and visual content should be appealing at first sight. It is widely known that any content only has ten seconds to impress and gain the attention of any website visitor. Those critical ten seconds can make or break a website. The home page is never the place for lengthy introductions about the company, nor is it the page in which all products should be presented. Also, it is wise to consider Search Engine Optimization during the content creation process in order to gain targeted traffic from search engines. Relevant keywords and phrases should be included in the content in order for the pages to rank well in search results. This is especially important for internet marketing.


Usability

There are three key elements to consider for webpage usability - ease of use, website speed and user interaction. It is said that a website should be uniquely well-designed and eye-catching. However, this does not mean that it has to be complicated. The entire website should easily be navigable through the use of clearly labeled menus and sitemap. If visitors could not get from one page to the next without being confused and rattled, they will leave, and with them leaves potential profit.


Page loading time is also important, as users have very little patience with slow-loading websites. The content, images and scripts should be able to load in only a few seconds. This is why images and scripts should be optimized properly, or else, they will take up a lot of time which will turn off visitors.


Design

A successful website is aesthetically pleasing. It should look presentable and professional, without sacrificing ease of use and page loading time. If a website looks as if it has been created by a student for a school project, visitors will lose faith in the website. A website should always be cleanly presented, and, when applicable, use current design trends. Investing on the services of a professional web designer is highly recommended. The website owner and the designer should work together in order for the designer to translate the website's theme and purpose into a beautiful, functional and usable design.


For site owners who like doing things by themselves, there are certain things to remember when creating a DIY website design melbourne.


- Keep the pages clean. As much as possible, avoid visual noise.

- Text should be in dark colors on a light background. The reverse (light text against a dark background) is very hard on the eyes and may cause eye strain after long periods of reading.

- White space is important for ease of reading.

- Use a maximum of two colors, one for text and one for background. Too many colors in one page screams "unprofessional."


Once these four aspects are clearly defined, the next thing to do is execute the plan. The owner should decide whether to hire a freelance writer or a company to provide content. Another is to decide between hiring a website designer or doing the web design by oneself. Budgeting also comes at this juncture.


To some, a bad website is better than no website at all. They could not be more wrong. Poorly written content and badly designed website will surely turn off potential clients. It is always wise to invest time and money for proper planning, creating, launching and small business online marketing. A great online presence is a bold website that catches the eye of the passing visitor, exudes professionalism, commands authority and persuades this visitor into becoming a client.

This is how a website can ensure success.

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