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Twenty web site fundamentals
by Jennifer Proia
continued
8. Write helpful articles – Write articles and post them on your web site. I recommend allowing people to quote you and your article as long as they give you proper credit (i.e. your name and web link). This is a good way to circulate your expertise in ways you couldn't alone.
9. Give visitors choices – Give them buttons to “SKIP”, “GO BACK”, etc. Don't force them to read or download anything.
10. Don’t center body text – Centered headlines or short statements are fine, but the body text should always be left justified. Make it easy to read.
11. Don't underline text – People will think it's an active link.
12. Always spellcheck your copy – Paste it into a Word doc and run the spell checker on it to ensure accuracy.
13. Make it easy to contact you – Make sure it's really easy to find, i.e. an obvious "Contact" page with all of your contact information clearly listed.
14. Have a submittable form – Make it easy for people to request information. Have a form they can fill out and submit via email.
15. Share information – The web is based on sharing. Contribute what links and web sites interests you. Organize the links by category for quick scanning.
16. Understand browser compatibility and limitations – View your site on Macs and PC's, on a variety of different monitor sizes (including a laptop) and view it with both Netscape and Internet Explorer. If you notice any problems, alert your web designer.
17. Maintain link integrity – Test each page for any broken links.
18. Keep the content fresh and inspired! That's the power of the web over print, so use it to your advantage! Look at other sites periodically and think of ways to add to or improve your site. What would your clients benefit from? What might they like to see? Try something new! Don't be afraid to update the look and feel every now and then. It could just be a new banner, a new home page, some new graphics, or a complete overhaul, but keep it fresh. SUGGESTIONS: What's New, Ideas, Fresh Thinking, Now Available, Articles, Links of Interest, Testimonials, What Clients Say, Tips.
19. Announce major updates – When you make major changes or have new info. on the site, tell people about it! If the update is grandiose enough, send out a special promo piece to clients.
20. Promote the site! Make sure you list your web site on every marketing piece and letter that you send out; put it on every ad or estimate. You should also consider hiring a service to submit your site to the major search engines in the appropriate category, or do it yourself if you have the time. A fairly good one is Microsoft's submitit.com (about $175 or so).
Hopefully you found this to be helpful. Remember, the success or failure of your company's web site is in your hands! Good luck. /end/
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