Here is a summary of the content of our first two guidelines for starting a successful business:
Step 1: Decide WHAT YOUR BUSINESS WILL BE
Step 2: CREATE A WEBSITE
This article will expand your website. In the last article we talked about site design that gives an important first impression to your visitors. Remember, with website design it is better not to be online than to be lousy.
Since design is important, you should reassure your visitors that your site is worth a visit. This is usually done with QUALITY content throughout your site.
A quick visit with cyberspace will show that there are many good looking websites that do not contain any of the value of their visitors. These types of sites do not have the time required for modern cyber savvy culture. Style and materials should go hand in hand.
Because content is the key to website development, you need to decide who is targeted. If your target audience is fishermen, it would not make sense to include Grandma Sarah's apple pie recipe. It does not take long to visit various websites that contain ads for products that have nothing to do with the website. It is also easy to find websites that contain content that, although interesting, has little to do with products, goods, services or information the site is expected to provide. When a website owner misses the intended audience it leaves the impression that they have little ability to deliver exactly what the visitor has come to the website - the very thing you want them to go with.
Once you have decided who the target audience is, you need to determine the content and direction of your site.
For example, if you are selling fishing gear, you may want to have other fishing related content such as fishing tips or fishing spots, etc. You will want to provide content that will get your visitors back for more.
Many site builders have found the message board to be an effective tool for gathering like-minded buyers. You can do this on your website with a commitment of very little time required. No matter where your website is focused, the message board should work with the same focus. This can provide an additional tool to drive visitors back to your site.
Visitors can be buyers of products or information. If you successfully meet their information needs you will still be able to earn a fortune by providing links to purchasing services that may benefit the visitor. It is also possible to create your own specialized store that caters for a specific section of the fishermen. If you do not want to upgrade your store, you can link to existing stores that offer a return on all your targeted sales on your site. You may not be rich this way, but it does provide extra benefit for your visitor and may be another way to encourage its return.
Unless you are self-sufficient you will need to find a source of income to pay for site development and ongoing capture and other risk costs. Make sure you develop an open space on your website to allow for the placement of commercial advertising when your site leaves. Always think ahead.
Your website is like a canvas that just waits for a good piece of art to form. Carefully map out the pages you will need for your site. First, you need a homepage - then decide which other pages you will need.
Your homepage should accurately describe and summarize the purpose of your website. Work diligently to reduce wording while increasing clarity of purpose statement. When you sell a product or service your homepage needs to attract the attention of your visitor immediately. Do not search for your visitor to find out what your site is doing - it is a game that very few will play.
The following is a list of common pages visitors can expect from a website:
contact us
about Us
Products
Services
Links
These pages are often renamed, but once you have determined the main sections of your homepage you will want to break your content into relevant pages. One of the key rules of site development is to make sure your site runs smoothly. This means that your guests should be able to easily find what they are looking for. If finding the equipment they need requires a site search, you may have lost a returning customer. Do not make them search for content. On the other hand you should always provide an outstanding link that goes back to your home page ALL of your site page.
If you place too many ads, images and glowing text on your web pages, your visitor may leave you confused and frustrated. Keep things simple - never create a webpage and make your content easy to read. An important part of this goal is to maintain a consistent and widely used font such as Arial or Times New Roman. Well-known small fonts may not display well to all visitors and may provide additional frustration.
MAKE SURE there are no spelling errors anywhere on your site! Spelling errors make a website look very insignificant. It does not take long to load content in the word processor to check for common errors in both spelling and grammar. Having someone to verify your pages can also add to your desired professional goals.
In case you need help designing your site's quality content, you may want to consider hiring a freelance writer to help with content development. It will be worth the investment!
As you develop your website content, keep in mind that your text should have as much search engine optimization as possible. We will talk more about this in Section 4.
Please see Part 4 Building Your Road to Success Online.
You must be logged in to post a comment.