What Makes Your Website More Effective?

Thousands ask this question every day. There are countless websites which claim to know what web surfers want to see, but there are many factors involved. You can’t put kittens and ice cream graphics all over your website and expect to draw all women and little girls. People vary from home to home as much as they do from country to country.

The first thing you should do when designing your website is to clearly identify your target audience. It’s nice to say that your site is intended for everyone, but sites designed with this in mind rarely get more than a few thousand hits a month. If your target audience is gamers, put graphics and articles about games on your main page. Don’t waste time with fancy schemes, because gamers are going to go straight to the game links and graphics.

When you use graphics, place them contextually on your page. A picture of a flaming skull in the middle of an article about ergonomic keyboards is just not a good idea. Unless, your text is about how ergonomic keyboards might catch fire and burn your head. (If this is the case, it would be a good idea to back up your hypothesis with numerous links to scientific studies on the subject.)

Second, there is such a thing as too much. Too much layout, graphics, media, and writing will drive people away from your site. Over 70% of people never actually read the text on a website. Instead they scan the page looking for a word or link which interests them. People want what they want right now, and will refuse to go through page upon page of “content” to get to what they want. Instead of a 3000 word article on the ways to be a better gamer, cut that down to 100 words or less. Instead try something like:

Being a Better Gamer:

• Take breaks often. When your mind gets tired, your focus drifts.
• Use both hands. More can be done by learning to use both hands, and reduces the chances of damage to the nerves.
• Don’t take chances. It’s always better to shoot first and ask questions later.

Third, don’t try adding a million keywords. There are ways to optimize your website for search engines without hurting its design and functionality. Yes, you do want good search engine rankings but you're not going to get them if you drive away your audience. Simple to use SEO techniques can be found on numerous sites.

Forth, have an easy to navigate site map. While all those drop down boxes, animated buttons, and flaming text might look cool to you – visitors rarely find them so. Simple, but clearly labeled links are the best way to go. If getting to page two is a four step process, people will go and find a site which only has one (no matter how “cool” it is).

Fifth, provide links (in an easy to find place) to sites like your own, or which interest you. This will show that you have done your research, and checked out the competition. It also shows that you’re serious about your site, and are willing to point people to information which you don’t provide.

Sixth, don’t plaster ads all over your site. You’re never going to get rich with Google AdSense, and the twenty to thirty cents you’ll make a month (if that) isn’t worth losing over 50% of your audience. One or two ads per page is usually not too bad.

Lastly, and probably the most important – use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Catering to the small percentage of people who use “chat-speak” or “1337” is a sure way to kill any chances you have of having a successful website. You want articulate and intelligent people to frequent your website and recommend it to others. Since they make up the majority of web users, it’s better to have them on your side. Most people will automatically navigate away from a page with more than two or three typos in the first paragraph, and typos jump out at people as clearly as a flashing hyperlink.

So, if you really want your website to be successful, be professional. Don’t go overboard on text, graphics and layout, don’t make the site too hard to navigate, get rid of the overabundant ads, and write well. Anything less is a waste of your time.

External Link:

• How Users Read on the Web