|
Receive a FREE Copy of "Radiant Branding" -- an Audio Discussion between Phillip Davis and Marnie Pehrson about being yourself and attracting the people you are meant to serve. It doesn't have to be as hard as most make it! Also receive Marnie's "Light the World Now" Updates.
|
|
Are You Driving Visitors Away?
by Marnie Pehrson
We talk a lot about ways to bring people to your Web site, but are you driving them away once they get there? There's a lot more to a profitable Web site than traffic; the key is what you do with visitors once they arrive. In the next few articles I'll be talking more about what to do with visitors once they´re with you.
The first 20-30 seconds visitors are with you are the most vital in peaking their interest. If your home page is an immediate turn off, you'll lose them before you can even get your message across.
Often, we build our Web sites to make ourselves happy--we base our design on what we want and not what our potential visitors want. Visitors care more about clear organization, easy navigation, and valuable information than they do about animation, fancy Java scripts, and bulky graphics.
Some typical turn-off's that drive visitors away are the following:
- Java scripts that don't work on all browsers or give errors in some browsers. An excellent resource for Java scripts and information on their browser compatibility can be found at http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/resources/scriptlibrary/.
- Graphics that are too big and take forever to load. Graphics should be kept under 25-30k in size. Use http://www.gifoptimizer.com to minimize the size of graphics on your site.
- Home pages that take too long to load. Keep the file size of your home page down as low as possible. Under 20k in size is good. If you've only got 20-30 seconds to capture a visitor's attention, don't let those seconds be eaten up while they wait for the page to load! Web Site Garage can help you evaluate the HTML coding and load-time of your Web site.
- Poor design. Some typical poor home-page design elements include the following:
- Extending beyond one to two screens on the home page;
- Drab, default gray backgrounds;
- Screen-full after screen-full of text paragraphs;
- Compatibility with only one or two browsers;
- Dead links. Link validity can be hard to keep up with on large sites with listings, etc. But, at least make sure the links that go to your own site are accurate. Net Mechanic has a dead link checker at http://www.netmechanic.com.
Before adding that cool graphic, animation or Java script, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this element really add to the usability of my site?
- Does this element help to steer visitors to the places I want them to go?
- Does this element make my site more informative?
- Does this element make people want to stay and learn more?
If you answered ''No'' to these questions, you should seriously consider whether this design element is necessary. Don't take the risk of driving visitors away just because you want to boost your ego or want to play with the latest technology. Use design elements that are usable and valuable to your visitor.
Marnie Pehrson, a mother of 6, has been highlighting truth and talent for 15 years. Whether it's writing a novel that spotlights individuals who've made a difference in the world or helping a talented entrepreneur create a platform for his life's work, Marnie underscores truth and talent in innovative and compelling ways. She is the creator of www.IdeaMarketers.com and helps experts promote their products and services online. For more information on her various projects and books, visit http://www.pwgroup.com.
Contact the author, Marnie Pehrson
, at marnie@pwgroup.com
.
