When starting your website here are some great ideas that will ensure you get off to the best start.
Maybe you want to make some changes. Here are the top ten issues in website design and usability.
Think about these things in relation to your website and consider what you might want to do to perfect your site.
1.The first glance In general, people look at the top left corner of your website first. You should have your essential information there: what you offer, and how your customer can get it. Remember people have not arrived by accident and some will be looking for information but others will be ready to buy. All visitors need to be able to tell what you do right away. Try to avoid elaborate graphical pages as these take time to load and do not help with the search engines - many won't take the time.
2.Navigation When your customers want and need more information, they'll stay and look for it. Make sure they can find it easily. Put your navigation in the usual places, and make it very obvious what your visitors need to click in order to find each section. Don't have more than 5-7 choices in your main navigation and keep it consistent on every page. Let your creativity and uniqueness show in some other way - follow the rules when it comes to navigation.
3.Contact information Can customers (and search engines) find you when they need you? Your contact information must be clear and accurate. It must also be easy to find. Visitors usually visit more than once before they choose to hire you or buy from you. Do not make it difficult for them to contact you when they are ready.
4.Call to action What do you want your visitors to do? It should be extremely easy to figure out how to shop or how to get your services. You might have a link to your catalogue in the main navigation, a "shop now" button in the upper left hand corner for return visitors, and a "buy me" link to a featured product in your main content. Just be sure to make it very clear.
5.Above the fold focus. Many visitors won't scroll; most won't scroll unless you have already convinced them that it's worth their while to do so. Keep the important things above the fold. The unimportant things - why are they on your page? This is especially important on the home page. Visitors who've reached your FAQs page or your blog are probably interested enough to spend some time reading.
6.Inviting content. To develop relationships with your clients, you need to have them visit more than once. In fact, most people won't commit themselves the first time they come to your website. You need to offer them something of value so they'll return. Do you have a blog, or frequently-updated featured products? Do you offer useful tips or resources that your customers will want to bookmark?
7.Well-organized pages Don't make your visitors search. On a well-planned page, what your visitors need at any moment is right in front of them. Put yourself in your customer's shoes, and use what you learn from your testing . Decide what you want to say and plan its organization before you write, so you can be sure to have coherent paragraphs.
8.Visual appeal. While the content on your page is the most important thing, an attractive page will be more enjoyable and appealing for visitors. Choose colours that work well together, leave some open space so it's not too busy, and make sure you have everything lined up nicely. Even without artistic skill, you can make a good visual impression - and you should.
9.Sincerity and trustworthiness. The internet is all about trust. If you can ensure that your website is trustworthy people will be more likely to complete an order. What's more, the search engines also base your rankings on how trustworthy they think your page is. Don't jeopardise your future success by trying to game the search engines or mislead your visitors.
10.A polished finish. Do your links work? Make sure you check your grammar, spelling and layout are correct? Is everything up to date and accurate? Your visitors would rather shop in a clean, well-kept shop in the high street, and they'd rather shop at a clean, well-kept website, too. They'll have less faith in you if you have errors on your website.
Is your website perfect? Maybe not. We'll be providing more information on all of these points as we go along, and your site will become better and better as you follow our suggestions and learn more.
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