5 Website Truths
Truth 1: Research and planning pay off.
As eager as you may be to just jump right in, take the time to do some research and make a plan. If you need help, check out Website Planning 101.
Also, learn the lingo of the web (domain names, web hosting, search engine optimization, etc) and try and get a “feel” for the overall process. This will help you feel more informed and less intimidated when you are ready to talk with a web designer.
Check out the FAQ page to help with web lingo, and take a look at Website Planning 101 for a general idea of the web design process
You should also start checking out your competitors’ websites. This will help you get a feel for how websites are structured. Make sure to make a list of what you like and dislike about them. This will help both you and your potential web designer.
Truth 2: Content is king
If real estate is all about location, location, location, web design is all about content, content, content! I can’t over emphasize the importance of content (your website’s text, images, graphics and additional content). In my opinion, it will make or break your website. It plays a huge role in search engine optimization and connecting with your target audience.
Your content is what communicates your message and helps search engines categorize your website. Spend as much time as possible on content development. It is an investment in your website’s success.
When choosing graphics and images, make sure they contribute to your website’s message, are optimized for the web and are part of your website’s search engine optimization strategy.
What is the most important content element? In my opinion it is the additional content; the series of articles, or blog posts you develop (you were planning on developing additional content right?). Without additional content your website is just a static website, just another piece of virtual real estate, in a virtual sea of thousands of other websites on your particular topic or, offering services similar to yours. Don’t get lost at sea.
Oh yeah, Google seems to love websites with a lot of, and regularly updated content. People also tend to link to, bookmark and subscribe to websites with relevant and regularly updated content.
Did I mention links to your website from other respected and topic relevant websites can help improve your search engine rankings? How important is content now?
For more on content, check out Content, Content! Read All About It!
Truth 3: Design Matters
I’m not talking here about your website’s visual aesthetics, though how your website looks visually is important. What I’m talking about here is how your website is created and the code used to create it.
Avoid Flash (a design program used to create web animations and other techniques) search engines can’t read Flash.
Avoid tables (an antiquated, but still widely used design technique). Search engines have a tough time reading information contained in tables.
Make sure your website is constructed using valid code and is styled using CSS (cascading style sheets). Essentially, CSS allows the styling and layout of your site to be controlled by a separate document keeping your website’s pages less cluttered and easier for search engines to access. They also make design changes much easier.
Truth 4: Unless you or your products are already a household name, search engine optimization and website promotion are critical to your website’s success
Whole books and entire websites have been devoted to search engine optimization (SEO). Basically, SEO is optimizing your website for improved visibility in an “organic” or unpaid search result
There are many elements to SEO. Start learning what SEO is, how you can implement it and most importantly make sure SEO is integrated into your website’s plan at every stage (planning, content development, design, promotion, etc).
A word of caution, SEO is not ‘set it and forget it’. SEO it is an ongoing battle. Search engines frequently change the way they create search results, so make it part of your website’s maintenance plan. You did develop a plan right?
While big companies spend thousands or more on SEO, as a personal or small business website owner, hitting the big SEO wickets and being mindful of SEO may be enough. As important as SEO is, it should not come at the expense of your content or your audience’s experience.
SEO is a lot like marketing and public relations in that its effect is not instantly noticeable. Its benefits will likely be slow at first and its full impact may not be felt for sometime.
Lastly, SEO is such a hot topic that there are a lot of “shady” SEO experts out there. All the major search engines have different formulas for generating search results. They keep their “formulas” and methods secret, so beware of anyone who claims they can guarantee results or a page ranking. SEO is a little bit of science and art. There are proven methods, but a lot of it is “very educated guess work”. Use common sense. If it smells like “you know what,” it probably is.
Truth 5: Your website’s success or failure is in your audience’s hands
Does this mean that you have no control over your success or failure? Absolutely not. Your audience may control whether you succeed or fail, but you’re in complete control of how you engage them. If you give them what they want (honestly delivered, relevant, useful content), they will reward you with attendance. Yet another reason to develop additional content? Yep.