In This Issue

• Making Your Site Perform For You
  • What Your Web Site Says About You
  • First Impressions

Hello!

Welcome to the July 7^th edition of Scribbles!. In our last issue we saw how paying the biggest bucks for the most expensive forms of advertising may not generate the returns you expect. Guerilla marketing on the other hand, can grab lots of attention on a shoestring budget. In this issue we'll take a quick look at what your site says about you and how you can fine tune that first impression.

Making Your Site Perform For You

What Your Web Site Says About You

You wouldn't expect an office for a legal practice to look the same as a studio for a tattoo parlor, but for some odd reason many professionals still let themselves be talked into bleeding edge graphic design and grunge typography because that's what the designer thinks is hot on the web.
   So, does your web site match your prospects' and customers' expectations? Here's an easy way to find out: Do a web search on your product or service. Be fairly specific. Go to the first four or five sites listed in the search results and compare them to your own web site. Bookmark the sites you like then jot down a few notes about what makes those sites appealing to you.

• Does the overall "look and feel" of the site contribute to your sense that this business is well operated? Is the company bio and corporate address easily available? Do the principals display they're credentials?
• Does the presentation of the content allow you to skim the page and easily find what you want? Are "real world" business locations easy to find? Are products and/or services described succinctly on the front page and linked to interior pages with greater detail?
• If you have further questions is it easy to contact the site operator by e-mail, online form or telephone? Some customers prefer to speak with a live person while others feel more comfortable communicating by text form or e-mail.
• Is the design pleasing, well laid out and legible? Many conventions that work well on the printed page, such as columnar grid layouts and generous leading, are also highly beneficial to on-screen readability.

                     
   Those are just a few of the factors that contribute to a user-friendly web site. You'll probably find many more (as well as things to avoid) on the web sites you visit.

First Impressions

   "You only get one chance to make a first impression." This has to be the most accurate cliché in history. What is the first impression you want your web site to project about your business? Will it proudly proclaim "Our customers live, work and play in 2008 and so do we," or will it say "We went online in 1998 and haven't changed a thing since?" When users go to a web site they notice things like out of date information or blurry old pictures. Yet, because we don't often look at our own web sites with a critical eye we can slowly slip behind the times. Just do a quick check:

• How many cars have you traded in since you last updated your web site? If it's more than one you may want to consider a complete redesign, or at the very least an overhaul of your existing site.
• Does your web site say something like "Best viewed on Internet Explorer 4.0 in thousands of colors at a resolution of 640 x 480?" Well, that's fine...for web site visitors from 1997. Most of your visitors today will have big monitors, robust video cards and fast connections.
• Are your site's graphics tiny, grainy GIFs or over-compressed JPEGs? Back when web designers were limited to a 216-color palette, many used a process called "dithering" to try to interpolate other, "non-web" colors. With the advent of cross-platform full-color support this is no longer the case.

                        
   If any of the above applies to your company's web site you may want to start thinking about the best way to update it. While it's not necessary to be on the bleeding edge neither is it desirable to be classified as obsolete, especially over something as cost-effective as remodeling a web site.

Parting Thoughts

The image that you project on the web is every bit as important as the one you display in the real world. If it's professional, you're professional. If it's easy to work with, you're easy to work with. When prospects and customers first view your site they should come away with the impression that you and your business are up to date, not stuck in the last century.
   Next time we'll take a look at some of the things involved in planning an online web store. Until then, have a great summer!

Cheers!!
Ed Moore
www.animai.com