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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Your Web Site Stinks

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By Matthew Henage

Here is a list of possible reasons why your website stinks.

You Built Before You Planned

The most common reason for not planning is to save time. Not planning your website when you start creating it is like having someone build a home without any blueprints. Without blueprints or a website plan, you'll end up with results that stink. The best reason to plan out your website before having it built is to save time and money.

You Forgot to Budget

So you thought you just needed a website and traffic would magically show up. Spending the entirety of your budget on design and content is a mistake worth filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. Not only do you need a website, but you also need to market it. Without an audience, your website is useless. Follow the flexible rule of thumb: spend a quarter on design and branding, a quarter on content and development, a quarter on public relations and SEO, and a quarter on your initial advertising budget.

You Forgot to Do Cross Browser Testing

Many forget that the same web design code can look different, not only in different browsers, but in different versions of browsers as well. And when I say different, I mean a bunch of web design mess. A web design that is not cross browser compliant, is a web design that is repelling a large portion of your target audience.

Cluttered - Too Many Voices

You thought you could create a site with no thought to what you wanted to accomplish with it. As the cat from "Alice in Wonderland" said to Alice when deciding which road to take, If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." If you have no end destination, it means your website has no purpose; so congratulations, you've wasted your money. One of the most lucrative steps you can take in creating a website is to determine the prime purpose of your website and gear every effort towards accomplishing this goal.

Your Website is Worthless

If your traffic is not better off after visiting your site, your site probably has nothing of value. And if your site has nothing of value to your visitors, do you really think they are going to stay long or come back? Give them a reason to stay on your site, give them a reason to come back, and you can do this by putting value into your web design and content.

You Make Your Audience Wait

Your website is slow or it has an splash page (intro) to get to the actual content. Whatever it may be that is making your potential clients wait, it is not acceptable. Give them a first rate service, and please them with quick content and you'll see them come back for more.

Your Web Design Runs Haphazardly

Did you choose a template for your site? Or could the same design for your website be used for any other company? What you're lacking is a brand, meaning a specific image or voice for your company. By creating a generic design, you haven't given your customers any reason for choosing you over your competitors, which means you're losing more business than you should be. Pick a designer who has an in depth understanding of branding to avoid this deadly mistake.

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