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V.
Web Site Basics - Preparing the Site Before You Advertise
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When you walk into a retail establishment, your first impression determines whether you stay and browse -- or turn around and look elsewhere. You wouldn't buy magazine, newspaper or yellow pages advertising for your retail store until your store could make a good impression. Similarly, your Web site must be ready for visitors before you spend money advertising it. Otherwise, customers are disappointed and that investment is wasted.
The following areas are important to consider when assessing the readiness of your site for visitors:
- Readability (is it clear and understandable?)
- Navigation (is it cluttered or easy to find things?)
- Content (Do you have the information the customer wants -- both text and pictures?)
- Contact information (Is your phone number, e-mail address and physical address prominent or easy to find?)
- Functionality (Does your site need special functionality based on your business? Is it clear how a customer can purchase from you or initiate business with you?)
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 A. Clear, Intuitive Navigation
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In a great supermarket or department store, your aisles or departments are found easily through signs and store maps. Similarly, Internet users are on a mission to find the exact information they want. Users prefer navigation that is clear and that meets their needs, not yours. Don't organize your Web site the way you organize your business unless it meets the needs of your customers. For example: Even if men's and women's apparel are in the same department of your organization, they may belong in separate areas on your site. The fewer mouse clicks it takes users to find what they are looking for, the more likely visitors are to buy, register or contact you, And keep coming back.
Navigation Bars
A common method of displaying navigation is a "navigation bar" indicating the sections and sub-sections of your site. Common sections of a site include:
- About Us
- Locations
- Products (or Services)
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Contact Us
Many design experts recommend that your navigation bar have no more than seven different buttons/options to avoid confusion and clutter. If necessary, use sub-navigation to help users drill down into content. Main navigation should be included on every page of the site for consistent navigation (don't forget to include a "home" button because visitors may start within your site from a link from another site, or from a search engine link).
Sub-Navigation or "Drop Down Menus"
To reduce the number of clicks users need to find their objectives, many designers use "drop down" menus. These menus expand on screen when users click on them or move the mouse over them. Hiding the additional sub-sections until the user interacts with the navigation is cleaner and saves space. However, tell your Web designer that the navigation on your site must be "search engine friendly." That means the navigation does not occur in a Javascript or CSS (cascading style sheet). One way to improve the search-engine-friendly score for your site is through a "site map" on every page that links to a table of contents where the entire site is mapped out for both human visitors andsearch engine spiders.
Content Is King
On the Web, content is -- and has always been -- king. You spend time creating your content, so make sure it is displayed in the best possible light. If your content is lengthy (over 700 words), consider breaking it up into multiple pages, particularly if the content lends itself to multiple pages or chapters. Breaking up content has two benefits. Users don't have to scroll down too far to read it and the search engine spiders will find more pages of your site with unique content.
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B. The Power of Functionality
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Functionality is an extension beyond content. Functions often added to sites include:
- Sending an e-mail
- Becoming a member (registration)
- Searching the site (for more information)
- Signing a guest book or participating in a discussion
- Adding products to a shopping cart
- Comparing prices or products
- Calculating (payment plans, taxes, shipping)
- Purchasing
Keep all your additional functionality humming to avoid a bad user experience. Make sure you test your site regularly.
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C. Web Site Checklist
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Navigation
- Does my site work on the most popular browsers and computer platforms? (Netscape, Firefox and Internet Explorer on Windows, Mac and perhaps even Linux if you are targeting a tech audience.)
- Does my site load quickly (even with a 56k modem)? Notice that the most popular sites all load quickly. Your home page should load in 15 seconds or less to keep visitors from hitting that "back" button.
- Three click rule: Can visitors get to relevant information with three mouse clicks?
- Is my site design clear and intuitive without clutter?
- Do I have a site map?
- Is there a navigation bar in the same place on every page of my site to give visitors a sense of consistency?
Content
- Is my company address, phone number and e-mail address listed on my home page?
- Do I have a page of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)?
- Do I effectively use graphics and images to convey complex ideas?
- Have I reduced lengthy content and/or broken it into smaller segments for multiple pages?
Functionality
- If my site has more than 30 pages, do I have a site search tool?
- Is there an easy way for visitors to communicate with me via e-mail or a form?
- Have I had non-employees (friends or acquaintances) test the full site for user friendliness and functionality?
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