Below are five tips highlighting the
more obvious areas of site functionality.
TIP #1: WATCH YOUR SPEED
Site speed is measured by the time required for a user to download
and view your initial Web page at 28,800 BPS over a dial-up
connection. Although many people use faster modems and T1 lines, it
is important to keep this lowest common denominator in mind. The
Internet community has adopted five to ten seconds as the optimal
download time for a site’s entry page. If your page takes too long
to download, consider using a gif or jpg optimizer that can decrease
download time.
TIP #2: KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING
Site navigation functions must be easy to locate, intuitive, logical
in function and consistently applied throughout the site. Mouse-overs
and image-swapping can assist in site navigation and are accepted by
site visitors, provided the load times are not negatively affected
and the effect is consistent. The number-one turn-off in site
navigation is broken links.
TIP #3: IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
Right brain vs. left brain. Creative vs. functional. Your site’s
image must visually and professionally reflect the nature of your
site. Any site can be functional, but the more successful sites have
an extremely attractive, high-end, often-subtle look and feel that
leaves the visitor with an indelible impression of quality. Basic
design elements can help improve your image. Appearances are greatly
enhanced by using no more than two type faces on a given page and
scaling down the font to an adequate size. The normal setting for
font size is not always the proper size for site content; a smaller
size usually works best.
TIP #4: REEL ’EM IN
Do your visitors stay or do they jump around briefly and leave?
"Site Pull" addresses a site’s ability to pull or
attract guests. By incorporating proper elements and strategies, you
can create "stickiness" to keep your guests coming back
for more. The number-one draw for like-minded guests is a forum in
which they can communicate. Does your site have a message board
system?
TIP #5: SELL YOURSELF
Site "push, otherwise known as push technology, is concerned
with whether your site proactively ‘pushes’ your products or
services to your guests. You can easily implement several
non-offensive yet aggressive selling techniques. The number-one push
technique is a "listbot" service. By offering your guests
a product or service in return for their e-mail address, you
generate a client database that can be mined with future products
and services.
