New Jersey Web Design & Internet Marketing Company - 4M Web Design

He can use scissors too; does he cut your hair?

We do find that this is one of the most common scenarios we are presented with. Your web site speaks volumes about how you carry your business. Second rate sites do not instill confidence in your customers. Amateurs just don’t have the know how to get the most of the web. It is no good having an attractive site if it does not attract visitors.

So what should I look for in a web site development firm?

Selecting an organization to design and develop your company’s website can be a very difficult choice. There are hundreds of web designers out there offering websites and online solutions. You need to find the company that is right for your business!

When there is such a difference in price, the most general way to look at it is that cheapest is not always the best. Make sure you sit down and see what they are offering, and check out their portfolio, and any additional costs you might be responsible for in the near future.

Here are a few tips on what you might like to assess:

1. Experience – This might encompass their knowledge of your industry, the skills they have developed, or the number of previous web sites they have developed.

2. Ability – Has the developer demonstrated an ability to complete the complexity of your site? Remember, the best indicator of future performance is past performance.

3. Accessibility – Is the developer accessible to you to discuss strategy, plan the site, or even answer questions? Physical closeness often provides a sense of increased accessibility.

4. ‘Fit’ - Do you feel comfortable with the developer and do they have the same sort of values in business as you?

5. Referrals – If there is any hesitation or delay in getting the names and numbers of happy customers, then that’s a red flag.

6. Assess the input – Aside from what you identify what you require, does the developer provide some suggestion based on his/her previous experience and expertise?

7. Price – There is such a range of variables that come into play here that it would be pointless to even start a list. Compare the various quotes you receive and make a judgment call on the best value for money. Suggest a guarantee to your developer. What’s the reaction?

A final recommendation is to be very careful of any unrealistic results that your web development company may promise. This is of particular importance when it comes to online marketing, sales and search engine optimization.

INTRODUCTION

You need a Website!

It’s that simple. If you work in any type of business today, your Website is literally a 24/7 representative to a worldwide audience.

This article illustrates 10 Common Mistakes that Plague Most Web Sites! I’m sure they’re hundreds more, but based on my experience, here are the 10 most common problems that I’ve found.

1. Ignoring Web Standards and Accessibility

Web standards are basically following the best technical practices to ensure your site is accessible to the most people. Your web site will be lighter (less code), load faster, easier to manage and maintain, and be accessible by everyone.

Using Web Standards means every web user will have a better experience on your web site because:

• Visitors with browsers other than Internet Explorer on a Windows operating systems will be able to use the site.
• Visitors that have CSS disabled or do not support it will get an unstyled well-structured fully usable page.
• Visitors that do not support JavaScript will still be able to use the site.
• Your site will be usable in mobile and handheld devices.

Imagine never having to see “Best viewed with Internet Explorer at 800×600.”

2. Not Updating Content

If you’re web site is not updated on a regular basis (atleast once or twice a month) you will loose serious search engine points, PERIOD!!

Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN have certain standards, one of which is fresh content. Basically, your site will slowly descend in the search engine results.

I’m not concerned with search engine rankings, why should I update my web site?

Simple! Your current visitors and customers will not return! Returning visitors expect to see fresh and updated content. If you visit a web site and nothing has changed in 6 months, would you return next week?

3. Complicated Navigation

Your navigation needs to be extremely simple and easy to, well, navigate.

The 2 common places are at the top and left of the page. Wherever you place your navigation make sure it is clear and loads quick. NEVER use flash for your navigation, I would also steer away from using images. If at all possible use plain text. There are a ton of great CSS (cascading style sheet) menus available and they load quick and anyone can view them.

4. Obey the “8 second rule”

If your web page does not load within 8 seconds, most visitors get frustrated, and move on to other pages or sites.

Think about how long you wait for a page to load. Count the next time, I bet it’s not more than 5 or 6 seconds and that’s if you really want to see what’s on the page.

5. Web Counters

No more web counters! Stop putting those little mileage-readout type thing’s on your web site. They were cool in 1996, but counters actually make the web site look unprofessional. Also, if the numbers are low a visitor may think your web site is not good enough to attract many visitors.

Almost every single web hosting company provides detailed statistical information that you can use. You may also open a Google Analytics Account.

6. Bad Color Choices

Black is probably the worst color to use as a background for text. There’s a reason newspapers and books use white backgrounds with black lettering!

Having a dark background behind your text makes your pages hard to read. I have trouble reading white text on a black background and I’m definitely not alone and don’t even think about red text!

Dark text on a light colored background will insure that everyone can read your pages with ease. You can use colors to accent words or headings, but avoid using bright colors for the entire content.

7. Uncommon Fonts

There are only a few safe web fonts that all visitors can see: Arial, Arial Black, Comic Sans, Courier, Courier New, Georgia, Impact, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS and Verdana. This means you’re probably the only one that can see the cool spray paint font you just used. Also, choose a font size that is at least 10pt.

Make it something that you can easily read yourself.

8. Flash Intros

No, no, no!!! Although they may be cool to look at once, Flash Intros get really old if you have to see them every time that you visit that particular site. Plus, most people don’t have broad bandwidth and can’t even enjoy the flash because it takes so long to load! The same can be said for Java Applets and Animations.

Don’t do it! You’ll loose current visitors and potential customers!

A little flash header or side accent is ok, but NEVER use flash for your navigation. I cannot stand when I go to a site just to find the address and have to wait for the navigation to load. I just leave and forget about the site!

Flash also makes it impossible for the search engines to find your Website because they just see the code for the flash movie instead of actual text.

9. Entry / Splash Pages

Like flash intros, Entry pages are equally counter-productive. An entry page is a huge graphic which takes 3 minutes to load only to cleverly offer you to “click here to enter.” Most visitors will leave before it loads and as a result, will never have the ability to enter your site to learn about you and your products. I know I most certainly leave when I see one of these monstrosities loading! It’s almost frightening!

Entries are for buildings, not Websites.

10. Use SPELL CHECK

Everyone is guilty of disregarding the use of SPELL CHECK from time to time, but it is an integral factor that can not be overlooked! It shouldn’t stop at spell checking either. Proof read the content of your web pages to make sure that you don’t miss the little things. I am guilty of this a lot. For example, using “You” instead of “Your.” Little things like this can be very damaging and will display a grossly low level of professionalism to your current and potential customers.

Conclusion

Basically, it all comes back to usability. Make sure your web site as user friendly as possible. Creating a great looking, easy to navigate Website is a necessity for anyone who is serious about making money the internet.

Remember: You must create reasons for your visitors to return to your web site!

As I took a break from writing this top 10 list, I unfortunately came across another massive and extremely annoying mistake; Automatic Music!

Remember you never know where a visitor of your web site is located. They might be at work, or it may be 1am in the morning while the kids are sleeping. Having music screaming from the computer is usually frowned upon and quite terrifying.

I know there are a few web site owners that are going to get a bill from me for new boxers.