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PROJECT INFO SERVICES

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ProjInfo Points

to design Effective Web Sites :

 If you want to be successful online, you need to develop a web site that serves the needs of your visitors in a user-friendly, easily understood manner.   You will need to constantly be trying and testing new things, even if you currently have a web site that is doing well, because what works today isn't necessarily going to work tomorrow!

Some points to follow when developing and maintaining your own web site:

Fast loading

If your home page does not load quickly, your visitors will lose patience and click away.  If they think it's taking too long, they will simply leave.  5 seconds should be your goal.

Focused

Make sure your offer is immediately apparent!  If visitors can't quickly tell what your site has to offer, they'll leave.  Be sure that your site has a clear and distinct focus -- and that your focus is immediately revealed in your titles or headings. 

Believable

Developing credibility and rapport with your visitors is critical.  Don't make any promises or offers that you can't back up. Emphasize benefits, but also share information and facts.  InfoSource-style sites have generally high acceptance.  Use testimonials. The more information you give your visitors, the more secure they're going to feel about buying from you.

Guarantee

Guarantees help to alleviate customer hesitancy. If you are marketing a quality product or service, you should not be afraid to back it up with a 100%, no hassles, no questions asked, money-back guarantee. Be sure to keep your promises!

Collect Email Addresses

Do this as quickly as possible, from your home or index page, and don't forget a clear Privacy Policy statement. Give your visitors a reason to give you their email addresses. Offer them a free report, a free newsletter or free updates. Get their addresses and their permission for you to contact them.  

Limit Your Visitor's Choices

Don't give visitors too many choices on your main page. Lead them through your site. If you are selling a product or service, lead visitors towards the "decision to buy." If you give them too many choices, visitors simply won't make one. Take control, and lead them to your offer!

Simple to Navigate

Your web site should be easy to navigate. Give them the information they need quickly. Make it easy for your visitors to understand the concept of your site.  They will stay longer, and be more likely to visit again!

Consistent

Be sure that the look and design of your site is consistent. Choose a background color and stick with it. Choose link and text colors, and use them consistently throughout the site. Always put your navigation buttons in the same place. Consistency of design will not only ensure that the experience at your site is pleasant and identifiable - it is a form of branding that will let visitors know that they are still at your site, and haven't linked off somewhere else.

Be wise when using Colored Text

Use colored text to indicate links (blue is traditional) and to emphasize important concepts or points. Too many different colors make your text hard to read, and look unprofessional. 

Be careful when choosing Colored Backgrounds

Be careful about using fancy background textures or colors. Things look different on different browsers.  Be particularly careful about using brightly colored backgrounds in combination with colored text, and make sure there is clear contrast between type and background. Understand that a significant segment of internet surfers avoid sites with black backgrounds.

Keep Graphics Small

Graphic sizes should be kept to a minimum so that images load quickly. Graphic size can be minimized by reducing the total number of colors used or using a GIF or JPEG crunching program.

Headlines

Headlines are the most important element of sales copy, and should be tested continuously to see what most effectively attracts and holds your visitors' attention.

Links

Presentation of links can either detract from, or contribute to, a site. It is worth the time to consider how your visitors will perceive links.  You also want to ensure that links open new windows, not replace your own site.

File names

Use descriptive, easy to understand file names, as they are displayed by search engines, in the browser address window, and possibly in bookmarks.  

Java, Animation, and Wild Graphics

Do not use these tools unless you have a specific reason to believe that your visitors want them.  The starting assumption should be that they don't want anything fancy.  The technologies you use should depend on the tastes of your target audience.

Identity and Contact Info

Make it easy for visitors to contact you by prominently displaying your email address and phone number. 

Sales and Site Strategy

Lead visitors where you want them to go.  Selling products or services should be obvious, but even if a site is information based, it should still have a strategy. 

Taking Money

Make it easy for people to buy from the site using credit cards, but also offer the option of off-line sales. Look out for unfriendly order forms. The order process must be clearly secure, understandable, fast, and easy.

Fresh Content

All web site content must be up-to-date and relevant. Look out for dated information.  Add content regularly to information based sites.  

Keep Your Purpose in Focus at All Times!

Don't lose site of why the web site exists. 

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Click on the colors below to see pages
with different colored text:

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Click on the links below to see pages
with different textured backgrounds:

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Do you like multi-colored backgrounds?
Click on the links below for some colorful examples:

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How to contact us...

Project Information Services

Tel: 888-986-2727      Fax: 425-984-9440      projinfo@direct.ca

 

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