On the Web, content is king.If you want people to visit, stick around and come back to your Web site, givethem a good reason to do so.
Web users operate in“Internet time” or, in other words, fast. They don’t linger over Web pages asthey would a newspaper or magazine. Web users seek substance over style and usefulnessover flash. They want to get what they want quickly.
People want a direct path tothe content they are looking for. That means making useful content easy forthem to find.
• Users should knowimmediately why they should stick around and what’s in it for them. Instead ofrelying strictly on fancy graphics and animations, which often slow visitorsdown, use meaningful headlines, subheads, menus and links. Make headlines andlinks clearly understandable, not necessarily clever.
• Put “About Us” information– a description of your business – right on the home page if possible. Userswill look for this to help determine the authority and legitimacy of yourcontent.
• Providing navigationalbuttons to the site’s major sections at the bottom or edge of internal pageshelps people stay oriented. An internal search engine lets them home in on whatthey are after from the get-go.
• Keep important informationout front – business hours, location, phone numbers and e-mail. Make use ofproduct logos to show what you sell. And if you offer online coupons, make suresite visitors see that on your home page.
• Text must be accurate,complete and interesting. Check for spelling and grammatical errors, brokenlinks and other mistakes that can undermine your credibility.
• Don’t swipe content yousee elsewhere and repurpose it for your site, whether it’s text, photos,illustrations or video. Get permission. This is especially important if yoursite is a commercial one, reducing the likelihood of lawsuits.
• If you don’t have the timeor in-house talent to create content, farm the job out to a freelance writer,independent site developer, Web design shop, interactive agency or anadvertising or public relations agency.
• Periodically reevaluatethe quality of your content. Make sure the information is still current,accurate and complete. Also test links, both internal and external, to ensurethey’re still working.
– Source: Tire ReviewBusiness Toolbox
