3 Simple Tips for a Great Website!
By Paul Pavonni
Following are three simple tips that will ensure your website is working for you as a website should. While website creation is not easy, it doesn’t have to be hard to know what yours needs to be great!
1. Great Design
Design goes beyond just the graphical look of your website… it includes logical navigation, beautiful graphics, and ease of use. It is vitally important that your website’s content is grouped in a way that lends to both readability and findability. Great information is useless if it can’t be found on your site. Your site’s navigation will help lead users directly to the content they’re looking for without having to labor over it. In addition, every website should have great graphics…. but not just any great graphics. Your website design should reinforce the identity of your business or ministry… it should speak a common visual language that is quickly recognizable and familiar to your site visitors. Often, websites are built with a strong visual design that does not fit the site’s purpose. Lastly, every website should be given care to ensure that it isn’t cumbersome to use. If your website more resembles an obstacle course than a walk in the park, it needs to be re-evaluated.
2. Great Content
Your website’s content is it’s breath. It’s life. Without relevant, meaningful content that is updated regularly, your site will quickly lose its value to your visitors. To ensure your content remains fresh, you must have a plan in place to maintain it. This could either be through a monthly maintenance agreement with a professional company, or doing it yourself through a built-in Content Management System. With a Content Management System (or CMS) you or your staff can have 24/7 access to administer your site’s text, photos and multimedia. Many companies have website plans that include both maintenance agreements and CMS, and offer them at very reasonable prices. You should work to keep your site updated with fresh, relevant content… with everything from copy writing to graphic development.
3. Great Promotion (Search engine, print material, etc.)
After all, what use is a beautifully designed website with great content if it’s invisible to your market? Most designers are skilled at creating sites that search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN just love! Not only is search engine promotion necessary, but it’s extremely important that all of your offline, real-world marketing material includes both the address to your site and equally incredible graphics and design! Your business cards, letterhead, brochures and other print materials should carry a consistent theme with your website. This builds credibility in the minds of your audience, and helps get the message of your site out in a tangible, powerful way.
This information comes from Voppa Design, which strives to bring recognition, respect and profit to its clients. For more information on how Voppa can assist your organization or endeavor, please visit us online at www.voppa.com, email at info@voppa.com, or phone at 636-332-1761.
