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You've got this great Web page, you have all the latest
features of Dhtml and Frames, but no one is visiting it. How
do you get them to go there? Is there some secret?
Here are six easy ways to improve your page and make people want
to come view it.
- Find out who your audience is.
If you know your audience you will know what they want to read
about and what keeps their interest.
Ways to find out about your audience:
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Request
information through surveys. |
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If
you have a bulletin board or chat, review what goes on
there. |
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Keep
current with your email. |
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Read
general surveys of on-line users . |
Keep it interesting
If you know what your readers want, but don't give it to them,
why would they keep coming to your site? If your site has
nothing at all, make sure that it has compelling content. People
will return to a site that is interesting and useful even if it
doesn't use the latest tricks or features.
Ways to keep your site interesting:
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Make
your site interactive, have surveys and contests to let
your readers feel a part of the site. |
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When
people suggest things, acknowledge that help live on the
site. |
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Add
additional community features such as a or chat
room. |
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Keep
your site up-to-date. |
Put your site in the spotlight
If your site can't be found, no one will visit it. Make sure
that the name makes sense and that you use all the tools
available to maximize your search engine views.
Ways to get your site found by viewers:
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Get
a domain name with your company name, or page information. |
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Submit
it to as many search engines as you can. |
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Use
a submission Software, like WebPosition
Gold,
if you can afford to. |
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Whenever
relevant, mention your site, in newsgroups, chatrooms,
email, over coffee with your friends, etc. |
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Have
your URL in your email signature. |
Make sure your site loads quickly
A slow loading page is an instant turn off, and most browsers
won't stay, even if the page is worth the wait. Keep this in
mind and make your first few pages quick and intense so that
they are hooked and then will wait for more.
Ways to improve the download speed:
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Use
fewer, smaller images. My rule of thumb is no larger than
12K per image. |
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Keep
the total page size down. I try to stay below 30K for a
total page. |
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Pre-load
images. If you make the size 1x1 the image appears as a
microscopic dot on the page, and your readers won't know
it's loading (really). |
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Use
the lowsrc tag. If you have a HUGE image, you can take
away the sting of the download by using lowsrc to load a
smaller image first. |
Don't hide information
Important information on your site shouldn't be hidden. Make
sure that it can be easily found by your readers, because most
won't search for it.
Ways to bring information to the forefront:
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Keep
your pages to 640x480 resolution. |
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Don't
make your readers scroll for the good stuff. |
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Keep
your navigation intuitive and near the top. |
Answer your email
One of the best ways to keep people coming back to your site is
to be a friendly voice over the Internet for them. Encourage
Communication with your readers, and when you get it, answer
it.
Things to keep in mind when using email as a marketing tool:
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Always
be polite. Even when provoked, stay cool and calm. Most
people forget that they are not talking to a computer, but
a real person. |
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Don't
spam. Unsolicited email is annoying and can get you in
more trouble than it helps. |
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Try
to be prompt in your replies, or if you cannot, explain to
your readers the delay. |
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Remember
to include your URL in the reply |
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