Not only are you in competition with the millions of other Web sites owners who sell the same product/service as you, but you are also competing for users' time and attention. While search engine optimization and submission can bring you the traffic you need, only you can ensure that visitors will stay on your site by giving them a reason to want to stay. That is where Web site usability comes in.
What is Web site usability?
The International Standards Organization (ISO) defines Web site usability as the "effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment." In simpler terms, usability is how efficiently and effectively users can accomplish what they are trying to do when they visit your Web site.
Now that you have an understanding of usability, we'll explain the basics of what a Web site should include to make the most of the user experience:
Content is key
Let's face it, people visit Web sites for content -- they want information. Sure, it helps if your site is visibly appealing as well. But, without the right content, the results of the user experience can be fatal to your business. They simply won't come back.
Here are a few tips to remember in regards to content:
Always be concise. Research shows that reading from a computer screen is about 25% slower than reading from paper or other print medium. To that end, you will want to edit your writing to say the exact same thing in half the words it would take if you were writing on paper. Also, think back to the last time you came to one of those really long-winded Web sites where the content may have been great, but you still had to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to the end. It can be a nuisance. So, keep your pages short.
Make your content scannable. When people use the Internet, they are looking at mass amounts of information. Help them get to the core of what they want by using bulleted items, short paragraphs, and subheadings to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for.
Write without error. There is no excuse -- absolutely none -- for poor grammar, typographical errors, and misspellings. If you own a computer, you have access to spell-checker and grammar-checker technologies. Use them. These small details will reflect upon your site. If you don't convey professionalism on your own business, how will you be conveyed to potential clients? Can they trust you with theirs? Before uploading any new content, proofread it. Then, turn it over to someone else for their input.
Write as if you were a Public Relations pro. Granted, many of us aren't PR exec's, but you should know how to market your business. Use the lingo that is most appropriate for your business. While you want to provide information, your main goal is still one thing: to sell. So, write to sell.
Maximize your keywords. As part of the search engine optimization process, you went to great lengths to select keywords and phrases that are most appropriate for your business. Be sure to use them whenever possible (without being overtly redundant) in your content.
Refresh, refresh, refresh. Web sites should be updated on a regular basis -- don't let them go stale. Add new products/services, update users with new information and tools, do what you can to change your content and keep users coming back for more.
Know your audience. Since most audiences vary in terms of experience level with both your product/service and their experience level with the internet, you will want to simplify things more than ever. You don't want to talk to yourself - make sure potential clients understand your product/service. The best way to do this is to create content that is informative, yet simple to understand for even the newest of the newbies.
Web site design
Secondary to content is the actual design of your Web site. While the user comes to your site specifically for information, they also will want to enter an area that is simple to use and visually appealing. Here are some usability tips regarding Web site design:
Avoid long load times. While the latest technology for Web sites is incredibly interesting and fun, lots of graphics, Flash images, and audio can create long load times that make the user wait. And, if customers have to wait too long, they may leave -- and never come back. As a guide, users will generally wait for a site to load for ten seconds before vacating.
Make your pages simple to read. A common error in Web usability is the incessant need to create the prettiest Web site that ever existed. We've all seen them - every color from the Crayola box of 64 has made its mark on these pages. And, with a little bit of color usually comes a lot of cute little images that dance across your screen. In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this. Not only will it hoard a lot of memory, but it will drive your users crazy. Black text on a white background is the easiest to read. If you really want a colored background, stick with a lighter shade, but remember to use black text.
Create a well-organized site. Maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout your site is critical. The navigation you use on the home page should be carried out throughout your Web site. Clear navigation can either make or break your site. You are basically providing your users with a road map to your products and services. Don't let them get lost along the way.
Consider your space. Content should amount to 50-80% of your page design, with navigation takey up approximately 20% of the space.
Stay consistent with design elements. Select one or two (maximum) fonts and stick with them throughout your site.
Have a secure and automated server. Amazingly only 20% of current Web sites are secure.
What can you do different? This is probably the most important thing to remember when designing your site. Think about your business and your competition. What are you doing differently that will make users visit your site? Once you find out what that is -- whether you offer the lowest prices, have a special widget that no one else sells, or have reputable customer service -- capitalize on that one thing by incorporating it in your design elements.
There are good sites on the Internet and there are an equal number of bad sites (if not more!) out there. The good sites provide for a smooth user experience - simple navigation and simple-to-find information. The bad sites are slow to load, difficult to navigate and leave the users frustrated before they can even get to the information they initially needed. If you've already invested the time and effort into developing a Web site, you should take a serious look at the usability of your site. Here's an simple homework assignment: Some day, when you've got a few hours to spare, surf the Internet and make note of sites you think are good and which ones drove you absolutely crazy. Investigate the qualities of those sites and what made them good or bad. Pretty soon, you'll start to see some patterns that you can learn from and implement into your own usability strategy. Remember, usability is all about creating a unique and enlightening user experience. Usability is the name of the game -- isn't it time you started playing?
Terry Detty, 42, enjoys all aspects of internet marketing and getting out for a breath of fresh air occasionally.
Internet marketing software makes search engine life easier.
Higher search engine rankings with SEO software
FROM: ezine article.org
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Keyword Selector Tools and SEO
Keyword selection is one of the primary procedures to have a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy implemented. It is extremely important that the right keywords are selected by businesses for their advertisements in order to maximize an online advertising service and gain profits. An advertising campaign can be deemed worthless is the wrong keywords are selected to represent it.
In a nutshell, SEO are methods that aim to improve the position or rank of a web site in listings produced by search engines. The benefits of getting a higher placement in the listings increases the chances that online visitors will view their pages and avail of the services offered by advertisers. It also gives visitors a feeling of security, because to them, a well-positioned ad equals high credibility.
Sites have different goals when it comes to optimization. Some sites employ broad search optimization strategy, they are in search for all traffic that comes along the way. It can be useful for sites that are generates broad interest, such as a directory or a periodical. Other sites go for utilizing keywords that are highly specific, and radiate the probability of a sale. In most cases, going for specific and carefully chosen traffic can prove advantageous, because it gives sales leads with more quality.
The process of choosing the appropriate keywords for a particular advertiser is not a simple task. An advertiser has to accomplish several things to pull it off successfully. First, the advertiser has to be well acquainted with the machinations of its target market. A thorough research into the keywords used by the competitor should be carried out, and whatever result that it will produce should be analyzed in detail. Keyword selection tools will assist advertisers in determining the keywords that is most suitable for their businesses.
Keywords selection can have many varieties, largely depending on the kind of web site that a client needs. These are the major types, static sites and dynamic states, where the former is more limited in terms of keyword numbers compared to the latter. If an advertiser is creating a brand new site, it is recommended to choose the initial number of keywords that will be needed, and afterwards, the architecture of the site can be prepared using the keyword selection criteria as a basis.
After coming up with the keyword list, the terms should be trimmed down up to the specific and necessary ones. In narrowing down the list, keep these factors in mind: Majority of the search engines do not bother doing word stemming, and that most visitors type keywords in lower case, and it is less difficult to gain a good rank for keyword phrases that are longer.
Here are some of the popular keyword selection tools available for advertisers:
1. Google AdWords Keyword Selection Tool
Google is the most successful search engine in the world, and it takes in more searches in the web than its competitors. This tool usually comes with the awards program of Google, and it shows the keywords that are actually utilized by users. Google AdWords provide users with the most sought-after queries, vast matches, and other keywords that the user may consider for usage.
2. Wordtracker
It is a database that people utilize as queries for searching terms. Aside from giving information on how often a term is utilized for web search, it will also inform users the number of competing sites that utilize the same term. The tool aids in finding combinations of keywords that is in any way related to the content of a web site.
3. Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool
A keyword selection tool that provides the number of searches in a month that proliferated within the Overture network. It provides the variations and phrase stems when a certain keyword is used. It also provides pay-per-click bids and a ROI Time CPM Calculator.
4. Keyword Destiny and Prominence Analysis
A keyword analysis tool which analyzes the words utilized on a web page by applying default settings or custom report options. It also reports on the number of times the word was used, and an analysis of a competitive URL. Other information provided includes word count, prominence values, the location of the significant keywords in the elements of the page, and density percentages.
Advertisers should choose the best tool that works for them. With various options available, it will not be too difficult to do so. Picking the right tool can make wonders for their business ventures. A Million Dollar Work At Home Expert Shows You How To find the best home based business ideas and oportunities so you can work at home!http://www.work-at-home-finder.com
Article from : Ezine-Articles.Org .
In a nutshell, SEO are methods that aim to improve the position or rank of a web site in listings produced by search engines. The benefits of getting a higher placement in the listings increases the chances that online visitors will view their pages and avail of the services offered by advertisers. It also gives visitors a feeling of security, because to them, a well-positioned ad equals high credibility.
Sites have different goals when it comes to optimization. Some sites employ broad search optimization strategy, they are in search for all traffic that comes along the way. It can be useful for sites that are generates broad interest, such as a directory or a periodical. Other sites go for utilizing keywords that are highly specific, and radiate the probability of a sale. In most cases, going for specific and carefully chosen traffic can prove advantageous, because it gives sales leads with more quality.
The process of choosing the appropriate keywords for a particular advertiser is not a simple task. An advertiser has to accomplish several things to pull it off successfully. First, the advertiser has to be well acquainted with the machinations of its target market. A thorough research into the keywords used by the competitor should be carried out, and whatever result that it will produce should be analyzed in detail. Keyword selection tools will assist advertisers in determining the keywords that is most suitable for their businesses.
Keywords selection can have many varieties, largely depending on the kind of web site that a client needs. These are the major types, static sites and dynamic states, where the former is more limited in terms of keyword numbers compared to the latter. If an advertiser is creating a brand new site, it is recommended to choose the initial number of keywords that will be needed, and afterwards, the architecture of the site can be prepared using the keyword selection criteria as a basis.
After coming up with the keyword list, the terms should be trimmed down up to the specific and necessary ones. In narrowing down the list, keep these factors in mind: Majority of the search engines do not bother doing word stemming, and that most visitors type keywords in lower case, and it is less difficult to gain a good rank for keyword phrases that are longer.
Here are some of the popular keyword selection tools available for advertisers:
1. Google AdWords Keyword Selection Tool
Google is the most successful search engine in the world, and it takes in more searches in the web than its competitors. This tool usually comes with the awards program of Google, and it shows the keywords that are actually utilized by users. Google AdWords provide users with the most sought-after queries, vast matches, and other keywords that the user may consider for usage.
2. Wordtracker
It is a database that people utilize as queries for searching terms. Aside from giving information on how often a term is utilized for web search, it will also inform users the number of competing sites that utilize the same term. The tool aids in finding combinations of keywords that is in any way related to the content of a web site.
3. Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool
A keyword selection tool that provides the number of searches in a month that proliferated within the Overture network. It provides the variations and phrase stems when a certain keyword is used. It also provides pay-per-click bids and a ROI Time CPM Calculator.
4. Keyword Destiny and Prominence Analysis
A keyword analysis tool which analyzes the words utilized on a web page by applying default settings or custom report options. It also reports on the number of times the word was used, and an analysis of a competitive URL. Other information provided includes word count, prominence values, the location of the significant keywords in the elements of the page, and density percentages.
Advertisers should choose the best tool that works for them. With various options available, it will not be too difficult to do so. Picking the right tool can make wonders for their business ventures. A Million Dollar Work At Home Expert Shows You How To find the best home based business ideas and oportunities so you can work at home!http://www.work-at-home-finder.com
Article from : Ezine-Articles.Org .
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Increase Your Rankings With These Search Engine Optimization Strategies
Strategies The point of optimizing your website is so that you will get ranked higher in the search engines and receive more visitors to your site. As a result, you will increase sales and revenue. Consider the following tips so that you will be able to optimize your site and be returned as a higher result in the search engines.
Finding the appropriate keywords for your website and market is very important. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of software programs that will help you determine the appropriate keywords for your industry so that you will be able to include them on your website. All search engines take keywords into account when crawling the web and ranking results, so if you utilize your keywords effectively it will help you get higher positioning. However, you can misuse keywords as well which will ultimately only cause you problems. Make sure you know the correct keywords for your market as well as how to use them correctly on your website.
Links are another very important aspect of increasing your rankings. The reason for this is many search engines are crawling the web and looking for the amount of sites that are on the Internet linking to your website. The more links you have, the more weight is given to your website. So, you should put a lot of effort into getting links to your website distributed throughout the Internet. Not only will your traffic increase because more people will be exposed to your site via links, but your search engine rankings will be increase as well.
If you want to increase your rankings you need to be sure you are not using frames. The reason for this is that frames cause problems with a lot of search engines and if you are using frames, you may not get indexed. Obviously, achieving top search engine rankings is pretty difficult if your website isn't even listed!
Another important tip is to be sure you do not spam the search engines. The reason for this is that the majority of all search engines do not support spammers, so if you are doing anything that can possibly be considered as SE spamming you should stop immediately to avoid being blacklisted by the search engines.
There are many other things you can do as well to focus on increasing your rankings with the search engines, but the best advice is to follow the above tips and also research online what different search engines are looking for. Doing so will give you a better chance of meeting the search engines expectations.
Terry Detty, 42, enjoys all aspects of internet marketing and getting out for a breath of fresh air occasionally.
Internet marketing software makes search engine life easier.
Increase search engine rankings with SEO software.
Article from : Ezine-Articles.Org
Ezine-Articles Databank
Finding the appropriate keywords for your website and market is very important. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of software programs that will help you determine the appropriate keywords for your industry so that you will be able to include them on your website. All search engines take keywords into account when crawling the web and ranking results, so if you utilize your keywords effectively it will help you get higher positioning. However, you can misuse keywords as well which will ultimately only cause you problems. Make sure you know the correct keywords for your market as well as how to use them correctly on your website.
Links are another very important aspect of increasing your rankings. The reason for this is many search engines are crawling the web and looking for the amount of sites that are on the Internet linking to your website. The more links you have, the more weight is given to your website. So, you should put a lot of effort into getting links to your website distributed throughout the Internet. Not only will your traffic increase because more people will be exposed to your site via links, but your search engine rankings will be increase as well.
If you want to increase your rankings you need to be sure you are not using frames. The reason for this is that frames cause problems with a lot of search engines and if you are using frames, you may not get indexed. Obviously, achieving top search engine rankings is pretty difficult if your website isn't even listed!
Another important tip is to be sure you do not spam the search engines. The reason for this is that the majority of all search engines do not support spammers, so if you are doing anything that can possibly be considered as SE spamming you should stop immediately to avoid being blacklisted by the search engines.
There are many other things you can do as well to focus on increasing your rankings with the search engines, but the best advice is to follow the above tips and also research online what different search engines are looking for. Doing so will give you a better chance of meeting the search engines expectations.
Terry Detty, 42, enjoys all aspects of internet marketing and getting out for a breath of fresh air occasionally.
Internet marketing software makes search engine life easier.
Increase search engine rankings with SEO software.
Article from : Ezine-Articles.Org
Ezine-Articles Databank
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
