What's Wrong With Your Website?

July 8, 2010 - PRLog -- There are millions of websites out there. Most of them were built more than three years ago and don’t play nicely with visitors. Many sites have been abandoned with no one to love and take care of them. Others have owners but are limping along like wounded animals with broken links and photo's that don’t show up. Be you tech savvy or tech challenged, it’s always good to be able to look at your website objectively.

We’ve put together a list of questions that bring to light some of the most common problems with business websites. We invite you to open your website and then go through the list of questions below. Take your time and write down your answers. You will be surprised how a few simple changes can increase your traffic and keep visitors on your site longer, which will translate to more business for you.

Let’s Play 20 Questions!

1. Ok, I’m on my homepage, what do I do now?
Every homepage needs to pass the 5 second test. When you arrive on your homepage, you should know exactly what you are going to do next within 5 seconds. Whether that be reading an intro paragraph or clicking an enticing link to another page. If you don’t know what to do next, then how will your visitors?

2. Do your buttons look like buttons?
A link to another page on your site is pointless unless people know that they can click on it from the second they see it. Picture links need to pass the same test. Icons are a great way to add color and style to a website, but if it’s not completely obvious that it’s clickable, you are missing out on potentially interested visitors.

3. Can I get to any point on my website with only 3 clicks?
There are usually countless ways to organize a website in terms of how people navigate it. But one rule that must always be followed is the rule of three clicks. If you can’t find the page you want to see by clicking three times or less, your users are getting frustrated, and as a result you are too.

4. Do all my links work?
It sounds obvious, we know, but you would certainly be surprised how many links there are out there that lead to the middle of nowhere. Do yourself a favor and check all the links on your website to make sure they lead somewhere, preferably to the right place.

5. Are my webpage layouts consistent?
When you move from page to page, do things move around? Are the navigation menus all in the same place, are the buttons all in the same order. Hopefully they are… because when things move around, people tend to get frustrated and leave.

6. Is your website KISS compliant?
Keep it simple stupid… No we’re not calling you stupid, it’s just an expression, but seriously, if your website isn’t simple enough for an idiot to find their way around, then unfortunately, most people won’t be able to find their way around (sorry for being crude).

7. Are you sending people away from your website on purpose?
Yes it’s true. Many people put links on their site, often right on the home page, that take visitors away, lost forever. Unless you are getting paid to send people to another site, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We understand there is value in linking certain websites to others from an SEO perspective, but to give up valuable page real estate for someone else’s benefit is simply a bad idea.

8. Do the words on my website clearly communicate what I’m trying to sell?
The purposes of business websites can certainly vary. Some sites simply inform visitors about your company, others go a step further by promoting their products and services, and some even offer their products online. Whatever you think your message should be, make sure that it matches what’s written on your website.

9. Would I even fill out my own contact form?
How intimidating is your contact form? How much information are you asking for? Now, how much of that information do you actually need, or even want for that matter? 99% of the time you won’t need your visitors’ address, city, state, sex, title, company, or even phone number. Obviously what you need is based on how you work and what you are most comfortable with, but the point is, don’t ask for information that you don’t absolutely need. Name, email, question, done.

10. Would I even fill out my own contact form? (Part II)
Internet business is all about generating quality leads, and so we felt it was necessary to dwell on contact forms… Yes they are that important. If you feel you might know why your visitors have arrived at your contact form, and usually it’s because they are interested in your product, you may need to give them a little nudge to fill it out. Just a few checkboxes with specific products or services of interest can remind people why they are there and help them to elaborate on what they would have written otherwise. See the example on our contact page.

11. Do I have one of those nifty little logos next to my URL in the address bar?
They’re called favicons (short for favorite icons) and they are an often overlooked feature of a website. First, take a look to see if you have one, now take a look in your browser history and you’ll see a variety of different colors and shapes. Favicons also usually show up on browser tabs if you use those as well as in your browser’s bookmarks menu. Unique and colorful favicons can help your visitors find you again once they’ve been distracted.

We are going to put up more questions in our next log.

Let us look over your website. We’ll give you an honest opinion about what you can do to improve your online presence.

http://www.coldfireinc.com/contact

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Coldfire Inc. is a full service web development and internet marketing company with state of the art solutions to today's business challenges. Specializing in small business growth, Coldfire Inc. uses a balanced combination of proven strategies to improve web presence and increase brand awareness. We have over 30 years of experience and a long list of both large and small clients .Our services include, SEO, SEM, ppc ads, email marketing, social media, pr, web design e-commerce and more. We are also a full corporate outsourcing firm specializing in communications and newsletter design. These cutting edge methods, combined with a great website designed by Coldfire, can help to push your company's sales to new heights.

Visit our website for more info: http://www.coldfireinc.com