20 Tips For Making The Most of Your Website Traffic (Continued)
Brochure/Informational websites
The majority of professional websites serve as brochures, and if built properly, they will function as an effective, lead generating, sales tool. The main difference (besides the obvious shopping cart software) between brochure type sites and e-commerce sites is that you want visitors to spend time reading you content as opposed to leading them to a check out.
- Unless you are an experienced writer, I suggest finding someone who knows how to write for the web to create your text. I also recommend finding a writer who has experience with mass communications and marketing.
- Remember the golden triangle of web design. Studies have proven that people view websites in a predictable pattern, and so we should place our important material where it is most likely to get noticed. Click here for more details.
- Navigation is the backbone of your design. Take extra time when designing this part of your website. Excessive amounts of buttons and drop down menus are not good. Make sure that the buttons use an easy to read font and they stand out of the page.
- Use a consistent header style from page to page. Visitors from search engines usually do not land on the home page, so it is important to carry your theme effectively from page to page.
- Use minimal amounts of flash and special effects. It will interfere with your important (text) content and cause your pages to load slowly. Moderation is important. (Most people skip flash intros anyway)
- Keywords are important for search engine spiders, but always remember to write for people first and foremost.
- Keep your design free of clutter and excessive advertising (such as adwords).
- Put Calls To Action on Every page – never leave the customer guessing.
- Color selection is important for more than aesthetic reasons. Studies have proven that certain colors elicit specific feelings, so it is wise to research the colors that you intend to use. (Example: Dark blue is a trusting and soothing color.)
- People look at text next to faces. Keep this in mind when designing your page layout
- Keep the “Contact Us†web forms short and simple. People are impatient and will not fill out excessively long forms just to inquire about a product or service. Gather only the information that is necessary for you to make a sales call or send a follow up email.
These tips are the result of many hours spent tweaking my designs and monitoring traffic and conversion rates. I have verified their validity and I recommend taking them into consideration when refining your own website.