This article, originally written for Orange, offers quick tips and advice for anyone thinking about building a website or blog:
1. Get your website branding right.
A visitor to your website will typically decide whether they like it in the first 8 seconds. It’s why the top section of your website (the bit that fills a 1024×768 display when it first loads up) is vital. In this area, often called ‘above the fold’, your visitors should immediately be able to get a sense of what your site is about and what they can do on it without having to scroll the page.
2. Don’t be a slave to design
The biggest mistake you can make when building a website is to prioritise design at the expense of usability and content. Think about what your visitors will want to see on your site; not what you want to see. Content is king on websites. Good design is to help sell that content more effectively.
3. Don’t make your visitors think
Be obvious with your website’s design and structure. Visitors should never think about where to start or what to click on next. Start by making all of your links the same colour; use consistent and clear navigation; make sure the search box is prominently displayed. 40% of users don’t return to a website after a negative first experience.
4. Know your keywords
Ensure that your website is using keywords appropriate to your market. This will make you more relevant to search engines for those keywords. Ensure that the keywords that apply to your business appear in titles, headings, sections and your website copy. Use Google’s Adwords tool to research popular words and phrases.
5. Tease your extra content
Tease more content on all of your pages, not just your website’s home page. If a visitor drops into your site from a Google search, they’re unlikely to hit the front page. Give them a reason to explore – lists of ‘recent articles’, ‘related articles’ or ‘most popular articles’ will help drive traffic around your site.
