Checklist: Content & General

Use the following checklist to give you some ideas on what it takes to create a well-crafted website.

Checklist - What to remember on your site

• Have you remembered to include your mailing address, your phone number, fax, email addresses, etc.? The more contact options, the better. The more places your contact details, or links to them, appear on your site the better.
• Is your domain name intuitive and easy-to-remember? Consider having two domain names that both take you to the same site.
• People avoid television advertising by flipping channels, so why would they spend time reading what merely amounts to your ad on the Internet? You have to provide useful and interesting information that will attract people. Make your site a convenient resource centre.
• Have you provided useful information that is relevant to your business? Some possibilities are:
  • industry trends, press releases
  • consumer trends
  • how to's
  • VIP or staff profiles, qualifications and photos
  • a photo of your premises
  • what the competition is doing
  • new sales techniques
  • real testimonials from satisfied customers
  • job vacancies
  • trade shows, presentations
  • list of other websites of interest
  • a virtual tour of your product manufacturing process
• Have you searched the Web to see what your competitors are doing online? It may help you in making your decision on what to put on your own site.
• Is your site kind to the reader? There must be a good mix of text and graphics with limited page scrolling. Studies have shown people would rather click to a new page than scroll more than three screens. Even if you feel you need to provide large amounts of information on your site, people may not want to read it.
• Limit the width of the text - no one wants to simulate watching a tennis match on a website. 10-15 words per line are best.
• Have you assured your visitors of the privacy of any information they give you?
• On your homepage, you should have a small paragraph that tells visitors exactly who you are and what you do. This will increase their confidence in your company and, if they immediately see that you have what they're after, then there's a better chance they'll stick around.
• Have you thought of displaying customer testimonials on your site? Allowing visitors to see that other people have used your site or products, and have found them to be useful and valuable, is one of the best ways to increase visitor confidence in your business.
• Be aware that any information you post on your website is in the public domain, so think carefully about what you may or may not want people to see and possibly copy.
• Have you set up as many useful links as possible between your site and other associated sites, such as suppliers, related information sites, etc.? Outbound links raise your credibility and inbound links greatly increase your ranking on major search engines.
• Proofread! It's crucial to your success online. Check your spelling, grammar and punctuation as well as the accuracy of your information. Be rigidly careful. Test links to make sure they work and actually lead to the places you intend for them to go.
• Taking care to make the experience of visiting your site error-free builds your reputation as a truly professional company able to deliver on its promises. Business websites need to reflect the quality of the business behind them, as this may be many clients' first contact with your company, with your website acting as an online CV. Users have little patience with poorly designed interfaces and sites marred with small errors and bugs.
• Fresh content is the key to repeat visitors. By constantly updating your pages, you are giving visitors a reason to return to your site. Why not add a 'What's New' section to your website? This way, people can see at a glance exactly what's been updated since the last time they visited.
• Do you have someone within your company who can be responsible for keeping the content of the site alive, and email changes and additions to your web designer? As the Internet is still relatively new to many businesses, this often is not in anyone's job description, and fail-safe ongoing communication with your web designer is essential.
• Have you thought about what your customers are actually buying, and created your website to satisfy that need?
• Have you planned how you will find out what your customers think of your site and what you could do to improve it? Don't be shy or too proud to ask or listen, or too mean to give them an incentive to respond.
• Is your site set up to capture statistics on visitor information?
• The part of a web page that is visible without scrolling - 'above the fold' - is generally a more desirable placement spot on a website because of its immediate visibility when people first access the page.
• Provide Guarantees:
  • Display your privacy policy.
  • Make sure your subscribers are not worried about having their email addresses sold or given away.
  • Be sure to state your guarantee if you sell products - a money-back guarantee with few or no conditions is a powerful risk eliminator for an unsure buyer.
  • Another way to reduce your customer's risk is to provide testimonials from satisfied customers.
  • Offer a right-of-return on goods if you set up an e-commerce site.

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