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WhitePhoenix
Member
Joined: 3 Jan 2006
Posts: 257
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# Posted: 17 Jan 2006 21:38
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I have had a website for several years but am wanting to completely revamp it for my new focus - but after reading many of the posts in this forum, am curious... What are the top, absolute 'Must Have's' for a website these days? Of course, content should be primary, and if it's geared toward one particular thing, then a need to focus on that. But in addition to the basic text, what is it that brings people back? I see many people here have a product to sell. But what about a service to sell? Or advice to offer? Are the rules different for those? So are extras necessary or unnecessary?
Blogs? Forums? Feedback Forms? Suggestion boxes? Put 'em in or leave 'em out? That is the question!
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http://www.denisemclark.com
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A8ch
Preferred Member
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 94
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2006 01:11 � Edited by: A8ch
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Quoting: WhitePhoenix What are the top, absolute 'Must Have's' for a website these days? Of course, content should be primary, and if it's geared toward one particular thing, then a need to focus on that. But in addition to the basic text, what is it that brings people back?
In my opinion the rules (essential elements) are not necessarily different, but they may be presented differently to sell the character, product/service and objectives of the particular Web site.
Here are some things I consider must have's:
1. an attractive look - pleasing color, clean layout, good content presentation
2. easy navigation - menus, search function, site map
3. interactive features - subscription/feedback forms, download links, forum
4. customer service - that is courteous and effective
5. a guarantee - that is reasonable and is honored
6. contact information - e-mail, postal address, telephone, fax
7. a clearly stated purpose - mission statement, memorable tag line
8. an about page - an opportunity to build trust and/or blow your own horn
9. a useful purpose - should inform, educate, excite, solve, simplify etc
These are just some of the visible elements. There are still behind-the-scenes considerations like graphics optimization, page optimization, meta tags, style sheets and so on.
Now it'll just be a matter of finding the mixture that works best for your site. Some of that will be determined by your product/service and how the site is to be used. The rest will be a matter of personal taste and choice.
And what will bring people back?
To some extent how well you blend the above essentials. But the true proof will come from the trust, reliability, quality and value you establish with your visitors to create lasting relationships.
Hermas
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http://SixFigureProfits.net
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Vishal P. Rao
Administrator
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 491
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2006 06:03
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Like always, well said Hermas.
Taking into technical aspect, the list might include:
1) Good statistics counter - This is very important to know from where your visitors are coming, the pages they access, the pages from where they leave your website, etc.
* Sitemeter
* Google Analytics (Anybody using this?)
2) Contact form - A contact form makes it easy for the visitor to contact you without having to open his email client.
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Form_Processing /
http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Form_Processing/
3) Guest book - A guest book acts like a testimonials page. People like reading others experiences. However, these are very prone to abuse and every effort should be made to moderate it.
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Guestbooks/
http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Guestbooks/
4) Newsletter - A website is incomplete if it doesn't have a way to capture visitor's email address/contact info. Credibility is an important factor in making sales and a newsletter serves this well.
http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Mailing_Lists/
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Mailing_Lists/
5) RSS Feeds - It is a good idea to publish newsletters through rss feeds in addition to sending them through regular emails. With user email boxes getting crammed with spam, it is getting incresingly difficult to get their attention through emails.
6) Tell-a-Friend Script - Word of mouth is a very powerful form of marketing. Having this makes it very easy for your visitors to spread the word about your services/product.
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Website_Promoti on/Recommend_Site/
http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Website_Promotion/Recomm end_Site/
Apart from all these, it's important to make sure your website is search engine optimized.
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netjobs
Preferred Member
Joined: 8 Jan 2006
Posts: 219
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2006 08:15
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Quoting: Vishal P. Rao * Google Analytics (Anybody using this?)
Yes, Vishal... I am using Google Analytics, but it seems to be very slow loading statistics and also I am using Statcounter, thats more better for the Statistics...
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http://www.worldwidenetjobs.com
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Vishal P. Rao
Administrator
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 491
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2006 00:37 � Edited by: Vishal P. Rao
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Thanks netjobs! I had forgotten about Statcounter. I had used their services before and was very much impressed. Their free counter is for sites with less than 250,000 page views per month, which should be sufficient for new-small sites. Overall I think it's better than Sitemeter.
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WhitePhoenix
Member
Joined: 3 Jan 2006
Posts: 257
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2006 00:20
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I am continuously startled, though very pleased that advice is so freely given in this forum. I shall endeavor to take everything that you guys have written and implement them into practice. It's also readily apparant that I still have a lot to learn.
What I have been doing in the past, which is now obvious, is just scratching the surface of what is possible for a website, no matter what is offered on it. But, to be honest, my 'marketing sense' and awareness of the potential of the internet is near zero, which is why I'm constantly asking questions on this board, so please bear with me!
Thanks again, all, for being so helpful!
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http://www.denisemclark.com
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Vishal P. Rao
Administrator
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 491
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# Posted: 20 Jan 2006 00:28
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You are always welcome Denise  That is why this forum is for, to ask questions.
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