Net Tips

For the last 10 years I have been using the internet as a source for information, sometimes this is vital information about phone umbers, location of places and breaking news alerts, and sometimes I am just surfing the net in search of some product or service that I think would be nice for me to get.

A few years ago I started encountering a strange phenomena, the empty site, these sites came up in the search engines and when I clicked them they led me to an almost empty page, with little or no information on the thing I was looking for, which was the reason for me being on that same page. These empty pages soon evolved into a mini search engine page, that was a little better than before but with all honesty, I didn’t want to be sent yet another search engine once I entered my search term and clicked the search button.

It took me some effort and experience to start recognizing these sites before even clicking them, and so I became partially blind to those empty sites, recognizing them by their domain name or by the page description below the sites address. But it seemed that whatever I did or how much smarter I had become did not matter much to the creators of these pages, they had now started paying attention to their sites names, and they have started putting in a word or two on the page, sometimes I would find dozens of completely unrelated words crammed up on the bottom of the page. And so this personal disliking had started to evolve into a much more sophisticated war like situation each time I sat down in front of my computer trying to look something up on search engines.

Today I am writing this to tell you about a new site, its dedicated to advice and tips, information at its best, for everyone to use. It is not an empty page, but a set of articles about different topics, from tips and advice about home improvement to information about skin treatment and shopping, this site is a great starting point in your search for what you need to find.

How many times did you answer the phone only to discover the there is a telemarketer on the other side, and not someone who is genuinely calling to talk with you? This is exactly what the people behind this new site are doing, eliminating the empty pages, providing information and thinking about you first, not about scamming you into clicking into their site for whatever reason.

This site has only been launched a short time ago, the creators promise to keep it as personal as they can, and provide as much information they can find about every single different topic. These are two internet veterans that have seen the internet grow from a tiny community into a huge money making machine, and they want to bring something back into this community, a true and honest set of sites that will not manipulate you, the visitor, but respect your needs and your time.

I strongly recommend that you pay a visit to this site, just to see that things can be different, and that the internet can also be a place where people provide information and advice one to the other, because its possible.

(1) The internet is a new medium.
At least compared to print, it is. A website is a waste if it simply re-hashes something which could easily be put into print. Don’t have the site be just an online brochure. Put up features which take advantage of the internet as a medium of communication. Filter information for them. Provide search capability. Provide interactivity with features like forums, quizzes and tools. Web visitors like to interact.

(2) Treat the Customer’s Time as Valuable.
When a person visits your website, you have their attention for that point in time. You either need to use it or you will lose it – fast. Most visitors have short attention spans, what you need to design your site homepage so that it grabs their attention and provides what they are looking for right away. Its like walking into a restaurant. If you walk in and just stand there and nobody comes to greet you, you might wonder what is happening. But, if the hostess comes and greets you right away and walks you to a table, then you will be there for awhile and eat. The same analogy goes for websites. Don’t overcomplicate your website homepage. Best results will be obtained if you make it very clear where to click to find what they need.

(3) Design the site for customers, not the company.
Your site needs to satisfy the needs of customers, not the company. So, don’t post content which is not really useful to the site’s customer. And avoid over-flattering marketing hype about the company. It inflates the ego of the company more than it helps your customer.

(4) Involve the Visitor.
Keep the visitor involved and make them feel like a valuable contributor. Actively ask for the feedback and suggestions. Ask for communication from your visitors and answer that communication swiftly. When getting that communication, capture their email address. This will allow you to communicate with them long after they have moved on and forgotten about you.

(5) Keep it Current.
You need to have content on your website which is timely and relevant to the customer’s life. Posting month-old news is not interesting. Posting dry product information which never changes is not interesting. Yes, you need to have product information and other information on your site that won’t change much, but you can also post more timely content. You can, for example, post content about how your products can be used in certain situations in life. Provide tips and techniques – things which are immediately applicable and solve a problem.

(6) Pay Attention to Form/Design.
Some sites simply over-do it on the eye-candy. Big graphics just for the sake of graphics often impress the site’s designer more than the visitor. Do not use graphics that are large and purposeless. Remember, some visitors may still be accessing your website via dial-up. Your site needs to load up quickly for all users. A slow website will cause your users to leave quickly. Also, pay attention to graphic and design size. Many web designers operate on fairly large screen resolutions and sometimes forget that even though a graphic looks great to you, it will appear enormous to somebody on a smaller resolution. On the flip side, don’t go too light on graphics. A site which is poorly designed and using the default font and no color is not very aesthetically pleasing. Any web visitor, whether they admit it or not, judges your company by your website unless they have something else to go on. A well-designed site communicates professionalism. A poor design makes the site seem like an afterthought.

(7) Promote.
When a visitor communicates to you via email, it is best to use a web form. not only will this keep your email address from being picked up by spammers, it will also allow you to ask your customers for their email address and then store that address for later use. Employ the “push/pull” marketing strategy. A visitor coming to your website is the pull, but later you want to push content back to them in the form of a newsletter or other promotional material. Start a mailing list and use it. Invite visitors to sign up. Promotion makes or breaks a business, and as long as you respect the ethical considerations of your mailing list, you should use it.

(8) Don’t Operate in a Cocoon.
The internet is a medium which is shared by millions. When you set up your website, don’t operate as if you are a self-contained island. Get out there and keep in tune with what is happening on other websites related to your own. Participate in forums. Post links to other websites and ask for a link in return. Form partnerships with other sites if it is appropriate. When it comes to communication, people like personal contacts. Hiding behind general email address like “sales” and “info” is OK as long as there is a way to also email you directly. A company site which allows email direct to the management is good. Just remember how much you hate calling a company and getting stuck in their phone system. Sometimes you just want to talk to somebody. Give your visitors that ability.

(9) Have a Plan to Attract Repeat Traffic.
Use newsletters, out-going email, contests, forums, clubs, auctions – anything that will cause people to return to your website. When posting links to other websites, don’t just send your visitors somewhere else. They may never return. Provide them an exit page. Give them a pop-up when they try to leave your site. Or at the very least make external links open in a new window.

(10) Track Your Visitors
Pay attention to your site’s statistics and react accordingly. What are people reading? How are they finding you? Do they just come and leave right from your homepage? How long as they are on your website? Do they return? This data is immensely valuable in fine-tuning your website based on customer needs and wants. Remember, the biggest mistake of any webmaster is designing the site for what THEY want. A successful website is designed for the target audience, not to impress the site’s owner.

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