Creating Effective
and Usable Websites
First
impressions REALLY count, especially in today's fast-paced Internet
markets. Web users have a short attention span. You only have a
few seconds to give site visitors what they are looking for. Each
page is just a click away from your competition. Your website should
immediately send the message that you appreciate the visitor's time
and attention, and that you want to provide services for them.
Is your website
reflecting your business?
Signs of an Effectual
Website
Your
website should:
-
Clearly
identify or explain your business up-front
-
Indicate
you are still in business by including recently updated items
-
Load
quickly
-
At
least appear in search engine results - then ideally in the
first page or two of results when someone is searching on keywords
that describe your expertise
-
Follow
the 2-click rule (Generally, site visitors should never be more
than 2 mouse clicks away from key information and they should
always know how to get back to the beginning.)
-
Display
well on the common browsers (Fonts and graphic files show up
differently on Mac and Windows platforms, and on different browsers.)
-
Use
websafe colors
Effectual
Web:
Understands
how people use the Web and how to design sites to meet those needs.
The resulting designs ensure that your website sends a positive
and marketable message to web users. How
we do it.
Builds
websites from a combined understanding of site visitor's needs and
expertise in web design rather than solely from knowledge of
an HTML tool or graphics application.
Structures
websites according to website visitor's tasks, including:
- Write
for scan ability—because web users scan.
- Make
the site navigable—because web users want information.
- Provide
detailed content—because web users want answers.
- Minimize
graphics so the page downloads quickly—because the BACK
button is only a click away
Effectual
Web creates web pages that enhance the website visitor's experience
and for you, that means more business.
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