We have all seen them; horrible websites with horrible content …the kind of website that you look at and think “was this person even watching what they were doing when they designed this?” Or, you are trying to read the text, but since the background is black and the text is brown you can barely see it?
Or, you find an article on the subject you were looking for, only to realize very quickly that it was obviously written by someone who didn’t speak English. Or perhaps the best… someone on your friends list has spammed everyone they know a link to their website. You visit it (out of the sheer generosity of your kind soul), only to find a poorly designed template that is cheaply and obviously asking for you to spend money! That’s all… no content, nothing interesting, nothing entertaining (except for maybe how hard you laugh at how poorly designed it all is)… basically, nothing of value to anyone.
These are all very sad, but often very true tales when it comes to websites designed and put up by people who honestly and genuinely either do not know any better, or are too lazy to figure out that they are making huge mistakes and that these mistakes need to be fixed!
I am sure that you will agree that you want more when it comes to your website. Therefore, here are some basic tips that will keep you from repeating some of the most common errors as you work to succeed online. If you want to succeed, you have got to do everything you do with a margin of excellence… if you don’t, then you are wasting your time, your money, and the time of everyone who even bothers to look at your website. That might sound harsh, but I assure you… you deserve better than that!
Design An Attractive Website
Your website does not have to be the most amazing, beautiful website on earth… it just has to be attractive and pleasant to look at! Avoid harsh colors and weird text fonts. Keep it simple. Make your background a nice, aesthetically pleasing color, and make your text a color that fits with it well (If your text needs to be any color other than black, you might want to get a second opinion or REALLY examine your background). I would recommend using WordPress to design your site, and this is for a few reasons…
- It is free
- It is easy to use, control, and maintain
- It is popular and time tested
- There are over 20,000 plug-ins for it
Accept A Legitimate Form of Payment On Your Website
How long has it been since you have been on a website that offers products that you cannot pay for online? The other day I had to order a product from a company that had been recommended to me by a friend. When I found the product and clicked on the order button, I was shocked that the only options I had were to either fax in the order or to print out a form and mail it!
Needless to say, this was a tremendous amount of trouble to go to. If I had been able to order the product anywhere else, I would have done so… but it was a rather obscure product that I could only get from them, and I was a bit stuck. Besides, the fax number didn’t even work right… it was totally a nightmare!
Having said that, make it a point to arrange for an online payment processing system on your website. Paypal is a very popular option, but other options include other online payment services, bank drafts, merchant accounts, or checks. It is also a good idea to arrange to be able to receive personal checks by mail, but try to make it easy for your customers by offering an online payment processing option.
Publish High Quality Content
This should really go without saying, but I will say it anyway… make sure that your content is useful, high in quality, and informative/entertaining. If you hire a writer, make sure that they can write in high quality, native English. Anything less than that is just going to drive people away because it sounds like you are just hiring someone to slap content on your site.
Getting your website designed right, getting it to function properly, and getting some high quality content on it will take you a long way. You would be amazed at how many websites fail at just these three basic things! If you do this, then you will be well on your way to succeeding online!
About the Author:
Benjamin Baker is an avid research hound and article writer who also enjoys camping, kayaking, and hiking. He lives in Denver Colorado with his wife and three kids, and can often be found working from the comfort of his own home or at the local coffee shop on the wi-fi. Benjamin often utilizes resources such as www.buychecksbymail.com when looking for ways to grow his business and to spread the word about the services that he offers.
