Is Your Web Site Effective?

How effective is your web site? Does it really help bring in business? How can you tell if it’s time for a web site clean-up, tune-up, or makeover?

Well, you can start by doing a little do-it-yourself web site analysis. First, take an honest look at your web site. Is the information outdated? Have you added anything new to give visitors a reason to come back? Are all the links still working?

Your web site is the face of your business, and the impression it gives to your visitors matters very much. You may have already lost customers due to poor usability, awkward design, unclear navigaiton, or outdated information.

When analyzing your web site, consider questions such as:

Is your web site purpose-built? At Five Sparrows, we talk a lot about purpose-built sites, and that’s where we start when developing new web projects for our clients. You really must know and understand the purpose of your web site before you create it. Make sure you are clear about your ultimate goals.

Is the information useful to a visitor? One of the mistakes small businesses often make is to put every piece of company information they have up on their web site. Do your visitors really need to know your staff vacation schedule? If it doesn’t contribute to the site’s purpose, don’t publish it.

What is the message you're communicating? Broken links, old information, non-functioning web forms, or missing images communicate the wrong message to your visitors. Make sure your site is a positive reflection on your business, and that it communicates competence and professionalism.

Does your web site look good? Studies show that visitors take less than seven seconds to decide if they are interested in your site, and much of that decision is based on the site’s visual appeal. Of course your site should provide functional page layout and navigation, but the design elements should also be appealing and purposeful. The site design should match your existing corporate branding, yet enhance your distinctive “look” and business personality.

If you have been honest with yourself in analyzing your web site, you should have a pretty good idea about whether you have a successful web site, or one that isn’t performing as well as it should. An effective web site is an invaluable business tool, so make sure your site is ready to work for you.

About The Author
Lauren Hobson is the Editor of Biz Talk Newsletter and the Five Sparrows Marketing Blog. These are free resources that provide tips and techniques to small businesses, helping them make the most of their web sites and marketing without spending a lot of money. Read the most recent Five Sparrows articles at on websites and marketing or subscribe to Biz Talk at http://www.fivesparrows.com/biztalk.htm. Copyright 2007 Five Sparrows, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

For more blogging tips and advices, visit Blogging Mix. Enhance your blog and blogging skills with Blogging Mix.

Blogging Can Boost Your Business Like Nothing Else

Virtually any business can benefit from the added exposure that blogging can create whether the business is operating online or offline.

Blogging is a simple method of adding updated information to a website where others can read the latest information about the business as it is made available.

One of the benefits of blogging for the small businessperson is the fact that it gives them the opportunity to have a presence in the search engines for their particular niche without the need to become a search engine wizard.

Simply by creating blog entries that relate to their business activities, and using keywords that are appropriate in the blog posts, the business owner has a good chance of getting those posts listed in the search engines and also displayed on other websites.

This is due to the fact that other website owners use the blog feeds to add content to their websites.

This is a win-win situation and one of the many reasons why so many people have embraced blogging.

Blogging will only continue to become more popular as people realize the potential gains that can be made for their business.

There are a few simple techniques that are needed to get the average business up an running in a relative short time and this is best explained in the free blog book that is available from the http://www.opoqo.com internet marketing site.

This is a comprehensive blogging guide and is regarded as one of the best on the market.

There are so many opportunities that have arisen from blogging that many people are embracing it as their sole source of income with some people owning and operating hundreds of blogs through the use of software and content distribution sources.

Blogs can be integrated into almost any type of website and even the big corporations are aware of the benefits of having a blog where they can keep in contact with their customers on a more personal level while helping to boost their business and income.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:Graeme is a writer for opoqo, a comprehensive Internet Marketing website that offers a free comprehensive Blogging guide and other marketing tools such as keyword research.