Ten tips to make your Website a success
A few simple rules can make all the difference, when creating a website or Internet shop.
1. Map out a plan of your website and shop, and arrange your different products and services into different departments for easy navigation.
2. Decide how you want your shop to look. Make sure the text colour and the colour of the background work together - if the text is hard to read on the background, make a change.
3. Different computers support different text styles. If you want your web site to look the same on everyone’s computers, only use Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman.
4. The first page of your Web site - your "Home Page" - is your welcome page. Make sure you mention what your website is all about. This may sound obvious, but many Web sites fail to do it - and lose customers as a result.
5. Your home page will have links to the different departments and the shopping cart inside your shop. Make sure this is obvious, so people can find their way around.
6. Make sure you include all your contact details, even a direct e-mail link from your Web site to you. Missing details can make customers suspicious that you may be hiding something.
7. Make sure your Web site is not overloaded with images and visual tricks, like a cheap radio with too many blinking lights. Gimmicks distract customers from the message you want to convey.
8. Make sure pictures only have a small file size in kilobytes. The larger the file, the longer it takes to appear on people’s computer screens. If it takes too long you will lose customers. If you must use a larger image, have a link to it from text or a smaller image - then the customer will be prepared to wait. e-Commerce software such as ShopFactory will automatically resize images for you.
9. There are two main Internet browsers today: Internet Explorer and FireFox. Your Web site can look completely different in the two if it is not constructed properly. Prefessional shopping cart software such as ShopFactory or your designer should create shops looking good in both.
10. These days most people have computer screens with a resolution of 1024 x 768 or above. However there are still monitors with resolutions of 800x600 around, and many laptops have gigantic proportions - including wide screens which cause many websites to fall apart. Make sure your website is designed to look good in all resolutions and does not fall apart.
2. Decide how you want your shop to look. Make sure the text colour and the colour of the background work together - if the text is hard to read on the background, make a change.
3. Different computers support different text styles. If you want your web site to look the same on everyone’s computers, only use Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman.
4. The first page of your Web site - your "Home Page" - is your welcome page. Make sure you mention what your website is all about. This may sound obvious, but many Web sites fail to do it - and lose customers as a result.
5. Your home page will have links to the different departments and the shopping cart inside your shop. Make sure this is obvious, so people can find their way around.
6. Make sure you include all your contact details, even a direct e-mail link from your Web site to you. Missing details can make customers suspicious that you may be hiding something.
7. Make sure your Web site is not overloaded with images and visual tricks, like a cheap radio with too many blinking lights. Gimmicks distract customers from the message you want to convey.
8. Make sure pictures only have a small file size in kilobytes. The larger the file, the longer it takes to appear on people’s computer screens. If it takes too long you will lose customers. If you must use a larger image, have a link to it from text or a smaller image - then the customer will be prepared to wait. e-Commerce software such as ShopFactory will automatically resize images for you.
9. There are two main Internet browsers today: Internet Explorer and FireFox. Your Web site can look completely different in the two if it is not constructed properly. Prefessional shopping cart software such as ShopFactory or your designer should create shops looking good in both.
10. These days most people have computer screens with a resolution of 1024 x 768 or above. However there are still monitors with resolutions of 800x600 around, and many laptops have gigantic proportions - including wide screens which cause many websites to fall apart. Make sure your website is designed to look good in all resolutions and does not fall apart.
