Business Resources
What every business owner should know about their website
By Margie Mintz, Mintz Web Design
Clarity:
The first and last word in successful web communication.
Everything else is details.
An Overview of the Details:
· People use the Internet for 2 reasons: information and entertainment.
· A viewer comes to your site. If you haven’t engaged them, you have lost them in a matter of SECONDS. Really! – First impressions matter on the web more than anywhere before, so the initial impact needs to be strong, clear and appropriate.
· Have a purpose for your website! Sounds ridiculous, look at some sites, and see how often their intention is clear. Surprisingly, not as often as you’d think.
· The User Experience. Once you know what you want to accomplish with your site, it’s time to define whom you are trying to attract, and what that viewer will want it find there.
· Be Consistent. You’ve introduced yourself. Let the conversation follow.
Confusing people always gets in the way of your message and their experience.
· Be Yourself. Speak to your audience the way you would speak to a client/customer in person.
· This is Your Site! (Of course) You own it. (Literally) Make sure you have all the access, and uploading information.
Rules of Engagement · Choose 1 main focus for your site. Choose carefully. You’re making a lasting impression (hopefully). This can be a process of sorting through priorities, since, you may have said to yourself, “1 focus? – How do I get it down to that? – Or that doesn’t apply to me. We have 3 things of equal importance going on here. …” It’s about the engagement of the visitor with your business.
· You are starting a conversation. (Building a relationship.) Imagine trying to start a conversation where you just blurted everything about yourself all at once, in no particular order. What response would you expect? It could vary (though not by much) in person, but on the web, it means you’ve just turned someone away. We’ve all seen these sites. You had a purpose when you went there, but the onslaught on visuals, or the lack of focus leaves you confused and repelled. This is the web. If one site doesn’t have what you’re looking for, or isn’t communicating to you that they do, you look elsewhere – fast.
Who are you?
· How would you describe your business in a nutshell? Your goals, the way your see your business, how you want to be seen,… – and by WHOM?
· This is the essence of the thinking that comes before planning your site.
Color, Design and Your Message (Putting it Together)
· You’ve crystallized your message, now the fun part! Fun? Yes, though it can feel intimidating if you look at the blank ‘canvas’ for too long.
· Color – Start with One. This is both a helpful way to decide what the central color for your website should be, and a good way to start working out a color scheme in general.
· Design. Grace and Harmony. A Shock to the Senses. Whichever is true.
Don’t always open the bottle that says, “Open me first”. Or just go through any rabbit hole. Follow the path that makes the most sense. In the real world.
Margie Mintz
Mintz Web Design, Boston
