A Web site can attract new clients and keep current ones, unless it’s not user-friendly. Since a normal person’s attention span while surfing the Web is less than 30 seconds, this means a site has to capture interest in a rather short amount of time.
According to the Indiana Department of Education in Indianapolis, there are six basic steps to creating a captivating Web site:
1. Gather information – Create a bookmark of your favorite Web pages for inspiration and make a list of resource sites you’d like to incorporate into your page.
2. Determine the intended audience – This influences site design and content. For instance, current clients will seek different information, like additional services and invoice information, than potential ones who are looking for basic company facts.
3. Create a storyboard – Write concepts on different pieces of paper, cut them out and then arrange them until you have a storyboard structure you like. Remember, the top structure of the site should be in a menu format, leading visitors to available resources. Always leave room for additional hot buttons.
4. Plan your navigational tools – Every page should have a link to either the main menu or homepage, guiding users around easily.
5. Create an aesthetically appealing Web page – Although content is more important than a “glitzy” page layout, visual presence plays an important role. Make sure you have some graphics, various background colors and font sizes as well as photos.
6. Establish credibility – Include author’s name, contact information, name of hosting site and dates of when the page was last updated. Update your page often – whether daily, weekly or monthly – to encourage users to return.
The author is Managing Editor for Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.