10 rules for your website
1. A coherent look, feel and branding
- Easy-to-read graphics and fonts
- Consistent with your offline branding
2. Simple, clear, logical, easy-to-read navigation
- Uniform placement of core links
- Directional guides; prominent "Home Page" links; etc.
- Visitors should always know where they are
- One click access to important information
3. Simple, straightforward language
- Be concise
- Edit, edit and edit again
- Never tell when you can show
- Copy that caters to both visitors as well as search engine spiders
4. Abundant, highly relevant information
- Content is the reason they come
- Intelligent, easy-to-read layout
5. Be interactive
- Contents, demos, surveys, contests, etc.
- Should be useful; not just "cool"
- Facilitate easy user response - "Contact us", "Feedback", "Guestbook", "Email us", Blogs; etc.
6. Give "stuff" away
- Visitors expect "goodies"
- Interesting facts; entertainment; downloads; resource links; etc.
- Incentives; chances to win something; Web only discounts; freebies; etc.
7. Regular, timely maintenance
- Users expect fresh content
- Put someone in charge
- Stale, poorly edited, incorrect information can be irreparably harmful
8. Promote, promote, promote!
- Exchange links and banners with local area sites that attract a similar demographic
- Search engine optimization and marketing
- Register with local and industry-related directories
- Put your Web address everywhere – marketing materials, direct mail, newsletters, print ads, invoices, etc.
- Blogs by (really interesting) people in your organization
- Incentives; giveaways; discounts; Web only offers
9. Capture visitor information
- Registration links on every page
- Give visitors a reason to register
- Require registration for access to special information or services
- Visitor surveys
10. Track the traffic
- Who’s visiting?
- Where they go?
- What they do?
- How long they stay?
Web development and other online marketing services..... especially for African American businesses