14 Jan 09 Important Factors That Make Your Website Stand-out

Things you have to do to make a good website great:

It is a common misconception in the online world that if you build a website people will visit it.  It is just not true. There are millions upon millions of websites available online.  Your little webpage will be nothing more than a speck in the sea of information called the World Wide Web.

However, no need to despair just yet.  All hope is not lost.  Although your website may seem small, you can make that site shine for all to see.  These simple tips will help you make your website stand out from their competition.  Join us as we explore the things that make websites great.

Action Steps

Content is king.  The most successful sites in the world are driven by original and well written content.  People go to the internet for information and knowing that will set your site apart from the rest.  Make your content relevant and useful.  If you do not make your content relevant it will only be glossed over by web surfers.  They need fresh and engaging information now.  Make sure that your content is tailored for your intended user.  There are too many people in the world to satisfy every single one of them.  Instead choose a specific group and tailor your content for their needs.  If you want to cater to the youth, write content that addresses the things important to the youth.  Same with any other group, you want to capture their interests by talking about things that interest them specifically.

We recommend.  You can see from the list of alexa.com that content plays a large part of what makes a website great.  One great source of information online is Wikipedia.org.  It is just amazing how this site has remained afloat despite being a non-profit website.  It does not charge any money for its use and relies solely on donations from the kind hearted.

Be interactive.  Interactivity is another thing that makes a website stand out compared to the others out there.  If you include your viewer, chances are they will feel like they are a part of your organization.  Allow readers to contribute to your websites.  It could be as simple a comment or as complicated as a total marketing plan.  The key here is to let your viewers control certain portions of your website.  This gives your viewer ownership and with it affection to your site.

We recommend.  To see how much interactivity plays a part in the web, go to alexa.com.  In this page you will find that the top 10 sites offer original content or access to original content.  There are collaborative sites where people are encouraged to share information such as two social networking sites, MySpace.com and Facebook.com; other popular collaboration tools or websites include an online auction site, eBay.com; a collaborative encyclopedia, with Wikipedia.org; and a video sharing site, YouTube.com.  That is 50% of the top ten websites where visitors can create content for your website.

Create a Killer Design.  A design is more than just a pretty picture.  It is about form and function.  Create a design that pulls a visitor in.  A website has to be very navigational.  It needs to offer an easy to use layout.  One popular layout is the three column layout.  The middle column is usually where designers put in their headlines.  Place eye catching graphics as well.  There are plenty of wonderful photos available in public domain and even perhaps your own camera.  The way you present your text is also very important.  People will not stick around if you make your content difficult to read.

We recommend.  A great example of a great three column website design is MSN.com.  MSN makes sure that you get hooked by their headline and that you stay to read their content, which is very easy to navigate.  You can follow their lead by getting a great design from hiring a great graphics artist.  There are good graphics artists available in freelance hubs like oDesk.com.  If you are on a tight budget, why not go to Gossimer.biz, where they have an easy to use online website builder.

Tips and Tactics

• Try to optimize your website to minimize its download time.  People that go on the Internet have a really short attention span.  If it takes long to download a page people will most likely just leave and check out a different web page.
• Make sure your content is easy to read.  The best way to ensure this is by picking black text over a white background.  If you wish to put in a background, try to keep it light and pick contrasting dark colors.
• One of the easiest ways to encourage interactions is through comments.  Encourage readers to comment on your articles.
• Search engine like web pages that are constantly updates.  Regularly update the content on your website to keep your high ranking in the search engine.

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