A successful website depends on a clear presentation of your product or service, an organization that makes it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for and associated information that establishes your business's credibility. The beginning of a new year is a good time to review your expectations for your website and decide whether it is achieving the results you expect, both in terms of the number of "hits" it receives and the business it generates.

Review the website on three levels: 

1.    Content
2.    Appearance
3.    Results

In coming weeks, this blog will give you ideas about how to assess your website on each level, beginning with content.

Your website's major purpose is to create an online presence for your business and to build business either directly through online product sales or indirectly via contacts and inquiries. However, a successful website does more than that and achieves several additional goals: 

-     Incorporates the search terms and key words that are specific to your business, so that your website appears at the top in web searches for your industry. The effective use of these terms and the results they produce is at the heart of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
-     Establishes the credibility of your business so that website visitors feel confident that you are an experienced businessperson with a successful track record.
-     Provides valuable information about your business or industry so that people return when they need information or other credible websites include links back to your site (back links).

Before beginning your content survey, ask yourself how you meet each of these goals and what value you can add in each category. Here are a series of specific questions to ask yourself as you review the content of your website in light of your website goals.

Is your content presented effectively on the home page?
A new visitor to your site will spend about 10 seconds deciding whether or not your website has what he or she is looking for. The most effective websites have home pages that are quickly understood and provide enough content that the visitor wants more. Overloading a home page with content or having too many links can easily bog a visitor down and send them looking for a website that is easier to navigate

Is the home page optimized and does the home page lead logically to the other pages on your website?
Identifying the major key words and  links on your home page and making them easy to find is another factor in assuring home page success. Keep the menu choices down (7 +/- 2 is a good guideline) and use terms that are commonly used by your customers, Beware of industry jargon. Many people aren't familiar with it and are confused when you use it.

Are the major destinations on your website logical and easy to find?
People visiting your website either want to make a purchase, research a purchase or gather information about your business or industry. Think about these customer goals when you decide about your major navigational links (menu selections). Be sure that these links play a part in the text of your home page to give visitors a flavor of what they will find when they go to these pages.

Does each page add value and information for the website visitor?
Each web page should have a specific purpose and content. It's easy to create several pages that do essentially the same thing. Look at each page with a fresh eye and see what each page adds to the story you are telling on your website.

Do some pages establish your credibility and provide information that will cause your visitors to return to your website?
People looking for products or services often don't have access to the same references they would have used in the pre-Internet days: community organizations, personal references or business associations. Your website should have references, testimonials or other information that demonstrates that you are a dependable businessperson with a track record. You can improve this impression by including useful information about your industry, products in your industry or buying guides.Your survey of your website's content should give you a clear idea of whether or not your website presents your business as you want it to. Look for next week's blog to give you ideas about how to assess the look and feel of your website from the customer's point of view.

You can help us assure that every blog post in this series provides you with tangible suggestions and ideas for building or improving your website. Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions with us. Feel free to leave comments below or to email Judy at [email protected].

Thanks for reading. Jason.
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