Professional image (Continued) —
If you have a software program that allows you to create and work on Web pages (an HTML editor), you may be able to find templates that will allow you to create your own site with a professional look. FrontPage is an easy-to-use HTML editor that is just like working with a word processing program. At the URL below, you’ll find a huge assortment of templates that were created just for FrontPage. http://www.thetemplatestore.com/frontpagetemplates.asp
You’ll find a link to an online tutorial for learning how to use FrontPage here: http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/FrontPage.html
Or, if you’d rather have someone else create your Web site for you, look in your yellow pages and find someone locally. Or, try Look Sharp Designs, which will create “search engine friendly” Web sites for a very reasonable price.
http://www.looksharpdesigns.com
Web site design –
If at all possible, keep your Web site design very simple. Don’t use frames, excessive graphics, Flash home pages, or lengthy JavaScript. Each of these design strategies can present problems for you when you’re trying to get a good ranking with the search engines, which is where you’ll probably get the majority of your traffic.
So, if you hire a professional Web designer, make sure he or she knows that you want the design kept simple.
Let’s face it – when YOU go to a Web site, you would much prefer a simple Web site, wouldn’t you? You want to find what you’re looking for quickly and easily. You don’t want to have to spend time trying to find something.
In fact, one study shows that Americans experience “search rage” if they don’t find what they’re looking for within 12 minutes.
Keep that in mind when you’re designing your own site. Use simple, clear navigation. Include a site map that has links to all of the pages in your site. This site map is valuable to both your users and the search engines.
Keep graphics to a minimum, and only use them when you want to point the eye to a certain location.
When you use graphics, here’s something else to consider.
Let’s say that you are a real estate agent, and your home page is covered with your awards, a picture of you, and maybe the logo of your company. Do you think your visitors care about your awards or your picture? No! They want to see pictures of the houses you’re selling! They want to learn about the schools in that area or the crime rate. They want to see a mortgage calculator. They want to see content! Put yourselves into the shoes of your visitors, and think about what your visitors want to see, not what YOU want to show them.
Robin Nobles conducts live SEO workshops
(http://www.searchengineworkshops.com) in locations across North
America. She also teaches online SEO training
(http://www.onlinewebtraining.com). Localized SEO training is now
being offered through the Search Engine Academy.
(http://www.searchengineacademy.com) Sign up for SEO tips of the
day at mailto:seo-tip@aweber.com.
