Tweet

The First Step to a Great Web Site: Research

Written by: Susan Daffron

Article Overview: Online research is a good idea whether you create a Web site yourself or hire a developer because design is a subjective thing.

The First Step to a Great Web Site: Research

Once you decide your business needs a Web site, you should do a little research to determine your own preferences. Online research is a good idea whether you create a Web site yourself or hire a developer because design is subjective. Realistically, you will probably end up looking at your Web site a lot, so it's best to try and figure out what you like and don't like.

Not everyone who has a Web site necessarily spends a lot of time online. After all, many people work in businesses that don't require much time at a computer. But surfing around, doing searches, and looking at Web sites forces you to find out what else is out there. Unlike many other advertising mediums, with the Internet you can easily look at what your competitors are doing with their marketing.

As you wander around the Web, study Web sites with a critical eye. Write down the Web address (URL) of each site and take notes with your answers to these questions.

* Is the overall layout pleasing? What works and doesn't work?
* Do you like or dislike the photos? Why?
* Do you like or dislike the colors used in the site?
* Does the navigation make sense?
* Can you find information easily on the site?
* Is the written content clear? Does the site do a good job of explaining what it's about?
* Can you read the text easily (is it too small or too large)?
* Do you like the fonts that are used?

Once you have a page of notes on other sites, you'll probably have a good feel for how you want your Web site to look and behave. And how you don't want it to look. What you don't like (and why) can be as important for your developer to know as what you do like.

You may discover that many sites in your business niche look particularly amateurish. In that case, you may need to explore sites in other industries to find sites you actually like. Conversely, you may find that every site in your niche offers high-end (read: expensive) tools. Banks have ended up in this situation, for example. Almost all banks now offer some type of online bill-paying service. Similarly, to remain competitive, many real estate sites now almost always have large database back-end systems for their listings.

Because people use the Internet to find information, think about the information you want to provide. With a new site, you have an opportunity to offer information that your competitors don't. Look for obvious holes in their coverage of your industry. These lapses are opportunities. Many people find Web sites through searches, so if you can write articles on topics that aren't covered by your competitors, people will find your site instead of theirs.

The old saying, nothing happens without a plan is true online too. After doing all this research, you will be able to formulate a good plan of action for your site.

Related Articles
  What is SEO?
  5 Steps to a Successful Continuity Program
  Create a Site Map For Better Traffic
  The 7 steps to avoid the sales nightmare of no income
  Keyword Research – First on Your List

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Your choice between... - I will take the $100,000 and double it on it becomes millions before I spend it. Though I am crazy about information, yet I would rather take the money and turn it into a million before I spend a dime out of it. I will do it in 4 steps. Step 1 turn $100,000 to $200,000 Step 2 turn $200,000 to $400,000 Step 3 turn $400,000 to $800,000 Step 4 turn $800,000 to $1600,000. After getting the goal of step 4, I will spend the $600,000 on myself then continue to double the millions again. I could then by the book for $1,000,000
Step by step approach - Here's what I would do; Step 1 - Observe Wal-Mart’s target customers, what does Wal-Mart offer them? How long do they stay? Discover what it is that they might want or need that Wal-Mart doesn't offer, and then write those ideas down. Some ideas to get you started are - A cafe or fast food venue, something for the kids to do while the parents shop, etc Step 2 - Take that list, and weigh up the pros and cons of each idea, and then select the best one for you. Don't worry about not using all the space. Step 3 - Start the best business for you, and then release the other ideas to the general market and sublet the rest of the space to those who could fill some of the niches you've come up with, plus any they can come up with. If money isn't a factor then developing the building to suit multiple small leases may be a better option, as it's a diversified income, which is potentially more stable than one big income stream.
Most Useful SEO Tools For Webmasters - Hi, My name is Jeff, I work for WebBizIdeas.com and we are developing an article called "50 Most Useful SEO Tools for Webmasters." We have ranked & listed our top 30 SEO Tools but want to get your opinion on what SEO Tools are most useful to you; as Internet Business Owners. Google Webmaster Tools Google Analytics Google Alerts Yahoo Site Explorer SEOBook.com Keyword Research SEOBOOK.com SEO For Firefox Tool SEOBOOK.com Search Engine Rank Checker SEOBOOK.com Back Link Analyzer SEOChat.com Keyword Difficulty Compete.com Quantcast.com Alexa.com Archive.org Stompernet Site Seer Technorati.com PRWEB.com ADDTHIS.com SHARETHIS.com EzineArticles.com Scribd.com Squidoo.com YouTube.com StumbleUpon.com Reddit.com Digg.com Del.icio.us Wikipedia.org Flickr.com NewsVine.com Yahoo Answers NOTE: When you list your answers please include a description on what the site is, why it is important to you, and your experience please....we may include it in our article. Jeff
Need a book recommendation for writing better - I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing skills, so I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good copywriting or copyediting book? I was actually thinking of reading "The Copywriter's Handbook : A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells" by Robert W Bly [u:w3cg00nn]OR[/u:w3cg00nn] "The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications" by Amy Einsohn. Would anyone know if these books are any good? Thanks
Re: Video conference system for families living in different cou - 1) How much will someone pay for the service? 2.1) What costs are involved on the business end? 2.2) What percent on top of that do you think you deserve as profit? 3) How many people will sign up for the service? These three will give you a rough estimate of the value of your idea. use the equation below with respect to the questions above to figure out the value of your idea. ((1 - (2.1 + 2.2)) X 3) You have alread identified major problems for your idea -- you have competition that is free! Computers are easy to hook to televisions, and it is becoming easier at very fast rate. (For free stuff other than skype, look up NetMeeting if you have Windows XP.) The video conferencing systems do a poor job of creating the feel of a physical presence. Even high dollar systems with dedicated internet bandwidth and extremely nice tracking video cameras do a poor job, especially for long distance runs. I have the experienced the disappointing performance of some of these systems on our campus. Video can not recreate the connection felt when in the same room with another person. Step 1, Quickly and roughly calculate the cost of the system you propose. Step 2, Compare that with what you think someone will pay and the cost of your current compeition. Step 3, Go / No-Go.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Designing Employee-Enhancing Training Programs

Fighting the Saw-Tooth Affect

Winning Market Share in a Tough Economy

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.