“What’s the best way to build a website?”was at the heart of questions I fielded at a recent marketing workshop. My response involved several important steps. First, define your website objective and strategy. Some are built to provide information. Others are storefronts created to sell goods or services.

     Think about a mall storefront:It tries to spark your interest, encourage you to come inside. Once inside, aisles and counters are arranged to make it easier for you to shop. A jewelry store’s ambiance is much different than a clothing store. But the principles are the same. A website shares these same principles.

Think Design

     How do you want people to flow inside your web store?What steps lead your prospects to information that stimulates a purchase desire? How do they access the shopping cart? Checkout? Pay for their purchase? Come back for more?

     Yes, people notice graphic design right away. But the overall organization of the site has the most impact upon their shopping experience. Take time to visit these websites: landsend.com – jcpenny.com – oldnavy.com – williams-sonoma.com– and my favorite, kingarthurflour.com. Evaluate each in terms of “storefront” and ease of customer flow.

     Now, think about your own design. Please go to webstyleguide.com – plan to spend time here learning.  Start by clicking on “Process” – learn what’s involved in the whole website process.  Then, click on “Site Diagrams” – make a simple concept diagram to define how you visualize your website. Make content notes at the side of each webpage.

     Now you’ll be much better preparedto work with a professional website designer or to “do-it-yourself” using a website platform provider. By understanding the website design process, you’ll save both time and money.

Content is King

     From the moment your website appears on the user’s screen you have 3 seconds to win attention – no more, but frequently less! Look carefully at your headline!

     Brevity and clarity of expression is what counts.Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, with just 271 words, lives on. But Edward Everett, the orator who spoke at Gettysburg for two hours prior to Lincoln, has been long forgotten.

     Whether you “do-it-yourself” or hire a professional “wordsmith” to create content, here are guidelines you can follow. According to The New York Times Jakob Nielsen, PhD is “the guru of Web page usability.”  Nielsen points out... 

     “People rarely read Web pages word by word. Instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences.” Nielsen also noted, “Eye-tracking shows that users often scan Web pages in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.”

     So, help the reader scan:Make use of bulleted lists, meaningful sub-headings and highlighted keywords. Limit each paragraph to one idea. Limit each sentence to 15 to 18 words; if more, cut in two parts and rework.

     What is it web users don’t like? Scrolling pages!They prefer text to be short and to the point. Anything that appears to be marketing “fluff” replace with factual information.

     In website writing, you want to provide information in the most effective way possible. The goal is not to see how much time you can force the reader to spend reading. Rather, it’s how fast website visitors can gather all the information needed to make a purchase decision in your favor.