I'm sure you've heard the saying "First impressions last the longest."
What type of first impression does your web site make?
If you're in business, your web site needs to have a professional appearance.
After all, who wants to spend their hard earned money with someone who can't be bothered to have a professional looking appearance.
Would you spend your money with someone who had more links to other sites than they have to their own products?
I wouldn't.
Link exchanges, web rings, and other member badges and buttons might help bring links to your site, but if they're on your front page they make the web site look unprofessional, and they change the way consumers view your site.
If you have ads on your page - whether it's ads that you've chosen, or ads that appear because you have free hosting (another no no for a business web site - people will think that if you can't afford $8 a year for a domain name, and $4 a month for hosting you must not be serious about your business) the ads you show may be inappropriate.
I remember a couple of years ago screenshots were taken, and a review was written of a child friendly company hosted on
geocities with porn ads at the top. Do you think that web site owner enjoyed that type of attention?
Just last month people with affiliate ad banners for an online shopping site had "adult" toys show up on their blogs. That definitely wasn't the kind of material they were pushing, and their only option to prevent that type of material from showing again was to take down the affiliate banners.
Why not avoid the affiliate banners in the first place, and avoid the negative fall out?
You also need to know how your web site works.
If your sale codes don't work as promised, links on your web site go to error pages, or links just don't work - most people aren't going to waste their time figuring out what's wrong.
They are going to visit another site that works, and buy from them.
Congratulations, you just lost a sale.
If you use other hosting services for your photos, know what happens when your users click on those photos - I recently visited a web site, and when I clicked on a link I was presented with a tiny little picture - and a full page of ads trying to convince me to join the hosting service.
That annoyed me, and I wouldn't make a point of clicking on links at that web site again - if I could remember what site it was.
You also need to consider how you present material if you aim to have a professional looking web site.
Are their spelling errors? Do the links work? Are your items, prices, and descriptions correct and easy to find?
I know some people aren't good at spelling - but I have to admit, I think less of web sites with lots of spelling errors. I recently was looking at a web site to review for
Etailers Mall - The Blog, and there were so many spelling errors I couldn't believe it.
They even misspelled their company name!
If you don't care enough to make sure that the face you present to the world is the best it can be, how can I be sure that the products you make for me will be the best they can be?
I can't.
So I probably won't buy from you.
What else do you think you need to have a professional web site?
Leave a comment and let me know.
Best Wishes For a Prosperous Business,
Sarah
Labels: business advice, links, professional web site, spelling errors
