Take A Look At Your Website Through New Eyes

It’s hard for an author or speaker today to effectively promote their book or their speaking services without a website, even if they don’t do a lot of sales on-line.   However, there is still the misconception that having a website is just a matter or purchasing a template or finding someone on Craig’s List. 

There are a number of tests you should put your website through to make sure it is doing what it should, even if you don’t have a complicated or flashy website.  With the Internet making the world our marketplace, and more and more people using websites as part of their marketing, competition can get rough. 

First impressions are key on the Internet.  And that impression can last less than a minute as click happy page viewers come and go.  How would you answer these questions about your website?

1.    Do People Know Where They Are Right Away? 

Does your logo have a visual meaning and describe your business?  Before visitors start to read, they see, and so it is critical to grab their attention fast.  Convey the result people will derive from your website through pictures and other attention grabbing graphics. 

Words are important as well, though, so make sure your company name is clearly visible immediately and that you have a tagline that tells people what you do.  It is also important for every page to have a powerful title that communicates to your viewer immediately where they are and what they can expect from the page. 

While it’s okay to be creative, your website is not the place to be coy.  Make sure your visitors are aware of who you are and what you can offer them right away. 

2.    Have you checked out your computer on various viewing platforms and browsers?

A website will not look the same on all computers.  What looks great on Firefox might be a mess on Windows Explorer, and even on different versions of each.  Check to be sure.  Ask people you know and trust to view your website on at least 5 different monitor sizes, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, and on PC as well as MAC computers.

If your customers use mobile internet, you will want to check several phones as well, including iPhone and Blackberry.  The differences in the way your site looks between different platforms might surprise you.  

3.    How functional is your website?

The most annoying thing a website visitor can experience is slow loading pages. In most cases, that potential customer clicks away before even seeing what you have to offer and becomes a former potential customer before you know it. 

Make the effort to walk through your who site, page by page, as though you are your perfect customer.  Is the page load time fast enough?  Do all links work and direct to the pages you want them to direct to?  Do you see spelling errors or other grammatical problems?  Is your contact information readily available? 

The reason to go through the Website Reality Test is to ensure that your potential customers are not driven away but instead are welcomed into your website.  Make it easy for them to get around your site, find what they want (and what you’re selling) and become your customer. 

Make sure to stop by ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to find many other resources for successfully promoting your professional speaker career online.

Tags: public speaking

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