So what do you need to know about setting up a business online? A key element for a good online presence is having a website which has been designed and created correctly from the outset. This will save you a great deal of time and money in the long run by just understanding the key elements of a good customer experience.

So what are they?

Clean Design

People just don’t want to know all about your special offers at once. They don’t want to see every product or service that you offer. As long as you make the site easy to use and well structured then people will be able to find what they are looking for. This will keep the bounce rate of disgruntled visitors down.

Too much to look at and read is going to put people off.

Look at the Apple website for example. Nice and Clean: http://www.apple.com/ however, some sites don’t quite have that appeal: Try this one (see how there is so much fighting for your attention)

So what’s next?

Good URLS

A website address should reflect what that page has to offer. For example: www.holidaywesbite.co.uk/accommodation rather than www.holidaywebsite.co.uk/id?=4

The second example shows an unfriendly Content Management System (CMS) which just throws anything together for a page. The first example is the best way to have your pages laid out. This shows the search engines, like Google what your site is about and to the people who are looking at visiting your site as well. They are more likely to click this if they think it is relevant.  – MORE VISIOTRS!!!

HOORAY!!!!!

What else?

Easy to Use Navigation

Your website needs to be like the motorway. Well signposted and easy to navigate. Let people know where they can go and where they are.

Have the menu in a sensible place like at the top or on the left hand side of the screen. Keep the menu in the same place on each page. A menu that moves around all over the place from one page to another will annoy your customers and they will leave.

Guide And Inform Your Users

Provide the people that come to your site with the information that they need. The more information and content that you have on your site, the more traffic that you will receive from the search engines. However, don’t just make up content for the sake of it. People don’t want pages and pages that talk just about you. The information needs to be easy to read and easy to digest. There are plenty of books that you can read about good copywriting that will help engage your visitors.

I will review some of the books I have read on this in the upcoming weeks for you to see what is about and where you should start.

Capture and Grow

Include a sign up form on your site. This is a great way to build a list of people that are interested in what you have to offer. This will be very valuable later on when you want to offer a discount or promote a product. You can offer something in exchange for their email address so that your visitors feel like they are getting something in return. This is a great way to start email marketing and building those lists.

Email marketing is also considered one of the best forms of marketing (when done correctly) and can generate an ROI of £50 to every £1 spent: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/emarketing/59635.html

So a quick recap of what you have just read:

• Keep the design clean and easy on the eye
• Allow the URLs to reflect what the page is about
• Keep the site easy to navigate
• Guide and inform your visitors
• Capture emails to help grow your business grow

All this will help mount up towards a good user experience for ANY business.

Feel free to add any comments below.

p.s. Dont forget to download your FREE report:

5 Fatal Internet Marketing Mistakes That Can KILL The Sales And Profits In Your Business

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