Daily article:
One of the most debated subject among webmasters is the whole concept of web site awards. I'm sure you've seen the little graphics on many different sites, announcing it is the "best", "coolest" or "most wonderful" or whatever. Sometimes you'll see terms like "bronze", "gold" and "silver" to describe the award.
What's the debate about? To put it briefly, are web site awards worth the "paper they are printed on?"
"What's the point?", some webmasters will say with a smirk (the smirk always seems to be there, oddly enough). "Where's the money in awards? These are just graphics that anyone can make up, they are given out by the boatload and they do not prove anything."
Au contraire. I beg to differ. Winning an award can be one of the most fulfilling achievements that a webmaster can experience. Yeah, some of the awards are given away by autoresponder (and these, I agree, are worthless), but others are very, very difficult to earn.
You see, the point is that in a true awards program you are getting a peer (another webmaster) to review your site against a set of criteria. You have to work to win some of the better ones, and the very best require an incredible effort.
But who wants a peer review anyway? I mean, isn't the real payoff in dollars or number of visitors or hits or whatever? Why would anyone care about the opinion of another webmaster?
That's easy. You see, web sites can always be made better. It does not matter how good of a job you've done, if you stand back and look at your accomplishment objectively, you will find something to improve. What awards programs do is speed up this process.
You begin by reading the criteria of the award. One common requirement is fast load time. You check your site and find the main page loads in 5 minutes ... and thus you will not win the award. Okay, so you fix that and check the next item. Hmm. Clean navigation ... fixed that, what's next? Readable text perhaps, or good content, or simply a way to turn off the background music. You see what's happening. You want that award so you MUST improve your site to achieve it. You have to spend a little more time checking it out, so that when your site is examined you will earn the prize.
What does that buy you? A better web site will translate into more visitors who come back more often, and if you are selling something, they may buy it.
So before you turn up your nose at that pretty awards graphic, read the criteria. See what the webmaster had to do before he earned that picture. If the criteria says "just take it and display it" ... the award is useless. On the other hand, if it states some stringent rules, then perhaps you should be impressed ... and maybe see if you own site measures up.
About The Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..Web design is a very competitive area and there is... Read More
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that... Read More
Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons ? will they match... Read More
When considering whether or not to incorporate Flash into your... Read More
If you have a website, you want your visitors to... Read More
If you think it's simply a case of who will... Read More
Before doing anything on the technical side, you need some... Read More
Even after you've managed to bring traffic to your site... Read More
Colors have long been known to have psychological affects on... Read More
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for... Read More
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings... Read More
When it comes to marketing your website, you should really... Read More
Creating your own website is actually easy in today's world... Read More
So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More
Almost everything is available on the web? products, services, e-books,... Read More
If there's one thing that I've learnt so far, it's... Read More
The Internet has seen an explosion in so called 'lance'... Read More
Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
Do your web pages, sales letters or personal presentations include... Read More
There's no doubt about it - the first page your... Read More
Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of... Read More
The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
If you are trying to sell a product or service... Read More
Content is king. Without content your website is an empty... Read More
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..Are you a student of graphic design? If you have... Read More
Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to... Read More
Building a website that is exactly what you want and... Read More
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More
Have you ever walked pass a shop that, for some... Read More
It seems that almost every Tom Dick and Harry do... Read More
If you have a business, big or small you may... Read More
A few years ago a lot of websites utilized frame... Read More
We can't emphasize enough the importance of including keyword-rich content... Read More
A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More
This article gives free tips on how to find a... Read More
Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More
Last Thursday afternoon I was working on a garage door... Read More
A web site builder can be a real life saver... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
Reading on the web is different than reading in all... Read More
This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More
What is web usability & why is it important?Web usability... Read More
The icons in an application are the soul of the... Read More
Why your site should be developed with CSS and semantic... Read More
If you have a business, big or small you may... Read More
There are many companies who build websites, all of which... Read More
When you design a website how do you start ?Do... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
Web Design |