Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all undermine a Web site's message. Your reader will have to work too hard, and you won't have that reader long.
Grabbing a reader's attention is a key point in getting your message out, but there is such a thing as too much grabbing--and the wrong kind of attention. Negative attention can lose a great many visitors and potential clients.
Clean content and neat appearance are not merely a matter of aesthetics. It goes to the core of establishing trust and reliability between a Web site and visitor. Relate it to a deli. A potential customer heard about you through an ad. Cool ad, got his/her attention, so he/she stops by on the way home. On the outside everything looks nice, meets expectations, so the visitor walks in, looking for tonight's sandwich goodies. Once inside it only takes a few seconds to notice the dust on the shelves, the dirty footprints, the unidentifiable smudges on the glass counter-fronts. No matter how good the food smells, if the counterperson has dirty hands or there are papers littering the floor, how many people are going to feel comfortable reaching over a crumb-covered counter to pay for their dinner?
That may sound like a silly comparison to Web content, but really, it's not so far off. The principle stands: clean, neat, appealing content builds comfort and trust. Sloppy, haphazard or distracting content repels, and breaks down credibility. And the principle is very easy to apply to all Web content. Just remember the acronym, "Get It All"
G- et another set of eyes to take an objective look
E- xtra attention to spelling lends credibility
T- ell your message with exciting words; don't rely on graphics
I- talics, bold and all caps are rough on the eyes, use sparingly
T- ake the time to read the entire content... backwards (you'll be amazed at what you'll notice this way)
A- lways do one last look-see after it's finished
L- et all content sit for at least a full day before a final edit
L- ose the guesswork--keep a dictionary and grammar/editing reference at your fingertips, and use them often.
Whether your content is a one-line ad or five-page report, taking that little extra time and effort will improve your site, build customer confidence and add respectability. Saving time now and risking poor content quality can end up costing you more later. After all, the object is to get and keep customers at your site; to keep them reading. How long would you have kept reading this article if it had all been written like that first paragraph?
Cherie' Davidson is a freelance writer and Web content developer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her toy poodle, Auggie Dog, her "energy muse." She has her own freelance writing business, Suitable Words Publications (http://www.suitablewords.com), where she writes and promotes Website content, designs and develops e-books, hires out as a copywriter and writes a wide variety of articles and essays. She has started a blog at http://www.suitablewords.com and a free article site at http://www.suitablewords.com
recurring maid service Buffalo Grove ..What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved... Read More
Out there in the WWW there are thousands sites using... Read More
Have you ever walked pass a shop that, for some... Read More
Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More
If you've just finished building your new website (or revamping... Read More
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities... Read More
Due to the large number of people offering website design... Read More
Well, you've got your product, started your home business, and... Read More
When building your website you might not have a large... Read More
A few years ago a lot of websites utilized frame... Read More
How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More
There are plenty of Drupal Modules that you can install... Read More
Most of us at times need advice on different aspects... Read More
For many webmasters the title of my article may seem... Read More
Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
The first step to starting any Internet business is conducting... Read More
You can create a website that attracts customers, not repels... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
Just because you are a small business with an even... Read More
The Basics You have a flourishing business ? everything is... Read More
Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons ? will they match... Read More
If your website is falling through the cracks, the chances... Read More
Once, I attempted to create a favicon (the little graphic... Read More
The effective design is this one, which is maximum simplified,... Read More
premium house cleaning Glenview ..The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that... Read More
I hate to imagine that in your web development project... Read More
The importance of choosing your website keywords carefully is very... Read More
To build a website, there are four methods to choose... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
Designing your website means you have to be creative, plan... Read More
Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and... Read More
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in... Read More
Home-based businesses need a strong web presence to combat the... Read More
Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More
The question that I most frequently hear from people is... Read More
So you're on the computer, as usual. Your eyes are... Read More
Have you ever thought about the real stories behind all... Read More
QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More
To create professional websites is not an easy task by... Read More
Your web site is like your car. Both are significant... Read More
Making a successful online business can be a long and... Read More
Studies done by Jakob Nielson the man touted as the,... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
Are you looking for somebody to build you a website,... Read More
A professionally presented business website is a powerful and essential... Read More
Here's a really simple way... any novice can create a... Read More
In this article I will give advice and tips of... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
Web Design |