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
professional home cleaners Mundelein ...If you are anything like me, your website is a... Read More
Ever browse across a website that took ten million years... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
There are several graphic software packages available to help you... Read More
You may not believe it, but people still judge things... Read More
A client asked me, at what point do you change... Read More
I always have people asking me if I know of... Read More
Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More
Geared Up with a website and lots of energy to... Read More
Most people will agree there is nothing more annoying than... Read More
Does website design make a difference in how long people... Read More
Are you looking for somebody to build you a website,... Read More
What's happening to good web site design? Somehow we creative... Read More
I taught myself HTML back in the mid-nineties and was... Read More
The importance of choosing your website keywords carefully is very... Read More
Do your web pages, sales letters or personal presentations include... Read More
When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995... Read More
When building your website you might not have a large... Read More
Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.It requires patience... Read More
Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More
The time it takes to load your site can make... Read More
The effective design is this one, which is maximum simplified,... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently... Read More
Most of us at times need advice on different aspects... Read More
maid service near Des Plaines ...What colors do you have at your website?Can they make... Read More
1. Lack of overall strategy and clear definition of success:Most... Read More
Q: Should I build and maintain my business Web site... Read More
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
With so many new websites going up, it is hard... Read More
Your website is your tool for showing the online community... Read More
Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple... Read More
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More
Squeeze pages are a very hot topic in the internet... Read More
Designing a website is hard job, and requires you to... Read More
An application is not ready for use unless you have... Read More
Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
If you are going to be placing ads on your... Read More
Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
We've all seen and read product testimonials. They're a very... Read More
You've come up with a great product. You've got the... Read More
You've likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its... Read More
I can't figure out people who have products or information... Read More
Have you ever been to site with so much ad... Read More
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allows you to create fast loading... Read More
Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing... Read More
The title tags of your web pages are more important... Read More
Web Design |