SITE-SMART Small Business Services | Online Systems Development, Inc. | SMARTEN UP U | Developer of E-commerce applications, Specialized Internet business management solutions, Search Engine optimization, marketing, in-depth website analytics and dynamic application development, i.e. CMS, blogs, forums and training applications

Does small business need help leveraging technologies? — Part II

August 13th, 2006

Building a business website … Understanding the basics

What makes a website good?
• Navigation — must be easy to figure out and not the least bit confusing. There should exist a natural organization (taxonomy) to lead the reader to the information or activity they desire in a logically ordered fashion.

What the heck is the three click rule? The answer is simple. The great majority of website visitors will look somewhere else if they cannot find some of what they are looking for on your website in (3) mouse-clicks.

The average shopping cart abandonment in a study conducted by Forrester Research was estimated at 48% in 2005. Don’t frustrate your visitors and shoppers attempting to figure-out your websites navigation system.

• Aesthetic — websites should be appealing and in good taste. Good taste being somewhat subjective, there should be a balance in the aesthetic appreciation by the audience or customer it is intended for. If it looks good, it will feel good to your audience.

• Organization — should be kept simple. Like the website navigation, the organization should flow in an ordered and understandable manner. Think the alphabet. In order to correctly get to the letter “Z”, you must first begin with the letter “A” and then proceed systematically forward. Everyone understands the alphabet and how it progresses. Your visitors will look for the natural flow through the website.

• Design & functionality — is and should be of primary importance in the development of the website. It must provide an appropriate appearance with good visual cues and an intuitive interface. The information too should not be overwhelming or overcrowded. Remember the axiom of KISS “keep it simple stupid” and “less is more”. In more professional development terms it is referred to as the “look and feel”.

Such development guidelines for the graphical design, navigation, form and function of the website is easier said than done. All this and website content too, is better left up to professional website development businesses.

I will digress a little here to emphasize as I did in “Does small business need help leveraging technologies — Part I”, that should there be genuine interest, determination, skills, tools and time to accomplish the task, then to follow through with the necessary ongoing maintenance, there exist a very fulfilling reward. The development of ones own website.

—Julie Foster ©2006 All Rights Reserved
Does small business need help leveraging technologies Part I – Building a business website
Does small business need help leveraging technologies Part II – What makes a website good

Entry Filed under: 3 - New Business Start-ups, 1 - Title Articles, 2 - IP Technologies