Are you happy with your web site’s performance?
Does your website convert visitors into buyers?
Do visitors stay on your website or leave immediately?
Your website won’t convert visitors into buyers if it it’s not designed correctly, loads slowly is not optimized for the search engines or doesn’t have effective web copy.
7 factors affecting website performance
1. Amateur website design
An unprofessional design will drive professional business people away. Some businesses have not redesigned their website for years. It’s obvious from the appearance they have not kept up with new design technologies. Make sure your web site has a clear navigation menu, the colors are coordinated on the page and there is plenty of white space between all the elements.
2. Slow loading web pages
A web page should load within a few seconds with a high speed connection. Many sites have a flash introduction but visitors must wait for it to load before it is displayed. Large images (or too many of them on one page), JavaScript and Video are just some of the elements that will slow the loading of web pages.
3. Place CSS and Javascript in external files
Instead of including the full cascading style sheet (CSS) or Javascript within your page code place it in an external file. This speeds up load times and keeps your code mean and clean.
4. Cross browser compatibility
Your website may look fine in your own browser but may look terrible in other browsers. Test how your website displays in the major browsers e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.
5. Screen resolution
Computer users these days use various monitor sizes. Most of them have a width over 1000 pixels so design your site between 900-1000 pixels. A small width of 800 pixels means there’ll be a lot of white space on both sides of your web pages when viewed with a large monitor. If the width is over 1000 (e.g. 1500 pixels) a person with a small screen size will have to scroll horizontally to view your web pages.
6. Validate html code
Code errors prevent your pages from rendering correctly on all browsers and slows the indexing of your web pages by the search engines. Google “html validator” to find the website that will validate your pages then repair the code errors.
7. Web copy
Content is what keeps visitors on your website. Your header graphic, titles, subtitles, paragraphs, bullets, images and navigation should work together to easily and quickly provide the information visitors are seeking. The first paragraph should clearly outline the purpose of your website followed by paragraphs explaining the main benefits. The navigation menu should link to deeper information. Don’t try to cram too much information on the home page.
Your web copy should include a few of the main keywords people use to find your website on the search engines. Include these keywords in your meta tags, headings, file names, internal links and navigation menu.
If you optimize your web pages by implementing these 7 factors your website will be ready to receive visitors and search engine traffic. Use web site promotion strategies to generate a continuous flow of traffic to your site.
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Attract a continuous stream of NEW visitors to your website by picking up a copy of 101 Highly Effective Strategies to Promote Your Web Site .
Herman Drost is the CEO of http://www.iSiteBuild.com Web Design, Hosting, SEO.
