“Content is King! If you want a website to generate back-links and have quality content the search engines love, be sure to make it readable by both people and search engines. Search engines are working to give people quality results. Thus, they are looking for sites with quality content. So – by building site content for people, not only are you getting back to basics (information dissemination to people via the Internet), you are creating a site search engines will love. So, build sites for people – and the search engines will come.

When creating a new website or redesigning an existing site, there are four critical rules which should be followed to make the site effective, functional, loved by search engines – and successful.

1. Easy to Read

When building a website, the first thing you need to be sure of is that your website is easy to read. When you write content, remember that most web site visitors don’t read every word of a page – in fact, they only scan pages to find what they want.

Break up Your Content

Break up your pages and use headers between major ideas so people scanning your site can find what they want quickly. Use meaningful headers between each paragraph or major idea – this helps with SEO. Headers should be created with the H1 through H4 tags for SEO. Always use good writing structure. Additionally, avoid long paragraphs that run on. You should break up any long paragraphs.

Color and Fonts

To help readability, use high contrast colors between font and background. Black text against a white background may seem stark, but it is very readable. To make a website easy on the eyes, try an off-white background and a dark gray (almost black) text color.

Things to avoid with content color:

• Avoid vibrant background colors like purple or yellow. Such back colors make text difficult to read.
• Avoid using an image behind your text.
• Avoid using bright text colors on bright backgrounds.

Fonts Matter

One simple statement covers the font issue:

Simple fonts are the best; the more fancy the font, the harder it is to read.

Since many browsers only have the standard font set, use standard fonts. In reality, there is no “standard”, but there are certain fonts that are installed on most browsers. These include Arial, Verdana, Tahoma and Times New Roman. Your readers will see something different than you see if you use other fonts.

Standard Compliant Browser for Development

When developing and testing your site, use a Standards compliant browser like FireFox. If you develop your site to be standards compliant, it will work in most browsers, including MS Internet Explorer (IE). It is recommended that you test your site using the latest and last browser versions of IE (IE6 and IE7). To run multiple versions of IE on the same machine, TredoSoft.com has a free installer that will install multiple versions of IE. It works great!

Keywords in Content

Of course, when writing content, not only should it be formatted to be readable, but it must also be consumable by not only people, but by search engines. One way to make the subject of the content known to search engines is to use the keywords that people use to search for your site in your content. Be sure to use keywords in your header tags, your first paragraph and throughout your text. The keyword density should be between 4% and 7% – but any more than that could 1) be hard to read and still make sense and 2) be considered spam by search engines and banned. Keywords should also be used in your TITLE tags and your Meta description.

2. Simplify Navigation

The menus and links make up the navigation that the visitor uses to get from page to page in a site. Always plan a site around how people will get from page to page. A visitor to your site should be able to get to what they want within three clicks of their mouse.

Multiple navigation points makes it easy to find things. Repeat the top menu and at the bottom. Also create a left or right menu.

Using links within your text to other areas on your site. You can create links so that they are good for search engine optimization (SEO). There are generally two ways to create links within your text:

• The wrong way: “For search engine optimization techniques, click here.”
• The right way: “Good techniques for search engine optimization are important to use.”

Using link text (anchor text) that describes what the link is about is the best way. Search engine web crawlers (programs that automatically index the contents of websites) visit your site, they “read” links. Spiders can index descriptive links into a subject or keyword category. Spiders have nothing to work with when reading a “click here” until it reaches the linked page.

This is Cross Linking – use it as much as possible when it makes sense to do so when writing your content.

3. Consistent Design

At most, one or two layouts should be used in your site design. As a reader browses your site, they should be able to get used to looking in the same place for your navigation, for your sub-navigation and for your content. That’s all there is to say about that.

4. Lower Page Weight is Better

Page weight is the total size of a page on your site in bytes – code, text and images. Your site’s page weight makes a big difference to your viewers. Lighter page weight is better for your readers because the page will download faster. The faster a page downloads, the faster they will get to the content.

What is Means to be Light

• No large images.
• Fewer images are better.
• Optimize images for the web at no more than 72 dpi
• Use as small an image dimension as possible for the given design.
• Use a table td bgcolor attribute or a background-color style attribute for solid color backgrounds.
• Make gradients horizontal or vertical (not diagonal) so that you can use a small image “strip” and repeat it.

How “Heavy” Should a Web Page be?

Certain studies show that 64K is a good maximum webpage size. 64K is a maximum, however it is still, in my opinion, really big! The smaller the page, the better. 25K is good, 15K is even better. There is a balance between design and function. It is a good idea to focus more on function.

Try putting pages on your web host server as you build your site so you can test it as you go. For pages online, you can test the page weight at www.quasarcr.com/pageweight/ to be sure you are on track.

Ways to make pages lighter:

• Use linked style sheets
• Use DIVs instead of TABLEs where possible
• Use simple repeating backgrounds for effect

Summary

Visitors to your website should be able to find what they are looking for within about three clicks. Search engines should be able to navigate easily through your site. Making a site easy to read with consistent page design, and easy to navigate will make it easy to find information. When people can find information, they are more likely to refer your site or link to it – which is exactly what you want to encourage. You will be on the way to building a readable and hopefully successful website that is loved by search engines if you follow these principals.

Author Bio
Nicholas LaPolla has been a web applications developer for 11 years. He created AcmeWebResources.com to help others build or improve, market, and monetize their websites with a focus on web design, website seo / internet marketing, and working to make money online. Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

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Many cherish the idea of starting a home page. It seems easy enough. Throw a number of products and services on a few pages and before we know it lady luck is guiding hordes of visitors to your site. Unfortunately, that is not enough, even if we use landing pages and other various tools to attract attention. When it comes to determining the success of a website, sometimes the simple, most logical elements are the most important. So, don’t overlook them!

The concept of the 5 Ws, followed by an H, is regarded as much a basic information-gathering technique in homepage building, as it is in journalism. People want to see credibility. They are curious about you, and as obvious as it may seem to provide the answer to Who, Where, What, Why When, and How on a homepage, you would not be the first to forget.

Who:

Taglines and logos often explain plenty about the type of business that is being conducted, but most likely do not give complete details about who you really are. Are you a local businessman, or do you live halfway around the world?

Mentioning an address on your homepage is vital. It will increase your chances on being pulled up by local search engines and it will tell your audience about your background. They want to know what language you might speak, how much you know about your products, and if they are manufactured by yourself or in your area. You also may want to mention sales representatives and other staff.

Where:

Your website visitors see your business location as more than just a building. Believe it or not, there still are patriots out there who would rather order from a local entrepreneur than going across the border. They know your language, trust your products and services and can easily verify your credentials. It also means that product shipping time will be less and they have access to local sales and discounts.

With news reports of diluted drugs, harmful toys and toxic drywall, customers want to know if your products are safe. Registering with independent, non-profit, consumer research companies such as the Better Business Bureau will not only give you peace of mind, but will also tell your customers you have nothing to hide and are committed to provide the best service possible.

If you do not want your privacy invaded because your company is small or home-based, you can always rent a postal box in your area.

What:

Manage your client’s expectations and tell them exactly what you are offering. This means more than just listing your merchandise and services on the homepage. The more information you offer, the bigger your advantage over your competition will be.

Go over your entire website and ask yourself numerous questions starting with ‘what…’ What are my payment options? What are my sales items? What will attract visitors to my site? What kind of products do my customers like? What are my long-term goals for the company? What is the quickest way to go from product viewing to sale completion? Indeed, customers do not like to click around to find their way around a website. Like in real-life stores, they like to pick an item, pay and go.

A poorly designed website is like a badly managed store with poor signage and no clerk in sight to assist you. As you would walk out of such a store, customers would be equally quick to click away and log off.

Why:

‘What’ and ‘Why’ are often related: what are you selling and why? Explaining the reasons why you started the business, launched a website, picked that particular name for it, chose these kinds of products to sell, can all help your customers to understand what makes you and your company so unique.

Of course, you do not have to tell your entire life story on your homepage, but can weave the information into other pages. If you have many pictures on the site, add text and let your customers know why this digital camera is the best, why a specific diet works best for diabetics, or why the gemstones in that turquoise necklace are so precious and valuable. Answering these questions and being rich in descriptions is not about showing off, but about bonding with the customer.

When:

Even though frequently underestimated, the ‘when’ factor is as important as any other website related aspect when it comes to usability. Time is relevant in so many ways and not just when it comes to shipping information.

Customers like to know your business hours and when you can be reached. They want to know when they can expect a reply to an inquiry, when your next sale will be, and when they can expect the next lot of new bestsellers. As you can see, these questions relate to your entire e-commerce site and not just the homepage.

How:

Focusing on ‘how’ you can make your website perfect is an absolute necessity. Research not only your homepage, but the entire site and find the questions you have missed so far. Keyword repetition is an important SEO factor. How many more keywords do you need to climb the search engine listings faster? How many times should you update the site’s content and blogs? How many clicks does it take to get from the homepage to the merchandise and shopping cart? How long do you leave feedback on the site? How long does a shipment take to get from you to the customer? How safe and appealing are your payment methods? How long will this list of questions be? It will all depend on the information you have already provided, how much more you want to reveal, and how much time and work you are willing to invest.

In conclusion: websites are like bridges. They are the links connecting you and your customers. Like with any structure, bridges need a good foundation, sturdy materials, and a well-designed construction plan. If any of these elements are missing the bridge will collapse. Building a successful website is no different than erecting a bridge. Just think about it! If your building blocks don’t fit, or pieces are missing, do you think your e-commerce website will bring you fame and fortune? I didn’t think so!

About the Author
Bliss Media is a cutting edge web design agency. We have conducted web design projects from small start ups to some of Australia’s leading sites.

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There is considerable difference between writing for the Internet and composing a piece for a magazine or newspaper. What works well for one may be wrong for the other.

Readers of Internet sites, articles, and blogs usually scan first before reading the entire piece. This means their attention has to be grabbed right from the start. Seasoned journalists who are familiar with capturing their reader’s attention in the first paragraph already have the first basic rule of web content writing under their belt. On the Web, maintaining that style will be even more vital as we cannot count on readers scrolling all the way down the page to read the conclusion.

Breaking up web content into short paragraphs will capture the website visitor’s eye more than elongated passages which are more difficult to scan. Also make sure that you use keyword saturation to help with your SEO. Here are some examples of simple Internet writing techniques that will get you noticed:

Break up content into shorter segments:

• Capture the essence of what you have to say first and then explain briefly.
• Layer information and present only one idea per paragraph.
• Use descriptive headings and sub-headings frequently. Keep them meaningful rather than clever.
• Create links to more detailed information if segments are getting too long.

Make text more readable:

• Using hypertext links, typeface variations, and color, to highlight keywords.
• Take advantage of bulleted or numbered lists.
• Use appropriate readable fonts as not everyone has perfect vision.
• Verify the contrast between text and background colors. Light gray colored words for instance may disappear on a white page.
• Unless using fair-sized font sizes and avoid using bold shadows or italics. Not everyone likes them.
• Insert illustrations to break up the text and make it look more inviting.

Goal Oriented Writing

Excited about their new venture, some website owners and e-merchants dive in with both feet. Unfortunately, that may not always be a good idea because like with all commerce, you will need some kind of business and organizational plan in place. You need to define the purpose of your website, your goals and objectives, and you need to know your audience.

Understanding the people that will visit your site will not only help you decide what content to write, but it will also guide you in the way that you should present it. This is vital, because if you do not properly navigate your visitors through the site, they will never take action and buy your goods and services. So organize your information in the order your audience will most likely need it and label the choices that you offer clearly.

Be consistent and uniform

If you are busy conducting business it will be tough to constantly refresh your website content. If this is the case you may have to hire multiple writers. It is convenient solution and you get lots of different viewpoints to share. However, do not lose track of the uniformity and clarity of your website. Different writers may also mean different styles, and vocabulary, and these variations in consistency may end up confusing your readers.

Establish writing standards for your projects and create a style guide for your writers. This guide should stress issues in regards to the tone and voice of the content, file, and structure format, as well as text layout. Also, streamline corporate slogans, terminology, and make sure that all writers are consistent in their spelling (e.g. web site/website)

Keep it clear

Keeping your content and buttons clear and understandable prevents confusion. When you introduce a link to a certain product line make sure that it goes there and not somewhere else. The same thing applies to “call to order” features. If you offer your guests a “contact us now” option, make sure that it leads to an address, email, or contact form, and not your “check out” page. To prevent these damaging incidents from happening check your links and pages frequently. If you don’t visitors will quickly doubt your credibility, and professionalism, and with one mouse click they will be gone!

Conclusion

The extra time you invest in creating great web content will help ensure your online audience will complete their tasks properly and in a timely manner. They will enjoy their stay, tell their friends, and best of all, they will keep coming back to your site for more.

About the Author
Bliss Media is a cutting edge web design agency. We have conducted web design projects from small start ups to some of Australia’s leading sites.

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How can you help your readers to know whether your site can actually help them? Do you need a web designer to make it happen? Why is content writing on the web different than any other type of writing???

Why Visitors Come
It is a fact that many web users don’t actually come to your site to appreciate the attractiveness of its design. That is not to say that an attractive web design is not important. However, the majority of your site’s visitors are there because the consumer was motivated to look at your site, and to find the specific information that they are looking for.

Glitz and Glamour
You may not need a website filled with all of the “bells and whistles” like Java Script and Flash. These certainly add spice to your website, but can often detract, and sometimes even annoy visitors who are simply looking for the information that they expect to find on your site. Effective bullet points, keywords, phrases accented in bold type, and an easy to navigate page, may have a greater impact on your website than anything else.

Manage Your Own Website
If you know what will help make your site better, you can self-direct the development of the site through a content management system, to provide you with total control over your own website. Some web design experts may prefer to perform the updates for you, but you probably have a stronger interest in the success of your own website, than most hired web developers will.

Writing for the Web
Writing content for web pages is different than writing for any other type of medium. Thoughts must always be compact and content must always be easily scannable. When you write for the web you should always help your reader to quickly find the subject matter that they are most interested in finding as quickly and as easily as possible. Even if your website does not contain the exact information that your visitor actually wants, they may be pleased to know that it didn’t require lengthy reading to make that determination. In turn the visitor may even venture to other pages of your site to see if you have any other information that may be of use to them. A clean and tidy website is always a good thing.

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