Web Site Makeover Checklist
If you have an existing web site, or have just finished
designing a new one, use these questions to verify if you have
all the following elements in place. Among other things, you
will likely lose prospective buyers, credibility, and sales if
you have broken links and missing images.
These are some important factors for each site.
* Do you provide content that people want? * Are you grammar and
spelling correct? * Do your pages load fast? * Is your site easy
to navigate? * Is the design consistent? All your pages should
follow some basic pattern or format and look similar.
Planning
Do your home work before you begin to write and design your web
site.
* Do you have a clear goal? * Is your web site unique? (USP) *
Did you define your ideal customer?
Web Site Development
* Are you targeting your prospective buyers with your web site's
content, message, and design?
Sales Process/Ordering Process/e-Commerce
* Is it easy to contact you? * Do you provide contact
information on every page or do you have a link to a contact
page? * Are you providing an 800 number, local number, mailing
address, and email? * Is it easy to buy from you? Do you provide
several easy ordering options? (online, fax, mail, phone, 800
order number). Do you provide several payment options? (credit
cards, PayPal, Storm Pay, cashier's check, money order) * Are
you providing a secure online order form? * Is your order form
easy to find? * Do you provide risk reversal with a money-back
guarantee?
Design Elements
* Does your web site look professional? Does it portray a
powerful, professional image? * Is your web site user-friendly?
(logical navigation, speed, easy-to-read) * Do your web pages
load fast? * Are your pages easy to read? (layout, colors, white
space) * Is your site interactive? Can visitors contact you
through email forms, feedback forms, and guestbooks? Are you
communicating with your visitors through newsletters? * Do all
graphics and images show up? * Are your forms working? Did you
check every part of your forms? * Did you maintain a consistent
look and feel? Are the layout, typefaces, colors, and navigation
consistent in all your pages? * Did you use white space, color,
and formatting to control the look of your documents? * Are
pages designed for your target audience? Do they fit your
audience's monitor? * Did you test and optimize all pages wimth
popular browsers, platforms, computers, screen resolutions, and
settings?
Navigation
* Can visitors and potential buyers easily find what they're
looking for? * Do you have a link to your home page, contact
page, and order form on every page? * Are all links working?
Final checklist before putting pages on the Web * Did you verify
spelling and grammar? * Is the content written at your
audience's reading level? * Did you use a writing style and
vocabulary your audience understands? * Did you verify contact
information? * Did you verify that all graphics show up? * Did
you verify that all forms are working? * Did you view your pages
with popular browsers, platforms (PC and Mac), screen
resolutions, and settings?
Marketing
* Are you capturing your visitors' email? * Are you providing a
free newsletter, report, consultation, or other offer? * Are you
building email lists? * Are you staying in touch with your
potential buyers through an ezine, newsletter, announcements,
and special offers? * Are you marketing your site consistently?
* Are you submitting your web site to search engines every four
to six weeks? * Are you tracking your traffic? * Are you
updating your site regularly?
Think like the ideal customer. Your Web site will be successful
only if you provide what your visitors and buyers need.