* Site download time
* On page optimisation
* User Friendly design
* Page dimensions
* Content
* Install an analytics package

The above are all very important in the process of building a site and should be considered carefully.

Site download time is becoming an important issue and rumours have it that search engines are going to be looking at this more and more. Visitors to your website will not want to wait a long time for it to download; research has shown that users will only wait on average 8 seconds for a page download. If your site is too slow you will lose visitors to competitors. To speed up your site don’t add too many images and limit the amount of flash involved.

On page optimisation is crucial if you want search engines to find your website. With more and more people using search engines to find websites and information you really need to carefully select what keywords, descriptions and page titles you use. Think about what words people will use to search for you and make sure that they are included in the title, description and keywords. By doing this you will be found by search engines. An SEO specialist can help you with this.

Make sure your website has a user friendly design; you need to think about where certain things should be such as menus and content. Most people get used to looking in certain places for menus and links so if you put yours in an unusual place they won’t be able to find it and will leave. Other things to consider are colour schemes don’t over do it as it will confuse your users, do make it appealing though.

Page dimensions can be a difficult one, if you are using a large widescreen monitor then your design may look good but to someone who is using a smaller screen it can be a bad experience. Do not make the page too wide because users with smaller screens will have to navigate horizontally which is a big turn off for most users. Height isn’t such a big issue as users do not mind scrolling down a page, but this said don’t go over board.

Content is probably one of the most important components of any site. Search engines love content and it looks like they always will. New updated content gives them something to read and makes your website more important to them helping you become more visible. This said don’t just write any old thing on there as the most important aspect is that users who come onto your site want to find what they are looking for and easily so don’t babble. Content can also come in the form of blogs so make sure your website has an integrated blog as this way any updates are new and fresh and on your site. Content can also contain good keywords which again will appeal to search engines.

Obviously you will want to know how many visitors your site has and where they have come from; you would be surprised at the amount of websites designed without this in mind. Without analytics you do not know what is going on, it is like having a store and not knowing how many visitors are coming in. If you have an e-commerce site then by not knowing your visitors you will not know your conversion rate of sales. If you know that 1000 people visit your site each week but you are only selling 10 items something is wrong, you can then look at your site design, products and pricing to understand what is putting people off. Analytics is vital to understanding your web site.

Having a website is a great way to showcase your business or personal interests but if it isn’t optimised then nobody can find it and it will be just out there not creating any interest.

Ian Spencer works for Clear Web Services, a SEO Web Optimisation and Web Design company serving the Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire and South Wales.

He has worked in the SEO and Internet Marketing world for many years, and working in partnership with another company has launched the new SEO business.

http://clearwebservices.com/ For More Information, please call 01594 835 857 or email info@clearwebservices.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_D_Spencer

Planning to get a custom web design done for you company is the ideal way to ensure visitor retention and, rather than using a template for your website, you should consider get a professional, web site built for you. The benefits of a custom website compared to an off-the-shelf template far outweigh the long-term costs of a custom design.

When you have had your custom web design built, search engine optimisation is the next essential step. If your design company is experienced, they will have built a website that is search engine friendly and as a result, will make it more probable that visitors will find your website.

The look and feel of websites is an important part of the design of your custom designed website. As a client, you might already have an image of how you would like your website to look. In other cases, a client will know very little about websites and the online world, relying heavily on the design company. As a potential client, you should also ask to see some of their existing customer websites to see if it matches up to your expectations and fits with your vision.

Many companies who are not technically minded prefer to rely solely on their web design company to create and produce a website mock up, based on their experience. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but as a potential client, it is important that you ask to see some of their existing websites and work before you commit.

The functionality of a website is one of the key things to success. You can have the most attractive website in the world, but if your customers cannot get around it easily, you risk alienating them completely.

When a project is completed, all things considered, including the look and feel, the speed of loading, the colours, and the content should all balance, immersing you users in a good experience. Having a custom web design made for your company will you’re your company feel unique, with a user more likely to bookmark your site to return.

Custom web design can elevate a website from being simply adequate to being a powerful marketing tool for a business. It can also be much more affordable than most people might imagine. A custom-built website may require a bit of an investment, but the returns to the client are sure to make the investment worthwhile.

A custom web design can make your company stand out – find out more now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Andrew

Looking at the bigger picture, a Professional web design can have a greater effect on the customers than a template, helping you to convert leads into paying clients. Having a professional website is an extremely important tool in your toolkit which will help you grow your business successfully.

There are 2 choices when it comes to having a website created. The first choice is to use ready-made template that can be found online and modify it for your business. The downside to this is that many other companies will have a similar looking website as a result. It also makes search engine optimisation more difficult.

The second option is a much more worthwhile investment and is to get a customised, professional website design. This will give you the ability to keep your customers abreast of new developments, as well as keep them engaged and coming back to see what additions and alterations you have made to your site as well as to your company.

Every business is different and so are their needs when it comes to their individual websites. A Professional web design is unique and personal only to your business. It can make the site more engaging and interactive, leading customers to spend more time learning about what you have to offer.

While many companies think that using a template is a great way to cut a corner on marketing spends, it can turn away more customers than it attracts. The majority of templates that companies use as an alternative to professional web designs in many cases end up costing the company more in missed opportunities over the long term.

If you can get your visitors to spend time on your site, it is more likely that they will buy your products or services from you. As a result, you need to focus on having a well designed website to achieve this.

Putting together a website yourself can be extremely overwhelming for the non-technical person and cause you a lot of wasted effort in time and energy that you could be putting into running your business. As you are a professional with your business, so it is true that hiring the right professional web design company to build your site will pay dividends. They will also have the tools to research your competition.

Taking the leap and spending the money up-front and investing in a professional web design will give you not only the springboard of a better looking website, but will also be generally easier for visitors and the search engines to navigate around and index.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Andrew