Business Website Design Decisions
Issue 126, July 9, 2003
Dear Friends,
In 1995 I wrote an article that has been immensely popular, viewed about 70,000 times last year alone! But it was seriously out of date. Over the last couple of days I completely rewrote it and present it to you as my up-to-date suggestions for business website design:
The last two articles are from my friend Mike Grehan, author of the highly-respected Search Engine Marketing: The essential best practice guide. I gave a truncated answer to my Doctor Ebiz subscribers, but thought you might like to hear his full answers.
If you feel you need to get up-to-speed or updated on Web Marketing, I'd like to invite you to sign up for the Doctor Ebiz Internet Marketing Seminar -- live stay-at-home version. This summer, instead you and me having to travel, I'm presenting it as a live Web Seminar -- with voice over Internet, a live video feed of the presenter, PowerPoint slides, time for questions and answers, networking with other participants. The whole enchilada! The offer comes with a free headset for my US participants and discounts for many of my international participants, plus $281 in bonus e-books at no extra charge. Sessions begin on Tuesday, July 22; Monday, August 4; and Tuesday, August 12 and extend for 6 sessions. Sessions are limited to a maximum of 24 participants. Register today. http://www.wilsonweb.com/webinar/dre_sem/
I'm also offering a one-hour seminar, "Introduction to E-Commerce Payment Systems" once this summer on Wednesday, July 23. http://www.wilsonweb.com/webinar/ecomm_intro.htm
I hope you'll peruse my seminar content. I think you'll see this as the summer bargain it is designed to be.
God bless you,
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Director
P.S. Please give me your suggestions on cities to visit for my Doctor Ebiz Internet Marketing Seminar, by filling
out the survey -- if you haven't already. Thanks.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=16872217882
12 Website Design Decisions Your Business or Organization Will Need to Make Correctly (or you'll have to do it all over within a year)
I believe there are 12 crucial design decisions that siteowners face when they go to build a website or initiate a website makeover. In this landmark article I detail those decisions, with the hope that I'll steer you around some of the hidden potholes. Here are the 12 crucial website design decisions you must face:
- Determine Your Website's Chief Purpose
- Decide Whether to Outsource or Do It Yourself
- Divide Your Website into Logical Sections
- Develop a Site Navigation System
- Give Your Website an Attractive 'Look and Feel'
- Build Basic Webpage Templates
- Construct Your Site to Be Search Engine Friendly
- Write and Fine-tune Focused Content Pages
- Incorporate Customer Communication Systems
- Create and Test Effective Sales Pages
- Conduct Usability Trials and Incorporate Changes
- Plan to Maintain Your Site for the Long Haul
This article is designed to be printed out so you can fill in the worksheet sections, share a copy with your website designer for discussion, and -- above all -- make the important website design decisions that will bring you success up the road. By the way, if you like you can place a syndicated version (www.wilsonweb.com/syndicate/) of this article on your website at no charge. Read the Article http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/12design.htm
Reusing Web Content without Getting Penalized
Mike Grehan gives a detailed answer to a question about syndicating content to other divisions of your organization. Will this cause you to be penalized by the search engines? How can you avoid being nailed for spamming with duplicate content? Read the Article http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/se_duplication.htm
Pointing Domains and Search Engine Penalties
Mike Grehan answers a follow up question. What about pointing multiple
domains to a single website. Will that result in penalties? Here's his thorough
discussion of the issue. Read the Article
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/se_pointed_domains.htm
New Ecommerce and Web Marketing Articles
Each month our team of link editors scours dozens of online periodicals and resources to find key information on e-commerce and Web marketing. With so much new literature available to you, how do you find what you need quickly and painlessly? Here's a selective and searchable database of article and resource links to help your research and keep you up-to-date in the field. (Links gathered in a given month are usually available during the second week of the following month.)
