But what are the other essential elements?

1. A Clear Starting Point 

This might be an image, a video, a message, animation, or even large text – basically anything to guide the user at first glance. It doesn’t matter what the element is, as long as it’s clear to the user that this is the place to start. For most of our clients, it’s an image that tells a story or encompasses the purpose of the Web site or reinforces their branding/image.

2. Call to Action

The key difference of a Web site (vs. other marketing tools like print, radio or tv) is its ability to give users a place to interact. There should be at least one element on the page that inspires a user to DO something. Whether it’s filling out a form, signing up for an e-newsletter, using a tool like a calculator or answering a poll, there needs to be an active option available to engage users further.

3. Search Field

It’s been said that a site-specific search should only be included on complex sites, but it’s also been said that a search option is a ‘user’s lifeline’. To be safe, most sites today require search visibility.

4. Fresh Content

Whether it’s a Twitter feed, recent news, upcoming events, or some other fresh content, the home page needs one content type that gets updated on a regular basis (hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly).

5. Keyword-Rich Content

For nearly all of our clients, search engine optimization is a huge priority and the home page is the best opportunity to feature relevant keywords. Use industry terms or keywords that you’re trying to get ranked on, but make sure they are familiar to your users.

6. Feedback Option

The day your site launches is the end of one process, but also the beginning of the rest of your Web site’s life. With that in mind, use the power of your users to get some feedback on what’s working and what needs improvement. Whether it’s a feedback form or a short survey, give users the ability to share their opinions.

7. Site Index

Every Web site needs a road map. It’s just another line of defense to help users find what they need ASAP. This way, you’ll have the search, the main navigation, sub-navigation and a site map. There’s no way to predict exactly how every user will browse your site, so giving them the right options is key.

8. The Fine Print

Many of our clients have Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policies and/or disclaimers. The necessity of these depends on your industry, the kind of Web site and the kind of info that users are providing. If they’re entering Social Security Numbers, then you’ll want to make sure that there’s some kind of privacy policy content. This also goes for including security seals like McAfee, etc.

The home page is your last chance to make a first impression, so balance these home page elements with your overall site goals. The essential elements of a particular home page can certainly vary on a case-by-case basis, but use this checklist as an overall guide.

3 Golden Rules

• Less is more.
• Utilize links, bulleted lists and headings so users can easily scan the page for information.
• Writing for the Web is different than writing for print.

Where Should You Start?

1. Make an outline. Creating an outline or site map is an easy way to organize information into main pages (a.k.a. main navigation) and sub pages.
2. Think about your audience.
3. Write a first draft. This includes anything and everything you think should be included. Don’t worry about the exact wording, just get the general idea down on paper, even if you’re only describing the content for that section (i.e. “this page needs a photo and a short bio”).
4. Strike out content you can do without.
5. Repeat step 4.
6. Compare the first draft with the third draft. Is it about 25% of what you originally had? If the answer is yes, move onto the next section. If not, repeat step 4 until it is.

How You Can Make It Better

• Keep in mind that people don’t want to read large blocks of text online.
  • Look for opportunities to use images, diagrams, audio or video to convey information instead of text.
  • Create bulleted lists, headings and links throughout the content.
• Use relevant tone and style to connect with your audience.
• Look for patterns in the content. This may include creating templates of content (i.e. staff bio pages that include photos, contact info and a short paragraph about the person).
• Consult with a copywriter.
• Keep in mind the benefits of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and follow your analytics. If you know which keywords or phrases users type into search engines, you can incorporate those into your site content.

Resources

• Jakob Nielsen (the father of modern usability) has some very useful articles on writing for the Web. Even though they’re more than 10 years old, these principles still apply.
  • Be Succinct!
  • How Users Read on the Web
• A List Apart is a great resource for all things Web and has some great articles about writing for the web.
• Smashing Magazine is a Web industry site with a great list of useful writing tools.

Pros: inexpensive, decent quality design in a short time frame. Cons: little consultation, guidance or personal relationship. Best for: smaller projects with budgets less than $1000.

Cons: A Mac version hasn’t been released yet. It can’t call extensions, only direct lines. There is a short ad at the end if you have the free service, but it’s not so bad. I think it’s worth a try, especially since it’s FREE!

With the start of the new year, it’s a great time to check your current Web site, make routine updates and also start thinking about how you’d like the site to work for you in 2009.

Here’s a checklist of some things to address:

Update/Check all content.

If you’ve had multiple people who have been adding, editing or removing content throughout the year, then it’s probably a good idea to give the site a full read-through just to make sure things are accurate and current. Even if there’s only been one editor on the site, now is a good time to make sure that the content is ready for 2009.

• Check the footer and copyright date.
• Check contact information and staff pages.
• Check that all links are still functioning. A free, simple link checker to use is Dead Links – http://dead-links.com/. It’ll tell you if any of your links are broken.
• Are there new content or new pages of content you want to add?

Check styles for consistency.

Does your site look like ‘Franken-site’ with different sizes and styles of fonts and incorrect formatting? This is a great time to run through and correct these issues. Inconsistent styles make a Web site look amateur and dated. If you’re on an older content management system, you may experience ‘Franken-site’ from multiple editors making changes. It’s important because well-maintained sites portray professionalism and credibility.

Check for software updates.

Are you using various applications that might need to be updated? Check the versions of any applications you’re using and see if they’re current. If you’re a TradeMark client, log in to your Client Toolbox and feel free to get in touch with us if you’re not sure.

Test for browser compatibility.

The main browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome) get updated throughout the year. Download the latest versions and run a test on PC and Mac to see if anything on your current site is broken.

Back up and archive the site files.

Generally, your hosting company has backups, but it’s always good to have a version archived in a safe place like an external hard drive or a hard copy. If you are comfortable with FTP, you can log in to your site files and copy them over to a backup. This is technical, so if you’re not familiar with this process, contact your IT administrator or technical contact.

Review your design.

Does the current look and feel still reflect your company/organization’s brand? How old is the site? Is it time for a design refresh? This might be as simple as updating your color palette or getting the newest version of the logo added.

Think about upgrading your Content Management System.

How long have you had your current system? Is it still working well for you? Is there anything you’d like for it to do that it doesn’t currently do? Is it still doing basic functions for you easily and effectively? If it’s been more than 3 years, there’s a good chance you should consider upgrading to a newer system. There have been a lot of improvements in CMS systems in the past year and they have more robust features including better user and user group management and countless plug-ins and extensions that allow limitless customizations. Get in touch with us and we can help consult with you on whether it’s time for a better system.

Review your traffic stats for the last year.

Do you see any trends? Was there some aspect of your Web site that you were hoping to get more traffic, but didn’t? What about vice versa? Traffic statistics are important to check a few times a year, but if you haven’t been following them – now’s a good time to do a year-end review.

Don’t have analytics on your website? No problem – ask us about installing Google Analytics. The software is free and really easy to use.

Clean up/organize the files on your Web server.

Have you been uploading tons of images and documents to your server, many of which you don’t use or don’t recognize? Now is the time to purge and get organized. Set up a naming convention for the files so that you won’t have to do this again next year.

Check your domain registration status.

This is something that often gets forgotten because domains are usually registered for years. Do you know where your domain is registered (i.e. GoDaddy, Network Solutions, 1&1)? Do you know who owns the registration (i.e. the administrative contact or technical contact on the account)? Do you have the login info to access and manage your domain? When is the renewal coming up and what email address is going to get the renewal notice?

If you don’t respond to a renewal notice in enough time, you risk losing your domain and having your site turned off. Domain registration information is REALLY important to keep updated and in a place where you can find it. I recommend designating one person who you feel confident will be responsible with the information.

Check your email administration account.

Do you have a lot of email accounts that you no longer use? Delete them.

Maintaining your site is important throughout the year, but if you’ve been slacking, the new year is a great time to reassess to make sure your site is working to its fullest potential.

1. Email Organization – I get a LOT of email and sometimes half my day is spent wading through them just to get things done. There are two things I do to help me get through this as quickly as possible:
   • File, Act, Delegate or Delete. I loosely follow the David Allen Getting Things Done principle of dealing with individual messages. Anything that needs more than ten minutes of my attention gets a flag in my inbox and stays there to remind me to follow-up.
   • Rules. I’m on a number of newsgroups and LISTSERVs, so to avoid reading each one as they come in, I set up rules that automatically file messages for me into a particular folder so that I can read them when I have time.
2. Calendar – I segment my calendars into ‘Work’, ‘Personal’, etc. and I use alarms religiously. I also create calendar groups within Work and Personal to help me track deadlines, holidays, and events.
3. Short breaks – Believe it or not, this actually promotes my productivity. Everyone has a different working style, but for me, I find that taking a short walk outside or just stepping away from the computer for a few minutes to clear my head really helps me to get refocused and rejuvenated.
4. Browser Tabs – Working on the Web every day, I find this little tool to be one of my favorites. On most recent browser versions, such as Firefox 3 and IE 7, Ctrl + t (for a PC) or ‘Apple’ + t (for a Mac) will open a new tab and I can set my browser preferences to open new links in a new tab instead of a new window. This way, I can scroll through various windows and also be able to see everything that I’m working on without having multiple (sometimes confusing) windows open at once.
5. Priorities - When I keep my top five overall priorities on a Post-It note in front of me, I’m reminded of how to prioritize the little stuff. This one takes a bit of practice, but it’s well worth it in the long run. I try to revisit these each year. On a smaller scale, at the end of each day, I try to make a short list of five things for tomorrow. This way, I address this list first thing the following morning to get them out of the way and I get more done.
6. Keyboard Shortcuts – This is one of those things that probably seems really insignificant, but I have to say that it really helps to use Ctrl + v, or Ctrl + c instead of trying to cut and paste with a mouse. Some of my other most used shortcuts are:
   • Alt/‘Apple’ + Tab: scroll through open applications
   • Ctrl/‘Apple’ + w: close browser windows or tabs
   • ‘Apple’ + ~: scroll through open browser windows, not tabs (Note: on a PC, you have to scroll through all of the applications)
   • Shift + Print Screen or Shift + ‘Apple’ + 4: take a screenshot

   Taking the time to learn a few shortcuts or setting up some custom functions could really help to move things along faster.

7. Password Manager – These days, there are far too many usernames and passwords to retain in my memory, so, on my Mac, I use 1Password. Most of the PC users in our studio use RoboForm. These take a little time to set up, but it’s worth it in the long run to have everything at your fingertips.
8. Bookmarks – I keep the bookmarks that I use on a daily basis on my browser toolbar and try to keep things organized in folders. For me, bookmarks also represent my priorities and goals. When I was shopping for a house, I had a folder called ‘Buy a House’ and kept all my related links in there.
9. Instant Messaging – I’m somewhat torn on this as a productivity tool, but there are some obvious pros to using a chat program. (I actually use multiple programs: MSN Instant Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, GTalk, and Yahoo! Messenger, but I use Adium for Mac to consolidate all of these into one program. PC users can consolidate with Trillian or Pidgin). The biggest pro is to be able to work remotely and still be in close contact. The major cons are that things like tone and inflection don’t communicate well over instant messaging and it can very easily become a distraction. I try to turn off instant messaging when I know I need time to concentrate or put an ‘away’ message so that I can still receive messages and address them later.
10. Dual Monitors – When I only had one monitor, I didn’t know what I was missing, but now, with two screens, there’s no need to toggle between applications. I keep my calendar and email applications open on one screen and my browser open on the other. This makes it so much easier for me to see everything going on at a glance.

1. Make your site a resource for your users. Customers are typically searching for product information on the Web. Often, they find products by doing a Google search on a particular topic. Let’s say that you sell cosmetics. Your users may find your site by searching for a particular product, but they could also be searching for something like “best acne treatment”. If that’s the case, having articles, a blog or some other content resource can help your site rank higher in organic searches with results that pinpoint a particular topic. Think about how you can provide tools that visitors can use for personal assessment. In the cosmetics example above, maybe offer a tool to help users determine which lotion or cleanser is right for them – then lead them to the product.
2. Offer discounts and promotions regularly. Whether it’s free shipping or a 20% discount, shoppers love to get a good deal. In fact, more often than not, Internet shoppers are searching the Web comparing prices and deals, so the competition is fierce. Think about offering promotions that accumulate, like a rewards point program or a referral discount. Strategies like these generate recurring visits and loyal customers.
3. Track Web analytics. Web analytics help you determine how your site is being used, and to what degree of success. Stay on top of this so that you can look for patterns. If your users are consistently putting items in a cart and then abandoning it, look into why the process could be keeping them from finalizing the purchase. It could be as simple as moving a button or changing a color. Track trends instead of spikes and dips in the numbers and get feedback through surveys (maybe offer a discount as an incentive). If you provide a promotion, check the traffic afterwards to see how well it did or didn’t do. That way you can focus on the promotions that work well for your customers.
4. Start an email newsletter. Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with customers on a regular basis. The Internet shopping experience offers the unique ability to interact with your users cheaply, easily and frequently. Take advantage of this and use it not only to promote discounts, but to offer resource information.
5. Capture customer data. This is an invaluable way to find out more about shoppers’ likes and dislikes and customize your communications with them. Suppose you had a specific promotion offered at a trade show, you can tailor your messaging (via email newsletter) to offer specific discounts to a particular group.
6. Provide good customer service. Be responsive to email inquiries and provide a phone number (not just an email address) so customers can talk to a real live person. Nothing is worse for some customers than to have an issue with a product and not be able to get in touch with someone to figure it out. Follow up after the sale is complete and make sure they were satisfied.

Of course, there are countless ways to improve your e-commerce Web site, but starting with these basics will go a long way to increase sales and establish loyal, satisfied customers.