Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
You may know how to get users to your site, but do you know howto get them through your site? If not, they'll have ahard time finding what they're looking for.
Structuring your Web site sensibly from the start makes iteasier to grow the site down the road. The challenge? To present alot of information in a format simple enough for users tonavigate.
One way to build a firm foundation for your site is by using atheory of Web site and software design called informationarchitecture. Kerry Crocker, partner and information designerat ZapGun Interactive, an Internet software developer in Atlanta,says consistency and organization are key. "Informationarchitecture allows the user to draw an accurate mental picture ofyour site's structure and then use your site efficiently,"she explains. To put your site in order:
1. Organize the information. Group the contenttogether into related sections and subsections. For example,product pricing could be one section, company background data andcontact information another, and marketing information a third."This kind of hierarchical organization is a good startingpoint," says Crocker.
2. Draw a map of your hierarchy. Use blocks torepresent sections and subsections, and arrows to represent pathsusers might want to take. Says Crocker, "Make the importantinformation prominent by putting it within reach from anywhere onthe site."
3. Run a usability test. Get real users to walkthrough the design. "Incorporating real user input into yourdesign makes your site better and prevents redesigns down theroad," Crocker notes.
The end result is a site that supports growth from your end andis easy to navigate from the user's end.
Shannon Kinnard (shannon@ideastation.com is theowner of Idea Station, an editorial services company in Decatur,Georgia, that specializes in e-mail newsletters. Shecontributes to Integrated Marketing & Promotionsanddigitalsouth magazines, and is working on her first book, whichdiscusses marketing via e-mail.
Sites For More Eyes
Think you've got the greatest Web site in the world? Itdoesn't matter if no one knows it's there. To make sureyour site shows up at the top of a results page when users do asearch, you need to optimize your search engine listing by workingwith search engines and directories.
Search engine listing optimization relies on a combination ofmeta tags, keyword placement, resubmission and luck. There arecompanies out there that guarantee they'll get you listed atthe top of the results page for the words you want. The mostcredible of these will turn down your business if you target a wordthat is simply too popular. They'll also charge your business alot because what they're promising to do is, quite frankly, atedious task.
The good news: Anyone can learn how to get a decent rating on aresults page (although you may not get top placement on popularwords). The best place to learn is Search Engine Watch (http://www.searchenginewatch.com),a site that keeps tabs on the ever-changing ways different searchengines find and rank Web sites, with an emphasis on how to improveyour site's ranking. There's plenty of useful info forfree; more in-depth details are available to members for $29 peryear.
Search engines constantly change their listing rules--partly tofoil spammers who use underhanded tricks to stuff their Web pagesfull of keywords to garner top placement in results. Be forewarned:Dishonest methods, like repeating keywords 50 times in a row orplacing them in white text on a white background (so they'reinvisible to users, but seen by the search engine) can actually getyour site banned from a search engine.
While keeping your site on top of the pack is time-consuming, itshouldn't be overwhelming. Of the hundreds of search enginesout there, just seven have penetrated the widespread consciousnessof Internet users: Lycos (http://www.lycos.com), AltaVista(http://www.altavista.com),Excite (http://www.excite.com),HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com),WebCrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com),Infoseek (http://www.infoseek.com) and Yahoo!(http://www.yahoo.com).
The bottom line: You can tweak your site and your listing usingfree advice from Search Engine Watch and secure a reasonably highranking. Even if your money is burning a hole in your pocket, thinktwice before shelling it out to a listing optimization company. Thecash is better spent on your owneducation . . . with a membership at SearchEngine Watch.
Contact Source
ZapGun Interactive, kerry@zapgun.com, http://www.zapgun.com
