Whether you are solely in charge of designing and maintaining your website or you are outsourcing it to a pro, there are some things that you should just avoid at all costs. The last thing you want to do is annoy or distract your hard-earned visitors, so be sure to steer clear of these top visitor pet peeves…

1. Slow Load Times.

Perhaps there’s nothing worse than clicking through to a website only to have to wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. Get the idea? No one likes websites that load slow (or sometimes not at all). Having this issue is a surefire way to skyrocket your site’s bounce rate.

2. Page Errors.

Whether it’s an expired security certificate problem, a script that fails to execute correctly, or any other glitch that presents an error message, this pet peeve is both cumbersome and worrisome for visitors. You don’t want to be associated with having a site that looks like it’s been hacked or otherwise unsecure.

3. Hard To Read Text.

Take it easy on your visitors’ eyes. It’s hard enough to get people to pay attention to your message-and if you make it too hard to read with small text or low contrast text and background issues, you’re sure to run into trouble.

4. Sensory Overload.

Less is more; simple is better. These two adages rein always true on the web. Don’t distract your visitors from what they need to see and interact with by putting too much extra stuff-whatever it may be-on your site, in the way.

5. Auto-Play Multimedia.

This is not work friendly or friendly to visitors in any way. No one likes to click through to a site to be bombarded with audio, video, or a virtual “guide.” It can be startling in many instances-and just annoying in others. Always give the visitor the option to initiate any multimedia features themselves.

6. Pop-Ups.

Only in very rare cases should pop-ups be used. And unless you want to be permanently branded as a “never-visit-again” kind of site, never force your visitors to click on a pop-up message to proceed with their browsing in any way. Blocking visitors from interacting the way they want will ensure they never visit again.

7. Forms That Reset.

Ever start to fill out a web form (such as checking out on an e-commerce purchase), click “Next” to find out that you missed a required field? And then, when you go back, you’ve got to re-enter all of the information from the very beginning all over again? This is not visitor friendly.

It’s a good idea to work hard to make your site as free from common visitor pet peeves as possible.

Author: Web Spider, Inc.

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SEO, SEM, PPC Management & Web Design

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A copywriter is a writer who writes copy (or text) on behalf of other businesses to promote their organization or product/s – generally in the form of promotional material such as advertisements, press releases or brochures. This form of writing also covers such writing aspects as website content, commercial emails and newsletter text.

1. A Copywriter Can Save You Time

More specialized or focused than a general blog post or subject article, copywriting can be a time consuming process. Read the rest of this entry »

Many folks just getting started off on the web with their first site choose to go the pre-designed theme route. And as abundantly available as ready-to-use website themes are, at first it wouldn’t seem like all that bad of an idea at all. After all, the idea is to find an existing design that you like and that’s available for free or for a reasonable Read the rest of this entry »

Nowadays, every webmaster on earth seems to be trying to beat his competitors by using any method possible to boost his website Search Engine Ranking.

What is search engine ranking anyway?

It’s some kind of rating assigned by Google and other search engines to any particular site by employing certain algorithms which include search engine optimization, incoming traffic, ease of use, inbound links, title bars, and other criteria. Read the rest of this entry »

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the deafening buzz over the popular social networking web site called Twitter. However, like many small business owners, you may be having a difficult time determining just how to utilize Twitter to help your company grow. Luckily, you don’t have to be a computer expert or a marketing guru to infuse Twitter into your overall promotional strategy.

What Exactly Is Twitter?

Twitter is a social networking web site that can be utilized to send relatively brief messages of about 140 characters to acquaintances, family members, friends, or to the general worldwide Internet community.

Common Uses For Twitter

There are numerous applications for Twitter, but the main uses include, news, instant updates, and communication with friends and family. For example, LA Fire fighters employ Twitter to keep the community abreast of potential fires and other emergencies. In addition, news agencies use Twitter to provide up-to-the-minute news updates. While companies and public services are beginning to utilize Twitter more and more, most Twitter users utilize the web site to keep family and friends updated on their current activities.

Utilizing Twitter As A Mass Media Outlet

If you run a business, you can utilize Twitter to publish news and updates about your specific business or your products. The proper method involves posting a clickable link to the full Read the rest of this entry »

Almost every one in five small businesses are now tweeting regularly, according to research released recently by O2, the mobile phone provider. (“Small Businesses are Catching Twitter Bug,” Richard Tyler, The Telegraph, 16 March 2009) Although the larger, multinational firms were the first to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, increasing numbers of small to medium businesses are catching up. In many ways Twitter is an even more useful tool for these mom-and-pop operators than for the big players who have the deep financial pockets to fund large advertising budgets. Twitter, on the other hand, is free, simple and easy to use and is the newest, most useful tool for small businesses looking to increase sales and profits.

Cost savings

Small businesses that use Twitter save on marketing and recruitment costs. A substantial amount has been saved by firms who use Twitter instead of traditional marketing methods, an impressive cost reduction from the small business perspective. (“UK Small Businesses Flock to Twitter,” News Desk, smallbizpod.co.uk, 17 March 2009) Small businesses Read the rest of this entry »

If you need to generate free traffic for your blog, blog forums are a great place to start. You know for a fact that you won’t be flogging a dead horse as all of the users are there because of a shared interest in the topic.

There are many such forums: Blogger Forum, Bloggeries and Blogst Forum are a few well known sites. A Google search will yield a vast number of results; it’s worth checking to see how active any forum is prior to registration – that way you can start with the busiest.

Remember to carefully read any forum’s rules prior Read the rest of this entry »

The hottest trend in internet marketing:  Facebook.  Facebook has a lot of potential as a marketing platform, if you use it carefully. Among the numerous opportunities to advertise, groups and Pages stand out as two of the most effective and easiest methods of brand promotion.

Groups
The original method of community-building marketing, groups are still popular, and for good reason. A group can serve as a center for everything related to your brand. It encourages people to participate in discussions about your brand, share it with others, and serves as a great way to communicate with your customers and partners.

Groups have a few disadvantages, however. You can’t send messages to your entire group if it’s over 1,000-1,500 members (though this restriction is slated for removal), limiting communication with your group members. Groups also attract more spammers than other methods of advertising, and you might find your time being consumed by dealing with this spam. Also, you’ll need to get a Facebook Page if you want to use applications, nifty widgets that make your page more functional.

Pages
Similar to groups, but with Read the rest of this entry »

Not so long ago having an Internet presence for your business meant putting up a website. A website, while still an important feature of promoting your business, is no longer enough. To reach customers businesses must go where the customers are. Web 2.0 or the social web, is an essential feature of a successful marketing plan.

Facebook is the leader of the pack of social media. According to TechCrunch in November 2008 more than one in five people who used the Internet visited Facebook. The growth of Facebook has increased ever since. Facebook has become essential for business marketing. This new style of customer contact requires implementing new and innovative ideas about marketing.

Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends and family. But you don’t necessarily want your clients to see the baby pictures your mom posted. Businesses large and small should take care to present a well defined and controlled image of their products and services. Facebook fan pages are an excellent choice for business.

Personal Facebook pages allow you to share information about yourself and to connect with friends and family. Fan pages have many of the same features as personal pages. You can still share articles, photos, videos, and applications, but the fan page is organized around a theme. All of the content on your Fan page is related to your business.

Strategies for making your Fan page a success

Make your Fan page a resource
Consider your customers interests. Read the rest of this entry »