By this time almost every company has a web site. Many companies are not very happy with theirs. And the most common reason for this feeling is that there is not a great deal of traffic to their web site. Why is this?

Research shows that 80 to 90% of visitors to web sites never leave the page that they came in on. There are several reasons for this. The user clicks the wrong button and lands on a page which is not interesting. The page they came in on is confusing with too much clutter, or lacks enough information to encourage the visitor to stay. The most common problem is that visitors did not find what they were looking for the instant that they arrived on the site.

Creating an entry, or home page that works is critical. Navigation aids are a key to a good web site design. There must be top navigation links that encourage the visitor to go to the most important pages on your web site. And these links should be changed periodically. Left side navigation links tells the visitor what is in your site and how to get around. Bottom navigation is a repeat of some of the links on the top and side. There must be contact information which includes your corporate name, address (street and e-mail) and telephone number.And how about a tagline which tells visitors about your business and what you do. Finally there should be copyright information and a privacy statement.

It is critical to keep your entry page fresh. It's easy to have an automatic date change. It tells the visitor that your site is up to date. Do not have a date telling when the site was last updated. And please don't use that obsolete "counter" that most sites had back in 1995. There are much more sophisticated ways to analyze the traffic to your site, page by page, which is transparent to the visitor. Change other items on your home page periodically so that visitors are encouraged to make repeat visits to your site to find new information.

The right side of the entry page should be used for attention-getting sales pitches and information on new products and collateral materials. Many sites have self-banners promoting products and services.

And finally you need to optimize your web site so that the major search engines and directories list your site when the appropriate keywords (and phrases) are inserted into a search box.The results of the search are returned in what is referred to as a SERP. And your listing should appear within the first three pages. This is called Search Engine Optimization and is a critical feature in any good web site design.

Your web site may be your most important method for getting new leads and increasing sales. If it isn't today it will be shortly. It is not enough to just have a web presence. It must work hard for you.

THE CHESHIRE GROUP, INC.
52 Main Street, North Reading, MA 01864
Tel.: 978 664-3040 • Fax.: 978 664-4358
Just minutes north of Boston Massachusetts off
Interstates 93 & 95 and Route 128