Review your own website in under a minute
Let your eyes lead…
Type in the URL, then shut your eyes before the page appears. What’s the first thing you notice? Does what you see explain on the page explain what the website is about?
Narrow your eyes and look at the page. Make a note of where your eyes lead. Can you understand what’s happening on each section of the page? What you are looking for is a difference among each area of the page, your eye is naturally attracted to areas that create a contrast.
Now scan the page diagonally from the top left to the bottom right - the direction your eye is naturally trained to read (different in some cultures). Since the brain is already prepared to register information this way, ensure the content is presented in a clear and sensible order.
The memory game… On the homepage, scan it for four seconds. Then jot down four things you remember seeing. These four things should be the items you want your customer to know. The brain is only able to hold so much in its short term memory. Most people aren’t patient enough to continue reading, so they’ll click to read further. This action will mark the beginning of the user experience, so make those four most memorable things matter.
Find the junctures. Take a look at where the major lines of the page force your eye to focus. Does your eye naturally travel to these important elements on the screen? A good website design will subtly draw the eye to places where the maximum amount of information can be digested in seconds.
Train your brain to think like a user and you’ll be able to provide an enriching user experience.
What Makes Good Website Design?
10 Basic Tips to Website Design
Keep your website clean and simple.
Use colours sparingly.
Use fonts sparingly.
Optimize your photos and graphics to load quickly
Maintain plenty of “whitespace” to keep your pages uncluttered.
Don’t make visitors scroll to see important information.
Keep your navigation simple.
Maintain a consistent look & feel to each page of your website.
Keep your content relevant.
Focus on 1 main point for each page of your site.
Studies suggest that you have 3 seconds to grab your website visitor’s attention. If your site is difficult to read or confusing, your visitor will leave your site. If the page they land on doesn’t have the content they’re looking for, they’ll leave your site. So, how can you design your site to visually engage your visitors?
For starters, try sticking to no more than 3 colors and remember that dark text on a light background is generally easiest on your eyes. As for fonts, many designers choose one Sans Serif font type (such as Arial or Verdana) and stick to it throughout their site. Also, don’t feel you need to fill up the entire page. Visitors won’t know where to look if your website pages are too cluttered. Proper use of whitespace helps to guide their attention to where you want them to look.
Try to not confuse your website visitors. Once they’ve landed on your site, they’ll look around and get the “lay-of-the-land“. They’ll figure out where your navigation menu is, where to look for content, how to contact you, search, etc. A consistent look and feel to your site prevents them from having to figure this all out again when they go to another page.
5 Key Components to a Website Page
Logo/Colours: Your website is part of your brand identity. If you already have printed marketing materials (and have no compelling reasons to change them), then you probably already have a colour scheme and logo. Building brand recognition dictates keeping your identity consistent across all of your marketing efforts.
Navigation: Your website navigation has to be easy to use and easy to find. Not all of the pages from your website need to be part of your main menu. You can link to new pages or use sub-menus. Larger sites often add site maps for additional navigation.
Content: “Content is King!” – Personally, I’ve heard this comment so many times that I’m tired of hearing it. However, it’s true. Visitors will go to your website because they need something. It could be information, something they want to buy or simply entertainment but they are there for a reason. Fill that need or they’re gone. If you know your target customer, you should know their “lingo” – the words/phrases they’re searching on. Knowing and using the keywords that your visitors relate to is critical to both being found (showing up in the search results) and keeping your visitors on your site long enough to get them to do whatever it is you want them to do.
Footers: Footers (located at the bottom of your page) usually contain copyright, contact & legal info as well as links to main sections of your site. There’s a new trend by companies with larger sites to utilize this area to include expanded navigation and content such as blogrolls and linkrolls (links to recommended blogs & links).
Whitespace: Whitespace or negative space refers to areas of your page that does not have text, graphics or photos. Using whitespace carefully helps to keep your visitors from being overwhelmed by too much content.
To sum it up, cohesive design helps people feel comfortable. Good content makes them feel that they’re on the right website. Professionalism helps them trust you.
I hope this article has raised as many questions as it has answered. I can say with confidence that as long as you’re in business, you’ll never be completely “done” with your website. There will always be ways to improve your site. There will always be changes to the way people find you and the way search engines deliver their results.
Ten easy ways to get more traffic to your website
1. Start a blog – give prospective clients a reason to go to your website by providing fresh content at least once a week. (This will be easier if you write several posts ahead of time and schedule them.) Make the articles useful and engaging rather than sales pitches.
2. Guest blogging – Create content not only for your blog but also for other people’s. This brings new visitors to your website, helps you build your reputation as an expert and also helps you rise in the search engine rankings.
3. Social Media – Join a few sites such a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube and make connections. Pick the sites where your prospective clients will be or network with people who have similar clients to you so you can build relationships and eventually refer clients to each other.
4. Offline methods – Look for ways to promote your website offline – talk to friends, family and even strangers. Public speaking, networking and writing articles for trade publications are low cost (or free) and can all bring visitors to your website. Make sure you include the link in any promotional literature you hand out.
5. Use RSS Feeds – RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” Readers can subscribe to your feed and get email updates when new content is posted on your blog.
6. Get a mailing list – you can tell mailing list members when new blog posts are published as well as about special offers and promotions. Including links to blog articles you’ve written makes the mailing more of a ‘soft sell’ (good for building relationships) as well as encouraging them to click through to your website.
7. Join Forums – Become a member of business forums to meet new people and share ideas. Add a link to your website in the signature line (check the forum rules to make sure you’re allowed to do this, though).
8. Visit other people’s blogs – show your appreciation to those who visit you by also posting comments on their blogs.
9. Use keywords for search engine optimisation – whatever you write, use relevant keywords. Work out what your keywords are and then use a couple in the headlines of your webpages and blog posts. Then try to use them a couple more times early on in the main body text. Don’t be tempted to stuff the text with keywords, though. Just make sure the text sounds natural and then squeeze in a few keywords so that search engines can work out what the page/post is about.
10. Social Bookmarking – submitting blog posts to social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon allows others who are members of those sites to track you back to your blog. Even better, submit other people’s posts, too. That way they will want to return the favour and submit yours.
How to Work with a Virtual Assistant
Maybe it is the first time you hire a Virtual Assistant and you do not know where to start, how to delegate, or simply how to work with a person that is not in your office, but is miles away and you only see or talk to over Skype and messenger.
The most important question you ask yourself is about TRUST. But if you hire a Virtual Assistant you must be open to new ideas and suggestions and delegate without doubt.
Therefore it is important to have a good communication with your Virtual Assistant from the very beginning. You can ask your Virtual Assistant for daily, weekly reports, and follow up on the work. On the other hand you must always give direct and understandable instructions,.
To avoid misunderstandings it is a good idea to set rules and guidelines.
Be patient and make sure that your Virtual Assistant understand your business, your needs. Spending some time to explain the work in the beginning, will save a lot of time in th end.
If you want to concentrate on other aspects of your business, and that is why you hired a Virtual Assistant, then do not be afraid to delegate and give control of some tasks that can be done by your Virtual Assistant independently.
In order to have a healthy partnership with your Virtual Assistant you must plan ahead. Keep in mind that your Virtual Assistant has other clients they work for. So ensure that you schedule your work accordingly. Keeping work for the last minute is not ideal. Ensure that you are prepared and available especially if you have a deadline to meet.
Follow these short guidelines and you will have a real good partnership with your professional Virtual Assistant. You will not even think about that you are far away if you have a good communication and you trust each other.
Have a nice work!
*Article taken from VAE, Virtual Assistant Europe - 20/10/2011 - Twitter @silvialarsen
How to Hire the Right Virtual Assistant.
Somewhere on the internet you stumbled upon the term Virtual Assistant. It sounds intriguing so you do a little research and you realise that this could be a fabulous solution for your business.
You decide it’s time for you to hire a Virtual Assistant. Then you get stuck. How do you find one? What kind of VA do you need? How much is this going to cost? How do we communicate? How does this all work?
Before you even begin the process of hiring a Virtual Assistant there are a few things that need to be worked out first. What kinds of tasks do you want them to take on? Write it out with as much detail and structure as you possibly can. Are you comfortable with working with someone virtually? Can you handle not being able to see someone fact to face? If so, map out how you would feel most comfortable communicating with your Virtual Assistant. Decide how often you’ll want to touch base with them. It’s important to know this ahead of time so that you can find a Virtual Assistant that is compatible with you and your work flow. How many hours do you think you’ll need them for each .
Once you’ve worked these things out, it’s time to find your candidates. Google Virtual Assistant+ whatever niche or specialty and your location. Try to find the one nearest to you. Although you will mainly work virtually, it does help communication if once in a while you can meet face to face and chat.
Once you have found several, take a good look at their websites. Just as you would any future supplier, make sure they have a registered office, several methods of contact, testimonials and overall a good web presence.
With your shortlist in hand contact each VA and discuss your requirements. A professional VA will take the lead in this conversation and help you (if you are unsure) understand exactly how you can work together.
Good luck!
What’s So Good About Virtual Assistants
Utilising a Virtual Assistant is a great way for small business owners to organise themselves and expand their businesses without taking on an employee. Hiring a VA eliminates the need to train, or insure expenses such as employee tax, equipment, holiday leave and sick pay.
Virtual Assistants can support business owners in multiply areas such as:
- Dealing with daily administration
- Marketing assistance
- Taking or making telephone calls
- Chasing late payments
- Sort and deal with emails
- Manage your diary
- Handle paperwork, bills, expenses and invoices
- Meeting and travel arrangements
- Source and order services and supplies
- Write and send proposals, contracts and invoices
- Prepare and send direct mail
Just about any business in any type of industry can benefit from the services a Virtual Assistant provides. Whether your business is web based or traditional, Virtual Assistants can offer fantastic value with incredible results. Any size business can increase their manpower without increasing the payroll budget. It’s easy to enjoy the perks that come with a full time employee without having to worry about paying taxes or health benefits, or pay for smoke breaks and vacation. You may be asking yourself, “How do I know they will do the work?” Virtual Assistants depend on steady clients and referrals to keep their businesses thriving, this ensures that you will receive the same loyalty that you would receive with an in house employee. Their business depends on it. With a Virtual Assistant there is no need for temporary employees or outsourcing because we are always available to provide services to our clients at a reasonable cost.
Virtual Assistants provide services in several different ways to meet each client’s individual needs. You can pay by project or by the hour. Most VA’s charge in 15 minute increments which means you are only paying for the exact amount of time you use. You may even find discounts by committing to a certain number of hours per week or month. Have you ever been able to do that with a regular full time employee? Qualified Virtual Assistants have usually worked in a high level administrative position and are well equipped to deal with the tasks of a fast paced environment. When you use a Virtual Assistant you are truly using a complete professional at what they do. What can a Virtual Assistant do for you?
www.emeraldresources.co.uk
Productivity Using Virtual Assistants
Everyone is aware of the fact that there has been a global recession that has been going on; furthermore, this is not a new situation to business owners, particular those of small businesses. As such, a number of business owners are trying to find ways how to improve the business, while still being able to save some money.
Virtual Assistants are persons that help to bridge the gap between a dedicated team and an entrepreneurial business that is growing. These individuals do not operate from the same physical location as you do; however, they help to get a number of tasks accomplished, so that you will be able to practice better time management and get more tasks accomplished. Here are some of the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant:
Pay-as-You-Go – One of the primary advantages of hiring virtual assistants (VAs) is that you only utilize their services when you need them. Due to the fact that they are not at the same physical address as you, you do not have to worry about spending most of your money on consulting fees. You will arrange with the virtual assistant the amount of hours that they will be expected to work weekly, and at the end of every week he or she will submit an invoice to you for the work completed.
Cut the Expensive Fees and Benefits – A number of business owners have to be practicing scalability, and hiring a virtual assistant is one of the ways in which you can practice that. By hiring a virtual assistant, you will not be required to pay for vacation time, health benefits, or other miscellaneous expenses.
Great Support Staff – Because you will only require the services of a virtual assistant as you need them, he or she will be able to complete work for other entrepreneurs as well. Therefore, it is imperative that you hire a virtual assistant that is able to practice good time management. This is essential to he or she being able to balance your workload, and workload from other entrepreneurs.
Efficient Work Production – One thing that you ought to keep in mind is that most virtual assistants are not located in the same time zone as you, which could ultimately help you improve the business. This is primarily because they will be able to complete certain tasks long before you are out of bed, which helps you to start your day worry-free. All this requires is proper time management.
Although virtual assistants are new to the small business world, they help with productivity and saving money, particularly in this global recession.
The Right Way To Treat Your Virtual Assistant
Article Network | Suggestions in Dealing Together with your Virtual Assistant
The Right Way To Treat Your Virtual Assistant
For business owners, getting a virtual assistant for the first time can be a challenge. Specially if almost all the workers he has are on-site. There is a large distinction in managing those 2 types of staff.
The numbers of small business owner having a Va are escalating everyday. Take a look at the amount of the job posts that the outsourcing internet sites have – take a take a look at oDesk, Elance, onlinejobs.ph and some others. Their company is flourishing.
But there is not much facts on how to interact with your Virtual Assistants. They may possibly come from at any place world wide – name it, they’ve VAs available. You can interview until you come across ‘the one’ for your company. The one that may support you’ve a lot more time for your self, profit far more and just be there when you will need them.
But what is the proper method to treat a virtual assistant?
Normally, you hire a VA on a per hour basis, it could just e several hours in a day, or half day or even even on a per assignment basis. And then you need to know the limitations, you just have to coordinate with them in the course of those hours alone. These virtual assistants have a number of clients also, and they’ve their very own work schedules. As an example: you have an office staff who sells insurance on the side. It’s possible for the insurance supervisor to go to your workplace and ‘borrow’ your office staff even for a few minutes? Now you begin to see the sense?
Another factor is that virtual assistants are human – they have feelings. It’s permitted to become close to them, to speak with them outside of their work. It is alright to know them better personally. You might discover this even effective inside the process. Bear in mind that individuals who like what they’re accomplishing and who they are doing that for are much more productive.
Trust. I recognize this must be received. You must be able to rely on virtual assistant and if not, maybe you do not have the suitable Virtual assistant for you.
And finally, supply feedbacks. You must correct your Virtual assistant, if she has completed some thing wrong. Tell her, so that next time she understands what to do. Don’t be shy to do that – which will be very good for both of you. And do not fail to remember to praise or recognize something excellent that your Virtual assistant has performed. A simple praise will go a long, long way, believe me on this.
So in short, whenever you hire a virtual assistant, treat them as your real personnel – not just well, a second rate staff. And you will surely reap rewards with regards to dedication, support, loyalty and who knows, friendship too.
Hire a VA is an SEO Company in the Philippines that outsources Virtual Assistants and SEO specialists. They take joy in with helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses by setting them free in doing tedious tasks and helping them in more ways they could imagine.
Article Courtesy of Article Network
How One Working Mum Did It?
Tell us a little about your business Emerald Resources.
It’s a virtual office support company that provides professional administrative, technical, and creative assistance to clients. In addition to PA and secretarial tasks, I can also provide clients with a wide range of more technical skills such as proficiency with Excel, graphic design and well-honed marketing and research services. We offer a personal approach, only enlisting a few clients at a time on our books.
What was your job before starting your business?
Marketing and event manager for a legal services provider, in Cardiff.
How did you go from your old career to your new business?
I jumped in the deep end! Travelling from Bath to Cardiff every day in rush hour, was not something I wanted to do while I was pregnant, nor did I want to return to work anytime soon after my baby was born. Luckily I had a wonderful relationship with my company and they agreed to take me on as a contractor rather than an employee. I resigned, set up my company and my new self-employed status and it grew from there.
What were your reasons for starting a business?
My husband serves in the Armed Forces and is away for long periods of time, several times a year. I wanted the freedom to be able to work my own hours and be at home for my family.
Did you use any childcare?
I deliberated for months about if and when to send Ava to nursery. I am still deliberating… In the meantime I make sure she gets time to mingle with other children and the chance to experience new things.
How did you get your business idea?
I worked remotely on and off for my company after I moved counties. By utilising the power of the internet and by being accessible via phone or Skype for meetings, I proved that a virtual way of working was just as productive as being in the office.
What were your challenges and how did you overcome them?
For me the two biggest challenges were starting a business from scratch and winning customers. The first I overcame by researching numerous websites. The likes of http://www.businesslink.gov.uk and http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup/ I found the most resourceful. I also took the time to write a thorough business plan and have two of my closest business contacts look it over. I still refer to my business plan to keep things fresh in my head. The challenge of winning customers will always be a challenge. Initially I tested a number of different strategies to ascertain the best way of bringing in work. I now use the main approaches most frequently;
- Work closely with a competitor and have their overflow work fed down to me.
- Network online via social networking sites and related organisations.
- Encourage word of mouth marketing by rewarding referrals.
- Look for 20 new clients a month (in my target market) and contact the decision maker for the company.
What training, information or advice did you need to get started?
I read a lot about how to start a business and did a great deal of research on my competitors. I used the knowledge and advice given to me by close business contacts and sought out additional advice from banks and start up agencies.
If you could give a piece of advice to a mum of a baby or toddler starting a business, what would it be?
Write a business plan! From here you will clearly see if your idea is likely to succeed. Set an area aside at home and turn it into a productive working environment and most importantly make sure you can absorb your work but still give your time and love to your baby.
