After you find the right web designer (which unfortunately most of us do not the first time around), then you need to also make sure they agree with and/or are aware of the following 16 Crucial Must Haves for your site (otherwise, keep looking ok?).
Your website should:
1. Be easily found on the search engines
2. Increase your traffic to your site
3. Increase your conversions (people who visit your site that sign up on your list)
4. Be updated regularly with new exciting, keyword rich content
5. Be professionally designed and maintained (and NOT by YOU!)
6. Be built with the user in mind
7. Increase your exposure in your local area or nationwide
8. Have the functionality that your users need and want
9. Be extremely attention getting on every page, especially the home page
10. Have a way for visitors to sign up on your list in order to build your database
11. Provide free resources to keep visitors coming back
12. Provide links and content that generate interest and repeat visits
13. Continue to build your relationship with your visitors, clients and prospects
14. Have an easy way to contact you
15. Tell your story and why you’re doing what you’re doing
16. Allow people to trust you and get to know you
17. Do 100 Million other things too…but you’ll have to contact me to find out more!
There is so much more to building an effective website which is why I write and teach about it a lot so if you’re in the market for a new one now or know it’s time to update your current site, I’d urge you to check out the service that I created just for this planning purpose – so you only have to redesign your site ONE more time….
I wrote this article a little ahead of time but hopefully my new website is live by now (since I’ve been gone this week who knows) but take a look for example what I just did to my site:
My old site – http://www.blogger.com/www.ksawamarketing.com
My new site -http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/
I think it’s a nice upgrade if I do say so myself – but I designed the look and feel concept for both of these myself and the flow and everything else too.
Now, if you would like some help with your site I developed my JumpStart Your Website Consult and Planning Meeting just for this reason. You can read all about it at www.JumpStartYourWebsite.net We go into depth in this series of calls and I also work out a written plan for you to hand to your designer (or I’ll refer you to one of mine) which will make it soooo easy for them to create a really effective, results-oriented site for you.
If you’d rather just get my 2 cents so to speak then I can do one of my 1 Hour Business Strategy Sessions with you and I’ll record it and we can review and audit your current site, I’ll tell you everything I think you should change, add or delete in order to get better results (based on all my training on this stuff!), then you can take that recording to your designer if you prefer. It’s up to you – but don’t wait too much longer or your competitors might figure this stuff out!!! Find out about my 1 Hour Session at www.JumpStartYourBusinessNow.com
© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa Marketing International Inc.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/
