Whether you’re thinking about doing a complete rebuild of your Web site or simply want to make a few significant changes, here are some suggestions to consider.
Note: This is the first of 2 posts on Web site. We will publish the other one in the following weeks. Enjoy the read
Video
They say that an image is worth 1000 words, following in this logic would mean that a video is worth 100,000 words! Motion is captivating which is why a well filmed and professionally edited video can do most of the pre-selling for you, even close the deal in many cases.
Moving pictures have the unique ability, other than being there live of course, to convey a message or to show features and uses of your product, or service. So a good rule of thumb is grab their attention with a solid photograph but tell the story with a slick video.
Gated Content
NEVER offer exclusive content to your user simply by asking for an email address. This can easily be spoofed by entering a false email address [ noway@toobad.com ] to be polite 🙂 . Instead, send an autoresponder email to the entered email with a link to the content.
So if the address is legit, great, if not, too bad, they ain’t getting it !
We do this on the ExoB2B site and we saw a decrease in false emails but an increase over time in QUALITY LEADS.
STOP using simple passwords !
Hackers and Bots can simply run a program that tries every possible combination to “Brut Force” their way in. So if you use your dogs name, too bad your out of luck and setting yourself up for ransomware or web site content replacement!
The chart below shows that the longer and more complex you make your passwords, the safer you’ll be and the harder you’ll make things for hackers and bots. The far right column is the most telling.
Take for instance a 6 digit password could theoretically take a bad guy 5 secs to crack. Increase the number to 11 and it theoretically jumps to 400 years ! There are plenty of desktop apps that generate password, so get one and make your online protection more robust.
Track performance
I’m not talking about a 200 meter dash here, but rather, little popcorn trails of information that are left behind when you visit a page, click a button or download a white paper.
- Google Analytics : this should have already been installed a while ago, if it’s not you should implement it because it will give you insight into what is going on on your web site, such as most visited page, exit pages, bounce rate and plenty more juicy details.
- Google Tag manager : is very handy when you need to track several different code snippets like Analytics, Ads or remarking. It can be customized to trigger certain events you have predetermined.
- Google Search console : is for keeping an eye on 404s and 501s, not blue jeans, but rather broken pages, links, or a web service.
- Heat maps : can be added as a plugin, is when you are analyzing a web page’s performance and you see different shades of colour overlaid where a user clicked or moved the cursor. I have never been a big fan but can sometimes be revealing about user behavior.
SSL ( SSwhat ! )
It’s the tiny little paddle lock that shows up just before the URL address. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and what this does is encrypt or scramble the information that is sent between your computer and the web site server you’re visiting.
If you own a web site, protect your users and get an SSL certificate. It’s not difficult to install on your site and you’ll be adding a layer of protection between your visitors and the web server. Google will penalize you if you don’t by flagging your site with a warning “NOT SECURE”.
On that note, if you like to surf the web, it is highly recommended not to interact with web sites that don’t serve an SSL certificate, whether it be for filling out forms or to buy products, you are putting your information at risk of being intercepted during transmission.
You can tell you’re on a secured page because you’ll have https:// rather than the unsecured https:// in the web address and there will be a paddle lock. Now where did I put that key?
Responsive
You are missing out BIG Time if your site is not responsive and does not adapt to a potential client’s viewport or screen size.
A Canadian sports retail company recently announced to its Mobile App users that they will cease to manage/support it and concentrate their efforts to the responsive mobile friendly web site. It makes perfect sense, since you cut the time and costs associated with maintaining an App and a Website, to concentrate all efforts and resources on delivering the best web experience possible.
In most cases, your first research will be made on a mobile device, then extensive research will be continued on desktop computer if available to the user.
Make sure your Web site does BOTH, well !
How many time have I visited a desktop version of a web site only to be served a mobile experience designed interface with HUGE typography and graphics. I kept looking for the (-)sign to reduce the page.
Same goes for the mobile user being served a desktop web version, you’ll constantly be pinching the screen to read stuff. Not pleasant.
Stay tuned for the next article containing tips…
