I will definitely recommend Classic Creations to friends, colleagues and clients!
Website Content
No matter how great your site and graphics look, you cannot be successful on the web without good website content. Not only does your website content have to attract the Search Engines correctly…it is also important that your content will "draw in the customers" through intelligent and easy to read text, as well as intuitive navigation.
Before we start…
All website content must be provided to Classic Creations by the client, we do not write content. It is the client’s responsibility to verify that both the content and images given to Classic Creations for website development will not infringe upon any statutory copyright. It is assumed that the client has obtained all necessary right, license or interest in any intellectual property, and has obtained all necessary consents in order that Classic Creations may use that intellectual property in the client’s website.
It is important that you do not “copy” another site that you like. Copyright infringement is a serious offense (we ourselves have been fighting it with our own content), and you can get in legal trouble by committing it. Even copying and slightly changing is against the law…it’s considered a “derivative work”. As a website owner, you are responsible for what is on your site, and if you have copy written for you, you should make sure the writer takes responsibility for the authenticity of their work.
Organization of Your Website Content
Now that you’ve determined the basic “look” of your website, it’s time to get organized and plan the navigation and layout of your site. Simple is always best when it comes to a website. Which aspects of your site are the most important?
Typical navigation of a website may include:
• A Home page or Opening page – introducing your website and company or product
(your home page is the most important – it is the impetus to draw people further in)
• A Company Profile or About Us Page
• Products/Services /Prices or an Online Catalog/Shopping Cart
• How to Order and Shipping Information
• A Contact Us Page with phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
• A Privacy Policy (recommended for any site that collects visitor information)
• Articles and Helpful tips
• A Related Links Page
• A Site Map (recommended for larger or complicated sites)
• Site Terms of Use (recommended for sites with Message Boards)
It’s a good idea to write down everything you’ll want your site to include, and then organize it using the list above. Our website design questionnaire & worksheet allows you to organize your thoughts in advance, so we can insure that your content will work to your advantage.
Keywords and Researching Them
While your website is in development, it’s a good idea for you (the client) to do some keyword research for your site. Doing this will allow you to become familiar with how your website becomes ranked with the major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. When you rank well, it’s easier for your target market to find you!
What is a Keyword? A word or phrase which is used when searching for a website in the search engines or directories. It is these words or phrases that webmaster use when describing or explaining the content of their website. Learn more about keywords and their importance here: Bruce Clay, Inc.
Where do you research keywords? The best sites are Word Tracker and/or Overture.
Writing Your Own Website Copy
Once you’ve organized your site, and researched your keywords-get ready for traffic! Many people don’t realize just how important the writing on a website is to their success. You are essentially writing “copy” just as you would for any other marketing piece. Your objective is to get the visitor’s attention, and then close a sale….whether the sale is purchasing a product, or joining a mailing list.
Some Simple Writing Tips:
• Write Conversationally-engage your visitor as if you were speaking directly to them.
• Make your writing “Skim” Friendly-remember that surfers/visitors will skim your pages, and write accordingly, using bolded text, headlines, and separators between thoughts. Sometimes you may need to edit what you’ve written, to make it more of a “summary”.
• Use Bullets when Listing-this makes your list stand out, and calls more attention to it.
• Use positive “Action Verbs”-pleasantly invite your reader to “do something”.
• Be Descriptive-instead of using a headline saying “Christmas Decorating”, use something more thought provoking such as “Home for the Holidays-Decorating for Christmas Cheer”.
• Always spell check your work!-there’s nothing more embarrassing for a professional business, than to have misspellings in your website! However, if one of your keywords is commonly misspelled (ex: stationary is incorrect for the “paper products” definition, the correct spelling is “stationery”) be sure to include both spellings in your keyword listings.
• Make sure to double check your grammar and punctuation as well as your spelling.
• Give your visitors a reason to come back-on the web, content is king, provide an information source, and you give visitors the desire to return!
Script Use and Installation
Many times your website may need a specific function that is not included in typical website design. In that case, you may need to pay to have a script installed (and maybe even have one written) on your website. A script is a set of commands written in an interpreted language to automate certain application tasks. An example would be a javascript for an auto-updating copyright (which we include in all websites we design).
Should you need any special functionality on your website, please make note of that in the appropriate place on your questionnaire.