Improve your business website
Newsletter 12 February 2009
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Hi
I was listening to a webcast on Tuesday: How to make your website more effective.
The experts were unanimous in saying: Have well presented, good content that informs rather than does a ‘hard sell’.
How to get visitors to stay and read what you’ve got to say was seen as the more challenging task.
But still there was consensus. The experts agreed, it comes down to three things.
- Your pages must load in three seconds - or less.
- You need a good headline, relevant to the visitors search string to capture your visitor’s imagination. (Sorry guys ‘welcome to my website’ doesn’t cut it.)
- You need a good photograph. One that’s relevant to you and your business, not some generic stock image of sanitised plastic ‘Stepford’ executives and not a passport reject.
So, thinking on what I heard, I’ve been re-checking my own site this week. I always thought it worked well but I was wrong! Now every page loads instantly, even the ones with loads of video, I’ve re-written several of the headlines – they’re bit more punch now, still more to be done. And the photography? Well I’m there on every page and it’s not quite the usual ‘passport photo’ that lots of business’s use, but when you’re a photographer it’s hard to find a photographer. . . . However, I am getting myself re-shot next week – two years and gravity have taken their toll.
Anyway, I suggest you take a few minutes to look objectively at your own website too – there’s a recession and we all need to work hard at our business image - Imagine you’ve just opened one of your webpages for the first time; does it pass the test?
- Does your photography have honesty, integrity and warmth – or is it a passport job?
- Do your headlines sound interesting, does it make you, and especially visitors, want to read more?
- Did you fall asleep waiting for the page to load?
If you’re doubtful about your photography take a look at a couple of my webpages: http://www.alan-howarth.com/corporate-portrait-photography.html and http://www.alan-howarth.com/website-photography.html they explain a bit more about your corporate portraits. Look at the ‘before and afters’ – which style are you using?
If you want some help, or advice, get in touch. And if you want to book a corporate portrait shoot, without trying for the freebie, – call me 07947 67 31 67.
Now if you’d like that free corporate portrait all you have to do is take a quick flip round my site and give me some honest feedback. Whoever gives me the feedback that will improve my site the most (I’m not looking for technical stuff, just instant responses) gets the freebie. And if I get lots of good advice I may giveaway more than one free portrait.
Best
Alan
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Alan Howarth - happy working on the Web & in the Real World
Alan Howarth: Corporate Photographer, Corporate Video Producer and Corporate Writer based near Blackpool, Preston & Lancaster, Lancashire in the North West of the UK, I frequently work in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham and I spend 50% of my time working in London. within the M25, I travel throughout the UK and often work in mainland Europe, with work published throughout the world. I'll go anywhere - except war zones.
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