Monday 25 June 2012
Do you have a website? Here are some tips for you!
Did you know that there are now over 580 million websites online...and that this figure is increasing everyday? Impressive, isn't it?
I’ve noticed on Twitter that many salons and spas are now setting up their own website, and why would you hesitate?
It has now become very affordable if you’re looking for a basic and easy to use website. It is easily customizable and you can add different type of content like text, photos, videos or your Twitter feed for example.
However, there are some techniques that you should use with caution and others that really have to be avoided if you don’t want your potential customers to run away. So if some of you want to set up your own website, here are 5 things you should pay attention to.
1. Flash Animations
Millions of people now browse the net on iPhones and iPad. If you use Flash on your website you lose this entire audience! For better or worse, Apple have boycotted flash and now web developers need to deal with the consequences!
But maybe Apple have done us all a favour! How many times have you visited a site with an Flash animated intro and closed the tab after 10 seconds? It’s extremely long to load and quite painful for the eyes which makes people want to skip it. These kind of pages have been known to cut traffic by 50% so you’d better avoid them. Example
2. The animated gif
Those moving images are outdated and if you really want to show something animated, you’d better upload a proper video. Even a downmarket camera will give you good results in terms of definition and there are now many platforms where you can put your video online and then add it to your website (YouTube, Dailymotion, only to cite a few).
It looks more professional and is definitely more detailed than a gif.
3. The moving background
Your website is there to tell customers and potential customers about your business. You therefore want them to focus on the content of your site, not on the design. Not saying that the design isn’t important, it is in fact essential, but it shouldn’t catch all the reader’s attention. A moving background will distract your visitor from the core information you’re trying to communicate. Moreover, it is very hard to watch and trust me making your customers look away from the screen won't increase appointments.
To my mind, this is therefore a very bad idea but don't believe me, judge for yourself.
4. Advertisements everywhere
Allowing some advertisement is a good idea if you want your site to generate a bit of money, but it shouldn't be your main goal. Your visitors should focus on the content of the page and if there are links everywhere there are likely to be distracted and quickly annoyed - Especially pop-ups! Ensure that your core content is in the prime position on the page (top centre/left aligned) and advertising is limited to either the right column (such as Facebook) or on the bottom of the screen.
5. The background music
Having a background music on your website is a good idea if it corresponds to the image of your brand. Let’s take an example. If you own a salon and only use organic products, choose a song with some singing birds or water noise. Don’t choose the latest hit song because you like it, choose one that represents you. Another important point is to allow this music to be turned off. It can indeed become annoying if your visitor spends several minutes on the site, or just don’t like this music!
In short, use it with caution.
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