Our Web Philosophy – Keep it Simple
Make it as simple as possible. But no simpler. - Albert Einstein
I've been building web sites since 1996 and since that time both the technology and the sophistication of web sites has grown tremendously. Although the nuts & bolts of building a web site have changed, the basic premise has not. The purpose of building a web site is to answer visitor questions and provide valuable information about your company or organization. To do this, I believe strongly that:
- bells and whistles should be used very judiciously…if at all;
- content will win, and keep, your customer every time;
- web sites should be built intuitively, so that the customer knows exactly where they are going, and how to get back to where they were.
There's more than just pretty graphics that make a web site. There is the code behind the site that must be maximized if your site is to show up in the search engines. Your web site must be written correctly, with content showing up in the proper places. The crucial test of any website is the speed with which a visitor can find specific information, either in time or number of clicks. Who's coming to your web site and how do they benefit? We should constantly ask ourselves these three questions:
- Who are your visitors?
- What do they want from your website?
- How do they easily get that?
A web site is not just an online brochure. Think about it. Web sites are dynamic and interactive, so give your visitors something to do. If you can, update your content from time to time to keep it fresh. Give your visitors a reason to come back and visit your site.