September 2006 Newsletter

Is your Website user-friendly?

Have you put much thought into usability and navigation? We’ve all stumbled through a shopping cart, growing angered when things don’t work just as they should. We’ve also arrived at creative websites that avoid the cliché navigation format at all costs. Instead of ‘About Us’, they may label this page ‘Our Roots’; instead of ‘Our Solutions’, they may label this page ‘Our Digs’. While cute and creative, how intuitive is this to the average or first-time website visitor? What does it mean, and, above all, does it sell?

Usability is a critical component to any successful website. After all, states Jakob Nielsen, principal and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, author, columnist and leading usability consultant: “The first law of e-commerce is that if users cannot find the product, they cannot buy it either.” Whether you offer a product or service, you’re still selling on the Internet. So you should give your customers what they want, how they want it.

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The next generation of Website technology is here.

As the Internet evolves, so does the technology that supports it. The latest web hosting, design and Internet marketing technologies connect businesses with their customers in ways never before possible. These new tools can catapult search engine rankings, help you interact with viewers, improve sales conversion, decrease shopping cart abandonment and position you or your company as an industry expert.

Some of today’s latest online technologies includes:

Flash Animation
While Flash itself isn’t a new technology, it’s uses are growing more and more helpful for today’s web marketer. Flash is a 2D animation application owned by Adobe and used effectively for product demos, rich sales presentations, tutorials, tours and interactive games. Developers can make a Flash piece as basic or as complex as desired, integrating audio, video, self-guided play....

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