Designing web sites of distinction…
Design is one area where you can't afford to leave things to chance. There are plenty of web designers out there who can produce you a stunning looking site - but the design rules are very different online. What you don't see is even more important than the visual style, imagery and layout of the page that appears in your browser, as your pages need to be optimised for usability, accessibility and search engine ranking. Overuse of Flash or using images where text is more appropriate can even hinder the effective performance of your site.
We know that to be successful, a web site needs to be designed from a number of angles using a carefully balanced mix of art and science. To illustrate what we mean, simply click on the "view" heading in your browser menu and select "source". What you see is effectively how a search engine views your page. Your web page needs to have all the right ingredients in the source code if it is going to attract visitors.
Design checklist
There are a great many factors to be balanced in order to keep your web site up to date and delivering customers and bookings. Here are our top 10:
- Relevant keywords
- Uncluttered, appropriate design
- Optimised pages
- Clear, consistent navigation
- Fresh, original content
- Bookmarkable
- Strong imagery
- Interactive and useful
- Appropriate level of technology
- Complies to legislation
If you are unsure whether your site has all these elements, please
call or email Brightspark to find out how we can help you stay ahead of the game!
Ingredients
An accommodation web site needs the right elements to inspire and motivate guests to book. We recommend:
- Special Offers
- Location Map
- Booking Engine or Form
- Web Analytics
- Opt-in Newsletter List
- Photo Gallery
- Strong imagery
- The WOW! factor
- What's On Locally
- Coding to W3C standards
- Content Management
If any of the above elements are missing your site is unlikely to be as competitive or successful as it should be. Ask the
Web Doctor to check it out for you FREE and give you a diagnosis in plain English.
Remember that all these factors directly influence the ability of your site to sell your accommodation or service and any improvements made here should quickly pay for themselves in increased business.
