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A Web Presence That Works Day and Night

the loading of the site. Ask your designer to use CSS techniques to
create text-based but visually interesting navigation links.

Make sure that a six-year-old could navigate your site. In fact,
that may be a good way to test it. Create links to every page and add
text links within pages from one page to another to give the user lots
of ways to jump from point to point.

The Ultimate Small Business Web Site for Today’s Social Surfer

Web sites have evolved significantly over the past few years, and the
expectations of both surfers and spiders is driving much of what it
takes to make a site work for your business today. Of course, con-
tent is still what gets people to a site and, long term, what it takes to
draw links and return visits, but it’s heightened functionality—the new
must-have metric—that kicks off the process of engagement. It’s not
enough for your content to lie there, all flat and uninviting; it’s got to
stand up and practically beg people to interact with it. Your Web site
must be more Web app–like than browser-like.

So, what does this mean for the typical site owner and builder?

Get Feedback
People are getting used to sites that allow them to offer ratings and

reviews. This type of functionality is easy to offer and can show social
proof to visitors considering your company. Using tools like JS-Kit
(www.aboutecho.com/), you can install simple JavaScripts that make
it very easy for visitors to rate content and products.

Using third-party survey tools like Survey.io (www.survey.io/),
4Q (www.4qsurvey.com/), and GetSatisfaction (www.getsatisfaction
.com/), you can allow your visitors to help mold your site and make
it more user-friendly.

Don’t overlook the use of polls as a device to create engagement.

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