Assess your web design with a free usability report from WebGenesis

(EMAILWIRE.COM, August 10, 2007 ) Sydney, Australia -- WebGenesis, a Sydney web design company, is offering a free usability check list report to download to help you assess the effectiveness of your web design. Does your web site home page have the potential to bring you more business, or does it turn potential customers away?Below is a list of ten ways you can improve the web design and presentation of your website’s home page.1. Remove unnecessary web design elementsAssess your home page web design and remove any elements that don’t have a clear purpose. Be ruthless. If you are not sure, revisit your key business objectives and determine if any specific element helps or hinders in achieving your objectives.2. Address your key business objectivesReview your business objectives and determine if the web design and information of your home page reflects the purpose of the site. 3. Clearly state who your are and what you offerThe home page message should state clearly and elegantly, yet boldly, who you are and what you do, or what services you have to offer. Try to incorporate your key messages in the headlines of your home page content, rather than in the smaller body text. 4. What are your points of difference? What can you tell your visitor about your products and services that make you stand out from your competition? If your differences are compelling enough, your chances of converting a new customer become greater.5. Invite your visitors to take actionCall to actions instruct the user to do something that will get them one step closer to engaging your services or buying your products, for example “Click here to contact us today”, or “Refer a friend and earn rewards. Click here.” 6. Include a special offer, discount, or other promotionThere’s nothing like a bargain or something free to entice your users to provide you with valuable contact information that can help convert your visitors into customers. Consider offering something free, special offers, or a value added service to encourage more business. 7. Speak specifically to your target audienceClearly define your target audience and determine if you are addressing this market sector effectively. For example, if you main audience are older people, don’t use a small font. 8. Make your navigation usable and consistentThe two main usability rules for navigation are that it needs to be consistent through out a site, and it needs to look like navigation. Most users expect to find the main navigation either horizontally across the top area of the page, or vertically down the far right or left sides of the page, where it needs to remain throughout the site. Label your navigation items so they make sense to the user.9. Craft the text content to be precise and to the pointAs a rule, web text is usually scanned, and is best broken up by bullet points and headings and sub headings. It is also important to have “space” around your content to assist your user to clearly identify and easily read your messages. The content on your website needs to be easy to find, easy to read, and relevant.10. Use meaningful and professional imageryImagery is a very powerful tool that can be used to entice and seduce your potential customers to want more information. The wrong kind of imagery can turn people away, but the right imagery can win you a new client. Use images on your site to help tell your story effectively.For more information, please go to www.webgenesis.com.au###This press release was issued through GroupWeb EmailWire.Com. For more information on press release distribution, go to http://www.emailwire.com.

WebGenesis
Carrie Webster

carrie@webgenesis.com.au