Comments on: Why Are Authors Stuck on a Pretty Website vs. an Effective Website? http://websitemakeoverworkshop.com/2008/10/why-are-authors-stuck-on-a-pretty-website-vs-an-effective-website/ The Authority Site For Entrepreneurs & Authors Thu, 19 May 2011 22:09:29 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v= hourly 1 By: Dave Gardner aka EditorDave http://websitemakeoverworkshop.com/2008/10/why-are-authors-stuck-on-a-pretty-website-vs-an-effective-website/comment-page-1/#comment-212 Dave Gardner aka EditorDave Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:59:58 +0000 http://s259130317.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=345#comment-212 Great post. This problem is similar to many modern magazines and other publications that are *designed* to look pretty or creative or wild but with no regard to how the *content* will be discerned. Designers (particularly those who have gone through the "art-school-approach") like mixing colors and using collages and (in websites) Flash applications for intro pages. Like much of today's advertising, there's a lot of fluff and whiz-bang, but no *content*. You almost have to ARGUE with a web designer to tone-down the goofiness and pay more attention to readability, key-words, content, SEO optimization with organic and content-rich pages. Also, you must determine the PURPOSE of the page before you get one created. Do you want it as an "information-only" page, or do you want to drive traffic to a "squeeze-page"? Do you want the page to collect emails of potential followers of your newsletter (which will subsequently offer your books/publications/seminars/products), or do you want the page to directly show your *store* and get sales rolling in? You need to force your website to GET TO THE POINT immediately. Web surfers do not want to bored with an intro Flash splash page that says nothing and loads up their bandwidth. Keep the music and fancy graphics that take too long to load off a site if you want it to generate traffic and sales. Just my ideas... Best regards, Dave Gardner (aka EditorDave) http://www.squidoo.com/workingwords Great post. This problem is similar to many modern magazines and other publications that are *designed* to look pretty or creative or wild but with no regard to how the *content* will be discerned. Designers (particularly those who have gone through the “art-school-approach”) like mixing colors and using collages and (in websites) Flash applications for intro pages. Like much of today’s advertising, there’s a lot of fluff and whiz-bang, but no *content*.

You almost have to ARGUE with a web designer to tone-down the goofiness and pay more attention to readability, key-words, content, SEO optimization with organic and content-rich pages. Also, you must determine the PURPOSE of the page before you get one created. Do you want it as an “information-only” page, or do you want to drive traffic to a “squeeze-page”? Do you want the page to collect emails of potential followers of your newsletter (which will subsequently offer your books/publications/seminars/products), or do you want the page to directly show your *store* and get sales rolling in?

You need to force your website to GET TO THE POINT immediately. Web surfers do not want to bored with an intro Flash splash page that says nothing and loads up their bandwidth. Keep the music and fancy graphics that take too long to load off a site if you want it to generate traffic and sales.

Just my ideas…

Best regards,
Dave Gardner (aka EditorDave)
http://www.squidoo.com/workingwords

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