By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Mountainside Auto Service Inc. - Newberg, Ore.
www.msautoservice.com
This site's home page has a nice appearance and uses a pleasing color scheme. An organized list of services presents needed information in a concise manner. Online coupons and specials make the site useful to its visitors. Company information and an online appointment scheduler complete the features of this Web site.
Web Wise
Redesigning Your Shop's Web Site - Part 4
During the past few months, Net Worth has focused on the redesign process of your shop's Web site. This month, we take a look at the core of your redesign process - the words you place on your site. These words correspond to the credibility and professionalism of your business.
According to A to Z Web Site Solutions, a Web site maintenance company, 46 percent of Web users have left a Web site because of site-related problems such as spelling errors. Remember that the words you write, and the accuracy of your spelling, say a lot about your attention to details and could be the difference in making a new customer.
You don't have to be a great writer to write for the Web. When redesigning your Web site, we sometimes get so caught up in how much information we can place on the pages that we often forget about the customer's perspective. To that end, keep the following tips in mind when creating copy for your redesigned site.
First and foremost, the Internet is a fast-paced medium. When customers visit your site, they want to find your main ideas and philosophies quickly and efficiently. Therefore, keep copy short. Try and write copy that is meant to be skimmed and not necessarily read word for word. Unfortunately, the more words you have on a page, the more likely a customer, or potential customer, will surf elsewhere.
If your copy becomes long, break it up with headers. For example, if you have a link to "About Us" with several paragraphs describing your business, break up the copy with descriptive headlines such as "Company History," "Business Philosophy" and "Affiliations."
Studies show most Internet users simply skim Web pages. Direct readers' attention to your main points by using bulleted lists when possible.
Above anything else, when writing copy for your redesigned site, be sure you check your spelling. Since most Web authoring programs use a spell-check mechanism, there's no excuse for spelling errors.
Next month, we'll discuss customer communication tools and conducting usability tests.
Net Numbers
One out of six Americans has logged onto the Internet using a wireless device.
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project
ASA Web Ways
ASA Launches 'Celebration of Excellence' Web Site
To provide members with the latest information about this year's "Celebration of Excellence," to be held Nov. 5 at the Flamingo Las Vegas, ASA has created a Web site specifically designed for the event. The site can be accessed at www.ASAcelebration.com. The new Web site contains information about the awards to be presented during the evening, transportation information, a list of attendees, general information and the ability to purchase additional tickets. After the event, downloadable photos from the evening will be on the site.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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