Today’s message is all meat and potatoes, stuff you can use right away.

I’m going to keep this one pretty short and sweet, cut right to the point.  Things are getting busy this time of year, and regardless of what we’ve been hearing in the media – business is picking up out there.  Big time.  So let’s be prepared.

Today I’m going to give you a five question pop quiz, and you can put your website through the following test.  Let me know how you score.

Test 1:  How fast does your website load?

Did you know that you have only seven seconds before a visitor decides to stick around your site, or leave?

And if your website isn’t showing up after four seconds – four seconds! – 33% of people leave your site.  Most never return.

Test 2:  Does your website have a specific call to action, or is it putting people on overload?

Too much information makes people glaze over, fall asleep, and leave your site.

On the other hand, a simple, targeted site that solves the exact problem that your visitor is experience – makes tons of money.  Keep it simple, keep it targeted, and don’t confuse your visitor.  This tip alone can change your entire business.

Test 3:  Is your website missing a consistent feel?

Although many sub-par designers miss this important point, consistency throughout your website is an absolute must.  Look at Yahoo, CNN, the BBC – sites with thousands upon thousands of pages – and they all have a consistent navigation, a consistent look to headlines, and a consistent branding.

By allowing people to find what they want – and fast – within a consistent feel, you’re increasing mindshare.  And increased mindshare means increased business for you.

Test 4: Does your website render the same on all web browsers?

This one is often overlooked by designers.  Mac guys build sites that look good on Mac.  PC guys build sites that look good on Internet Explorer.  But what about the 300 Million people (and growing) who are visiting your site on an iPhone?
Or Google Chrome?

Web browsers can make a poorly programmed website look terrible.  But the visitor only thinks that YOU look terrible.

Make sure your site looks the same on all browsers.  (This is just one of the guarantees offered with every Wally the Web Guy
website.)

Test 5: Does your website look out of date?

When somebody visits your website, do they say “man, that is so 2005?”.

Hairstyles change.  Car styles change.  Even Time and Newsweek magazine have updated their look.  It’s part of the game.

Eight years ago, everybody had a fancy flash intro.  Then people realized that you lost visitors by making them watch the same thing every time they showed up.  Then a couple years ago everything had a “web 2.0” look.

Staying fresh, and focused on serving your visitors never goes out of date.  But if you’re stuck in 2005, it might be time to look at an update.

If your site scored poorly on any of these questions, it is probably time be time to invest in some improvement.

A good place to begin is to have a look at Your Custom Website Critique and Action Plan.  Here you’ll be taken through an in-depth analysis of your current web properties, and given a concrete path on fast forward to massive ROI.  That’s music to any business owner’s ears.

Reach for the top,
-Wally

P.S. – Factoid of the day: Amazon.com has determined that for every 100ms increase (that would be milliseconds) in time that your site takes to load, you lose 1% in sales.  Simple math is:  Slow site, no sales.  You can fix that here.