Want to make sure your Web site makes you shine? Here are some simple, but important steps to follow as you develop or update your site:
___ Spelling & Grammatical Glitches (Proof your site)
If you can’t be bothered to take care of the basics like spelling, grammar, and good communication, your site visitors (potential employees, parents seeking the best school for their children, etc.) may wonder if you are the right choice. Careless and avoidable errors can tarnish your reputation. Proof your site!
___ Write in Active Voice
Passive voice writing is the verb construction that shifts the focus of a sentence away from the doer. It is wordy, vague, and distances your customer from your message. Your goal with a Web site is to be as customer-focused as possible and active voice helps you do that. Here’s a comparison between passive and active voice:
Passive Voice: A certified application form may be downloaded, completed, and faxed to the number included on the form. Further information can be obtained by clicking on the following links: employee benefits, how to apply, current job openings.
Active Voice: To apply, just click on the certified application form we provide below. We’ve also included information for you about employee benefits, how to apply, and current job openings.
The active voice description puts your visitor inside the activity. The copy speaks directly to them and you have their emotional attention and involvement. The passive voice description sounds a bit pompous, distant, and is certainly not engaging.
___ Update Monthly (at least)
Don’t let your school’s Web site become a neglected stepchild. It can really make you look good while helping the community, your parents and students, and your staff becomes advocates instead of critics. If you don’t have someone on staff with the time and interest, then hire a Webmaster to do this for you. It will be well worth the investment. Remember…first impressions are hard to change. Make it a good one.
___ Check Those Links
You should periodically check all those links on your site, especially those that link to other Web sites and resources external to your Web site. It is quite common for site locations to change. Even well-established Web sites are sometimes disabled. Frequent dead links on your site are an indication to your visitors that you aren’t maintaining your site and this evidence can decrease your credibility.
___ What To Avoid
- Don’t use page counters. They do nothing except make you look like an amateur. If you want to know how many people are hitting your site, you can get this information from your Web site host.
- Forget about using blinking and flashing text. That's it. Enough said.
- Flash Intros used to be the rage, but we’ve since begun to ask what purpose they served. It’s been decided…none. The “skip intro” button is one of the most frequently used on Web sites.
- Forget the background music on your site. It works on a few sites (like Disney maybe) but they usually take too much time to download, many computers don’t have sound capability, and most people surveyed find it irritating.
- Don’t center everything on your Web site. It’s hard to read. Print layout rules are well established and work quite well, even on your Web site. Left justified text is your best bet. You can center an occasional major title or page divider, but do it sparingly.