Second Self Virtual Assistance

Your website is an extended business card that, in many cases, may be the first introduction a potential client has to you and your services.  That is why it is important to make sure you have your site set up properly.  Here are a few business website mistakes you should avoid:

Don’t…

1. …add video or music that automatically starts when your page loads.  This can be hard on the ears if someone’s speakers are set high and they aren’t aware of it.  Instead, set up video and audio clips so that they can be turned off and on at the visitor’s request.
2. …add flashing or flickering images.  This can be hard on the eyes and can cause headaches or even seizures in some people who are sensitive.  This is NOT the first impression you want to make!
3. …use dashes in your domain name if you can help it.  Many people will forget where to place the dash.  If they can’t find you, they aren’t going to use you.
4. …make your page go live before you are ready.  “Under Construction” signs are a turn-off and will send your visitor to another web page that is ready to go. 
5. …add tons of advertising to your site.  Lots of advertising makes your site look like a billboard instead of a professional website.  A few well-placed ads are fine.  Too many ads makes the site look too cluttered and can be confusing.

Think of your website as a home you are trying to sell.  Just like a house, your site’s curb appeal is important.  If you don’t have an appealing presence, potential clients are going to move on to the next site.  By keeping these business website mistakes to avoid in mind when you set up your website, you will be one step up on the competition.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn’t Enough of You to Go Around

We all know that content is king.  That will never change.  However, it is interesting to learn how Google ranks page speed when considering the value of a website.  While a higher loading page with little to no content will never outrank a page that is full of great info that happens to load at a slower speed, Google can give a little more weight to a page that loads faster than one with similar content but a lower load speed.

So, how do you keep good content without sacrificing page speed?  Don’t overdo it.  You want to keep your site easy-to-use and not hard on the eyes.  Using too many widgets, videos, slideshows, etc. bogs down the load time.  Not everyone has high speed internet access.  And even those that do can find some pages taking a long time to load because of all the info the program has to read first.  Focus on the key elements you want your viewers to see and direct them to another interior page to get more details.  If a person gets antsy waiting for your page to finish loading, they will head on over to the competition that won’t make them wait.

Google’s goal is to rank the most relevant information highest in their search engines.  How quickly or slowly a page loads doesn’t affect that at all.  However, making your website both user-friendly and quicker will not only keep your audience engaged, it will also help you stay above your slower competition in Google.

In the end, how does Google rank page speed?  It’s not more of a priority than relevant content.  But, it is something that should be considered in your website’s overall design.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant – Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn’t Enough of You to Go Around!