Seven SMARKETING™ Steps to a Successful Web Site

1. Keep It Simple
Don't confuse your visitors. It's critical that your fonts, graphics, colors, logo, and content be consistent throughout the site. Don't overdo the choices. Balance style, and substance. A flashy Web site readable only with the latest browsers, plug-ins, and tons of memory will be useless to anyone except the developer who designed it. Limit the flash, beef up the substance and give your visitors something to walk away with.

2. Ease of Use
Always assume a low level of technical expertise -- First-time Web users should be able to navigate easily and order without a hitch. Remember, thousands of new users are on line every day. It's a fast world, if you don't grab them quickly --- they will soon be gone.

3. Keep it Clean
You need to grab potential customers immediately upon entry or you might lose them forever. Keep your home page clean. Don't let your message get lost in a sea of unnecessary copy or graphics. Use concise copy and simple navigation. People don't care that much. Web site visitors are there for a purpose, with limited time and patience. Keep it short, clear, and concise: tell them only what they need to know.

4. Promote Your Products and Services
Too often Web sites are chock-full of text, greetings, bios, links, etc. and forget to sell what they wanted the Web site for in the first place!

5. Offer Them Something
A Web site should always include a free offer, or something that helps determine a prospect's interest. A free brochure or e-Guest Book is sure to spark more interest and further educate a promising prospect.

6. Target Your Audience
Tailor design, content, graphics, text, etc., to your potential audience.

7. Update Your Site Often
A fundamental marketing principle is to always give people a reason to come back. Keep content current.