Strategies to Optimize Your Web Presence
May 2004

A web site may not be someone's first impression of your company, but very often it's the second. In today's business environment, an attractive functional web site is no longer optional. A well-designed site makes your company appear competent and friendly, while one that's hard to navigate or access will put off most visitors. Customers and prospects are increasingly web-savvy, yet they have less time to spend searching the Internet. For those reasons, today's graphic arts web sites must strike the proper balance between impressive appearance and fast, easy navigation. Here are four web design tips that will help you achieve that balance:

1. Keep It Moving - Gorgeous images certainly add to the "Wow!" factor of a web site. Unfortunately, they can bog down slower Internet connections, making for untenable load times. While a good web designer can employ methods to reduce image file size and improve web page load times, the best way to keep your site user-friendly is to make prudent use bandwidth-intensive graphics. Keep the size of photos of products, facility and staff to a minimum. If larger or higher-resolution images are necessary, make them an optional download. Customers and prospects who rely on dial-up connections will view you and your site favorably if they can get the information they need quickly.

2. Navigate the Best Course - An attractive web site can be rendered ineffective if visitors can't find the information they need quickly, or find the navigation menus confusing or misleading. Carefully consider the navigation of your site before you begin its design. Determine the most logical path visitors will take as they move through the site, and link pages or sections that flow together naturally. Creating effective navigation early in the design process will prevent headaches later-and ensure that visitors to your site will be inclined to return.

3. Information Flows Both Ways - Your web site isn't just a place for customers and prospects to gather information about your company. It's also a great tool for establishing regular communication with interested visitors. Brief web-based forms allow you to collect contact information instantly and easily by reaching visitors at the height of their interest.

4.Update It Frequently - If you're like most Internet users, you likely have your favorite sites "bookmarked" for easy reference. Take a look at these. Does their content change on a regular basis? If so, that's likely one of the reasons why you have it bookmarked. Make your company's web site a must-visit resource by updating it frequently with useful information. Technical tips, company news and other informative content provide value to your customers and prospects and give them a reason to return to your site frequently.

The Grow Sales, Inc. Web Design Advantage
The Grow Sales, Inc. web design team will conceptualize, create and maintain a winning web site for you. We know that top-of-mind positioning is the key to winning graphic arts companies more business. Let us create a tip-of-the-month marketing program for your company, of course fully integrated with your new web site! To learn more, call Al Martinez at 301-294-9900 or e-mail him at al@growsales.com.

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