Quality
The first thing to consider after getting your site up is the quality. What do we mean by quality? We’re not talking about just one thing, but numerous parts of a site. The quality of the site, its design, and its content.
Making sure you have a high quality site will ensure that visitors return. It takes a mere few seconds and a few lines of reading for visitors to decide “nothing here is worth a look”, even though that what you see on the outside is not always whats available on the inside.
Some things worth asking yourself on the basis of Quality:
- How well thought out is your content? – When you’re not showing the effort to create original and respected content, your visitors won’t show the effort to even give it a read. And quality doesn’t always mean super-serious and meaningful either. Users like to see a connection between the content and them. Don’t be afraid to throw in your own commentary on a subject, and some sarcasm, as it adds flair to the content.
- Does your design conform to the needs and purpose of your site? – Believe it or not, users come to sites expecting to see content and a design that matches. You shouldn’t have a panoramic of a football field in your header if you plan to talk about technology. Make sure your site design has some kind of connection to the type of content and type of site you have.
Usability
As an admin, the first thing you have to do when looking at your site is put on the blindfold and act as if you’re just a regular visitor to the site.
Can you find your way around easily? Does your site function how it should?
Listen to user feedback and suggestions, because generally, users know what they’re talking about in terms of making the site easier to navigate and understand. Also, try to keep these additional factors in mind.
- Have you managed to make your site clutter free? – After a few months of collecting content, your site may start to become cluttered. Don’t let content an ads bog down your site. Keep it clean and organized, so your users don’t find themselves getting lost.
- If you have a stats tracker such as Mint, examine it closely. Are your visitors going beyond your homepage to dig deeper into your site? If not, this is a sure sign that some things need to be changed.
