We talked recently about the Five Myths on What Makes a Great Website.  But at the end of the day, if there is only one principle you can stick to for making  your website suck less and sell more, it is this:

Keep It Simple

I see so many websites that add complexity and confusion with:

• big, intense site navigation
• lots and lots and lots (and lots) of options at every step
• flashing graphics, widgets, and wazoos

Stop the madness and get rid of all the noise, and get back to the basics.

Check Your Google Listing

Google does a really nice job of listing a simple, easy to read listing of websites and often includes subnavigation for the pages in a website used most frequently.  Here are a few examples of Google entries – aren’t nice and simple?

Note: I’m not saying these websites aren’t good.  I’m just saying this:  look at that Google listing.  Isn’t it simple, user-friendly, and most likely have everything you might need to get started right on one screen – with clear points to where I can go if I want something else not there?

Homework:  Go and Google yourself.  A lot of you might not have the sub-navigation links unless you have a lot of traffic or a high ranking.  But picture it if you did.  Compared to that visual image, is your website a disaster or is it doing the job it needs to do?

Steal This From Google Too

I’ve heard that the Google team has a founding principle for Google’s homepage:  any time something is added, something already there has to go.  Sounds like a pretty good rule to me.  That doesn’t mean sometimes you just have to add that extra thing, but go through that thought process.

To Learn More…

Is your Google listing better than your website?  Get some external perspective, ideas, and vision injected into your online presence with our online audit package – you can choose to have an overall audit or only focus in on the areas most important to you.  A great website translates directly into more online sales and more profits, so let us help your efforts to improve website content today.

Prefer a do-it-yourself approach?  Tweak your website content for maximum impact with our Write Right Online DIY guide.  With these tips, you’ll get better conversions, which means more profits.  It is one of our highest selling guides, so check it out!