No Matr How Goud The Infomation...

Typos, misspellings, hideous grammar, exclamation overkill and run-on sentences all undermine a Web site's message. Your reader will have to work too hard, and you won't have that reader long.

Grabbing a reader's attention is a key point in getting your message out, but there is such a thing as too much grabbing--and the wrong kind of attention. Negative attention can lose a great many visitors and potential clients.

Clean content and neat appearance are not merely a matter of aesthetics. It goes to the core of establishing trust and reliability between a Web site and visitor. Relate it to a deli. A potential customer heard about you through an ad. Cool ad, got his/her attention, so he/she stops by on the way home. On the outside everything looks nice, meets expectations, so the visitor walks in, looking for tonight's sandwich goodies. Once inside it only takes a few seconds to notice the dust on the shelves, the dirty footprints, the unidentifiable smudges on the glass counter-fronts. No matter how good the food smells, if the counterperson has dirty hands or there are papers littering the floor, how many people are going to feel comfortable reaching over a crumb-covered counter to pay for their dinner?

That may sound like a silly comparison to Web content, but really, it's not so far off. The principle stands: clean, neat, appealing content builds comfort and trust. Sloppy, haphazard or distracting content repels, and breaks down credibility. And the principle is very easy to apply to all Web content. Just remember the acronym, "Get It All"

G- et another set of eyes to take an objective look
E- xtra attention to spelling lends credibility
T- ell your message with exciting words; don't rely on graphics

I- talics, bold and all caps are rough on the eyes, use sparingly
T- ake the time to read the entire content... backwards (you'll be amazed at what you'll notice this way)

A- lways do one last look-see after it's finished
L- et all content sit for at least a full day before a final edit
L- ose the guesswork--keep a dictionary and grammar/editing reference at your fingertips, and use them often.

Whether your content is a one-line ad or five-page report, taking that little extra time and effort will improve your site, build customer confidence and add respectability. Saving time now and risking poor content quality can end up costing you more later. After all, the object is to get and keep customers at your site; to keep them reading. How long would you have kept reading this article if it had all been written like that first paragraph?

Cherie? Davidson is a freelance writer and Web content developer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her toy poodle, Auggie Dog, her ?energy muse.? She has her own freelance writing business, Suitable Words Publications (http://www.suitablewords.com), where she writes and promotes Website content, designs and develops e-books, hires out as a copywriter and writes a wide variety of articles and essays. She has started a blog at http://suitablewords.blogspot.com and a free article site at http://www.writerscontent.com

More Web Design Articles

5 Powerful Ways To Get Zero Sales From Your Website
I want you to imagine a lemon. In your mind's eye, see its yellow skin.

Internet Tip of the Week: First Impressions
First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do business on the Web. After you refine your ads, and if you make your pitch to a targeted group, you will start to get visitors to your web site.

20 Tips to Creating a Profitable Website
As an online Entrepreneur you require a successful website.One that you personal own.

Stop Sabotaging Your Sales
Do your web pages, sales letters or personal presentations include subtle distractions that unnecessarily cause you to lose sales?Sometimes prospective customers get distracted during the selling process by outside interruptions. You cannot control those.

Your Web Site Is A Wonderland: What Picassos Art Taught Me About Persuasive Design
Whenever singer John Mayer sings his romantic song, "Your Body is a Wonderland", I can't help but think of web sites and usability. As a usability consultant, I see the devotion to his lover, and the time he spent uncovering every detail of her being, as the way most web site designers think we approach their web sites.

You Had Me At the Search Engine
You?ve likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its famous line, ?You had me at hello.? Jerry Maguire was luckier than web sites we find in search engines.

How To Improve The Professional Look And Feel Of Your Website
Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success. It can make or break your online business.

How to Test Your Web Headlines and Web Site Home Page to Sell More Products and Services
A client asked me, at what point do you change your Web site when not making enough sales? My answer? Within a month because as long as your ad copy is weak, those weak sales numbers will continue.Your coach is number one on Google and 35 other search engines with the key words, "book coaching.

The Technology May Change, But Human Nature Remains The Same
Let me repeat that..

Do You Hate Your Website? Web Site Sales To Hit $316 Billion Over The Next 6 Years
What dollar amount does your web site contribute to this $316 billion dollar trend?Have you spent thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands on your web site only to discover that it attracts more flies than customers?Do you hate your web site, your web developer or your entire IT department?Do not despair! You are not alone!A great web site is crucial in order to effectively communicate to a business?s target audience. It is important for Chief Executives and small business owners to pay close attention to the effect that their web site has on their business.