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Web Site Design
Know-How
By Norene Gilletz
So
you want to have your own web site, or perhaps you already have one and want to
increase the number of visitors. Here are some guidelines to help create a
culinary web site that will open up many new business opportunities for you!
Before
you begin, ask yourself:
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Why do I want a web
site? |
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How will I benefit? |
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Who is my target
audience? |
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How will visitors
benefit from my site? |
A
web site can help create awareness about you, your cookbooks, products, and/or
services. Once you define your target audience, you can develop appropriate
content. However, having your own web site does not guarantee instant success.
It takes hard work, research, planning, and perseverance. You also need a good
web designer to help you achieve your goals.
How
do you find a web designer?
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Ask friends and
colleagues for recommendations. |
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If you see a site
you really like, contact the webmaster or designer (there is usually a
link right on the site). |
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Ask for the
addresses of some the designer's web sites; then see how you like them. |
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Make sure that the
person you are considering as your web designer is able to discuss the
technical details with you and provide quick, accurate service. |
What
do visitors want?
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Content: Will this
site tell me what I want to know? |
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Layout: Is the
information presented in a usable format? |
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Navigation: How
quickly can I find the information I need? |
Design
tips:
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You have 10 seconds to tell visitors why
they should be interested in you, your business or your site, so they should see
your main message seconds after your home page opens.
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Don't try to be
different or clever. web users expect certain conventions and don't want
to "learn" how to use your site. |
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The menu should be
easy to find and the titles must clearly indicate the content of the
page. |
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Many web sites are
full of special effects, animations, graphics, banners, videos, etc.
Don't be tempted! People get fed up while waiting for all the bells and
whistles to come up and go away. |
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Visitors do not read
web sites; they visually scan them. Keep copy short, interesting and to
the point. Communicate your biggest benefit with a powerful headline.
Follow with a summary paragraph and link lengthy text to that. Make it
easy for people to find what they want. |
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Avoid links to other
sites on the first screen. You want people to stay on your site, not go
wandering off to others. |
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Every external link
should open in a new window, so your site never disappears. |
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Pictures and
graphics tell a story! Include photographs of your cooking classes,
cookbooks, or products, but keep the graphics to a minimum so pages load
quickly. |
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Give visitors a
chance to view or study your products before they order. On my web site,
www.gourmania.com, visitors can check out sample recipes from my
cookbooks or "flip through the book" to see sample pages. |
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Find a valid reason
to get the visitor's name and e-mail address, such as a contest or free
newsletter; then be sure to follow up. |
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Keep your site
up-to-date and interesting. You need a designer who will provide you
with quick service for updates and changes, while keeping your site
design consistent. |
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A well-designed site
should be eye-catching, informative, and reflect your personality.
Design also includes page layout that is formatted for optimal search
engine results and simple site navigation. |
How
do I publicize my site?
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Your web designer will work with you to
title each page and include meta tags for important keywords, with a description
to optimize search engine results.
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Submit your site to
the major search engines. |
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Put your web address
on your business cards, stationery, brochures, voice-mail greeting,
every e-mail you send, your author's bio, your cookbooks, and food
columns. |
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When interviewed by
the media, be sure to mention that readers/listeners can learn more
about you by visiting your web site. (And don't forget to mention the
address!) |
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If you give cooking
classes, include your web site and e-mail address on the recipes. |
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Look for similar
culinary sites on the web and ask for reciprocal links. Exchanging links
will help bring in more traffic because sites with a good number of
relevant links are ranked higher by search engines. |
About
the author
Norene
Gilletz, CCP (E-mail
Norene)
is a leading author of Kosher cookbooks in Canada. A food writer, cooking
teacher and food consultant, Norene can usually be found within close range of a
kitchen.
Jean
Morris, P.Eng. (E-mail
Webmaster)
combines the skills of an engineer and a writer to create, design and maintain
web sites for clients in a variety of businesses, including the food and wine
industry.
Norene
and Jean have combined their culinary and technical talents to offer web Sites
that Sizzle for Cooks and Books!
The article first
appeared in WORDS, a newsletter published by the International
Association of Culinary Professionals.
All images and
recipes © Norene Gilletz, 2003,
(www.gourmania.com)
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