Index	Previous Page (39)	Next Page (41)

Design for Search Engine Optimization

When you are designing the layout always ask yourself what impact anything you plan to add to your site will have on the experience of your visitors and the capacity of search engines to efficiently index your pages. Add pages in order so that navigation through the website is consistent and progressive. Make your pages easily visible to Search Engines.

Always add a Site Map

A site map is just a simple list of web pages on your site. It gives your visitors a quick guide to what can be found there plus it's very useful to the search engine spiders. You can also use it to keep track of all the Ezines and products on your site and see its structure and content all in one place. If your website is without a Site Map, there is every possibility that some of your visitors might leave your website within 10 seconds failing to find what they were looking for.

Navigation Structure

The aim of a web site's navigation is simply to allow users to get to the Ezine they require. For sites that have a large number of Ezines and products and web pages the navigation plan has to be properly researched and designed. You have to consider different types of visitors and simulate the most common steps they would take to find what they want on your site and the navigation plan has to optimize this movement.

Site Usability and Convenience

There is no mystery to usability. It simply involves creating a site, which is accessible to the majority of people, is easy to use and get around and delivers on its promises. You can have a site that meets the most important standards of usability by planning it well and always keeping the end user in mind. Remember that web sites should not be designed for their owners - they should be designed for their users.

Problems with usability could be said to stem from just two sources: the site itself and the user. In fact the site is always at fault; if a user, however experienced or inexperienced, has problems navigating, getting information or understanding the site.

While websites have become far more complex, web users have become less rather than more experienced as more and more people go online. It is a mistake to think that the majority of users will be web or even computer savvy and will understand subtle clues about content. Most will not. 

Index	Previous Page (39)	Next Page (41)