Introduction

Some people find the internet and websites daunting, especially when people start bantering about jargon like SEO and Meta Tags, not to mention those ever cryptic questions like “Do you have a dynamic site?” or “Have you heard what CMS can do for you?”. Don’t worry, at Optic Blaze we demystify the web for you. Here are some key questions that you need to ask from any web developer, including us.

What makes for a good website?

Well, there are the obvious things like pleasing design, but that is not all that doth a website make. The things that happen behind the scenes are just as important. Make sure to check for the following items when you request a quote for a website. Your website should:

Have an easy to understand navigation system. Some designers spend too much time coming up with the next big idea and leave those of us behind that are a bit internet challenged. This could spell disaster for your business, because if the visitors to your site do not understand where to go …they might just leave.

Have relevant content. Many people believe that if you have a whole bunch of pretty pictures that it constitutes web content. It does not. Make sure that the copy that has been written for your site, explains your products. The right content will also help search engines gather information on your site, which in turn will make you more ‘visible’ on the net.

Optimise your site for search engines. Search engines spend their time gathering information on websites so that when someone is looking for specific content, the search engine can provide them with a list of suitable websites. If your website is not search engine friendly and they can't gather any information on your company, you won't be in the list of websites that pop up when someone is looking for the product or service that you offer.

Pleasing design.  Eye candy sure doesn’t hurt. A good looking website instills confidence in your company’s ability to provide a professional service. A ‘cheap’ looking site usually gives the wrong impression, so you really want to make sure that the company that build’s your website can make it look good.

A call to action. Your website should have a clear message of what to do next. By offering the visitor an easy way to commit to the next step, which could be asking for a quotation or purchasing an item online you increase the chances of the visitor becoming a customer.

Cross browser compatibility.  Internet explorer is not the dominating force that it used to be. World wide trends are showing that more and more people are using different internet browsers. Make sure that your website designer can develop the site to work wel. At Optic Blaze we optimise our websites to run on both Internet Explorer and Firefox, the two most popular web browsers.

Some of the sites we have done