Transforming A Site From Good To Excellent

One of the challenges of moving a web site up from good to excellent is transforming it from just a bunch of web pages and graphics to an interactive experience. Another term for this is community - a place where people can come to communicate with others. The very best web sites have mastered this transformation, thus attracting return visitors again and again.

The whole point of a web site is to communicate ideas and concepts to other people. If you are just putting up pages and graphics, then you are performing half of a communication. You are telling people what you think, want, desire or need.

The other half of communication is listening. That's why merely adding an email form (or link) and a guestbook go a long way to improve your visitor's experience with your web site. You are giving them the opportunity to tell you what's on their mind. If you also take the time to answer their messages and perhaps even get involved in an online communication - then you may very well have a friend for life.

You can add even more value (and get a few more visitors as well) by adding a "tell-a-friend" capability to your site. This adds a third and very interesting (although seemingly trivial) element to your site: the ability to add others to the communication.

Look at it this way. Someone surfed to your site and actually found something that was interesting. That's actually not an incredibly common occurrence on the internet (consider how many stupid, boring or just plain silly sites you've visited). Okay, they've found something interesting, perhaps very interesting, and they want to tell someone. You would be very wise to give them this capability. This is not just because it gains you another visitor, but it makes people feel better. Why? Because people like to share good experiences with each other.

You want to increase the ante? Include a message board! Now you've added another form of conversation to your website. People can jump on your board and leave messages for each other, answer questions and generally have discussions about whatever subject appeals to you. Some advice about message boards: be sure and actively moderate the board. Why? Some unscrupulous people have a tendency to leave advertisements, pornography, curses and flames on message boards. Unless that's what your board is about, none of this serves your purpose: to get people to talk about your subject and come back to your website.

Another good reason to moderate the board is it puts you in control, which is where you should be. It's your board and naturally conversations should be about subjects in which you are interested. The purpose of the board is to improve your site and your visitor experience - not ruin their good time.

Another great interactive feature which is not so obvious is running an awards program. What this accomplishes is simple: you are inviting people to submit their sites to you for review. By giving them the opportunity to apply for the award you are increasing the value of your site to them, and improving your chances of getting them back for more.

Perhaps one of the very best interactive features is hosting your own custom made e-cards. These are extremely popular and greatly improve your visitors experience on your site. Better yet, they give your visitors an opportunity to communicate (by sending cards) with their friends - and their friends may visit your site also.

Other features which increase your site's desirability even more is polls and surveys, interactive stories (to see our own interactive story, visit http://www.internet-tips.net/cgi-bin/stor y/story.pl - and add your own chapter), ezines and even chat rooms.

By adding these and other features, you are increasing your value to people who visit your site. If there is one thing that people like to do (and must do to survive well) it's communicate. By giving people many different ways to communicate, you are making it more likely that they will visit your site, stick around, and recommend it to their friends.

About The Author

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net

Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm

---

The Newbie?s Guide to Small Business Web Design

You've got a concept for a business, are excited about... Read More

Eliciting Constructive Website Feedback

"It's good.""You've done a nice job.""I don't like it."At some... Read More

Save Time and Boost Profits with Free Content

Public domain gives you a head start creating ebooks, ecourses,... Read More

Free Web Design Advice

In this article I will give advice and tips of... Read More

Web Copy - What You Should Know First

Just what is web copy? Some people think that web... Read More

Tried and Tested Tips to Improve Your Website - Part 1

1. DO NOT use excessive graphics or banner images on... Read More

Web Design: Should You Hire Someone or Do It Yourself?

So you need a website. You are not sure if... Read More

Digitalize It! : (Modification of images with tools such as Adobe CS and Corel)

Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes... Read More

An Ideal Home Business Home Page

From my personal experience of around two year as home... Read More

Successful Flash Tips

Ever browse across a website that took ten million years... Read More

Web Site Templates and Their Benefits

Unarguably, the most important part of your website is content.... Read More

Owning Your Own Web Site Is A Must

Owning your own website is a must if you are... Read More

Effective Website Design For Massive Traffic

STEP 1:Do your homeworkPlan and think about your content. Think... Read More

How to Choose Web Design Company?

Before deciding on which web design company to choose, you... Read More

User Experience and Search Engines: If Your Home Page Could Only Talk

Dear web site visitor.I can't tell you how glad I... Read More

How To Give Your Business Credibility

Let's face it. Buying products and services from the Internet... Read More

Website Design Mishaps - How to Avoid Costly Errors That Can Crush Your Chances of Success

Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if... Read More

9 Ways to Gain Your Visitors Respect

The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More

Use Exclusive Content - When Reprint Articles Dont Do Enough

There is no doubt that reprint articles can serve lots... Read More

Web Design: Use it to Showcase the Message

If you are designing a web site for which the... Read More

Website Woes: Top Five Offenders

I see a lot of mistakes, but here are the... Read More

So You?re Hiring a Web Designer?You Have the Right to Demand these 7 Perks

Whether you're hiring a designer who has created 10 sites... Read More

When Your Graphic Designer Costs You Money

So how do you know when your graphic designer costs... Read More

Simplify Your Web Site for Clarity and Ease of Use

There are plenty of web sites out there in which... Read More

Website Background Colors and Graphics: What You Need to Know Before Designing Your Website

Designing your website means you have to be creative, plan... Read More

Why Web Pages Appear in the Wrong Location after Uploading to my Website?

If your are a new web designer, you may face... Read More

Dont Lose The Sale In The Internets Last Three Feet

In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More

The Brutal Truth

Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More

Make Your Web Site User-Friendly

You can create a website that attracts customers, not repels... Read More

Setting Up a Website

Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More

Recipe For A Good Looking Web Site

We've all surfed the web and seen some awful web... Read More

Cheap Website Design In Birmingham

Due to the large number of people offering website design... Read More

Create Favorite Icon

Favorite icon appears to the left of your link in... Read More