Diana Myre

Diana wears many different hats at Comstar but focuses mainly on marketing, search engines & website critiques. In 2008 she was an expert writer for Magazine Soho with a monthly column on Web Design.

Contact Info, Where?

Website Conversion, Website Tips No Responses »
Oct 232009

I just went to a website and became very frustrated so I need to share this tip with you today.  Here is the tip:  put contact information in your calls-to-action within the text of your website!

For example, if one of your paragraphs ends with “pick up the phone and call us right now” then you should make absolutely sure that your phone number is visible to them either right after that line or at least on the page.

Or if your call to action asks them to “email for more information” then you should provide a visible email address or a link to a contact page or something. 

After telling your site visitor what to do, if you do not provide a way to do it then you will have one frustrated visitor.  And, odds are you’ve got a site that is not useful.  And that means no sale.

There is nothing less effective than asking someone to take an action but not giving them enough information or some means to complete it.  Sorry website that I was visiting, you did not get my business today!

Posted by Diana Myre at 1:03 PM Tagged with: , , , , ,

Writing Titles for Your Web Pages

Website Tips 1 Response »
Sep 162009

Take a close look at the page titles on your website. To do this you need to examine the order of your words within the title.  While your title may contain relevant information and keywords it may not be laid out in the best manner.  The rule to follow is that the most relevant information should go first in a page title.  Here’s an example of a page title:

“Everything you must know about Labrador Retrievers”

While this may sound fine and may describe exactly what is on the page, it is not the best title.  Why?  Remember the rule stated above:  the most relevant information should go first.  Do the first few words “everything you must know” really tell you that the page is about labs?

In the above example, a step closer to a proper page title may be a simple reversal of the information such as:

“Labrador Retrievers – Everything You Must Know”

One major benefit of proper titles is that it will help to increase your ranking in search engines.  Just as importantly, it will also help your visitors understand exactly what they are about to read on the page if they decide to click through.  And getting them to take that action is what you’re looking for in the first place!

Posted by Diana Myre at 2:55 PM Tagged with: ,

How to Convert Site Visitors

Website Conversion, Website Tips No Responses »
Aug 312009

If your site covers all of your visitor’s wants, they will be more willing to take the action that you desire.  A recent study found that the following techniques listed below will increase the chances of your visitor taking the action that you desire.

1.      Show the visitor what you can do for them.

2.      Get to the point right away within your text.

3.      Answer questions before they are asked.

4.      Figure out what people want and put it in headings.

5.      Don’t make the visitor hit the Contact Us button to first learn about how to get a hold of you.

Think about your website for a minute.  Does your site follow these techniques?  Does every page request the visitor to take an action?  If no, why not?  If yes, is it effective?

Posted by Diana Myre at 10:32 AM Tagged with: ,

No Industry Jargon!

Website Tips No Responses »
Jun 302009

The navigation of your website is only useful if the visitor finds the correct word to click on for the information they are looking for.  Is your navigation successful at this?

Make sure that the words you are using on the navigation buttons are terms that your visitors would use (no industry jargon).  Some websites try to come up with cute names to describe things but this just wastes a visitors time because now you are making them click on the page just to figure out if this is what they are looking for or not.

Also, make sure that you at the very least have a button for “home” and a button for “contact us”.

As long as we are on the subject, a bonus tip for you is to be careful of the number of navigation choices that you give.  Giving visitors too many choices only confuses them, not helps them.  For this reason, try to stay around seven choices on your first level of navigation.  Seven.  You can do it!

Posted by Diana Myre at 4:44 PM Tagged with:

Same Photo = Boring

Website Tips No Responses »
Jun 032009

Imagine walking into a clothing store and having every manikin in each department wearing the exact same thing.  How boring and strange.  You would probably be asking yourself why they weren’t showing you anything new.

This same concept applies to your website.  It is best to use multiple photos throughout your site.  Think about it – if a visitor is taking the time to click from page to page of your site, they are obviously looking to learn more.  So why keep showing them the same image over and over?

This is not going to make a great impression, instead it could give off a negative impression such as you do not offer a large supply of product or that you were too lazy to go out and get other photos for your site.

So spice your site up a little bit!  You’ll keep more visitors longer.

Posted by Diana Myre at 10:41 AM Tagged with:

You vs We

Website Tips No Responses »
May 222009

Many companies make the mistake of writing in a way of “we do this” and “we do that.”  Nothing turns a visitor off more than that.  Think more “you” and less “we”.  Let’s look at an example.

Imagine you are heading to a website to read about a certain type of oranges for sale.  Here is what the website says about the seller: We have been picking oranges since 1906.  We ship to many different parts of the United States.  We have high standards and testing practices. How did those statements make you feel?  Did it leave you feeling that they didn’t care about you?  See, the seller was trying to make the point that they are experienced, their products are available in many places for you, and that their products are the best for you.  Did their statements come across like they cared for you?

If the seller would have written it in a “you” perspective, it may have sounded like this.  You are going to receive the best fruit possible because we have been picking only the best oranges for over 100 years.  You can be sure to find our products waiting for you in a variety of stores in over 40 states!  Your orange will be great tasting because it is put through tests to ensure it is of the highest quality.

See the difference?  This text is all about you and is written in a way that would get you excited to try one. And, it still gets all of the important points across.

Posted by Diana Myre at 4:52 PM Tagged with: ,

One Font Type

Website Tips No Responses »
May 062009

Is font important on a website?  Yes!  The font is an important element in creating a visitor-oriented homepage.  You’ve heard me mention visitor-oriented homepage before right?

Here are some “rules” about font – Make sure that you are using only one font type throughout the page.  This is very important so that the eye follows along properly from paragraph to paragraph.

Also, try and make all of the text just one size.  Many websites make the mistake of using small text in one section and large text in another section of the page to grab attention.  What option does that leave you with if you can’t use different sizes to make something stand out?  Use bold to emphasize important points.

Mixing different sizes, italics, bold, and different font styles can be a disaster.  The reason is that it causes the eye to jump around and it takes away from the natural flow of the text.

Posted by Diana Myre at 8:11 PM Tagged with:

Get Your Website Evaluated

Website Tools No Responses »
Apr 222009

Has your website been evaluated recently?

Website Evaluations are designed to make you aware of key strengths and weaknesses on your website.  It could even help you determine if your current site has the potential to make you money.

At Comstar, we offer Evaluations that include:

  • Professional examination of 5 main areas of your current site:
    Design, Photos, Navigation, Search Elements & Content
  • Thorough analysis of the tags that describe your page content
  • Investigation of keywords used in anchor tags
  • Breakdown of your popularity and traffic rankings
  • Report on website performance through various browsers

These are great for businesses interested in determining what they need to change and budget for.

Learn more about Evaluations on our website.

Posted by Diana Myre at 1:45 PM Tagged with:

Website Colors

Website Tips No Responses »
Apr 202009

Have you heard about the 5 second rule before?  5 seconds is all the time you have to make a favorable impression on your website visitor before they will decide to stay or leave.  In 5 seconds the visitor must be able to determine who you are, what you do, and why they should choose you.

Colors can also help a visitor to determine if they will stay on the site.  A nice background color can set the tone of the site and put the visitor in the correct frame of mind for viewing.  Make sure that the colors you use give off the correct feeling and impression of your business.

Be careful of how many colors you choose because using too many can be distracting or overwhelming.

Posted by Diana Myre at 3:00 PM Tagged with: , ,

Photo Captions & Excitement

Website Tips No Responses »
Apr 152009

It is common that when someone creates a scrapbook or an online gallery to show off photos that they add captions around or below the photo.  Why do they do this?  To help the visitor understand what they are looking at and get them excited as well.

This same concept can be applied to your website too.  Adding a caption below photos may help to increase visitor interest.  Tell the visitor exactly what you want them to look at in the photo.  The photos should match the text on that page.  If the photo relation is not obvious, a caption could really help so that your visitor does not say “I don’t get it.”

Also, make sure that your photos are exciting and motivate visitors to take action.  Does a photo of the front of your building or a sign with your name really get visitors excited?  Try to put yourself in the visitor’s eyes and think about what you would want to see.

Remember, your goal with photos is to make it easier for the visitor to envision themselves being helped by your product or service.

Posted by Diana Myre at 2:56 PM Tagged with:
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