I will cover each section in detail:
Organize your information:
Most visitors find websites through search engines or
other links. When visitors arrive at your page, they want to know
how to contact you, what your accommodation looks like, and a
price. So,
We start each page of your website
with a descriptive sentence. Many search engines use the beginning
text of your site for descriptions in their listings.
We use short paragraphs on each page
for easy scanning. Research has shown that a person reads online
information 20% slower than hardcopy.
Important information is placed at
the top half of your website so that visitors can determine where
you are located and how to contact you by either email or
telephone.
Finally, we place the most important
graphics first. In our conversations with travellers, 85% said
that they chose an accommodation from a photo of the B&B's
exterior and a typical room.
Create fast-loading
graphics:
Design of your web page will be optimised for low-end computer
systems and slow modem rates (28.8 kbps). The average
visitor waits between 10 and 15 seconds for a page to download; if
your page doesn't load quickly, a visitor may not wait for the
load to complete. So,
All photos are in jpeg format. This
file format creates a smaller file size (faster load time) than
that of a gif image.
All jpeg files are saved at 72 dots
per inch. Computer screens don't support higher resolutions, so
don't waste the load time.
We size your graphics in an outside
graphics editor before importing it into your html file. We never
use the sizing tool that your web composer provides. This changes
only the size of the photos as they appear on the page, but does
not reduce the original photo's file size.
We don't use large photos on your
website. If you want to include a large photo, have a link from
your main page to the photos.
We design the page to please your
users, not to please your web page designer. We avoid "cute"
graphic images and blinking icons, and overuse of colors. Plenty
of white space is left to keep it clean and nice.
Avoid using any words or phrases
that are regional.
Use simple rather than complex words
and expressions. (e.g., instead of saying "you have the ability
to," say instead "you can.")
Avoid slang words that are regional
to the USA, the United Kingdom, or United States.
Keep sentences short and to the
point.
Accompany icons with an identifier
(e.g., a right-pointing arrow should be accompanied by the word
next).
Avoid using icons that are regional
(e.g., an envelope or mailbox icon may not have the same meaning
for an international audience).
Avoid using icons that may have an
unsavory meaning in another country. For example, a pointing
finger.
Provide all information on your
accommodation on a separate page that can be printed and viewed
offline. Many international travellers share computer time.
Use one of the translation programs
to provide your information in other languages. The translation is
rough, but travellers can get the gist of your message. A
translation program to try is located at: <http://www.systransoft.com/>
Promote your website:
Register your website with search engines, free directories, and
paid directories. However, there are numerous other promotions
that will bring visitors to your site. Here are a few.
Exchange links with other bed and
breakfast websites. Fifty percent of website visitors arrive from
links from other sites, rather than directly from search engines.
Consider giving away a free weekend
or night's stay at your B&B, or give away a local gourmet product
once a month. This is a great way to entice visitors to return to
your website.
Create your own opt-in newsletter.
This is one of the best ways to build loyalty, trust, and return
visits to your site.
Look at your local online newspaper.
Many publications provide local businesses with a free link
section.
Make sure that your hardcopy
brochure, business cards, and answering machine all mention your
website.
Monitor your website:
To see what promotions are working for you, we track
where leads are coming from.USABedandBreakfast.com will place Extreme Tracker on your
website; we get it from
http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/?reg
Once installed, Extreme Tracker
will provide you with the number of visitors, where visitors are
logging on, as well as a other useful information.
If you have any questions about
any of the above, or if we missed something, please contact us at
info@USABedandBreakfast.com
* Information
re-produced with the permission of the Author Yvonne Tornatta
Copyright 1995 -
2002 International Bed and Breakfast Pages, Denton, Texas.
All rights reserved
