Tag Archives: domains

What Makes For a Great Website?

What makes for a great website

GDI provides you with your internet address for life, which can be home to your website. Your website builds your reputation online and defines your online identity, so you want it to represent you well. But what makes for a great website? Read on for the basics, then get working on your internet address for life.

Information

For a website to be useful,  your website needs to provide something–a service, a product, a story. Information on how to take advantage of this is key. If you’re selling a product, be sure to inform your website visitors about its benefit, price, and how they can get it. If you’re selling a service, provide the same information. Telling a story? Provide information as to why this story is important. Make sure all of this information is easy to find. If your visitor can’t find this on your website quickly, you will quickly lose them.

Navigation

Now you’ve got great information on your website, but how do people get to it? Navigation is key to people staying on your website and getting the best use of it. This means having appropriate menus and menu titles. It’s a good idea to have menu titles that include: about, products/ services, and contact. Other titles may be necessary, but these are the basic needs of any website. Don’t mislead with your menus titles. Visit some of your favorite websites and see how the navigation works, then apply this to your site.

Images

The right images can keep people engaged with your website. Add images where it makes sense. Show people your product. Include an image of yourself or your team in the “About Us” section of your website. Try to use the best quality, high resolution photos you can find. A poor quality image will make you look unprofessional and will cause people to leave your website.

If you aren’t using your own images, make sure you have the rights to use ceraint photos on your website and provide credit and attribution when needed. Looking for photos to use on your website? Try Creative Commons—just be sure to check the rules and rights of the image before you use it on your website.

Content

As we’ve said in many posts, content is key. Content is a lot like information, but with an emphasis on quality. Information provides the basics of what your website visitors need to know, but content builds the story. Good content should be keyword rich and interesting. This should be stories that support your business, share your success, and display your unique knowledge. Stuck on what kind of content to create? Think of what you enjoy reading or what kind of websites you like. Then try to create content that mimics this.

 

What’s in a Domain?

Is your domain name right for branding? Is your domain something you want to share? Will your domain name be something you want a few months or years in the future? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it might be time to change your domain name, or reconsider the one you want to create.

As we discussed above, your domain name is a powerful way to brand yourself or your business; it’s not a decision you should take lightly. Think of your domain name like a business name. This is something you want to hold onto, promote, and something that will represent you. Think wisely before you select your domain. Many users sign up with GDI and initially aren’t sure of what domain they should choose. If you have decided the domain name you already chose isn’t right for you, it’s not too late.

To Get Started:

To choose a new domain name contact our Support Team at 760-602-3000 or by email at support@website.ws. You can choose to cancel your current domain and purchase a new domain or simply add an additional domain name to your account. Many of our GDI users have multiple domain names for different reasons, whether they wish to have an additional business site, try out new techniques with one site and have a site dedicated to their GDI opportunity and one for personal use. Changing a domain name or adding an additional domain will not change your username.

Who Needs a Website?

wsYour .WS domain is not only a powerful tool to brand yourself, it’s also a powerful product. .WS offers anyone a chance at the WebSite of their choice, thanks to far more domain name options than available through .COM. While not everyone is interested in GDI’s affiliate program, anyone can benefit from a .WS domain. Here’s a short list of just a few people that you might know who could use a .WS domain.

Small Business Owner – Not every business has a website. Many have a web presence either through review sites or a Facebook page, but a dedicated domain is still a necessity. Explain the power of branding your business and not someone else’s. For example, www.yourrestaurant.ws brands just you, whereas www.facebook.com/yourrestaurant is promoting Facebook first.

Job Seeker – Having your own site with your resume, portfolio, and information about you is a great way to stand out to potential employers. With a .WS domain, a job seeker can brand themselves by name, experience or career area and truly stand out in search results.

Blogger – Know a blogger whose domain is still domain.bloggingservice.com? Now is the time for them to secure their brand with a .WS domain. Visitors can head directly to their site without having to type in a lengthy hard to remember domain name and the blogger can better brand themselves and their business.