Website Reconstruction: When it’s Time to Rebuild the Drowning Ship - Part 2

Today, we'll continue on our previous topic on when it's time to rebuild the existing website.

Website Performance Testing

A simple way to test the site performance is to use Firebug web development tool and its integrated plugin YSlow.  YSlow analyses the web page and suggest the possible improvement based on the general. The page will get the grade for every issue. The best grade is A that means there is no need in improvement.

After you install YSlow plugin you may open any page and check it. The plugin will provide you recommendations explaining every suggestion. However the plugin will only advise you what should be improved but not the best way to implement it.

There would be about 20 issues with different grades such as the following:

• Make fewer HTTP requests
• Put JavaScript at bottom
• Configure entity tags
• And others…

We don’t say you need have all A’s to consider your site has good performance but too many F’s is an alarm for rebuilding.

Services to Test Your Website

The Reason They Come to Your Website – the Content

The main reason visitors come to your website is the content.

I believe you’ve heard it already and know all the importance about the valuable content. But is the content on your website really the one of that kind?
Remember how you were working on your resume when applying for a job. You tried to make it:

• Full but not too big and boring
• Awaking interest to your personality and experience
• Up to date containing all the latest information
• Structured and formatted

These rules work perfectly for the web content! Use them and check the content. Rewrite it if needed, optimize for search engine queries (but don’t go too far).
And some more:

• Share your expertise
• Provide help
• Give the opportunity to find more about your job (company, services, product) and ask you a question

How you Can Boost the Website Popularity with the Proper and Fresh Content

The content of the site is its heart. There is no point in reconstructing the website that no one will support with the fresh and quality content. The content on your site can be of any type:

• Textual
• Images
• Photos
• Video
• Music
• Files for download

Text is the only content that is indexed by the search engines. This is the only way how people can find you by searching in Google and no other. Think what key phrases can be associated with your site and use them when writing a copy, a title for the web-page and even page URL for the new post.

Website rebuilding is the great reason to update the content of the site and implement blog, visitors’ comments, news and other features that make website more interactive and interesting for visitors and owners.

Blog and news page are the good possibilities to upgrade the site on a weekly basis. Google always put the most recent relevant content higher in search results.

What should you do if you got many great photos and images to share with visitors but not the text? Add title and alt to the images, provide brief description of the photos. People often use search within pictures in Google. Let them spot your website this way too.

Any video on the site can be described in the Video Sitemap. Thus you will increase search ability of the video files significantly.

The only websites that has no particular content are those ones built up totally with Flash. Yes, they look great and fascinating and can be a real pleasure but you can’t use any part of it or save an image or search on site. The solution is the usage of HTML5 or embedding the Flash onto the website. Thus you’ll get site with animation and other effects but it will be searchable and visible for search engines and visitors.

Files and tools for download are the great stuff. But don’t let them stay untouched – promote them with the comprehensive copy.

When the website reconstruction is complete and the content is ready start the promotion.

Share new and helpful resources on your website with the community. Go to the popular relevant forums, check the questions and tell where the answer can be found, put the link to the required page.

And soon the awareness about your website will grow like a snow ball with the help of the social media, twitter and bookmarks. Don’t forget to put Share This button or any other button of that kind on a blog.

Cooperate with the social media and tell your friend and followers about new stuff. If you are looking for much more attention from the social media create a Facebook application or a game.

Pros and Cons of the Web Content Creation

Pros of the Great Web Content:

• Higher rankings in Google search engine results
• Increasing visibility of the website in the Internet
• Increasing traffic
• More visitors and clients
• More sales

Cons of the Great Web Content:

• Time and efforts required for content creation
• Necessity to protect the content from stealing
• Time required to moderate the comments and filter spam

Yes there are few cons but the pros totally beat them all.

Think about rebuilding today to defeat your competitors tomorrow.

The above article was originally published at: http://www.instantshift.com/2010/12/03/website-reconstruction-when-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-rebuild-the-drowning-ship/

For all your website re-designing and developments requirements, feel free to contact us at Farend.