The title of this blog is one of the most used sayings when it comes to a relationship. Today we will talk about how your website can help you build that relationship between you and your visitors. With the technology that is available today you can know everything about your visitors and engage them in a relationship with you.

Gone are the days of static websites. Just 5 years ago a high percentage of your websites had little ability to adapt to your visitors in real time and only could output whatever has already been created. Now with more advanced server side technology your site can offer content depending on the visitor and the needs of the visitor.

First and foremost in your relationship with your visitor is website usability. Website usability is making sure that your site can first be seen as it should be, and second, work the way you designed it to. One of the most annoying aspects of working in web development is the fact that the companies that create the browsers still do not get along. They are getting there, but with each step they take they still have browsers out there that people use that are not standard compliant. With this in mind, here is what you need to keep in mind when creating your website, or keeping an eye on your web developer:

1. Some of the older browsers, mainly Internet Explorer 6 and below, have a problem with web layout. One of the ways to stay clear of this is to design a web page in tables, but I highly recommend that you avoid this.
2. Keep in mind all possible visitors to your website. Did you know that blind people have tools to use so they can surf the internet? If you do not have your site set up for these tools to lead the blind, you are losing a potential customer. A simple step for this is to make sure that all of your image tags have an alt tag used to give a good description of what that image is.
3. Lead your visitors in the right direction. The internet is referred to as the “information highway”. We all know that without good signs and a good map we all get lost on a highway if we do not travel that highway often. If your site does not lead people around the website easily, they will get frustrated and leave. Make sure you have a menu that is easy to follow and is found at the same place on each page inside your website. You can also use breadcrumbs on your sub pages so people know exactly where they are on your website.
4. Give your visitors what they want. Statistics show that a splash page with just a flash video is useless. It takes up time that people don’t want to devote to their time on the internet, and that is important time you are missing getting across to the visitors to your site. Make sure that the first page that a visitor comes to, most of the time your home page, hits home what you offer to the visitor and how they can get it.
5. Have a way to interact. If you do not have a way for someone to easily fill out a contact form online, do it now. If you have a web developer they should be able to do this in a matter of minutes. If you have a talented developer they should be able to not only have the information from the form sent to your email, but they should also be able to show you information about the visitor who sent the information, and set up an autoresponder if you need one.
6. When it comes to a site that is selling horses, put in front of a potential buyer what they need to see. Having a picture of your horse that is just a head shot is not going to get the sale done most of the time. Try to have a picture of the horse that is a full body shot, leg shots from the front and back, and pictures of both sides of the horse. Why add another step in the sale process by having it to where the person has to contact you for more information when  you can have it already on the website?
7. Polish up your video player. Some of the sites I come across have it to where you have to download the video before watching it. Waste of time. With flash technology you can have the video played right in the web page and nobody has to download it. As for the video itself, get rid of what is not needed. You don’t need animation in the video to sell the horse and you don’t need music. Keep it simple and show off the attributes of the horse being shown.
8. Content that is easily scanned. A large population of the internet users are known as scanners, meaning that they will scan a page instead of sitting there reading the full page. Make sure you separate your headers and make them very noticeable and separate from the body content. When writing content, use lists to get home important points instead of using paragraphs. And try to write your content from the visitors view and not your own. This is very important when it comes to promoting a stallion or selling a horse. What would be important for the potential customer to know?

Building a relationship with your visitors is important and can lead to a new client, a breeding, sale of a horse, and more. Having your website set up in a way that you build this relationship right from the get go is important. Building the site from your visitors point of view is a way that you can start to build relationships that can lead to far greater things. Keep these points in mind and we will go over more in future blogs.

You also might be interest in:

General Pricing Guidelines for Website Design

Design of a Horse Farm Website

Monitor Your Website Visitors