Two of the most important factors in determining if your web site is successful and profitable are usability and content. Your web site must have both. They work together to give your visitors a site that is easy to use, a site that provides valuable information and a site that keeps your customers coming back.

on Usability

If you have to think about how to find something on your own web site, imagine what your visitors go through. Nothing drives potential customers away faster than a site that is difficult to use.

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug is a great book on usability. If you’re thinking about creating a new web site or redesigning your current web site, buy this book.

You should not leave usability entirely in the hands of your designer. Conversely, you might learn the reasons why your designer includes elements that don’t make any sense to you.

Don’t Make Me Think is about helping your visitors take the next step without having to think about it.

on Content

It doesn’t matter how user-friendly your site is if the content is boring, stale and hard to read. Content is the most important part of any web site. It is what sells your products and services. The best designed site in the world will fail if your users can’t understand what you’re trying to tell them.

Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson is a short book on how to create and keep your content fresh and inspiring.

Great content is not easy. Even more difficult is keeping that great content flowing. Kristina’s book can help you create a content strategy that keeps your site and business ahead of your competitors.

Don’t be one of those companies that thinks of content as an after-thought that once it is done, it is done…

Additional Resource:
Why You Need A Content Strategiest

If you’re not using email marketing to promote your business, you’re missing out on the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to promote your business.

Beyond being fast, easy and cheap, the Direct Marketing Association found that “…email marketing returned a whopping $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009″ (DirectMag.com). That’s about $22 more than the next highest ROI marketing tool, search advertising.

Another article at Email Marketing Reports provides additional data on the benefits of email marketing.

After reading both articles, you’ll find that email marketing can be a very profitable way to promote your business.

If email marketing isn’t something you currently use or you’re not seeing the type of return you want, give me a call at 317-513-0920.