How's your website, then?

I'm not asking whether it's a good site or not, but what its performance is like. Is it slow to load? Does it have problems with certain web browsers? Occasionally you'll find that code working perfectly on, say Internet Explorer, doesn't work with Firefox. And vice-versa. Any coding problems?

How should I know? Who... who cares? I hear you ask.

Because it's important. You only have seconds -- tenths of seconds, even -- to make an impression on people who come to your site. If the site isn't working, has dead links or some old code that doesn't work and leaves the site with blank areas, you can bet your life those lovely, potential customers will click away at the drop of a pixel. And more than likely they'll be clicking away to the welcoming site of one of your competitors.

Wake up and smell the Mugicha! After reading this post you no longer have any excuses for not knowing. There's a website I often turn to when I want to see how my own site is doing, performance-wise. It makes for uncomfortable reading sometimes, because it doesn't hesitate to tell me stuff I don't particular want to hear -- the site's too heavy, too many images, too many elements, you've failed at life, you're a bad, bad person... et depressing cetera. But it's well worth it.

I have no connection whatsoever with the owners of the site and this isn't an affiliate link, so click in confidence. Here it is:

http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/

Put in the full address of your website and have a look at what it says. Pretty eye-opening stuff, eh? You didn't realise it was that bad, did you?!

I'm not particularly interested in contacting the owners of the site to ask for their optimization services, but the results I get when I check my site are very interesting. Useful, too. Oh, and completely free. Check it out.

Not every site needs a site map, they can certainly be a good idea. Site maps provide a dual purpose: They provide search engine spiders easy access to all of your site pages and they provide site visitors easy access to all of your site pages. The difference is that search engines and visitors access your site map differently and therefore there are different methods that need to be applied to creating site map(s) that are friendly for both engines and search spiders.

Small sites typically don't need a site map so long as all pages are linked in the main navigation. Once you get into main and sub-navigation menu's then site maps are helpful in allowing search engines and visitors to quickly find anything they are looking for within just a couple of clicks. A single site map can be used for both purposes or multiple site maps can be created. Here we'll address creating site maps for spiders and humans separately.

Site Map For Spiders

.xml file

An .xml document should be added to your site's root directory containing links to all site pages. This .xml file should then be referenced should be compiled and placed into a proper .xml document which should be uploaded into the root directory.

Robots.txt file

With your .xml site map file in place you must then make it accessible to search spiders. Reference the site map in your robots.txt file by adding a line for sitemap: URL (example: sitemap: http://www.polepositionmarketing.com/sitemap.xml)

Keep current

Be sure that your .xml file is updated and uploaded frequently, or at least as often as pages are added or removed from your site. Large sites should implement an automated site map update monthly or even weekly or daily.

Site Map For Visitors

Navigation links

A site map designed for human visitors is just like any other website page. Link to the site map page should be included in the primary navigation or the site's global footer. Visitors should be able to find this link without too much searching.

Additional page links

Site map should also be linked from various pages within the site such as Help pages and your custom 404-redirect page. This helps point visitors to the site map as a quick and easy means to find what they need.

Overview

It's helpful to provide a short overview paragraph at the top of your site map page. This can be a nice introduction should someone land on this page directly from a search engine or elsewhere.

Heading and layout

The layout of the site map should present a clear visual hierarchal structure or your website. Both headings and sub-headings should be used above properly grouped links.

Text links & descriptions

Site map should primarily use textual links and page should not be cluttered with images or other distractions. It is also a good idea to provide an additional short description (provided there is room) for each link that allows the visitor to better understand where each link will take them.

Keep current

Be sure that your site map is updated and uploaded frequently, or at least as often as pages are added or removed from your site.

As I said above, not every site needs a site map. But those that do should be sure that the site map(s) they create are actually benefiting them. And the best way to do that is to make sure your site maps provide maximum usability for visitors and search engine spiders.

Most web development projects include one or more of the following elements...

• Database design and creation
• Server-side computer programming
• Client-side computer programming
• Web page design

Each of these elements has to work in its own right, and in cooperation with the other elements. The more complex the project, the harder it is to bring it all together and make it work correctly.

How to keep the cost down

Here's how you can make sure your web development costs don't run over budget...

1. Insist every aspect of the development is described in an Agreement document, and make sure both you and the developer sign it
2. Don't make changes after work has started

The key to achieving the second of these two items lies with the first. You should insist that an Agreement document be created, and sit in on the process.

You need both end-users and developers in the same room, working through each aspect of the development. The end result must be a document that fully describes the development, is clear (unambiguous), and easily understood by both users and programmers.

Every minute you invest creating this document greatly increases your chance of bringing the project in on budget.

Why it's worth it

Many of the problems that usually cause headaches during a complex development could have been discovered in advance, if an Agreement document had been created. When users and programmers get together and discuss their respective needs thoroughly, the resulting development is far more likely to go smoothly.

This kind of interaction forces both users and programmers to think through what's actually required to make the system work. The ongoing interaction reduces the risk that person A assumes person B knows what they're talking about.

Users are committing to a specific set of functions for an agreed price. The developer is committing to develop those functions for an agreed price. This means both users and developers have a self-interest in being thorough.

Should a user change his/her mind about something after the Agreement document is signed, the cost of development must be renegotiated. This punishes the user for failing to think things through.

Should the developer discover he/she hasn't fully understood what's required to complete some aspect of the project, he/she can't ask for more money. This punishes the developer for failing to break down each stage of the development and understand what's involved in completing it.

Assuming you do your part, you won't need to make changes after the work has started. As a result, you'll bring the project in on budget even if the developer hasn't done his/her job properly.