Let us evaluate your web site.

Web and Internet Consulting

How does your Website measure up?

Many of the websites that we see are visually appealing. However, they are lacking in terms of their ability to to deliver customers. A website needs to be:

Visually appealing
Designed to be search engine friendly
Designed to be viewer friendly
Work on a variety of platforms
Be interactive

Website Evaluation Checklist

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Item

Compatibility
Many websites look great ... on the developer's machine. You should try to view your website on as many different systems as possible. Go to your libraries, schools, other businesses and friends and try your website there.

Flash/shockwave
Developers often use flash or shockwave introductions. We avoid this because many users don't have the latest versions of these products. Also, remember that many of your potential viewers will be accessing your pages via modems. They simply will not wait for the intro to download

Usability
The most common problem is download time. Try your site on a machine with a modem. You should also make sure that there is good contrast between your text and background. Remember that many people are color blind to some degree

Sound
Avoid pages that automatically play music when loaded. This can really annoy viewers.

Search engine and directory inclusion
See if your site is listed in the following search engines. The best way to test this is to search for your URL. e.g. www.cgmsystems.com

Search engine and directory placement
Develop a list of keywords that you think potential customers would use in a search engine if they were looking for your goods or services. For example, we would use terms such as

Consulting "Bucks County"
"Web Design" "Bucks County"
Training Philadelphia
CGM Systems, Inc.
Try to come up with about 5 of the most obvious terms that would apply
Try each of these searches in each of the search engines listed above. See where you place (If you don't show in the first 30 results, forget it)

The Google Toolbar
Go to http://toolbar.google.com/ and install the google toolbar. When you get the toolbar installed, go to your main page. Look for the page rank indicator on the toolbar. If you mouse over it, you will see the numeric rating for the page. If it is not ranked, you are not in the Google Index. If it is a zero, you are in deep trouble. That means Google has banned your site. You need to find the problem and correct it.

Metatags
Some search engines depend on metatags that you include on your pages. The most important of these are the Description and Keywords tags. You should view each page of your site in any browser and choose EDIT VIEW SOURCE from the menu. Look for the Keyword and Description tags. The content should be thorough and relevant.

Avoid

Do not use automated programs or websites to check your search engine positions. They are against the terms of service of many of the search engines and can get you banned

Any attempt to trick the search engines. If you get caught, you will get banned.

Purchasing domain names that have been previously banned.

The easy way:

If all of that seems too complicated, simply contact us. We will analyze your website and provide a complete report for just $99.

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CGM Systems, Inc.
Technology Consulting since 1988
Hardware, Software, Networking, Web Design, Virus Removal, Ecommerce, Training

Legal Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided as-is and without warranty. Rates are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. You may link to any page in this site, but you may not frame the content. Use of this site implies agreement to these terms. For more information, please see our policies About us: CGM Systems, Inc. is located in Southampton, Pennsylvania. We provide consulting services in the Greater Philadelphia area including Bucks County and Montgomery County. Some services such as website design are provided nationally. Some of the communities that we serve include: Upper Southampton, Lower Southampton, Trevose, Feasterville, Bensalem, Newtown, Doylestown, Richboro, Holland, Warminster, Huntingdon Valley, Morrisville, Yardley, New Hope, Solebury, Middleton, Oxford Valley, Neshaminy, Ivyland, Willow Grove, Bristol, Lahaska and more!

Web and Internet Consulting

Compatibility Many websites look great ... on the developer's machine. You should try to view your website on as many different systems as possible. Go to your libraries, schools, other businesses and friends and try your website there.

Flash/shockwave Developers often use flash or shockwave introductions. We avoid this because many users don't have the latest versions of these products. Also, remember that many of your potential viewers will be accessing your pages via modems. They simply will not wait for the intro to download

Usability The most common problem is download time. Try your site on a machine with a modem. You should also make sure that there is good contrast between your text and background. Remember that many people are color blind to some degree

Sound Avoid pages that automatically play music when loaded. This can really annoy viewers.

Search engine and directory inclusion See if your site is listed in the following search engines. The best way to test this is to search for your URL. e.g. www.cgmsystems.com

Search engine and directory placement Develop a list of keywords that you think potential customers would use in a search engine if they were looking for your goods or services. For example, we would use terms such as