By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Strictly BMW Independent Service - Bellevue, Wash.
www.strictlybmw.com
This site offers an abundance of information, including a comprehensive service section, customer testimonials and product descriptions. Customers can sign up for the “Bimmer Informer,” an electronic newsletter complete with tips and regional BMW events. A newly added video section lets visitors experience the thrill of racing.
Web Wise
Avoid Mistakes When Creating Your Shop's Web Site
Technology has enabled any small business to jump aboard the dot-com bandwagon. As more people become accustomed to the various Web design tools available, it is becoming easier to integrate a shop Web site into your marketing plan. The Internet's capabilities are endless, but don't fall victim to incorporating all the capabilities into one Web site. Doing so will cause visitors to lose patience and quickly leave your site.
Load time is essential to the success of any Web site. The longer customers have to wait for your site to load, the more likely they are to leave your site. Avoid long load times by cutting down on graphical elements. Too many graphics make for long load times and a cluttered page. In addition, longer pages account for longer load times. Ideally, try to limit your content so it all fits on one page. Visitors don't like to scroll down a page to find the information they need.
Stay away from too many animated graphics. Animation can be used sparingly to emphasize something on a page. But too many animated graphics make for an unprofessional site. Keep in mind that animated graphics consist of multiple frames, much like a traditional cartoon. The Web browser must load each individual frame of the animated graphic before movement occurs. Therefore, the more animation you have on a page, the slower the Web site will load.
Be careful in using frames on your site. If done correctly, frames have the advantage of easier navigation and quicker load times. But if done incorrectly, frames can make your site look unprofessional. If you're not careful, you may end up with a scroll bar next to your navigation system or across the bottom of your page. Ultimately, this will make your site look amateurish.
Finally, make sure you create a Web site that everyone can view. Creating a site using Flash can look innovative, but not everyone has the capability of seeing the site. To view Flash sites correctly, the viewer would have to download specific software from the Internet. Chances are, your visitor will simply find another site to look at before downloading the software. Use Flash technology sparingly.
Net Numbers
The number of sites in cyberspace is growing exponentially. As of July 2002, Google's search engine indexed 2,073,418,204 Web sites.
Google (www.google.com)
ASA Web Ways
Online Registration Available for CARS 2002
Online registration for the Automotive Service Association's 2002 Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) is now available on the CARS Web site (www.CARSonline.org). Register using a secure Web site and alleviate the hassle of filling out forms by hand and returning them by mail. In addition to online registration, the new CARS Web site contains the latest information about this year's event, including a complete agenda, information about technical courses, Automotive Management Institute (AMI) seminars, and speakers.
 |
Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
|
Copyright (c) 1996-2008. Automotive Service Association. All rights reserved.
