Do You Have Web Site Challenges?

Do You Have Web Site Challenges?

By Tony Simpson

Haveyou ever wondered what challenges are faced by other webmasters andowners in the design and promotion of their websites, well I certainlyhave and so I decided to try and find out.

I created a short survey which asked the following questions:

1. How long have you been running a website ?
2. What challenges do you face right now with the DESIGN of your website ?
3. What challenges do you face right now with the PROMOTION of your website ?
4. What challenges do you think you’ll face with your web business over the next 12 months ?
5. What is your Number ONE single biggest problem in running your web business ?
6. What is your 2ND single biggest problem in running your web business ?
7. How experienced do you consider yourself with all the areas of WEB DESIGN ?
8. How experienced do you consider yourself with the PROMOTION of a web site ?

Formost questions respondents were asked to choose their answers from alist and could select as many answers as they thought applied to them.

In answer to Q1. How long have they been running a website ?

27% answered less than 6 months.
18% said 6 to 12 months.
18% said 1 to 2 years.
37% had more than 2 years experience.

Toanswer Q2. What challenges do they face right now with the DESIGN oftheir website, respondents were given 36 possible answers to choosefrom.

The top 10 challenges respondents gave in DESIGN were, in order:
1. Optimizing Web PAGES for Search Engines
2. Optimizing Web SITE for Search Engines
3. Choosing/adding a Link Directory
4. Adding a content management system
5. Tracking pages visitors view on their site
6. Finding content for the web site
7. Creating Images for web pages
8. Choosing the right web hosting
9. Choosing/adding an Autoresponder
10. Adding and using RSS News Feeds

Toanswer Q3. What challenges do they face right now with the PROMOTION oftheir website, respondents were given 24 possible answers to choosefrom.

The top 10 challenges respondents gave in PROMOTION were, in order:
1. Getting more visitors from search engines
2. Writing content to attract search engines
3. Finding other sources to get more visitors
4. Gain/maintain more links to their web site
5. Get better Google Adwords results
6. How pages rank with search engines
7. Testing web pages for best changes to make
8. Creating better headlines for web pages
9. Getting better Adsense results
10. How/Which Search Engines to submit to

In regard tochallenges over the next 12 monthsand the number one and two single biggest problems in running a web business, the common theme wasgetting enough traffic, cheaply and finding the time to do everything.

On how experienced respondents considered themselveswith all areas of WEB DESIGN the majority felt competent but would like to learn more.

When asked how experienced they considered themselveswith the PROMOTION of a web site the majority knew nothing or just how to do the basics.

Conclusion
Itwas clear from these early results that issues with search engineranking and getting more traffic by what ever means were among thegreatest challenges for website owners in 2005. Other specific problemswere in creating content, managing and getting links and finding thetime to do it all. The majority of respondents felt they knew little orjust the basics about website promotion.

It remains to be seenwhether these results change as more people complete the survey, sinceit’s still ongoing. Not enough responses have been collected to makethese results statistically sound, so if you would like to contributeto these finding then you can take the short survey at the link below.

Iwill publish an update to these findings on my site. As a thank you forcompleting the survey I have some good advice on the site to help withthe 3rd highest issue with web design that of choosing an adding a linkdirectory. I am also giving away some free automated link directorymanagement software.

About the Author: Tony Simpson, has 5 yearsin the trench experience of Website Design, Promotion and Optimization.He provides advice&product reviews athttp://www.webpageaddons.comWeb Page Add Ons to Make Automation of Your Website Work for You.Take the Web Site Challenges 2005 Survey at:http://www.webpageaddons.com/quest/index.php?sid=1

Source:www.isnare.com