Is It Ready To Fly?
By Larry JohnsonOne of my favorite hobbies is flying RC airplanes. For those of you unfamiliar with *RC*, it refers to radio-controlled planes. You know, those small scale planes that buzz around the sky underthe control (hopefully) of a pilot on the ground with a radio.
It is a very rewarding pastime, but it is also one that can be very frustrating and expensive if one has not carefully prepared for it. Radio equipment, batteries, fuel, the airplane and weatherare just a few of the considerations before putting a plane into the air.
Those who fail to carefully check and double check all of the factors involved are likely to end up with a plane that has been *re-kitted*. That means it ends up in a lot of little pieces similarto it's original configuration when you first brought it home in it's box as a kit.
Since I am currently working on getting a new plane ready to fly, It occurred to me that many websites are thrown into cyberspace without *being ready to fly.* Many times I have seen business sites which are only half-way completed. Frequently they have added a construction zone type notice to recognize their undone status.
Folks, if it is not completed. If it has a problem, fix it before you launch it on the internet. Get it ready to market and promote before it is given birth.
When flying planes, a frequently heard expression is: "A problem on the ground is not going to get better in the air." This is true of your site too.
At a MINIMUM here are some items to check before you submit your site to space:
- HTML--make sure the coding is correct.
- Links--Check and double check them.
- Load time--Some research says that 8 seconds is the maximum most surfers will wait
- Browser Compatibility--Explorer and Netscape for sure.
- Submission Readiness--Including Meta tags. Ideally, your title tags should be between 5 words and 200 characters and your keywords and description META tags should be between 5 words and 1000characters.
Here are a couple of FREE places which will help you check out your site:
There are many additional resources to aid you in developing your site to the point that it is ready to go. Remember, "If you have a problem now, it ain't gonna get better in the air."
Plan your site; complete your site; promote your site. It's a simple formula for success on the internet.