L’aeroporto di Firenze è una barzelletta, ma non fa ridere.

Tutte le volte che torno nella mia città da qualsiasi destinazione mi rendo conto cosa significhi avere una storia importante. L’Egitto dopo i faraoni è andato per circa 2.200 in letargo (forse adesso si sta risvegliando), i romani hanno reso il mondo, un mondo moderno, che poi per circa un paio un secolo è “tornato” nel medioevo e vedremo cosa accadrà alla civiltà americana e poi a quella cinese che la soppiantera’.

Firenze ha inventato l’impresa, le aziende, le corporazioni, le banche e una civiltà fondata sulla cultura, bellezza, estetica ed architettura impareggiabile…poi tutto si è fermato, compreso il nostro amato aeroporto.

La pista è inadeguata e corta e la stazione è brutta e piccola. Non credo che nessuna possa affermare il contrario. Un aeroporto con più voli a lungo raggio, bello ed efficiente aumenta nel medio periodo il PIL della città, delle sue imprese e dei suoi cittadini. Tutti.

Come e dove fare la pista non è un problema politico e’ solo tecnico. Impedire però ai privati di poter investire milioni di euro per trarne profitto e migliorare la qualità della vita di tutta l’area metropolitana fiorentina…è solo un capriccio politico.

Capriccio complesso che non so’ analizzare, ma che di sicuro ci fa fare una figuraccia a livello internazionale.  Ho amici americani e tedeschi che anni fa mi dicevano sempre…italiano spaghetti e mandolino (spaghetti va bene ma il mandolino mi dovete dire chi lo suona piu’) , poi mi dicevano italiano donne e bunga bunga :-) , ora mi dicono “nemmeno una una Pistina sapete fare a Firenze”.

E’ la città e le sue imprese ci rimettono anche questa volta…speriamo che qualcuno capisca che non c’e’ più tempo per perdere ancora tempo.

The web is full of atrocious websites and bad designing is not the only problem, there are many other aspects aside from the way your website looks, making it customer friendly is also a very important part of a website. You have to incorporate the element in your website that inspires businesses to do business with you.

From the layout to the testimonials, here are some of the essentials that will effectively help you do your online business

1. A Clear Description

Your must have a clear and concise description of your business on the homepage. Visitors should not have to investigate to figure out what exactly it is that you do. This means that you have to clearly state your business name and summarize your product or service information right on the home page. You have to communicate the fact that this is exactly the website they have been looking for. A description on the homepage will almost immediately attract the visitor’s attention and persuade them to stay on the website for a longer period.

2. A Simple And Sensible Web Address

Don’t make things complicated for you and the visitors.

Your domain name is just like your brand name. It should be easy to spell and remember. It must also be catchy so that it stays in the mind of the visitor.

Always avoid using dashes and numbers on your domain name because that can be a headache for SEO purposes and otherwise.

3. An Easily-Navigated Site Map

Clear links to the most important pages, and a site map, are crucial for guiding visitors to the information they’re looking for.

Make sure that your navigation is clear. It is recommended to use dropdown menus in the navigation so that it is easier for a visitor to see the content under ever heading from virtually any page. You want to make it very easy for your visitors to find what they are looking for, or what you want them to know.

4. Contact Information Should Be Easy To Find

Wouldn’t you hate losing a potential customer to your competition just because you made it quite difficult for them to get a hold of you.

Not many people are interested in or have the patience to go through each page of your website just to find your contact information.

The recommended place to put your contact information on your website is either the top left or the top right hand corner of the homepage. It is also beneficial if you put the contact information on each page of the website in the footer or the top right corner just to make it more convenient for the visitors.

Give your visitors the convenience of contacting you the way they like- phone, email and a simple contact form are the best options. It is also a good idea to include your address and also the link to your location in Google maps. The point is to make it very easy for users to communicate with you on their terms.

5. Testimonials

Honest words from others help make your products or services more tangible to customers who are visiting you online.

Testimonials help your customers build trust and confidence in you and your business. It also reassures the customers about whether the product or services meet their needs.

6. An Apparent Call To Action

“Tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do” For instance, you may want them to call you now for free quote, or sign up to your exclusively online coupons, or add products to the online shopping cart, etc.”

Attract attention towards your suggestion- use special buttons or highlight the text to make things more prominent.

7. SEO

There is no point of having a website when no one will ever get to see it. Familiarize yourself with the basics of SEO to make it more accessible by search engine.

It means that you have to use the correct keywords throughout your text, enriching content, SEO friendly titles and URLs, and adding videos and images will make it all the better.

8. Fresh, Quality Content

Your website is the first impression on the customer of your business. You have to make sure that this impression is a positive one. You have to cater to their needs and provide them with what they are looking for and keep them coming back for more.

The users are looking for something, make sure you give it to them and make sure that your content is original. Well written and valuable.

Fresh content is ideal for SEO; you can keep your content from getting old and give your company some personality by incorporating a regularly-updated blog or connecting in your social media feeds.

9. Secure Web Hosting

Every website is vulnerable to hackers and getting your website hijacked is a nightmare and if unfortunately, it happens to you, it is going to cost you lost sales.

It is vital that you get a secure, trustworthy hosting company to keep your website secure from viruses and hackers. It is also very important to keep your content management system updated in order to stay one step ahead of the hackers.

10. A Friendly Design and Style

Online visitors often scan through a Web page to sample the content first when they open a new Web page. If they feel like they are on the right page, they will slow down to read the full story. To enhance user’s experience on your small business website, you need to organize the content for scanning.

The recommended three styles for writing online that you should keep in mind are:-

• Break things down into short paragraphs, with headers if necessary
• Use bullet points
• Highlight important words or phrases.

In the end, simplicity and basic colors are the best way to go when it comes to design and style. Remember that the content is the focus, not the fancy designs of your website.

Your comments regarding my analysis on 10 essential things to do while designing a website are most welcome. You can comment on this post or write to me personally on 

“We are not natively smarter than we were when our country was founded nor do we work harder. But look around you and see a world beyond the dreams of any colonial citizen. Now, as in 1776, 1861, 1932, and 1941, America’s best days lie ahead.”

in his 2010 letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.