If you’re an author, speaker or coach in the process of building or re-vamping your website, or would like to make sure your website has the necessary elements to market yourself and your product, you should consider getting a copy of Carma Spence-Pothitt’s book, Home Sweet Home Page: The 5 Deadly Mistakes Authors, Speakers and Coaches Make with Their Website’s Home Page and How To Fix Them.
Short and succinct, the book describes in an engaging manner the most essential elements of an effective website. In her introduction, the author begins by pointing out a website’s three main goals. She states that many websites have the wrong elements, or the right elements placed in the wrong place, and proceeds to explain the five deadly mistakes of a home page design. If you’re not sure what’s wrong with your website, you’ll mind “The Quick 5 Deadly Mistakes Self-Test” helpful. Next, the author takes each mistake and discuss it in detail, offering clear, practical advice on how to fix it. She also discusses the various types of websites. At the end there are two appedixes, one with various helpful resources and the other one lising the six questions you need to answer with your website.
Make sure you have pen and paper when you read the book, as you’ll probably want to take notes. I did and plan to revamp my two websites based on the author’s advice. Home Sweet Home Page is well worth the price. It is easy to follow and the tips fairly easy to put into practice if you already have experience maintaining your site. The book also includes graphics and insightful quotes, making the reading experience more enjoyable.