Site Diagnostics

By David Golding |  Print This Post

When you go to the doctor, you’ll notice a barrage of tests and questions to zero-in on what could be wrong. Just like the doctor trying to diagnose a problem, site technicians need to continually filter through the site in an effort to diagnose potential problems. In keeping with the analogy, doctors are experts with high levels of experience before they are even able to see a patient. They’ve had tests and have gone through intense certification procedures.

While medical science is, I believe, much more complicated than internet technology, and certainly can mean the difference between life and death, you ought not to turn your site check-up over to someone without some substantial levels of experience.

But there is a problem in all of this that only compounds the difficulty in finding certified experts: the internet is insanely volatile. By volatile I mean in constant change. Yesterday’s experts have become today’s has-beens. I read a PDF of an e-book that a friend emailed me. It was written in 2000, just before the big dot-bomb. I noticed serious flaws in the strategy that author recommended and thought how interesting it would be to pick up the article today and try it out. No doubt it would flop. But I’m positive it was a worthwhile technique… 6 years ago. Interesting that in 6 years serious internet experts have had to completely revamp their strategies.

So how do you determine a good diagnostician for your site? You know, I suppose you just have to see their track record. Trust the numbers. Do your best to find out which sites they have worked on to improve ranking and exposure and traffic. If they have little to report, they’re likely hiding failed attempts.

Here’s a list you can work with when trying to diagnose problems yourself, an “at-home check up” if you will.

Checklist For Diagnosing Problems

1. Site Navigation Is Easy and Bug-Free. Click around the site. Test every link. Make sure that to get from any point to any other point the user isn’t interrupted at all by bugs built into the site inadvertently. Try out different browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari (on the Mac) to see if there are any bugs related to just one browser.

2. The Main Point of Each Page, Including the Home Page, Is Straightforward and Easily Understood. In graphic design, we live by the “1.6-second Rule.” Studies have shown that most designs are consumed with an initial 1.6-second review. Gestalt theory is grounded in how the brain perceives everything in one whole before is processes all the parts, and over the years, has proven one of the most revolutionary concepts in graphic design and architecture. If the brain finds any value to any portion of the design after the 1.6-second review, it will concentrate more fully. Otherwise it considers what it has seen as noise and rejects the initial review. So try to write your site around this rule. If you need more than 2 seconds to know what the page is about, you will probably have more visitors reject the page altogether.

3. Your Site’s Ranking Suddenly Drops More Than One to Three Positions. It’s quite normal to see some fluctuation in your site’s rankings. But if one day you were ranked no. 5 and the next no. 25, then most likely the search engine updated its index and your site didn’t agree with it too well. Go find an expert who can isolate what took place and repair the damage so you can be back and running in your normal ranking.

Aside from these three items on your checklist, there could be many more. But the point is, look for ways to keep your site running at its optimum strength. And like your doctor says, come in for a regular check up.

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