The Tail Chaser dog
So much as look at a tail chaser and it's suddenly off - running round in circles this way and that. Mostly it chases its own tail or bites its own foot. Touch it and it runs into the distance as if it expects you to follow, weaving back and forth so you never know what way it's going.
In all its frenetic activity it sometimes wraps itself around you and trips you up. Other times it's quite neurotic - yapping and barking or lying on the floor, panting. All in all it's quite exhausting and you quickly wish it would just be still or go away.
The Tail Chaser website
Tail chaser websites are characterised by links that go everywhere until you get lost in a maze of unrelated pages, wondering how you got there with no easy way to get back. Alternatively, no matter which links you follow you always end up at the same place - on that page you're trying to get away from.
Another characteristic of these websites is that their look and feel is inconsistent - colours and design change from one page to the next. One page and the menu is on the top, the next page it's on the left and what you're looking for has disappeared. You're on one page reading about one subject, and suddenly you're taken to another page that's about something completely unrelated.
Such websites are usually put together by a developer who is fascinated by links as if they somehow are an indicator of their skill. They might have heard that search engines follow links, and end up with so many that everybody, even search engines, get confused. They are frequently referred to as spaghetti websites.
Search engine optimisation won't help either - all that will do is result in even more confused and frustrated visitors. Visitors will inevitably get the impression that your business is confusing and hard to deal with.
One thing's for sure about tail-chaser websites - they do more harm than good for their owners.
Are you about to buy a tail chaser website?
This is not always easy to tell, because often you don't recognise you've been sold one until you see it finished. Signs that you might be about to buy one include:
- You're not asked about business goals and strategies.
- You're not asked about your customers and their needs.
- Lots of internal links or fancy navigation techniques are being proposed.
- You're being told that lots of links gets you a good ranking on Google.
- The provider talks as if having a successful website is about programming, computers, graphic design and IT.
- You feel that your business needs are being sidelined.
- Complementary off-line business strategies are not asked about
- It feels complicated instead of simple and straight forward.
- The conversation is dominated by talk about search engine optimisation.
- You're being asked a lot about navigation.
How to ensure a thoroughbred website
SnapSite will work with you through each of the important steps to website success. We can help you develop operational and strategic business battle plans that will give your business the potent advantage of having more than just a website.
Snapsite provide strategies, systems and services to take your business beyond the limitations of just having a website