There are a number of primary reasons that putting your software application manual online is needed. It makes your web-site appealing for online search engine spiders and for that reason brings you targeted traffic from Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and other online search engine.

An excellent online handbook makes your item severe and reputable. Additionally, if a user deals with problem utilizing your software application and requests for technical assistance, you might quickly solve the concern by referring that user to a particular page of your online assistance. Merely offer the page’s URL. With simply one click the user will see screenshots and descriptions which will help them to settle the case.

Numerous software application suppliers, from big business to independent designers, plainly comprehend these factors. They made their assistance systems a part of their website by intending to draw in more potential customers and to create more sales. However even a questionable analysis of a lots handbooks offered online divulges a lot of typical errors which might lower the impact of this extremely effective tool. The primary factor of the errors is improperly thinking about an online handbook as a standalone file that user can download or keep reading the website. The ideal technique is to make your aid a part of your website. This is a quite easy job if you follow these guidelines:
Make pages! Not a file

The most typical error I observed on lots of software application suppliers’ website is that they use their handbook in a file: PDF, CHM, RTF, and so on. Definitely it might be really practical for users to download an item handbook file and utilize it on the desktop, specifically if the handbook is too big to be consisted of in the software application setup bundle. However having an online handbook is not the like having a manual online. Feel the distinction!
It’s really clever to permit users to download a total handbook as a file. Nevertheless a file might draw in simply a couple of brand-new visitors from online search engine, even if their spiders have the ability to index your PDF or RTF. Likewise the file is practically worthless for your technical assistance requirements. For example, you might not point users to particular areas of your aid system by just providing direct URL links. For this reason to get the optimal impact out of your assistance system you must make it a part of your website. Divide the handbook into numerous pages and transform them into HTML. Almost all major assistance authoring software application enables exporting your assistance submit into HTML format. Each page needs to consist of a specific area or a chapter of your handbook. Lots of pages which are reasonably little are much easier for reading, navigation, and bookmarking. You nonetheless should keep the balance. Do not make a great deal of little dinky pages that individuals should wander through to comprise a needed option. Each page ought to totally cover a specific subject enough to fix a specific job. Additionally, a page with topical material is best bait for online search engine spiders.

Follow typical design
Well, you have actually exported your aid submit into a set of HTML pages and are ready to submit them to your server. Stop! Examine the appearance of the pages. The set should follow the typical design determined by the business identity.
The contemporary aid authoring tools enable personalizing look of pages by means of CSS or visual design template collections. The online handbook should represent your website design. Utilize the exact same color styles, font styles, and business graphics. Otherwise, the entire task will appear like a patchwork quilt. This is bad; it’s far much better to look stable, well-managed, and constant.
” Where am I?” or do not neglect navigation
Following typical design is not simply utilizing the very same colors and typefaces. To plug handbook’s pages into the website structure you need to include the leading level navigation into them. Utilize the exact same leading level menu that you utilize on all pages of the website.
There are 2 essential advantages of this method. Initially, this likewise makes your website appear strong, constant, and well-thought-out and for that reason works for your company reliability. Second of all, the leading level navigation menu will bring brand-new targeted leads from your manual pages to your item primary pages. The potential customers that have actually originated from online search engine are most likely trying to find particular job services that most likely are explained in your online assistance. Then they will need to know more about the item that uses that option. Put under their nose direct links to the software application description page, to the trial download location, to the rates and purchasing information, and to the primary page of your website. Let them understand more about your business. Let them understand about your software application. Let them download it. Let them buy it.
Besides using potential customers a toplevel menu, you should supply them with a simple method to browse amongst areas of the manual itself. Individuals feel more safe if they see the tabulation together with the page material. Through this internal menu they might quickly recognize where they are and what associated subjects exist, and quickly leap there.

Prevent frames
Initially look, utilizing frames appears the ideal method to arrange the internal menu of the assistance. Definitely frames are convenient for website programs and upkeep due to the fact that you might keep your menu in a file and reveal it in a different frame. However, there are numerous drawbacks to utilizing frames in your online assistance. When a visitor originates from an online search engine to among your aid pages, they will see just that page’s material however will see neither high-level navigation nor online handbook menus due to the fact that they were meant to be displayed in other frame windows. So individuals who originate from external pages will stop working to quickly leap to other areas of your website and to check out your items and associated services.

If you still choose to utilize frames then you need to utilize a workaround. Among the methods is to plug an unique JavaScript code into every page of your website. The script will figure out if the page is displaying in the frame or in the internet browser’s primary window. If there is no frame spotted then the script will construct the frame structure, will pack the menu pages in the matching frames and will lastly refill the present page in the proper frame. So the user will see the target page in addition to other components of the website. Such vibrant redirection works for genuine visitors however does not work for web spiders that will crawl your online assist pages. The majority of them can not parse JavaScript code and for that reason can not access menus to leap to other pages of your handbook. For online search engine your online handbook’s pages will appear like different files that are not connected to each other, or to the business website. As a result, your assistance pages will get most affordable page rank and will be displayed in completion of the list when somebody is searching for associated details on an online search engine. Almost all SEO and website design masters advise preventing frames and put both menu and material into a single HTML file.

Usage direct links, not reroute scripts
Like frames, utilizing JavaScript in menu is another no-no for producing an online handbook for your software application. Utilizing routine URLs in menu links instead of JavaScript rerouting assists web spiders appropriately index your online handbook and rank its pages greater.
Designate distinct addresses to assist pages
And the 3rd essential technical element of online assistance authoring is page address format. Among crucial guidelines of seo (SEO) indicates to utilize fixed pages with special permanent addresses without specifications in them. A page with address installation.htm is generally ranked higher than the exact same page with address page.php?id= 348. Take this truth into account.

Provide screenshots
Although among your goals is to draw in online search engine’s web robotics that like words you ought to not ignore genuine visitors who like images. An image deserves a thousand words. Offer as numerous juicy screenshots of your software application as possible. This will assist existing users comprehend much better how your software application works and will assist potential customers to see how it looks prior to downloading a trial or demonstration copy. Make your screenshots clear. Describe what each window does and how its controls and aspects work. Usage callouts, balloons, and unique marks. Attempt to things as much details into the screenshots as possible. A reader should take a look at them and state “Excellent! Now I understand how it works.”

Make pages
More than likely users wish to print out a specific part of your online aid. Often style that looks excellent on the screen is dreadful when printed even on a great printer. Ensure that your handbook’s pages are in black and white a minimum of on the two most popular paper sizes: A4 and Letter. Examine if there are no broad views, no color background, the typefaces are simple to check out, all the material fits the page width, and so on.
Make your assistance quickly obtainable
So you have your assistance pages finished and even submitted to the web server. How to make them noticeable to web spiders and to live visitors of your website? The majority of the software application suppliers make the very same error. They believed that the handbook is something unimportant that no one requirements. They conceal the aid area so deep in the site that a visitor needs to make a lots clicks to reach the assistance index page. This is wrong! Your handbook is very important and should be obtainable in 2 to 3 clicks. The very best method is to position a number of links to your handbook in various areas of your website: on item description page, on assistance page, and on download page. These are the pages where users anticipate to discover an online aid most of all. Program them your help-authoring work of art.

Make your online handbook searchable
If your software application is made complex and its assistance consists of hundreds and even countless pages then you should include search abilities to your online handbook. From a user’s perspective it’s easier to browse a needed subject by keywords instead of to check out the limitless list of subjects in menu. The simplest method is including a third-party search script to your online handbook. For example, Google provides Free WebSearch script that you can copy-paste into your HTML code to permit individuals browsing within your website. Nevertheless you will not have complete control over the third-party scripts and their search results page might puzzle you and your users. It’s much better to compose your own search script on which you will have overall control. You can personalize it according to your requirements anytime. This superior method needs considerable efforts and might cost some cash if you choose to outsource it. However the outcome is that you will have an effective info resource that will successfully work for you and for your organization.

Develop a word map of your assistance
Make an unique Index page which contains all the considerable words with direct links to the pages where these words are come across. The Index page has 2 primary functions. To start with, it streamlines the subject search by keyword for users. Second of all, the Index page will work as a map of your online aid for web spiders and will help them to crawl all the pages of your handbook.

Make your assistance extendable
You might marvel however the online aid might be live. You can make it a center of an online neighborhood. Simply permit your software application users to extend your assistance pages themselves. A fine example is PHP online documents. It enables users to publish their remarks, code samples, and suggestions. Each page consists of lots of important info contributed by users. This is a best example of how dull documents might form a live neighborhood and promote the item appropriately.
To sum up the above pointers: You need to consider your handbook as a vital part of your organization design. This is simply a set of basic suggestions how to get the optimal impact out of your online aid. The majority of the strategies are quite simple to carry out if you utilize great aid authoring software application. Apply this guidance and make your consumers rejoice, increase your website presence, bring in brand-new potential customers, and produce brand-new sales.