Design Website

Before you start worrying about marketing your website on the internet it always pays dividends to look at the website itself and get the fundamentals right before looking to shout about it from the virtual mountain-tops.

You may already have thought about the following 3 ways and some of you may already have them in place on your website. If so ? congratulations ? you''re well on the way to having a website that will bring you more business. So here they are then ? the 3 Simple Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Website..

1. You''re Fishing For Visitors ? You''ll Need This To Hook Them.

Ever been surfing on a website that held your attention and then the phone rings? You take the call, take some notes, get distracted, visit another website and before you know it you''ve forgotten all about the website you were viewing. It happens all the time and if you don''t have a Bookmarking tool on your website it will be happening with the people that come to your website. A Bookmarking tool is just a simple link or logo that your visitors can click on in order to bookmark your website or add it to their favourites. It is best to have the button located on the homepage but an even better option is to have a bookmarking button on every page so a visitor can actually bookmark each specific page of your website for safe-keeping. Look to the left of this article and you will see the bookmarking button we use ? click on it to see how it adds this specific page to your favourites ? nifty eh?

2. ''X'' Marks The Spot.

Visitors come to your website and if you''re lucky ? they like it and click beyond the homepage. Excellent. But they can''t find what they''re looking for. Uh oh, you could be in trouble. There''s a lot of information on your website and Mr. Visitor doesn''t have time to sift through it all to find what he''s looking for. You''d better hope that he''s either very patient or that you''ve provided him with a simple map to help him get to the ''treasure'' he is looking for. A Site Map is an essential item ? particularly on larger websites.

There is nothing more frustrating than hunting around for something and wasting time when just a simple one pager that presents a summary of all the information on your website could be used. A Site Map should be reachable from all pages of your website in just one click and should have clickable links on it so that a visitor can zoom straight through to their desired location without having to hunt around. If you don''t give them a map your visitors may become frustrated searching around for that desired piece of information and they may leave your website never to return.

3. Don''t Make Your Visitors Have To Write An Email To Contact You

If you are inviting enquiries or contact from visitors to your website you need to provide them with a way of doing this that is as easy as possible for them. Just posting your email address on the website is not the best solution. Why? Because when they click on it they need to then create an email from scratch. Do you know how busy your visitors are? They hardly have time to read the content of your homepage ? never mind create an email from scratch. The solution? You need to use a simple form. A form enables you to standardise the responses that you receive and it also makes it very simple for your visitors to get in touch with you ? all they need to do is pop in their name, email address and tick a few boxes and that''s it.

Making it easy for your visitors to contact you isn''t the only reason that using a form is a great idea. Doing so means you can get some information back from each person that fills in the form. You can ask them how they discovered your website, which other websites they like to visit ? you can ask them anything! Anything that is going to help you learn more about them, more about who they are and more about what will make them buy from you. You think they would tell you all this if they were creating an email from scratch? No ? of course they wouldn''t! That''s why you need a form.

Mike Cheney, www.magnet4web.com (c)

About The Author

Are You Getting Your MagnetMail? - Mike Cheney''s World-Famous Free Magic Mail To Make Your Website Magnetic, Get Yours Now: www.magnet4web.com/website_services/?page=magnetmail', 242, '3 Simple Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Website, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', '3 Simple Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Website plus articles and information on Web-Design

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So your web site''s online and you''ve got high rankings in the search engines attracting lots of visitors. But the statistics tell you most of them are leaving after viewing just one page, what''s gone wrong?

One possible cause could be a slow download speed of your web site''s homepage or the web site as a whole. There is nothing worse than having to wait for a web site to load up. Studies indicate that the majority of visitors will only wait 3 - 5 seconds for a homepage to load up before clicking elsewhere. If your homepage doesn''t load up in this time (from a standard internet connection) you are running the risk of losing lots of visitors before they''ve even read the content of the homepage.

They Won''t Hang Around!

You should always assume that most visitors will be connecting to the Internet using standard equipment - not super-charged fast connections. The main culprits of slow download times for a homepage are images. Just remember - every part of every web page you view has to travel down the phone line and onto your screen - the larger the item the longer this will take to happen. It is for this reason that you will sometimes notice the text on a web page loads up on your screen before the images. This is because of the simple reason that images are larger in file size than text and therefore take longer to come down the phone line.

The more large images you have your homepage the slower it will be to download. Nobody is saying get rid of all images from a homepage - as with many things in life - they key to success is balance. Try not to sacrifice your web site''s aesthetic for quicker download times but, at the same time, don''t have large images or animations on the homepage, as these will take longer to download.

Does Your Homepage Need To Go On A Diet?

As a rule of thumb it is recommended that a homepage be around 40 - 50 Kilobytes in size. Any larger and will be a slow downloading homepage, any smaller and it will be quicker than average. One of the best ways to decrease download times is to reduce the number of images being used or optimise them by reducing the number of colours they use or cropping them slightly.

Other pages on your web site are less important than the homepage when it comes to download speed as by this point users will already have made the commitment to enter the main body of the web site and will therefore be willing to wait a little longer for the information they require.

Mike Cheney, www.magnet4web.com

About The Author

Are You Getting Your MagnetMail? - Mike Cheney''s World-Famous Free Magic Mail To Make Your Website Magnetic, Get Yours Now: www.magnet4web.com/website_services/?page=magnetmail', 242, 'Speed Up Or Lose Out! How To Improve Your Websites Download Speed, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'Speed Up Or Lose Out! How To Improve Your Websites Download Speed plus articles and information on Web-Design

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This article may come as a surprise to you.

Especially since it is written by a web designer. Let me explain......

Rescue Your Web Site from Boring Words and Poor Design.

The difference between a successful website design and a site that brings in zero or very little business is not how nice the graphics are, not the colors you choose. It''s not the flashy animation, and it''s not your precious company logo.

I''m not saying to remove these elements. Some of them are important. But they''re mostly ego-driven. They are "me" messages, and have absolutely nothing to do with what you want your visitor to do.

And what is that you ask? The answer is of course. You want your visitors to buy something.

People who are considering doing business with you are only interested in one thing; "What''s In It For Me?"

One of the first steps toward a successful website is writing copy that tells the reader what''s in it for him, in a style that is easy to read.

Make More Cash

Study any website that makes money and I promise you''ll see the following copy elements in place:

In the main body copy, the text color is always black with a white background, making it easy to read. This should be obvious, but it''s amazing how many websites out there do not follow this very basic guideline.

Testimonials, and other secondary elements commonly use a contrasting font such as courier, courier new. The background in light blue, beige, or yellow shade to make it stand apart from the white background of the main body copy.

Verdana is the most widely used font for your body copy. This font was actually developed for use in the web. Times New Roman, Arial, and Georgiana are also popular. Never use more than two different font faces in your sales copy.

The use of yellow highlights, italics and bold font-style for emphasis.

Headlines and Subheads are usually a contrasting color from the black body text. A shade of red, dark green and dark blue are good colors. However, do not use more than three or four different colors.

Sentence and paragraph font size is commonly between 8pt. and 12pt. Never smaller than that, and never bigger.

Headlines and sub headlines usually between 14pt. and 18pt.

Paragraphs never justified. Most common is left-margin with no indent.

How To Write Successful Headlines

In your sales copy you need an attention-grabbing headline and a compelling sales message full of benefits, clearly describing what your product or service is all about.

Legendary copywriter Ted Nicholas author of 14 best-selling books including "Magic Words That Bring You Riches" has these excellent tips on writing headlines

"Start with a well thought out headline."

"Five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. It makes sense, therefore, to spend the major portion of your effort on headlines."

"A good headline motivates action by stirring an emotion"

"Write as many as 250 headlines before settling on one"

13 Proven Headline Words

Announcing...

Secrets of...

New...

Now...

Amazing...

Facts you...

Breakthrough...

At Last...

Advice to...

The truth of...

Free...

How would...

How to...

How To Write Attention-Grabbing First Sentences

Joe Sugarman (of blu-blocker sunglass fame) and author of best-selling book "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" has these tips on writing first sentences;

"Keep it short, sweet and almost incomplete."

For example:

It''s easy.

It had to happen.

It''s time.

It''s crazy.

The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence.

How To Write Attention-Grabbing Ending Sentences

"You must plant seeds of curiosity for the reader." "At the end of a paragraph offer a reason to read the next paragraph."

Using sentences such as.....

But there''s more.

So read on.

But I didn''t stop there.

Let me explain.

Now here comes the good part.

These tips represent just the tip of the iceberg on breathing new life into your half-dead web site.

We''ll cover all of the other necessary elements in future articles. Stay tuned.

I hope that you have found this information to be helpful in your pursuit of excellence. Thank you for reading.

Regards,

Dave Peterson

About The Author

Dave is not only a Professional Website Designer. He also incorporates exciting state-of-the-art marketing strategies and expertise that help clients put more cash in there pockets. Providing great value to his clients.', 242, 'Breathe New Life Into Your Half-dead Website By Using Words That Sell, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'Breathe New Life Into Your Half-dead Website By Using Words That Sell plus articles and information on Web-Design');

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Want to know what the worst thing to say on a homepage is?

"Welcome to our homepage." And yet, time after time, we all come across such homepages on the Internet. The reason that this is such a poor opening gambit is the fact that the visitor already knows he / she is looking at your homepage, what''s the point in teaching them to suck eggs?

Your website''s homepage needs to contain much more important messages than a simple welcome statement or brief history to your company. Why has someone landed on your website in the first place? What problem are they looking to solve? What type of information do they seek? If your homepage doesn''t convey that your website has the answers to these questions in the visitors'' minds then it''s game over - they will leave, never to return.

3 Seconds To Make The Right Impression

So how you can retain visitors and grab them as soon as they view the homepage of your website? Well, try condensing the key selling points of your business. Why are you different? Why should they do business with you as opposed to anyone else?

A lot of businesses also lose sight of the fact that their homepage should not only convey what the business is about but also what the website is about. What can visitors do on the website? What types of information can they find here? What are the best things about the website? If you don''t convey all these vital messages quickly via the homepage people will not stick around trying to find the answers themselves deeper within the site.

Put Yourself In The Shoes Of Your Customer

As with many marketing approaches the key here is to take a step back and imagine yourself as a customer viewing the homepage for the first time. What would you want to see? Perhaps client comments to instil a sense of trust. Or maybe press clippings that illustrate the profile and respectability of the company?

Whatever you decide to place on the homepage keep it snappy. Less is more. It''s a cliché but it holds 100% true as far as your website''s homepage is concerned.

About The Author

You can get free access to lots more of my articles plus a FREE Special Report "How To Turn Your Website Into A Customer Magnet" worth a value of £47 ($85) here: http://www.magnet4web.com/website_services/?page=freeguide', 242, 'How to Create A Homepage That Works, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'How to Create A Homepage That Works plus articles and information on Web-Design

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Content is undoubtedly the most important element of a website. It is the defining factor for a website, that which catches the interest of your visitors and keeps them hooked to your site.

Unless what you say holds the attention and interest of the visitors to your site, the rate at which they would they hit the "back" button and say "bye - bye" to your site, will astonish you!!!!

So it is right to say that CONTENT IS KING!! And make sure you treat it like one! It is imperative for website owners to understand and follow the right process to develop content for their site.

Here are some of the basic points which should be kept in mind while developing content for your website ?

1. TARGET AUDIENCE

The first step is to define your target audience. You should have an absolutely clear picture in your mind as to who exactly will visit your site. Once you know that, you should write your content in such a way that talks to them.

2. CONCENTRATE ON BENEFITS NOT FEATURES

When describing a product you are selling or a service you are offering, concentrate on their benefits not their features. Make the visitor realize that they just have to buy your product. After all, that''s the only reason why he would stay on your site.

3. GIVE THEM WHAT THEY''RE LOOKING FOR, OH! AND QUICK!!

Visitors to your site are there for a purpose: They either want to buy your product, access the information you are offering or subscribe to your offer. And don''t forget! They don''t have much time to spare ?so you have to give them what they are looking for quickly, without any delays! Hence, your first few paragraphs of content ideally should hit the bull''s eye and get the message across!!

4. MAKE IT EASY TO READ AND FOLLOW

Keeping in mind your target audience, write and structure your content in such a way that it is easy to read, grasp and follow.

• Divide your content into easy to read paragraphs. (Make sure the first few sentences of which carry the punch lines.)

• Use bulleted lists

5. KEEP THEM HOOKED

Whatever you do, don''t let them leave your site without making your point. Your content must talk to your visitors: Keep them reading on ?It should be able to make a sale..and yet be subtle and informative?..

Follow these simple steps and see the difference!!!

About The Author

Akanksha Sinha - a freelance Web Content Writer and Web designer.

http://www.mygoogly.com/akanksha.htm

aks_design@rediffmail.com', 242, 'Content is Crucial!, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'Content is Crucial! plus articles and information on Web-Design

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We will take a look at why your visitors may hate you maybe already do! There are many things that make YOUR visitors dislike you, but we take a look the top sex things that make your click the back button on their browser.

1. Broken links

Hyperlinks that do nothing when clicked are the pain in the butt for any surfer. Test your site often to ensure that all links work as they should.

2. Not putting your contact info on your site

If you are selling a product you must have a way your visitors can contact you! When visitors are thinking about buying a product they like to know where to contact you if there are problems with it and most won''t even buy from a site that has no contact information.

3. Outdated information

It''s OK to have old information that''s about history (Since it likely won''t change), but when it''s about a baseball team or about an event that''s going on all the time, outdated information is a no no.

4. Slow loading times

If you own a professional sites, you must have a normal speed server, if not and your pages are slow you will lose your visitors. Also make sure you haven''t packed them with too many images and flash.

5. Bad templates

Templates are one of the most powerful tools a web site has, not only does it tell the surfer how hard you or they worked on your site, but how professional your company is. Don''t use different colors for every image or use text that''s to small for visitors to see.

6. Broken links

Hyperlinks that do nothing when clicked are the pain in the butt for any surfer. Test your site often to ensure that all links work as they should.

About The Author

Matt Colyer is the owner of the Marhen.com Network and is a part-time SEO. He also is a php, CGI and ASP developer.', 242, 'Top Six Ways To Make Your Visitors To Hate YOU!, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'Top Six Ways To Make Your Visitors To Hate YOU! plus articles and information on Web-Design

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Every now and then, I receive a link exchange request from someone who wants a link from my directory (my high-ranking directory directly accessible from the index page), and in exchange, they''re willing to link to my page from one of their zillions of link pages about 18 jumps away from the home page. Needless to say, the proffered page has a Google PageRank of 0, and chances are it''s not even indexed by any search engines.

What an enticing offer.

If you want people to trade links with you, thus increasing your PageRank and traffic, you must offer them a valuable link in return. Not all links are created equally. Here are some tips for making your site attractive to potential link partners:

Build a directory of links pages sorted by categories that relate to your web site. Avoid putting all of your links on a single page. Avoid putting tons of links on any one page in your directory. Avoid naming your links page "links.htm(l)".

Put a link to your directory on your index page. Every page in your subdirectory should have a link from that directory page and in turn link to that directory page. This helps spread Google PageRank more evenly to all your links pages and your directory page. Link pages with high PR will attract more link offers.

Avoid impersonal link managing services; give your links directory a personal touch and manage link exchanges in-house. If cutting and pasting a link onto one of your directory pages takes more than 30 seconds, you need to go back to webmaster school anyway.

Avoid tricks meant to keep from transferring PageRank to other people''s sites.

Don''t hide the link to your directory page.

Don''t force links to open in a new window. Most surfers have pop-up blockers that make this a pain to work around. I know you want to keep visitors from leaving completely, but let''s face it, if they''re browsing a links page, they''re already bored with your site. Get over it. Someone else will come.

That''s it. Follow these steps, and not only will people be more willing to link to you, but you''ll get a lot of offers as well. It''s more time efficient if people come to you than to hunt links on your own.

About The Author

TC Thorn wmakes a living from affiliate marketing and advertising. This article first appeared at Webmaster Articles.', 242, 'How to Make Your Site Attractive to Potential Link Partners, Web-Design, Web-Design articles, Web-Design information, about Web-Design, what is Web-Design, Web Design Information', 'How to Make Your Site Attractive to Potential Link Partners plus articles and information on Web-Design

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