Web Design

The great debate: how much copy you should have on your site, particularly on the home page?

A web site builder can be a real life saver to someone without advanced HTML knowledge or tools. Web site builders allow a relative newbie to the internet create a professional website in very little time. How can you know if using a web site builder will meet your needs? Here are some things to consider...

Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many bells and whistles when you create your web site, you may lose a potential audience whose Internet connection can?t handle lots of graphics, and that means you?ll be losing potential customers.

One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that the very first page on the site is turning people away.

We've all read the countless publications about effective web site design, outstanding written content and the never ending need for search engine optimization. But often the importance of color for a web site is overlooked. Yet it is a proven fact that physical changes take place when individuals are exposed to certain colors. Because colors have the power to stimulate, excite, or even depress, specific color combinations can possibly work to your advantage or to your detriment.

The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for you in your printed offline brochures and advertising materials may or may not work on your web page. If you have already invested either time or money or both in your website you should carefully scrutinize the written words on your pages to see if they can really deliver a return on your investment. Here are five important questions to ask to when making a review of your website?s copy.

Read the title of this article over a couple of times in your head so it really starts to sink in.

Don?t knock it; ?Keep It Simple, Stupid? is a great rule to live by. Nobody likes a website to ?yell? at them, with blaring colors and flashing lights. Too many buttons will turn customers off. I had this problem with my homepage at http://www.antion.com. A colleague of mine, who makes a lot of money, pointed out the cluttered look of my site. I had worked so closely on every detail of the page; that I couldn?t see it for what it was anymore.

If you are anything like me, your website is a reflection of yourself. It contains your thoughts and communications, exposed to the entire world at all times. Look at virtually any non-commercial web site and you will get a glimpse at the person behind the monitor.

One of the single most important aspects of effective navigation is consistency. Why? There's a simple reason.

Effective navigation stands out. It's clear, obvious, and highly visible.

Navigation must be simple. Since it's the backbone of your site, it's imperative that visitors be able to understand it. Here are two tips on how to make simplicity a reality in your site:

We can't emphasize enough the importance of including keyword-rich content on your site to increase your ranking potential. Simply put, keywords are the words and/or word phrases people use when searching. As we've mentioned throughout the site, search engine spiders love content. Therefore, the more keyword-rich content you have, the better. When a search engine spider crawls your site, it won't recognize pictures or images.

There are many ways to add fancy bells and whistles to your website, but most of them are not going to do you any good. In fact they will slow down the time it takes to load your website and take up valuable space that you are paying for. Besides that, people with older computers will not even be able to see some of these fancy additions you are using.

Are you building a direct sales or mlm business online? Using lead capture pages can significantly improve your recruiting results and save you lots of time and money! I have known a few people who earned 5-figure monthly incomes in their mlm businesses and they used lead capture pages for Internet marketing.

When you start building your online business and search for a web design company that will implement all your needs for the web site you must understand that it is a very serious step because you are entrusting your business along with its reputation and future.

Don't mess with those links! When you're designing your site, you should leave your text links in their natural state--blue and underlined. We all want to be creative and not do the bland, expected, normal thing. We want to change our links to red, green, yellow, even black--anything but blue. And we have the urge to take off those underlines.

Well, you've got your product, started your home business, and even have your website up on the internet. Only one problem, where is that money you were supposed to be making? Nothing! No one is knocking down your door to buy your product! Well, here is the real world answer. Just because you have a website up doesn't mean much if people can't find you among the masses of sites out there. And you thought you were done:) Now, the real work starts..... Need marketing strategies......

I have written before about long sales copy on the web. But I have more to say on the subject.

If you were like me and you have just started an online business, you have a website that you have made or someone has made it for you, and this design does not match up to your expectations and the competition. Fear not, there is an inexpensive solution to your problem.

Your business website tells a lot about your company. A poorly designed website will have your visitors questioning the quality of your business. A well thought out elegantly designed site would instill confidence in your visitors that you are a credible business to deal with. There is a saying in advertising, ?It is better to not advertise than to advertise poorly?. The same holds true for web design. There are so many Web Design companies now. How do you make an educated decision on which one to choose? Like every market that is saturated, you always see ads that read, ?Hire us we are the best?. Well how do you know that statement is true? Wouldn?t it be great if you had a resource available to you that pre-screened Web Design Companies to narrow down your choices? To answer that question, yes there is, use a Web Design directory. Web Design directories are usually run by companies in the Web Design Industry. Using their knowledge to pre-screen the Web Design companies that submit their contact information to the directory insures that only quality Web Design Companies are listed. Most Web Design directories are categorized by region. Some use states, some use countries all in hopes of making your search that much easier. If you live in Alabama then you simply click the link that reads, ?Alabama Web Design?. Some Web Design directories will also allow you the customer to submit a quote request. Then they take your information and forward it to Web Design Companies that meet your criteria. This can be very helpful, as it eases the process of finding the perfect Web Design Company for your project. Along with a directory of different Web Design Companies, you may also find helpful articles to educate yourself, and help make the decision process a little easier. Look for articles that answer your questions, ?What is PHP?, or ?How do colors affect your visitors? experience?. Articles like these can give you a little incite as to what makes up a high quality website. Your business website is very important to help strengthen your image. It is often the first impression a potential customer will have about your company. Using a Web Design directory can ensure your visitors have a positive first impression that causes them to contact you to do business.

Think of the people who visit your site as blind dates. When you open the door, your blind date usually knows whether they are attracted to you within the first minute. How do they know? Easy. By how you look, what you say, and how you treat them. If you open the door wearing the same clothes you wore in 1987, say, "Wow, from my friend's description, I thought you would be a lot better looking," and sneeze in your dates face, not only will you never get a second date, your date will run for his/her life.

There are many companies who build websites, all of which who want your business. This puts you in a very strong position when trying to obtain a good deal, a professional looking website at a low affordable price.

Are you a student of graphic design? If you have taken time in extra reviews and put ?graphic design? and ?drawing? into any search engines, you?ll get almost the same result = descriptions of graphic design programs at many design schools. Baffled? Well, it?s like this: As a student interested in graphic design, you have to take drawing and not actually a degree in fine art.

Just about every list of the "Top 10 Web Design Mistakes" includes at least one reference to either