WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT

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WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT

How to Avoid the 12 Common Web Design MistakesCopyright 2002 by Herman Drost Are people visiting your web site but not buying? This may be asign and the time to do some redesign of your web site. Oftenyou are so close to what you have created, that you can’t seeobvious design mistakes. I often do the same when writing anarticle – everything looks fine when I have finished, yet when Ireview it the next day and I’m amazed at how many mistakes Ihave made. Let’s look at some of the most common Web Design mistakes: 1.Sloppy Web Site Copy – your heading and first paragraph shouldclearly indicate the purpose of your web site. “Content is King”on the Net, so make sure there is plenty of focused informationfor your visitors. The content should draw the visitor throughthe site to take action in the end. Include contact informationon every page in case people have questions. 2.Bad Color Coordination – avoid using dark text on a darkbackground. Use dark text on a light background, such as blackon white. Use colors that blend well together – observe natureor look at paintings to get some idea of good colorcombinations. 3.Pages Load Too Slowly – using too many images or insertinglarge images on a web page, slow down the loading time of yourweb page. Optimize your images (reduce their size) before youinsert them on your site, otherwise your visitors will leavebefore your site is loaded. 4.Poor Navigation – this means visitors can’t easily find theinformation. They experience broken links, error pages ordiscover too many moving objects (animations, flash, scrollingtext, marquees) – all these will annoy the visitor and cause himto click elsewhere. Keep your navigation simple by creatingclear links on all web pages. 5.Orphan Pages – these are pages other than your homepage, wherethe visitor has no idea how it fits in with the overallstructure of your web site. You should always have a link to thehomepage, so visitors know where they are on your web site. 6.Long Scrolling – the visitor has to scroll horizontally, ormany pages vertically to view the whole web page. Create thewidth of your web page to fit on one screen, to avoid horizontalscrolling and have a maximum of 3 pages to be scrolledvertically. 7.Meta Tags Missing – without optimizing your web page with adescription or keywords, people can’t find you on the searchengines. Research key words or phrases relevant to your sitecontent. Include them in your title, description and Web Sitecopy. 8.Lack of Marketing Strategy – a beautiful lawn without sun orwater will soon die. A Web Site without visitors will soon diealso. They are the life blood for your website. Create numerousmarketing strategies to attract visitors to your web site – younever know which one will be the most effective. 9.Poor Layout and Design – create an aesthetically pleasingdesign to keep the visitors on your site. Create enough whitespace between your text and images by using margins. Don’toverlap text and images and avoid capitalizing all text – itgives the impression you are shouting at your visitors. Usefont type such as Arial or Verdana to make it easier to read onyour computer screen. 10.Avoid Using Frames – frames don’t allow you to bookmark thepage or return to it and sometimes the URLS stop working. 11.No Cross Browser Compatibility – you may be losing manycustomers if your Web Site is not compatible to the browsersmost people are using. Internet Explorer (IE 4, 5, 6) iscurrently the dominant browser, and most users are displaying800x600 pixels or more, with a color depth of at least 65Kcolors. (http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp) .Therefore check your design with these statistics in mind. 12.Outdated Information – your web site is like a garden. If youallow weeds to block out the sun and take over your garden, itwill be destroyed. Attracting and keeping web site visitors,means continually adding new information (i.e. latest news),deleting irrelevant, outdated information and removing brokenlinks. Continuous maintenance of your web site is crucial toattracting and retaining visitors. If you don’t have time to doit yourself, hire a Web Gardener (Web Designer), to keep yoursite looking fresh, clean and fast loading.

If someone was going to really pressure me to recommend a hot home-basedbusiness for now and the future, there's one I'd have to list. That's webdesign! It seems everyone wants/needs to get a website up. For those whohavestarted creating sites for yourself, family, and friends and becomeintriguedwith the idea of actually making money doing something you really enjoy, webdesign might be the perfect home business for you.Jennifer Czawlytko, author of the eBook, "A Bizy's Guide To Creating SuccessIn Web Design" took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her businessof web designing.Jennifer has been my web designer for several years. I first met her in anonline chat that I used to host on AOL several years ago. A couple of yearsinto designing my site myself, I was in desperate need of finding adesigner.Because Jennifer wasn't shy about the business she ran, I knew exactly who Iwas going to ask to take this job.I know you'll learn so much from Jennifer's past experience and the tips shehas to offer.Liz: Jen, what makes web design the right business for you?Jen: I have always had a creative side that I primarily saved for my offtime(doing crafts, helping the PTA, etc.). I never really knew how to use mycreativity to succeed in my work life until I started working on thecomputers at my children's schools. As I explain in my eBook, I started withdesktop publishing and eventually discovered web design. Here was abusinesswhere I could be creative on a daily basis and make money. It is importantto note though, while I can make a good income with this business, thebenefits of running this business go far beyond financial. I am a naturallyshy person, but web designing has allowed me to do something that I love,something that can make a difference for so many people, and mostimportantly, something that has allowed me to believe in myself. As a Mom Ihave always told my children that they have to believe in themselves. Now Ican teach them by example. For me, that makes this the right business.Liz: For the Moms thinking about starting a web design business, would thisbe a good business for them to start from home? And why?Jen: Definitely, if they have creative talents and can project a solidbusiness image, this is an ideal business to run from home. In my eBook Icover not only the skills you need for this business, but also talk aboutpersonalities. It is important for the budding entrepreneur to know thatthis type of business is not for everyone. For example, you won't make moneyovernight and you won't have the benefit of someone else's product to sell.Web design is a business where you are selling your skills, your only"product samples" are things that YOU create. That may sound scary, butremember the benefits ... YOU create your own success, YOU manage your ownschedule and workload, and YOU reap all the benefits. I love being able toattend all my boys' school events, being able to work at 1 AM if one of myboys isn't feeling well during the day, deciding when I want to take avacation, etc.Liz: Has this business always been easy? Did you ever think about giving up?Jen: Has anyone ever actually answered yes to that first question and no tothe second one? LOL I truly believe any business you start is going tohaveits tough times and there will be times you feel like giving up. So no, ithasn't always been easy, and yes, I have considered giving up, many times.But it isn't important if you have times like that; what is important is howyou handle them and grow from them. The first "problem" that arises willalways be the toughest one because you are more vulnerable in the beginning.But if you learn from each bad experience, you will prevent future mistakesand you will be stronger for it. In my eBook, I present some of theproblemsI have faced so that others can learn from my experiences as well as theirown.Liz: Do you have to know everything there is to know just to get started?Jen: No, that is one of the wonderful things about web design, there isalways something new to learn. You can start out offering the most basicservices and work your way up as you learn new techniques and strategies. Inmy eBook, while I do not explain or teach the reader web design skills, I doexplain what the different skills are and new ones to keep an eye on in thefuture. The Internet is a constantly growing and changing environment forthose who design it and those who surf it, so you can really dig out yourownlittle niche tailored to what you know and what you are willing to learn.Liz: Is a web design business expensive to start and manage?Jen: If you already have a computer then you have the biggest expense out ofthe way. I started with the basics: a computer, printer, HTML editingsoftware, graphics editing software, and lots of free learning resources. Idid not take any college courses or pay for any online courses, most of mylearning came from a few books I picked up (like Laura LeMay's "TeachYourself Web Design in 21 Days"), free online tutorials, and viewing theHTMLcoding from other web sites. As your business grows you can add otherequipment and upgrade your currentequipment. In the beginning I made a rule that I would not purchaseanythingnew for my business unless I had the money in my business account. Myaccount started out with $100 of my personal money, which I have sincerepaidmyself, and I have never had to violate my rule. I had to make somesacrifices, like not buying the "best" programs when I started, not usingthemore expensive forms of advertising, or borrowing my friend's scanner untilIcould buy my own, but I wanted my business to pay for itself and it has.Liz: What has been your biggest struggle with marketing your business andhow did you overcome it?Jen: My shyness. Online I can talk to anyone and can project a great image.But offline I am incredibly shy and introverted. A lot of that stems fromlow self-esteem and a general belief that everyone is better than me. Ihavemade great strides in this area as my business has grown, but in thebeginning it was very difficult to overcome. I was able to get around it byfocusing my marketing on techniques which did not involve me being placedface-to-face with potential clients. My marketing was primarily accomplishedonline. As I mention in the marketing sections of my eBook, this might notwork for everyone, but it was what I had to do to feel confident enough tospeak with my potential clients.Liz: Any last words of advice?Jen: Know your strengths and weaknesses as a business owner and have a goodsupport network around you. Many times you will find that your strengthscan be utilized in unusual ways to compensate for your weakness in otherareas. Your family, friends, and business colleagues can help you determineif you are overly concerned about weaknesses you may have. We are alwaysourown worst critics anyway. If you aren't finding enough support in yourcurrent circles then go out and find new ones, because starting a businessishard and you need truly supportive people around you. In my eBook, I havetried to lay out both the pros and cons of starting a web design business,but only you can make the decision on if it is the right type of businessforyou. Weigh the pros and cons, then balance them with your own strengths,weaknesses, and the advice of your friends to make the right decision foryou. Regardless of your decision I wish you well and hope you achieve allyou hope to in life. Good Luck!

WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT

I was looking around at some websites to see what things I liked and disliked about them.There is no doubt that there are things that attract people and there are things that totally turn people off.
I have made a list of 13 tips that can help make your website more successful. Most of them are simple but quite effective at making your site more user friendly.
1. Make your site simple - With all of the bells and whistles available, too many people are trying to see how impressive they can make their websites. They may be attractive but unless your goal is to win a contest for best site, impressing people with glitter will not make sales.
2. Make sure your site loads quickly - You do not have long to grab your customer's attention. Make sure that you at least get a fair shot at grabbing his attention. If your site takes too long to load, you will lose a lot of potential customers without even giving your site a chance.
3. Don't have too many items on one page - You do not want to confuse your visitors. You want to make sure that they understand the purpose of your site. Too many items on one page can make this difficult for some. Don't take the chance. Make all of your pages simple.
4. Make sure every page lings to home page - It is much easier for your visitors to navigate if all of your pages link back to the home page. You will not lose as many potential customers if you make your site easier to navigate.
5. Get your own domain name - Free servers are great for some things but trying to gain credibility in a business is not one of them. It is well worth the price to get your own domain.
6. Make sure your hosting service offers full support - You want your service to have CGI access and offer secure ordering. This is a place that you don't want to go for cheap. Make sure your service offers the things you need before you choose and save a lot of headaches down the road.
7. Offer as many options for ordering as possible - The more options you provide for ordering, the fewer customers you will lose. You should have a secure order form on your site. Offering the options to order by phone, fax and by regular mail can also increase the number who will order.
8. Make sure you accept credit cards - If you don't accept credit cards, you are making a huge mistake. The biggest percent of your customers will pay this way if the option is available. Don't take the chance that they will choose another method if credit cards are not a possibility.
9. Offer free information on your site - You will want to offer some type of free material on your site. Free material such as courses are a very good way to build yourself as an expert in the eyes of your visitor. Free ebooks are another good thing to offer. Make sure these freebies are good solid information that can help your visitors.
10. Get your visitor's email address - You can accomplish this in quite a few different ways. Giving away the courses or ebooks is one great way. You can publish a newsletter or ezine that your visitors can sign up for on your site.
11. Make sure to build your site with purpose in mind - If you are trying to sell a product on your site, then sell that product. If you are just trying to get addresses and make the sale later, then make that your purpose when building your site.
12. Encourage feedback - Make your visitor feel like his opinion is important. Offer him the chance to provide you with feedback. Don't be too proud to make changes if you start hearing some of the same things from your visitors.
13. Remember that you are building this site for your customers - This is not a site to fulfill some fantasy of yours. Remember the purpose of your site. Keep your customers wants and needs Your website is one of those things that will determine if you are a marketing success. Make sure that you make your website user friendly. Also make sure that you don't lose sight of the purpose of your site. If your sit e does not come across direct to your visitor, you are going to lose many visitors before you can even make a pitch. in your mind as you design it.

If you are a webs designer & you are going to develop a new website then there are many factors you have to keep in mind for successfully build the website.
Landing pages are important to anyone running a pay per click campaign. Some people may disagree. In fact, I know there are many people that believe there is little use in spending time on them at all. These are usually people that have never attempted to optimize their landing pages. Several large and medium sized businesses use pay per click. Some have even taken the step to make all their “buy” pages landing pages. If profitable businesses take notice of landing pages, shouldn't you? So what is a landing page and what are the benefits? Landing pages have everything a visitor needs to make a decision and purchase all on one page. You may be asking if this is necessary. Couldn’t you just link to the home page? If you do that, the visitor now needs to surf to find what they want. Trust me, they won’t. It is easier to hit the back button and try another site. Landing pages go hand in hand with your ad. If your ad is mentioning a specific product, the link should take them to the page featuring this product. Your site’s landing pages should be accessible from your site map. It needs to be indexed but doesn't need to be viewable by your visitors unless they are coming in from your PPC ad. Some inside secrets: Some people will leave your landing page without scrolling down or reading the content on the page. Whatever layout you decide to go with, keep that in mind. If visitors can't find what they need within 10 seconds, they'll likely move on to someone else's page. Make sure your photo, content and “call for action” are in immediate view of the visitor. Use the same heading for your title page on your landing pages. This will help reassure your visitors that they are on the right site. Use words for your hyperlinks. Worded links tend to catch visitors eyes first. Use this to your advantage. Links can be whole sentences if so desired. Bold any words that may be of interest to the visitor. Words such as free, guarantee, low prices and other similar words will guide the reader to where you want them to go. Also, most visitors will jump through a few hoops to purchase your product. Just don't make them jump too often. Make your forms simple and easy to fill out. If your form takes longer the 2.5 minutes to fill out, you may lose the sale. Here are some small factors that can make a big difference in sales. Try: * Changing colors * Lowering shipping charges occasionally, and indicating it to the visitor * Reassuring buyers with a money back guarantee or BBB seal * Limiting navigational options * Simplifying content (Just list the information a visitor needs to know to make a purchase) * Making it as easy as possible for the visitor to make a speedy purchase (If the shipping and billing addresses are the same, do they really need to fill it out twice? Why not use an automated indicator box?) Offering better customer service options (If you can, give them the option to call you - especially if you offer 24 hour telephone service) Test other layouts. Try adding different photos, text, fonts and colors. Make each landing page different. Then compare your clicks vs sales. The landing page with the highest conversion may be the one that works best. If you see a remarkable difference in your click to sale ratio, implement the same layout to the other pages. Your conversion rates should move up. Remember to keep your pages simple. In this case, less is more. Remember to keep a close eye on your conversions and adjust accordingly. You should see your ROI increase.
Web site should not be very complex & crowded with unnecessary contents,banners & ads & visitors finds it easy to switch betweeen pages & find relvency among the contents on different pages.Avoid unnessary animation & take special precaution in choosing the colour scheme for headings,sub headins & text & to external links can easily be identified.