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Casual Articles - Web Site Design - Create a Website for Business Success With This Step by Step Help
Many affiliates are not making any money with the programs they promote because they are simply making a lot of mistakes, which prevent them from bringing their affiliate marketing business to the next level.The right affiliate strategy can help you make your first sale in one week, or more. It will depend on how much effort you put into the battle.Follow these seven days to affiliate marketing profit and you should do well, and see your first affiliate sale very soon. When I saw that blueprint for the first time, I was skeptical; but when I saw commissions in my affiliate account, I knew that the process was working perfectly.The problem is not in the process but with the affiliate marketer who didn't set a clear goal with a plan and didn’t take action to achieve the success that many other super affiliates are enjoying.So here is the plan that you must follow if you want to make your first commission in affiliate marketing...next week:Day 1: Find a profitable marketFinding a profitable market is where most affiliates fail and then give up. It's not their fault, but nobody takes the time to explain that.When you are starting, it is better to start with a huge market that is already profitable, like golf, weight loss, finance, self-help, beauty, sports, fitness...Start by researching what those people want, what they are searching for on the Internet. For that, you will need a keyword research tool like Goodkeywords.com or Yahoo search marketing tool.Day 2: Find an affiliate product for this marketBefore finding the product, try to identify the needs of your targeted market. Your chosen product must be excellent; and you want to have a good commission that will reward you, motivate you and cover your affiliate campaign costs. You can start with clickbank.com or cj.com.You must verify the sales page to see if it will
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be opti
Who needs a contingency plan?There are a few people out there who actually know what a contingency plan is and why it is wise to have one for every situation. The military is very good at contingency planning. Troops must eat and receive supplies in many different situations. If plan A does not work plan B and C and D is already in place to insure that the mission is accomplished. (ie., feeding the troops ) Police and Fire departments also utilize contingency planning to insure the safety of the public at large in any given circumstance. Computer software engineers are also good at planning what to have a program do if such and such happen. Problems can be headed off at the pass with some thought being given to contingency planning.Why do I need a contingency plan?The short answer is: because it is wise. Muddling on by doesn't require planning. But where would you be if you lost your job? Or, if your spouse lost their job? What if the overtime you have been working for years goes away? What if you become incapacitated for an extended period of time and are unable to work overtime, or work at all? You just bought that new house and BAM life throws you a curve. That is why you need a contingency plan. Just as it is prudent to have a plan for your family in the event of a fire, it is also wise to plan for financial troubles as well.How do I develop a contingency plan?The first thing you must do is to think about it. What if... Write down a list of things that could happen and develop a plan of action accordingly. At least if you have thought about it, it will be much less traumatic should the event occur. Plan to be debt free as much as possible. I know that will cause many of you to sigh, but to be debt free is better than having lots of consumer debt. Most of us will have some debt, car payments, mortgage etc.
Domain Name
The best place to start the process is with a name for your site; a domain name. The most popular domains are dot-com names (.com). Also high on popularity are dot-net (.net), dot-org (.org), plus many others including dot-info (.info), dot-biz (.biz) and dot-us (.us).
Unless you are looking for a very unique name, most combinations of one or two common English words with the famed dot-com tag at the end are already claimed. This is where creativity may be required to find ways to make your domain name unique. To start searching for your domain name you’ll need to go to a domain registrar such as Network Solutions. Registering a domain name works essentially like a lease, granting you permission to use the name as long as you maintain the nominal annual fees to keep it registered.
A good domain name should be short, but still reflect your website; you want your visitors to remember their way back. Avoid using initials (unless they are as well known as CBS or NBC). Avoid hyphenation if possible or overly long names. A good domain name is memorable and easy on the tongue. The best test is to find several good candidates and test them by speaking the names out loud. How easy are they to communicate, and to spell? How well do they represent the mission of your site?
In some cases, it may be advantageous to purchase a domain name that someone else has the rights to. The fees for this type of transfer of ownership can command some hefty fees though. Bidding usually starts around $500, but the right name can fetch a million dollars or more.
Organization and Research Once the domain name is secured, the next step is to create an outline.
- Start by creating a list of the ideas to be covered
- Group the ideas into major categories that will become web pages
- Look at similar or competitive sites for more ideas
- Think about how you want your site to look
- Think of photos or illustrations that will best complement your message
- Find and document examples of web sites that you like the best
- Sort these ideas into a finished outline
Selecting Keywords
Keywords are a group of words that best describe the topic of your site. They are the group of words your customers would use to find you in a web search. For example, if you sell eyeglasses, and you only use the words “eyeglasses” to describe your products but your potential customer searches for “prescription lenses” or “designer frames” your website will probably not be found.
Finding the best and most popular keywords and using them effectively is a vital part of driving more traffic to your site. For best results you should use a keyword research tools like Wordtracker. Wordtracker can compile a list of terms people search for, indicate how often they are searched for, and even help you discover keywords you may not have considered. Developing a database of customer searched keywords will help to focus the efforts of the next step most successfully; the script.
Writing The Script
Writing a script for the web is not like writing a book. Most people will read at least a chapter of a book before giving up. Web pages however, are not treated the same. After all there are just too many choices! We live in a “sound bite” world and surfing the net is no different. When a visitor comes to your web page you have between five and ten seconds to impress them that they are in the right place before they reach for the back key on their browser to search out the next candidate. Your web pages need a clear and easily understood message with interesting graphics, good pictures and a great script.
A great script on the web is short, to the point and broken up into easy to digest pieces. It is filled with keywords pertinent to your topic, but not to the detriment of your message. Effective use of headlines, sub-headers, bold or italicized phrases, links, bullet points and other lists all can work together to make your message stand out and tell the story. The headline can also be a creative tool to capture the desired attention.
Whew, don’t despair! The best way to start the process of script writing is to go back to the outline. Write the first draft and then start refining the results. Don’t forget about other things already written like brochures, flyers, and other advertising. This may provide a better base to build upon, while generating fresh ideas in the process.
Like the sculptor who chips away stone to create a beautiful statue one hammer stroke at a time. Great scripts are written very much the same way. Read through, change and improve again and again. When you think you are done read your script out loud. Keep working until the desired result is there.
All About Links
There are two basic types of links on a website; forward links and backward links. Simply put, forward links connect to other pages and sites. In order to be useful the links should be relevant to your topic. Create links to professional organizations you belong to, equipment or software related to your topic, or articles of interest to your readers. Use your imagination.
Backward links are links from other sites to you. Again, the key is to have relevant information about your topic on the page with a link to your site. Possible sources are web directories, blog links, forum posts or social networks such as digg.com and technorati.com.
Why are links so valuable? They make your web site more important to search engines like Google and Yahoo. The more backward links you have from pertinent sources, and forward links to relevant information, the better your site will be ranked; and that will help you to get found.
Photography One picture is worth a thousand words; and a great picture will help communicate your message quickly. Pictures can:
- Grab the attention of visitors
- Convey the importance of your company or project
- Illustrate an important point
- Create warmth and strong feelings
- Illustrate your product or service
Whether you have digital photos or scans of slides and film, having a number of good and appropriate pictures on your site can make a huge difference.
Graphics and Design
This is the stage where the basic shape of the site page is formed. There are many decisions to be made such as:
- What does the banner header and footer look like?
- What shapes and lines will provide the page form?
- What color palette should be used?
- What monitor resolution should the page be designed for?
- How are other resolutions going to be accommodated?
- Where should the primary page links be?
- Will there be secondary links and/or drop down menus?
- How will the logo be incorporated?
Needless to say, this is a very important step in the process, as the look of the entire site will depend upon the decisions made here. Unless you are an experienced web designer, your company or organization will undoubtedly benefit from using a professional web design company for this phase. Graphics and design is where art meets form.
Creating Template Pages
Once the Graphics and Design step has been completed and approved by the client, a template page is usually created. Often there are different templates used for the home page, and for other pages; but the idea here is to create a working model that can be used for page layout. One key advantage of using template pages is changes universal to the site, such as the information in the header or footer, can be changed once on a single form, rather than changing many individual pages.
Page Layout
Having a completed script is certainly a tremendous head start for web page layout; but creating a well laid out web page involves more than cut-and-paste. There are many nuances that must be worked out in the process of converting from a word processor to a HTML page. Emphasizing headlines, creating bullet points, establishing boundaries around photos and designing the flow of a page is all part of the process.
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS for short are valuable tools for the competent web designer. They provide the instruction set that defines the color, size, position and other parameters of each class of text, graphics and other elements on a website. The CSS can also create challenges for the designer, as different browser editions will display a page differently than the others. This means that provisions and workarounds are frequently required in order to maintain a consistent look and feel across various platforms.
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be opti
The way you set things up can pay off greatlyAs an inside sales representative for a major material handling company, half of the phone calls I receive start the same way: “I’m looking for racking.” It’s a promising start, but it’s usually followed by, “I’m not sure how much I need,” “I don’t know what kind I need” or “I am new to this.”I could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away from these potential customers and their problems, but with the help of faxes, email, the Internet and digital cameras, we are usually able to share enough information to develop a proposed layout and a request for quotation.People new to the warehouse or purchasing start out knowing that they have product sitting on the floor taking up space needing to utilize their vertical space better. After all, they are not just paying for square footage; they are heating, cooling and maintaining a three-dimensional space. Even more importantly, that vertical space is a wasted asset that could be used to store needed inventory and can free up floor space for more productive uses.What else do you need to know? In just a few minutes, you can gather all the information you need before calling your sales representative. This includes:The length, width and height of a single pallet that has product on it. The weight of the pallet with product. The clear height on the warehouse – that is, the actual usable inside height of the warehouse at its lowest and highest points. Your forklift’s specifications, especially dimensions and lifting capacity. The length of the rows of racking you wish to create. The number of pallets you wish to store. Decide whether you want used, renewed or new material.Drive in for More SpaceLet’s start with the last one first. Face it, racking is racking. It rarely becomes obsolete because of new technology. If your needs can
Selecting Keywords
Keywords are a group of words that best describe the topic of your site. They are the group of words your customers would use to find you in a web search. For example, if you sell eyeglasses, and you only use the words “eyeglasses” to describe your products but your potential customer searches for “prescription lenses” or “designer frames” your website will probably not be found.
Finding the best and most popular keywords and using them effectively is a vital part of driving more traffic to your site. For best results you should use a keyword research tools like Wordtracker. Wordtracker can compile a list of terms people search for, indicate how often they are searched for, and even help you discover keywords you may not have considered. Developing a database of customer searched keywords will help to focus the efforts of the next step most successfully; the script.
Writing The Script
Writing a script for the web is not like writing a book. Most people will read at least a chapter of a book before giving up. Web pages however, are not treated the same. After all there are just too many choices! We live in a “sound bite” world and surfing the net is no different. When a visitor comes to your web page you have between five and ten seconds to impress them that they are in the right place before they reach for the back key on their browser to search out the next candidate. Your web pages need a clear and easily understood message with interesting graphics, good pictures and a great script.
A great script on the web is short, to the point and broken up into easy to digest pieces. It is filled with keywords pertinent to your topic, but not to the detriment of your message. Effective use of headlines, sub-headers, bold or italicized phrases, links, bullet points and other lists all can work together to make your message stand out and tell the story. The headline can also be a creative tool to capture the desired attention.
Whew, don’t despair! The best way to start the process of script writing is to go back to the outline. Write the first draft and then start refining the results. Don’t forget about other things already written like brochures, flyers, and other advertising. This may provide a better base to build upon, while generating fresh ideas in the process.
Like the sculptor who chips away stone to create a beautiful statue one hammer stroke at a time. Great scripts are written very much the same way. Read through, change and improve again and again. When you think you are done read your script out loud. Keep working until the desired result is there.
All About Links
There are two basic types of links on a website; forward links and backward links. Simply put, forward links connect to other pages and sites. In order to be useful the links should be relevant to your topic. Create links to professional organizations you belong to, equipment or software related to your topic, or articles of interest to your readers. Use your imagination.
Backward links are links from other sites to you. Again, the key is to have relevant information about your topic on the page with a link to your site. Possible sources are web directories, blog links, forum posts or social networks such as digg.com and technorati.com.
Why are links so valuable? They make your web site more important to search engines like Google and Yahoo. The more backward links you have from pertinent sources, and forward links to relevant information, the better your site will be ranked; and that will help you to get found.
Photography One picture is worth a thousand words; and a great picture will help communicate your message quickly. Pictures can:
- Grab the attention of visitors
- Convey the importance of your company or project
- Illustrate an important point
- Create warmth and strong feelings
- Illustrate your product or service
Whether you have digital photos or scans of slides and film, having a number of good and appropriate pictures on your site can make a huge difference.
Graphics and Design
This is the stage where the basic shape of the site page is formed. There are many decisions to be made such as:
- What does the banner header and footer look like?
- What shapes and lines will provide the page form?
- What color palette should be used?
- What monitor resolution should the page be designed for?
- How are other resolutions going to be accommodated?
- Where should the primary page links be?
- Will there be secondary links and/or drop down menus?
- How will the logo be incorporated?
Needless to say, this is a very important step in the process, as the look of the entire site will depend upon the decisions made here. Unless you are an experienced web designer, your company or organization will undoubtedly benefit from using a professional web design company for this phase. Graphics and design is where art meets form.
Creating Template Pages
Once the Graphics and Design step has been completed and approved by the client, a template page is usually created. Often there are different templates used for the home page, and for other pages; but the idea here is to create a working model that can be used for page layout. One key advantage of using template pages is changes universal to the site, such as the information in the header or footer, can be changed once on a single form, rather than changing many individual pages.
Page Layout
Having a completed script is certainly a tremendous head start for web page layout; but creating a well laid out web page involves more than cut-and-paste. There are many nuances that must be worked out in the process of converting from a word processor to a HTML page. Emphasizing headlines, creating bullet points, establishing boundaries around photos and designing the flow of a page is all part of the process.
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS for short are valuable tools for the competent web designer. They provide the instruction set that defines the color, size, position and other parameters of each class of text, graphics and other elements on a website. The CSS can also create challenges for the designer, as different browser editions will display a page differently than the others. This means that provisions and workarounds are frequently required in order to maintain a consistent look and feel across various platforms.
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be opti
Do you wonder what enthralls an audience in a trade show? It’s not the huge crowd of people around or the excitement in the air – it is the powerful display of products with all their sleek placements, banners, and graphics. Exhibits, a shortened form for exhibition, seek to highlight the qualities of new products or services before a focused audience.Exhibitions can be of different types. They can be art exhibitions, computer expositions, film exhibitions or industrial exhibitions. Exhibitions are powerful events that provide an opportunity to witness the best a company or service provider has to offer. Exhibitions are also known as ‘expos’ in modern parlance.Exhibits are powerful marketing agents that seek to bridge the gap between the buyer and the seller. In art exhibits, for instance, artists display a wide array of their work before a focused audience. The audience in turn generates interest by word of mouth, and consequently leads to sales of the artist’s work.Exhibits are also displayed through specialized ‘exhibit booths’ in trade fairs, book fairs or industrial fairs. These exhibit booths seek to bring about a direct impact on the sales curve. Exhibit displays serve as a window to the external buyers, and enable them to analyze and compare it with other products before reaching a buying decision.Modern exhibits can come in several forms. Apart from the physical exhibits, individuals, companies and service providers today use online exhibits to garner popularity and wider acceptance. Online exhibits have several advantages over physical exhibits. Online exhibits can be made in the form of sleek websites and information portals at the fraction of the cost incurred in creating and displaying physical exhibits. However, in spite of such easy global reach and acceptance, physical exhibits in exhibitions and trade fairs still remain a better choice. After all,
Whew, don’t despair! The best way to start the process of script writing is to go back to the outline. Write the first draft and then start refining the results. Don’t forget about other things already written like brochures, flyers, and other advertising. This may provide a better base to build upon, while generating fresh ideas in the process.
Like the sculptor who chips away stone to create a beautiful statue one hammer stroke at a time. Great scripts are written very much the same way. Read through, change and improve again and again. When you think you are done read your script out loud. Keep working until the desired result is there.
All About Links
There are two basic types of links on a website; forward links and backward links. Simply put, forward links connect to other pages and sites. In order to be useful the links should be relevant to your topic. Create links to professional organizations you belong to, equipment or software related to your topic, or articles of interest to your readers. Use your imagination.
Backward links are links from other sites to you. Again, the key is to have relevant information about your topic on the page with a link to your site. Possible sources are web directories, blog links, forum posts or social networks such as digg.com and technorati.com.
Why are links so valuable? They make your web site more important to search engines like Google and Yahoo. The more backward links you have from pertinent sources, and forward links to relevant information, the better your site will be ranked; and that will help you to get found.
Photography One picture is worth a thousand words; and a great picture will help communicate your message quickly. Pictures can:
- Grab the attention of visitors
- Convey the importance of your company or project
- Illustrate an important point
- Create warmth and strong feelings
- Illustrate your product or service
Whether you have digital photos or scans of slides and film, having a number of good and appropriate pictures on your site can make a huge difference.
Graphics and Design
This is the stage where the basic shape of the site page is formed. There are many decisions to be made such as:
- What does the banner header and footer look like?
- What shapes and lines will provide the page form?
- What color palette should be used?
- What monitor resolution should the page be designed for?
- How are other resolutions going to be accommodated?
- Where should the primary page links be?
- Will there be secondary links and/or drop down menus?
- How will the logo be incorporated?
Needless to say, this is a very important step in the process, as the look of the entire site will depend upon the decisions made here. Unless you are an experienced web designer, your company or organization will undoubtedly benefit from using a professional web design company for this phase. Graphics and design is where art meets form.
Creating Template Pages
Once the Graphics and Design step has been completed and approved by the client, a template page is usually created. Often there are different templates used for the home page, and for other pages; but the idea here is to create a working model that can be used for page layout. One key advantage of using template pages is changes universal to the site, such as the information in the header or footer, can be changed once on a single form, rather than changing many individual pages.
Page Layout
Having a completed script is certainly a tremendous head start for web page layout; but creating a well laid out web page involves more than cut-and-paste. There are many nuances that must be worked out in the process of converting from a word processor to a HTML page. Emphasizing headlines, creating bullet points, establishing boundaries around photos and designing the flow of a page is all part of the process.
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS for short are valuable tools for the competent web designer. They provide the instruction set that defines the color, size, position and other parameters of each class of text, graphics and other elements on a website. The CSS can also create challenges for the designer, as different browser editions will display a page differently than the others. This means that provisions and workarounds are frequently required in order to maintain a consistent look and feel across various platforms.
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be opti
“Too many leaders act as if the sheep... their people... are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.” Ken BlanchardHow does a small business owner strategically expand his business for a global market? Are international markets only reserved for larger companies? Clearly, this issue of expanding into international markets is not easy nor cheap. I read an interesting column on this subject by Jim Hopkins in USA Today. He provided a good case of why it is possible for small businesses to expand internationally.Although I supported his position, I felt some vital factors were missing. His column showcased a list of small business successes. I agreed with his list, which included outstanding entrepreneurs, such as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.Some readers may view these success stories as mere luck. This perspective would not be true. However, these individuals were slaves to their visions. Successful entrepreneurs think strategically when engaged in a global environment.Many of these famed business owners started with smaller organizations. Today small businesses are experiencing the realities of a slowing economy. According to a 2004 Small Business Administration (SBA) study, 580,900 small businesses opened in 2005, and 576,200 closed. The SBA noted that 67 percent of these new companies were able to survive at least 2 years while 44 percent survived at least 4 years.Exemplary organizations think strategically. Recently, my consulting firm, PMLA, released the results of a qualitative study to examine better ways of improving the success rate of small businesses in the public sector. Case examples of four successful companies involved in contracting with the federal government were evaluated.The study revealed four critical tasks necessary to achieve a competitive advantage: (1) in
Whether you have digital photos or scans of slides and film, having a number of good and appropriate pictures on your site can make a huge difference.
Graphics and Design
This is the stage where the basic shape of the site page is formed. There are many decisions to be made such as:
- What does the banner header and footer look like?
- What shapes and lines will provide the page form?
- What color palette should be used?
- What monitor resolution should the page be designed for?
- How are other resolutions going to be accommodated?
- Where should the primary page links be?
- Will there be secondary links and/or drop down menus?
- How will the logo be incorporated?
Needless to say, this is a very important step in the process, as the look of the entire site will depend upon the decisions made here. Unless you are an experienced web designer, your company or organization will undoubtedly benefit from using a professional web design company for this phase. Graphics and design is where art meets form.
Creating Template Pages
Once the Graphics and Design step has been completed and approved by the client, a template page is usually created. Often there are different templates used for the home page, and for other pages; but the idea here is to create a working model that can be used for page layout. One key advantage of using template pages is changes universal to the site, such as the information in the header or footer, can be changed once on a single form, rather than changing many individual pages.
Page Layout
Having a completed script is certainly a tremendous head start for web page layout; but creating a well laid out web page involves more than cut-and-paste. There are many nuances that must be worked out in the process of converting from a word processor to a HTML page. Emphasizing headlines, creating bullet points, establishing boundaries around photos and designing the flow of a page is all part of the process.
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS for short are valuable tools for the competent web designer. They provide the instruction set that defines the color, size, position and other parameters of each class of text, graphics and other elements on a website. The CSS can also create challenges for the designer, as different browser editions will display a page differently than the others. This means that provisions and workarounds are frequently required in order to maintain a consistent look and feel across various platforms.
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be opti
Anybody who has seen my main website will know that I might have jumped the gun a bit when I pigeon holed myself as a professional business blogger. It’s been not so much a case of jumping on the blogging bandwagon as jumping too early with nowhere to land.So whilst I wait for the pro-blogger gravy train to arrive, I thought I might look into my crystal ball and see what other predictions I can try and foresee in the mists of time.We are still only really at the start of the ambiguous ‘Web 2.0’ with marketers and PR professionals all rushing to find the best ways of utilising the new tools at their disposal. The gold-rush is on to find the best way of gaining exposure and mining the rapidly growing online marketplace.It has never been easier or cheaper to reach a global audience in a very short space of time.Web 2.0 has also been synonymous with the growth of the bedroom publisher. Anybody with a PC and Internet connection can now run their own blog or website, and potentially reach millions around the world. This has created a torrent of content flooding onto the Internet on a daily basis.So much content is being produced that it is virtually impossible to keep track of all the latest updates on all but the smallest of niches. Over 50 million blogs are now being tracked by Technorati with 1.6 million new posts hitting the web everyday! Google and Microsoft are also hell-bent on adding all the greatest literary works known to man by scanning whole libraries onto the Internet. I don’t, however, expect to see Shakespeare or Dickens topping Digg anytime soon.There is going to have to be a rethink on how we find and distribute content and information. After all, we can’t go on fighting over the top few search engine spots forever!Once RSS penetrates the mass market, and awareness spreads, people will start using RSS to bookmark their sites of inte
Form Pages and Programming Form pages are used to collect information or to do other jobs on a web page. Examples include:
- Email forms that protect the recipient from SPAM
- Information forms for collecting data such as name, address, phone, etc.
- Calculation forms to add, multiply or perform more complex equations
- Upload forms allowing users to send attachment
More complex forms are possible such as applications, and ecommerce Upon submitting a form multiple actions can be taken such as sending an email to the website administrator, in addition to sending an automated response to the sender.
Email@
One of the benefits of having a dedicated domain is the ability to keep the same email address, regardless of who your internet service provider (ISP) is. If you’re ever had to switch from one ISP to another you know what I mean. The ability to set up nearly limitless email addresses @yourdomain.com can provide the capacity for your organization to grow without fear of running out of names.
E-Commerce Web Site
If you want to sell your wares on the internet you may be ready for an ecommerce solution. This will allow you to reach an audience 24/7 that may otherwise be inaccessible to your goods and services. Once your shopping cart solution is in place; listing photos, descriptions and prices of your products are only the start. A successful ecommerce site is tuned to achieve the best conversion rate, making sure that each step along the buying process is comfortable and assuring to your shoppers.
Page Optimization
A good web site should be optimized for:
• Quick downloads of pictures, graphics, and other elements
• Good navigation that is easy to understand
• Logical organization and grouping of pages
• Good page names making information easy to find
• Good titles and subtitles to allow quick information scanning
Web Server or Web Host
The Web Server is the real computer where your web site is stored. It could be in your office. It could be provided by your web developer, a web host service in your town, or hundreds of miles away. Since it is connected to computer users from around the world, it’s really not so important. What is important is:
- Is it fast? Will it allow multiple users access at the same time?
- Is it well connected? Can the photos and videos be efficiently downloaded?
- Is it secure and safe from hackers and intruders?
- Is it backed up? What if the power goes off?
Website Updates and Maintenance
A good web site is one that changes on a regular basis. Depending on the design, these updates can be made by the average user or performed by your web developer. Your site should reflect:
- New products being added
- New announcement being made
- A shift in policy or direction
- New employees added
Big projects being completed Your web site is your communication tool with the world. In order to maintain the interest of viewers it needs to stay fresh with new information all of the time. This is also key to creating better content, and better content is key to being highly ranked by search engines. The more highly ranked your site is the more likely you are to be found by your customers.
Website Advertising and Promotion
The best website in the world will not be found without doing something to get the word out. Using good keywords, getting links to your site, and making regular changes to your content are good choices to promote and raise the visibility of your site, but those methods take time. A much quicker method is through the use of pay-per-click campaigns.
Pay-per-click advertising is provided by the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and others. It is a fast track method to buy visibility on the first page for searches pertinent to your content or chosen keywords. The basic steps to create a pay-per-click campaign are:
- Select keywords that your customers might use to search for your services
- Set a geographic area for your ads to appear
- Write ad copy to attract customers to click on your ads
- Set a maximum amount that you will pay per click
- Set a daily maximum
- You pay only for clicks to your web site
Your ad will appear in the area marked sponsored listings. It will be higher or lower than the other sponsored listings based on the maximum bid that you offer in relation to the others, among other factors. The cost to have good visibility on a page will depend largely upon the amount of competition for the keywords being bid on.
Don’t overlook using some of the simplest forms of advertising to help get the word out such as adding your website address to your business cards, flyers, newspaper ads, to the bottom of every email you send out, etc. If you already have brochures printed, get some printed labels to apply with the new information. If you use methods like radio, television or billboards be certain that your website is present in those ads too. This form of advertising is generally called cross-promotion. The web is a 24/7 sales agent that can only work if it can be found.
Web Design Services
Designing a web site design for your company or organization is an important task. This guide seeks to provide a simple overview to help you to understand and prepare for the steps involved. Knowing what to expect as you create your website, whether through the services of a professional web designer or creating it on your own will help you achieve the best results possible.
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