Website Design Tips

Have You Ever Wondered why Your Website isn't Making Enough Sales? Discover Simple Designing Tips that can Help You Boost Your Sales!

Professional website design is very important for your business. It’s even more important if you’re a webmaster or have an internet business, because you market your products and services directly on the web. If your website doesn’t look attractive and doesn’t grab visitor’s attention, then your sales will crash and you will easily lose your potential customers.

In order to avoid having a poor quality web site that turns visitors away, you should concentrate on the visual side of your site. A pleasant website design will be appreciated by your visitors and customers. That’s why it should be your top priority to make your site as easy, interesting and attractive as possible.

Sadly, but it often happens that webmasters don’t understand the importance of good website design. They don’t know the rules for creating professional web pages and have no idea what good web style is. If you want to build a great website, try to follow the tips below, which should help you improve your existing or create a new attractive website.Planning Your Website

This is the first step in web design process. A good planning will make it much easier to develop and maintain your site later. Start with these questions before you go any further:

1.

What is the theme of your website?
Choose a topic that you're passionate about, something that interests you most and build a site about that topic.
2.

What is the purpose of your website?
Is it to sell your products or services, provide useful information only, build a subscribers base or simply represent your company?
3.

Who is your target audience?
Are they kids, students wanting to pay for a college, single men, married women, parents looking for another income stream or anyone else interested in your offer?

If you've answered the questions above, you are ready to start building your website. Start by planning it on paper first. Draw a diagram showing how your pages link to each other. Then draw a template of a page on the other piece of paper. Include navigation menu, main text area, header, footer and any other details. Then simply use that template on all your pages. This will help your style remain consistent on the whole site.

After planning everything on paper, think about the future growth of your website. It's not difficult to maintain 10 pages of your website, but what if it grows to 100 or 1000 pages. What if you decide to add another button to your navigation menu? You would have to change all the pages of your website manually. This could be really time-consuming.

In that case there's a solution called server side includes (SSI). Server side includes give the ability to include files from the server into a HTML document. You can have your navigation panel in an include file. So whenever you decide you want to add another link into your panel, you simply alter one include file and all the pages in your website change accordingly. It will really save your time.

Keep in mind that your website will require maintenance and prepare for the growth of your site. You'll definitely have much less problems in the future.
Slow Page Loading Time

This problem is still very common among internet users. If your visitors have to wait 20 seconds for a page to load, you'll lose half of your audience and limit your sales as well. Broadband internet connection is becoming more and more popular, but there are many people who still use dial-up connection. So don't make these visitors wait and keep them in mind when designing your site.

Consider the following tips, which will help you optimize your website and make the loading time faster:

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Images
Graphics increase loading time, so try to use no more than 5 in a page. Also, keep the file size down to minimum by optimizing your web graphics.
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Tables
Avoid putting all your content into one large table, because visitors won't see anything else until it loads. Try to break your content into smaller tables. Put your logo, top navigation menu (if you have one), content and footer in different tables. This will load each of them accordingly and keep visitors hang on your site.
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Top Image or Flash Banners
It's a bad idea to put a banner on the top of the page, because they're seen first. Huge banners take a lot of time to load. Your visitors won't appreciate that. People want to see content not a banner. Avoid using top banners, otherwise you will lose the majority of dial-up visitors.
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Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Another factor that helps to reduce the loading time is CSS. Put your cascading style sheet into one external file and link to it from all pages. This will reduce the size of a source code and the loading time.
* HTML Tags
Many times webmasters forget to optimize their code when building websites. A web page optimization may reduce the file size by 80%. Try to use relative instead of full URL. For example, "http://www.domain.com/images/logo.gif" replace with "/images/logo.gif". If you have many links, this will save you a couple of Kbytes.

All the tips above should help you reduce the size of your web graphics, style sheets and source code. Fast loading pages will be appreciated by your visitors and will increase the number of hits to your website. But a quality web design involves much more that that. Let's look at a couple of common website design mistakes:
Browser and Platform Compatibility

This is another web development issue - computer and browser incompatibility. Many times webmasters build a website and forget to check how it looks on other machines. There are tons of people surfing the web with different computers (PC, MAC), different screen resolutions (1024x768 or 800x600), different browsers (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera, Mozilla) and different browser versions (IE 3+, NS 3+, Opera 5+).

It can be a real headache trying to build a website that looks correctly on different platforms, resolutions, browser types and versions. But if you don't want to lose your visitors, you should learn to make your web pages compatible with (at least) recent browser versions, both platforms (PC and MAC) and screen sizes (800 x 600 and above).
More Common Website Design Mistakes

Fast loading time, platform and browser compatibility are very important factors, which determine the success of your website. If you keep them in mind when designing, you'll have a great and accessible website that your visitors will love. But often webmasters make very simple and even silly mistakes that cost them tons of money in lost sales and reputation. If you don't want this happen to you, consider a couple of tips below:

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Colorful Background Images
Don't use fancy images as background. Not only they increase page loading time, but also make it hard to read the text.
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White Space Between Paragraphs
Use a lot of white space in your documents. Between headlines, sub headlines and paragraphs. It will be easier to read, because visitors will have time to rest their eyes.
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Navigation Menu
Make it readable and easy to find. Many times people see a link and can't figure out what does it mean or where will it lead them. Use understandable names in your navigation links. Also, make it easy to find all your main pages. Use a navigation bar on all your pages, so visitors could easily get back to your home page or any other page.
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Consistent Page Design
It happens that people change the design from page to page. For example, when people click a link and see a different navigation bar, they feel confused. You'll lose visitors. Keep your design consistent on all pages.
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Font Size
Sometimes webmasters use too large or too small fonts. You can use large fonts for headlines. But use normal font sizes for a main text. Like 10px or 12px, or 8pt or 10pt, but don't get confused here. 10px doesn't equal to 10pt. Points are dependant on screen resolution and pixels are fixed. It's recommended to use pixels, because they'll be seen the same on different resolutions and platforms.
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Frames
Try not to use frames if possible. Search engines don't like them. Lot's of frames on a page can make it look badly. If you really have to use frames, use them carefully. Don't make your visitors scroll horizontally to see the end of a sentence or a link.
* Order Button
Often people have an ecommerce website, but forget to include an order button. If you sell something, put the order information in visible place. Use order button on every page of your site.

In Conclusion

Good website design should be clear, simple, easy to navigate and good looking. It should be subtle and concentrate on your visitor's needs. A good website design makes you stay longer and come back to the site later. A great looking and functional website should be your key to online success.

Website design is a way of representing your business on the internet. It creates an image of your company whereby people decide whether it's worth doing business with you or not. Having a professionally looking site can reward you many times. Not only will you gain more loyal customers and business relationships, but also increase your sales tremendously. Read fullpost...

Tutorial Membuat Website.

Anda tertarik untuk membuat website tetapi belum paham betul HTML? Anda bisa mencoba Yahoo Geocities. Dengan langkah-langkah berikut, dalam 10 menit website Anda sudah jadi. Anda bisa menggunakan Page Wizard untuk membuat halaman website dengan cepat tanpa pemrograman. Tidak percaya? Dicoba dulu ya …

Anda akan membuat blog atau website? Anda bisa membuat website untuk menawarkan produk, profile pribadi atau perusahaan, atau sekedar nampang. Anda bisa membuat blog untuk menyalurkan ide Anda yang isinya selalu berkembang setiap hari.Jika Anda akan membuat blog, caranya sangat mudah. Tinggal daftar saja ke wordpress.com atau blogger.com. Tutorial membuat blog klik di sini. Jika Anda mau membuat website, Anda perlu tempat hosting. Web hosting adalah tempat menaruh file Anda di Internet. Webhosting ada yang bayar ada yang gratis. Web hosting gratis misalnya:

1. Yahoo Geocities. Alamatnya http://www.geocities.com
2. 50webs. Alamatnya http://www.50webs.com
3. Tripod. Alamatnya http://www.tripod.com

Web hosting yang bayar misalnya:

1. Bali Web Hosting. Alamatnya: http://www.balinter.net
2. Bandung web hosting. Alamatnya: http://www.qwords.com

Dalam tutorial ini hanya dibahas bagaimana membuat website di Yahoo Geocities.

Kenapa Geocities? Pertama, Anda tidak perlu repot-report registrasi ulang jika sudah memiliki email di Yahoo. Cukup login di Yahoo Mail. Trus ketik http://www.geocities.com. Otomatis Anda sudah dapat memulai website. Kedua, banyak sekali layanan web hosting yang gratis berguguran atau berubah menjadi bayar, sepertinya Geocities tidak akan seperti ini, karena jaringan Yahoo sangat kuat dan Yahoo adalah perusahaan yang cukup besar.

Okey, sekarang kita mulai membuat website. Langkah-langkahnya:

1. Klik di sini http://www.geocities.com, login dengan Yahoo ID dan password Anda.
2. Jika Anda sudah membuat website dan menyimpannya di komputer, pilih EASY UPLOAD atau klik link berikut: http://geocities.yahoo.com/v/ul.html
3. Upload file Anda.
4. Jika Anda sama sekali belum membuat website, pilih PAGE WIZARD. Klik link berikut: http://geocities.yahoo.com/v/w
5. Dalam PAGE WIZARD, pilih model yang sesuai dengan selera Anda, isi website Anda.
6. Ikuti langkah-langkah yang ada.
7. Selesai. Website Anda punya alamat: www.geocities.com/yahoo_id_anda

Cukup mudah bukan?

Selamat praktek, jangan takut salah. Read fullpost...

Web Design Company: Impressive Web Design Solutions

These days a single product or service is provided by more than one websites. What makes a website winner over the other in terms of sales? This is a vital question. Really, why one website is popular and other, based on the same verticals, is not. The answer may lie in the designing of a website. To become a popular website it is necessary that your website is user-friendly and full of easy navigation tools. Now, you can take help from a good web design company regarding these issues.This is true that nobody wants to look at a boring website and this is also not false that a too flashy site can be a huge turn off. A website must show a balance between being too fancy or boring. It is the key to unlocking great web design. Sometimes colors can be used to draw an emotional feeling from people, but it should be neither too intense nor too dull. Use of balanced colours can enhance the willingness of customers to buy. The psychology of colors work and is used by the professionals of a web design company to convey different messages to the users.

The web design company make sure that a design do not become too complex or confusing. Most important thing is that your site design must be according to the business and products or services you offer. If you are selling gifts then it should look like an ornamental place and not like a car-accessories selling website. These things are taken care of while designing. How you want people to benefit from your website matters a lot during its designing. Its content should be kept up to date and home page must be impressive because a homepage is like its resume.

Moreover, a web design company ensures that the content of your website is reflecting its main goal. Hence, whatever your website sells, be it a single page website, small business site, corporate site, dating website, e-commerce web site, property web site or any other website, make sure that its content is fulfilling your goals. It must find its customers and at the same time it must be making profit. So, choose a web design company and make your website customer-friendly and profit-making.


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What Does Your Website Content Say About You?

It's one of the most important keys of any successful website, and yet it's often ignored or patched together at the last minute and rushed off to the web designer to add to the site. Unfortunately, this can leave a lasting impression on that company's target audience.

Look over your website's front page copy - as this is where most of your visitors will ultimately end up. See if any of the following mistakes appear in your site. You may be surprised at what you learn! * Welcome to XYZ Company Website - This was the most common headline for sites established back in the mid 90's, when just having a website showed that you were "ahead of the technology curve". These days, customers can use the web to comparison shop and do research - much of this research is aimed at which company to do business with.

That said, your very first headline should be one that draws them in and perks up their interest in what you have to offer. A good example is the headline of this article. You were curious enough to click and find out what your website content says about you. Having "Welcome to Our Company" on your front page signifies that your company is "behind the times" and gives the visitor no information to go on about why they should buy from you.


* My, I and We - It's great that you want to tell customers what your company does. Unfortunately, they don't really care. They want to know what you can do for them, instead. Rather than focusing on what you can do for them, tailor your website content to emphasize the benefits to the reader.

You can do this as simply as writing sentences that start with things such as "You will learn…", or "You will find that…" and then ending them with a benefit to the customer, such as "how to improve your marriage in less than a week", or "you have a brighter, whiter smile".

Your readers will almost automatically imagine themselves better off as a result of your product or service - and this kind of "written visualization" will help them see that your offer is the logical choice to get the desired result.


* Lack of a Compelling Headline - This ties into point #1 - but a compelling, action-oriented headline gives your customer the impulse to read further. That doesn't mean you should take your headline to the extreme and dress it up with bright red text, heaps of exclamation marks and CAPITAL LETTERS. Those are major copywriting "turn-offs" for a professional business and they show that you're unenthusiastic or bored with the product.

You know your product is the best - so why not share that enthusiasm with your reader? What is it that you enjoy or admire about the product? What can it do for the customer? Say it up front in your headline. That's what urges them to keep reading more.


* Lots of Tech Specs - It's great that your product is powered by an X250Q fusion engine and 220ZX turbines. Unless your end user is intimately familiar with those products and specs - they'll simply leave…confused. And they probably won't come back.

On the other hand, if you tell them that 1. They'll never have to buy gasoline again and 2. They get the kind of hauling and drive power they need to move those heavy loads - NOW you've got their attention! When you write your website content, after everything you believe is a benefit to the consumer, ask yourself, "So what?" Eventually it will boil down to the core reason why the customer needs it - and that's the gold you're looking for!


When you keep these copywriting suggestions in mind, you not only help make your website content stronger and more compelling for your reader, but you also instantly improve your product or service's credibility in their eyes. Give these tips a try and watch your conversions go up! All the best!


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What is the Best Web Design According to You?

Web designers across the world, debate on this topic. For them the technique that they practice is the best web design, whereas the SEO or the search engine optimizers argue that those websites that are crawled by the search engines and rank on the SERPs are the best designed websites. Coming to think of it, both the designers and SEOs are justified in their definition of website designing.But the fact that cannot be ignored is that every website differs in design based on its individual requirement. A social community website cannot be designed similar to an e commerce website. Both of them differ in design rightly, due to the vast difference in their purpose. But the interesting thing to note here is that both these websites meet similar requirement on one ground, that is, influx. Just like a social website requires visitors to come and browse through their site and become their member, so does the e commerce website. They too require traffic to visit their pages and make necessary purchases to increase their sales.

This brings us to some common factors that any website should require to be called best. These factors include navigation, content, design and development too. A good web design is one, which considers both the end user and the search engine important and utilize its tools to address both. The navigation of the website must be excellent and easy, so that neither the search engines nor the end user have any difficulty in browsing through the website. While designing the website, it is important to pay attention to the navigation and link placement in the site. Too many links in the same page, give a cluttered feel to the site and the end user will have a tendency to get lost in the site somewhere.

On the other hand a too shabbily constructed page with very few links scattered here and there give an empty feel to the site. Hence the web design of the site must be extremely synchronized and in place for best results. Content is another important aspect of web designing. Quality content is not only useful in catching the attention of the users, but it is also useful in ranking of the website in the search engines. As soon as the websites are updated with fresh content they begin to rank higher in the SERPs. So it is suggested that you keep your website updated with fresh and quality content always.


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