Top 10 Ways Websites Makes Me Suffer

I believe some people create and publish websites for the sole purpose of tormenting their visitors. Browsing various websites and navigating the Web can often be like trying to read on an airplane while a kid kicks the back of your seat and the baby next to you alternates between screaming, crying and drooling on you. There are some excellent websites out there to be sure, but there are also a lot of dreadful ones too. The latter are the bane of so many people’s existence, especially those who use the Web regularly.

The Net continues to grow in popularity and importance for consumers and businesses alike. Therefore, the quality of sites needs to keep pace. Creating and maintaining high-quality websites is more important now than ever. Higher quality equals more revenue.

The following lists the top ten ways that a website misses the boat and contributes to hair loss and nervous breakdowns. Notice the common thread that runs throughout each of these. Namely, a bad website neglects to consider the site visitor’s experience in some fundamental ways.

1. Animation

Seven year-olds like watching animated cartoons on Saturday morning, business people, professionals and most other adults don’t. Sites that include showy Flash animations as an ‘Intro’, animated gifs on every page, or flying words are really annoying. They take away from the content and distract the visitor from achieving their goals. Unless your site is an entertainment site, try to avoid maddening motion. However, if your product or service can be better demonstrated using Flash, Quick Time, or other multimedia, which is common, offer your visitors the chance to click a link to view it. But don’t force them.

2. Too much scrolling

Once I scroll down a full screen’s worth, my eyes start to blur, I feel slightly lost, my head spins and my interest wanes. Computer monitors really aren’t the best medium for reading. The Net and many sites are so big that it’s important to always provide a clear frame of reference for your visitors at all times while they’re on your site. If a page requires two full screens of scrolling or more, simply split it up into multiple pages.

3. Long, text-heavy and blocky paragraphs of unbroken text

I really have to be into a topic or desperately need to glean the information to trudge through big chunks of unbroken text online. If I’m just shopping around for a product or service, you’ve lost me if I have to endure this kind of torture. Again, it is harder to read text on the Web than in other mediums such as books. Additionally, Web users are notoriously impatient, so make your content easy to read and non-intimidating. Use titles, sub-titles, small paragraphs, bullets and numbering.

4. No obvious ways to contact the company

If all you supply is an email on your website, your legitimacy may be questioned. Why can’t you answer the phone? Why hide behind an anonymous and cold email address? Make it easy for your existing and potential customers to talk with you.

5. Unchanging or out-date content

If I start reading content on a site and soon discover that the content was written three years ago, I split. Since there’s so much information out there, my reasoning is there’s got to be comparable information online that’s more current. If you keep your content fresh your site will attract repeat visitors. And repeat visitors are more likely to turn into customers.

6. Long page downloads

It’s amazing that this is still a problem. When I click on to a site and have to sit there waiting for it to appear in my browser, I start sweating, picking my teeth, tapping my toes, rolling my eyes and soon want to throw my computer through my office window. I’m obviously a little impatient, but again, I know there are other sites out there with the same information that will download more quickly, so why wait? I’m gone.

7. “Me, me, me!” instead of “You, you, you”

Generally speaking, no one cares about you, your company or your thoughts. What they do care about is what you can do for them. So sites that show pictures of the company building or tout their deep philosophy on the way business should be conducted really don’t bode well for keeping the interest of site visitors. On the other hand, sites that speak directly to potential customers about how they can solve their problems, make their lives easier, safer, richer or more comfortable have a much better chance of keeping the eyeballs glued.

8. Non-explanatory buttons or links

Here are some examples of buttons that leave me dazed and confused: A wedding site with a button called ‘Blanks’, a boating site with a button named ‘The Lighthouse’, a book site with a button called ‘The Inside Story’, or a Web design site with a button called ‘Tea Time’. They sound like Jeopardy categories. Imagine trying to find your way on a highway where its various signs read ‘Over Here’, ‘Moon Beams’, and ‘Lollypops’. Good luck navigating your way through. It’s the same with navigating websites. Button and link names need to tell the visitor where the link leads to. Make it as easy as possible for a visitor to know where they’re going before they click. However, there are times when naming a link an ambiguous name may pique the curiosity of a user and get them to click on it. But as a general rule, keep your links and buttons as descriptive as possible.

9. Inconsistent navigation

Imagine sitting down at a restaurant and the waiter comes over to you and hands you five different menus, one for the appetizers, one for the soups and salads, one for the entrees, one for the desserts, and one for the drinks. Annoying. Now imagine if each menu had a different format, layout and method for listing the items. Brutal. I really don’t want to work that hard at picking out my dinner, I’m hungry and I just want a meal. Don’t make your visitors work hard either by expecting them to re-learn your navigation system each time they enter another section of your site. They too are hungry; for useful information and they’re even more impatient.

10. Inconsistent look & feel

When the look & feel completely changes from one page to another in a website, I think I am visiting another site, another company, a partner or subsidiary. I get very confused. This screams poor planning and often results from tacking on new sections later after the original site was built. This can lead to design-drift. It may be tempting to stray from the original design; you may have a better design now. But wait till you do a complete next-generation re-design of the entire site before introducing a new look & feel. If not, lots of visitors will be scratching their heads with one hand and possibly clicking away with the other.


Finally, any site that employs a number of these notorious features is particularly painful to experience. When I click to a website that has five different fonts and colors, scrolls down to the core of the Earth, incorporates zinging words and big fat blocks of text, lists no phone number and has content written and dated in 1996, I scream and know deep down inside that pulling my fingernails out wouldn’t be as torturous as having to remain there a minute longer.

Designing Websites with Sales In Mind

Designing Websites with Sales In Mind

Word Count:

622

Summary:

Web designers (and software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors for websites. Find out how to combine design and sales.

Keywords:

web site design, internet marketing ideas, internetmarketingusa

Article Body:

One of the very first decisions we make as internet marketers involves the critical choices in designing websites. We each have differing opinions and viewpoints of just what our site should look like. More often than not, these decisions are based on personal opinions or selections limited to the templates of the respective applications utilized for building the site. But there has to be more to this than personal preference - with no real basis for the logic and methodology tha should go into making the decisions!

What about this logic ---beyond the appearance - lets also look at the "sales" potential of one design versus another. Think about it, why do some websites sell better than anothers? Do you need a marketing degree to create a website? Does design have much impact on sales?

You may not realize this but many of the successful internet marketing businesses already figured out that design, or layout of the website should be as much of a marketing decision as the ad copy. Why is that?

Web designers (and individuals with software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors. You will also have a much more professional looking site when an expert applies his or her handiwork. However, it is critically important to understand some of the key elements that smart marketers make certain appear (or NOT appear) on highly profitable sites. After all, having a "pretty" site does you no good if you are not getting traffic or revenue from sales. Being aware of these will enable you (or your selected designer) to keep in mind this balance between marketing and design. The three key elements are color, graphics, and layout.

COLOR: Designs with a dramatic color can make compelling choices for setting a mood. But reading on a computer screen demands as much contrast as possible, otherwise the reader will develop vision fatigue. You do not want to irritate or tire your visitors in any way or they may leave, so be certain that the main body of your website copy is black writing on a white background - or as close to that ideal as possible.

Colors also change appearance on different monitors, so what looks cool and calm on one monitor may be bright and glaring on another. Simple works.

GRAPHICS: Striking, bold graphics can be a real eye-catcher for visitors. Still, successful internet marketers are pretty much unanimous in stating that you should avoid flash graphics as much as possible. Again, they tend to tire visitors eyes or create a distraction from the written copy. Even if they are initially impressed by the work it may subconsciously annoy them. Simplicity is again the best way to go.

LAYOUT: The first 'fold' of your site is similar to opening a tractional paper letter. If you remove a letter from an envelope that is folded in three, you will obviously view the top 'fold' first.

This fold is what individuals will see without scrolling down the page. It is CRUCIAL that important elements like descriptive headlines, your contact number, newsletter subscription form etc. all show in the first fold. Do NOT place banners here unless they are the main element of your business as you will be giving prime space to other websites and your customer (which you fought hard to get in the first place) will be gone just as quickly.

These are just some of the important elements you should be aware of when designing your site. This "balance" will greatly increase your sales potential - once you incorporate this into your design criteria. With both design and "sales-ability" used as the foundation for the website in the initial design phases you will reap the financial benefits for years and years.

Building Websites Was Tedious Until I Discovered Site Builders

Site builder tools are a valuable option to everyone including both the novice and professional web designer. If you’ve ever tried building a website on your own, you know how time consuming it can be. With all of the HTML code to type, building a site on your own can take you months to design, not to mention all of the frustration involved. You probably already know that HTML code is not too forgiving; one small error can drastically change the look of your pages. All of this valuable time spent designing your site and fixing errors could be used in other areas of your business. With web builder tools you can avoid all of the headaches and spend more of your time effectively running your business. Using web builder tools is both hassle free and easy. The directions are simple enough for anyone to understand.

Another point to consider is the longer it takes to build your website, the more online sales you are missing out on. Many times people are tempted to just hire someone else to do the job for them, but this is usually not the most cost effective choice. Webmasters can often be very expensive, especially if they are charging you by the hour and not a set fee for the job. With web builder tools you can have a professional looking website up and running in no time at all. Unlike webmasters, web builder tools will not put a dent in your wallet. They also allow you to have more of an input on designing your site. This can be very important for two reasons. First of all, when hiring someone else to build your site it is often difficult to explain just how you want everything to look. You can tell them what you want, but your idea and their final product may not always match. If revisions need to be made to your site, this will take more time and may even cost you more money. Secondly you will no doubt want to make changes to your site occasionally. It can be a bother trying to contact a webmaster and set up a time for your site to be updated. Often times they may not be readily available when you need them. With web builder tools you have the option of making updates to your site whenever you choose.

If you own multiple websites and earn a great deal of your income online, you can greatly benefit from using web builder tools. While you may be able to effectively design sites on your own, think of all the time that must be spent doing so. Web builder tools can save you countless hours of time and allow you to concentrate more on running your business instead of working on your site. This extra time can be used to increase your income by learning marketing tools to help sell your products. Another point to consider is all of the updates that you make to your site on a regular basis. You may offer monthly specials or product discounts on a regular basis. Web builder tools allow you to make the necessary changes to your site without devoting a great deal of time. Making quick updates to your site is not a problem with web builder tools.

Most companies offering web builder tools understand that their customers have varying needs. That’s why they offer several different packages for customers to choose from. Whether you just need a small site designed to market your product, multiple email accounts, web blogs, shopping cart, or have a rather large website to build, web builder tools can assist you in designing the site of your choice. If you later decide to add more features or pages onto your site, upgrades can easily be made to your account. With all of the features they have to offer, web builder tools are a good option for business owners of all types.

What your website's homepage needs to have.

What your website's homepage needs to have.

Word Count:

462

Summary:

This article is all about the essential things your website should have to make it a user-friendly website and to keep new clients interested and current clients interested.

Keywords:

website, webdesign , SOHO , small business , home based business , designer

Article Body:

The homepage (the front page of your website) is where you and your company get to make a first impression and we all know what they say about first impressions.. It's the first place new visitors come and where old visitors come back. You must cater to both types of customers. There are a few things that are essential to your homepage and each is explained below.

Navigation

Navigation is the most important part of your homepage. It doesn't matter what else is on your site, if the visitors can't get there. On your homepage your visitors need to be able to reach every part of your site. Your links on your navigation bars should be the same on every page. Your visitor will then know how to get back to whatever page really interested him. When users cannot find what they want they simple look at another site. This is a fact. Your links on the navigation bars should also be simple (one or two words) but descriptive. Use text for navigation not buttons. Buttons look great but they take time to download and you don't want your visitors to leave before they can see the whole page, do you?


Branding

Branding is another essential element for you homepage. I am sure that your small business has a logo and it's pasted on everything you can find, to promote your business. Well, it should be posted in a predominate place on your website too. We all know that branding is words or a mark of a company (such as a logo) that shows the consumer the identity of the producer of the product/service. Showing your logo on your homepage reminds users exactly where they are.

Content

Last but not least is content. Content is also very important. You must remember to write your content like you are speaking to your visitor as it creates a better connection between your website and the visitor. Your homepage content must be fresh and interesting to make them want to read more of your site. You might create links to the inside of your site in the text. Also, you will want to include in layman's terms exactly what you or your company does. You would be amazed how many websites you have to search to find out what their purpose is.


These things should get you started on building your homepage. There is one rule that I have learned. It is the KISS rule (Keep it Simple Student). Your homepage does not need to be flashy with all types of images, and flash design, or blinking. Most people like sites when they are simple and easy to understand. You must remember who your audience is. Therefore you need to speak in their language.

The Real Reason Why Most Websites Fail

The Real Reason Why Most Websites Fail

Word Count:

456

Summary:

There are hundreds of articles on what makes a website bad. The most basic of these present detailed explanations of common sense, such as poor navigation; the most in depth talk about complicated conceptions of overall design philosophy. My approach is different and surprisingly simple: the problem with most websites stems from the misconceptions their creators have about how the graphics, content, and other individual elements contribute to a website’s success.

Keywords:

the,real,reason,most,websites,fail

Article Body:

There are hundreds of articles on what makes a website bad. The most basic of these present detailed explanations of common sense, such as poor navigation; the most in depth talk about complicated conceptions of overall design philosophy. My approach is different and surprisingly simple: the problem with most websites stems from the misconceptions their creators have about how the graphics, content, and other individual elements contribute to a website’s success.

People tend to view the pieces of a website in unrealistic ways and miss out on the overall complexity of the market place. When a website is designed well, they think it will bring more clients, more traffic and financial success. In reality, achieving these goals depends on far more than the quality of the website. You can have a perfectly designed site with excellent search ranking, content and the works, and still not turn a profit or meet your marketing goals.

It’s business, and the winning combination for a successful website involves numerous variables that are impossible to count. You can estimate, prophesize, and guess, but in reality you never know for sure if people will embrace, endorse, or reject your website and it’s marketing plan until you try it out.

The prices to create and maintain a website are plummeting to new lows. Firms and individuals can create an entire e-commerce setup with little to no investment. There are billions of sites, logos, pitches, flashes, and graphics with thousands more coming online daily. People are selling everything from tombstones to textures. It’s a completely depersonalized marketplace with very little brand or site loyalty. Consumers have instant access to competitor research and a host of “me too” sites are a few clicks away. This environment is incredibly chaotic and parts of it have many of the properties of perfect competition (in an environment with perfect competition the economic profit is 0).

Most successful models in such a chaotic environment are not brilliantly conceptualized and launched, but slowly forged through trial and error with continual refinements and analyses. It’s the refining and forging stage that is almost completely missing from most website development, and the reason why most websites fail.

Most of the amazing internet success stories evolved to their present state through years of trial and error. Look at a business like eBay. Its creator formed the site as a place where his wife could trade and sell Barbie dolls. This is one example out of a montage of successful websites. These people did not begin their business with the grand assumption that they would make millions online. They had an idea, a marketplace, and more importantly, the ability to adapt their dreams and goals to the ever-changing online community.

Website Not Producing Paying Customers?

 Common Mistakes Found in Business Websites

Today, a business website is not only a tool, it is a marketing essential. With many more customers starting their search for good local businesses online, you may be cheating yourself if you do no have a website, or if you have common detourants within your current website. In fact, some reports show that up to 75% of first time customers looking for a new business will indeed begin their search online first.


"But I have a website."


You may have a website, but is it drawing in the amount of business that you want? If you are getting visitors to your website, but they are just simply not converting to paying customers, then your website may actually be detouring customers away, rather then grabbing them in. Websites made on "do-it yourself" editors, Websites that were made during the "website boom," among others may have some common errors that drive your customers away.




Here are a few common mistakes found in none-productive websites:




1) Slow loading- One of the common mistakes website owners make us actually adding too much to their website. The more heavy graphic images and content that the customer has to download, the longer it will take for your website to load. If it takes too long, chances are the visitor will hit back without even seeing your website. We understand that you may have a lot to say or show about your business, but the proper way to do this is to split it all up into a few pages instead of one.




2) Outdated information- If your website was made several years ago, and you have not updated the content since, then chances are you will not get the most out of your websites. Your business changes over the years, so your website should change with it. Because, after all, would you hire a business if the only information you can find was post dated 2 or 3 years?




3) Unprofessional websites- This mistake is largely found in websites created during the "website boom" which took place around the start of the 21st century. Then, it was not uncommon to see websites with simple layouts, pictures that simply did not match the business, animated characters, etc. Plus, most of the technology we have today just simply was not available then. This is just not accepted anymore. If you open your website, and there are blinking or moving graphics that do not relate to our website (ex: an animated running dog breaks up your paragraphs, or a "new" sign blinks a few different colors) then chances are your customers are turning away.




4) No content- A website needs to tell as much as possible about your business. If your website only contains a few sentences, and then a "contact me for more information" link, then you will lose customers. The reason customers start their search online is so that they can find out as much information as possible, without having to go through the trouble of contacting businesses and asking.




5) No contact information- You would think providing your contact information would be a no-brainer. You would be surprised at how many companies accidentally leave this out. On the other hand, some only leave their address, which requires the customer to find the business in person in order to inquiry about their services or products. Make sure to leave either an email address or a phone number along with your address.




6) Javascripts- Javascript was a popular language during the website boom. Javascript is the language that controls things such as pop-ups ads, pop-ups messages, scrolling toolbars, etc. When used correctly, javascript can add beneficial dynamic content to your site. However, when used wrong, it may make your site look unprofessional, load slow, or may cause errors that do not allow your website to load at all.




If your website has any of the common mistakes found above, then I assure you that you will benefit from a website redesign. The good news is: redesigns are usually a lot less painful, and less costly then the initial design was. A good design company can take your current website, and make it stunning in a very short period of time.

Website Redesign for Existing Websites

1) Is your website fresh - Having a website fresh helps your visitors to stay on your website rather than skipping your website? When I mean fresh, fresh with content, Every website owner should have their website updated with latest content, Search engine spiders index new content and in turn your website will rank high on search engines.

2) Create a professional image for your website. Out dated graphics and look of the website can turn away your visitors to your competitor’s website which is Eye-catching and easy to use and functional website. A clean looking website gives a professional image to your business and it creates leads and sales.

3) Forbidden code which can lead to be banned by search engines also outdated codes of your website is pretty hard for search engines spiders to read your website. As technology changes it is a must for website owners to get updated with the latest technology on your website other you business will be left out in the competition.

4) Design flaws which is difficult in getting listed in search engines and directories.

5) Updating your keyword which is a key to your success of your website, Identify new keywords and increase your keyword density for effective placement for your website optimization

6) Replace your outdated and flashy images with fast and furious loading images which is quick to upload and you can keep your visitors in your website. Even though internet has come out of age still there is a large amount of user who still uses dialup connection for using internet.

7) Check your website is compatible with your all browsers. If you browse the web you see numerous websites that are non compatible to different browsers.

8)There are out sites on the internet where you would be searching for links and it is pretty hard and frustrates the visitors so having a easy to locate links on your website will help visitors to find information which they are looking for this in turn will increase sales and leads.

9) The other reasons are your website just needs an update.

Yes website re-design is a must for all website, if your website is out of date and the website is not working as it you need to be Website redesign is the answer.

Every website needs revamping and improvement in design and look of the website.

Many factors go into making an effective web site.

You need to look at the usability of the site to make a site effective. Navigation, colors, fonts and download time are just some of the main aspects.

The key is to understand the basics and then looking at adding specific features that apply to your web sites niche. A poorly designed and unattractive website will not do your company justice. A simple change of image can dramatically increase sales.

Redesigning a website is not a costly procedure, but can be a very effective way of enhancing your company's image and boosting business sales.

Websites do go out of style

Websites do go out of style

Word Count:

371

Summary:

Time changes all things, and websites are included in the “all things”. In the professional and business world, advertising and marketing is changing and excelerating every day. To keep up with the latest trends businesses need to update and maintain a current and up to date website.

Why is this so important? In the internet world, your only representation out there IS your website. It lets all of your potential customers or clients

Keywords:

websites

Article Body:

Time changes all things, and websites are included in the “all things”. In the professional and business world, advertising and marketing is changing and excelerating every day. To keep up with the latest trends businesses need to update and maintain a current and up to date website.

Why is this so important? In the internet world, your only representation out there IS your website. It lets all of your potential customers or clients see what great services or products you provide. You wouldn’t continue to sell stone washed jeans in the year 2006, because no one wants to buy them, or look at them anymore. They are tired, outdated, and out of style. So in turn, you shouldn’t just have a website and never update your merchandise, progress or contact information on it. Having a website that is unattractive and not up to internet and search engine standards is not worth much in posting on the internet.

When you set your website up, you need to consider your visitors 100%. Just because a little graphic is “cute” doesn’t mean you should put it on your website. Every business should have a website and every business needs to keep their website updated, attractive and designed for internet marketing and search engine optimization. Your website should be easy to use, easy to check out if you sell merchandise or services online.

There are many reasons why a website should be updated and upgraded. One of the most important reasons is search engine marketing. Updating content and adding additional pages with relevant information for your visitors is highly recommended for your natural rankings within the search engines. The search engines value how much information is available on your specific website and how relevant it is to the visitors that come to your site.

If nothing else, consider this: why do people use the internet? Most are using the internet for informational purposes. If your business offers resources that are of any value to it’s patrons, then your website visitors shouldn’t be left in the dark either. Let you visitors know how great your business is, tell them with a professional custom website, that is attractive and professional, and keep it updated!

How Affordable Websites Can Make You Money

• Do you have a website that doesn't bring you any business?


• Are you worried about investing more money in a website that isn't performing?

Well here is some good news: affordable websites can make you money!

There's a myth circulating that you have to invest a fortune to make money through the web. Of course the likes of Amazon and eBay have thrown cash at their websites and are reaping the rewards, but I'm not talking about companies of that size. Budget websites can also generate income with the right approach.

The great thing about doing business online is that you can keep your overheads low. No need for expensive shop fronts, offices, printed brochures or a large workforce. Ideal for the small business without endless capital resources.

It is perfectly possible to do business via the web and make a tidy profit using a modest website on a small budget, providing you follow some basic rules regarding content and structure, and concentrate on converting visitors into sales.

I read a fascinating article last week, by Michael L. McGrath of MLM Celtic Enterprises, which successfully articulated some similar ideas that I have been talking to my clients about recently:

"Every web site has a Most Desired Response, that which the the site owner wants the visitor to do while visiting, and that MDR needs to be identified. The site's design and content need to be crafted tightly and well around the MDR, identify it with absolute clarity, and remove all obstacles that might prevent a visitor from the response."

That - in a nutshell - is the key to a successful, profitable website, and it need not cost the earth!

It's amazing how many start-ups fail to grasp this idea, and then complain that their website fails to bring them any business. Imagine that. If you follow a few basic rules, you can produce websites that actually bring you business.

Concentrate on the following:

• identifying your Most Desired Response


• identifying your target audience


• structuring your site and preparing content, based on your MDR and your target audience.

Identify your site's Most Desired Response

Rather than thinking about how you would like your site to perform, think about how you would like your customers to behave. There's a subtle but crucial difference.

More often than not, your MDR will be a visitor buying your product or service. By the way, if you want to take online credit/debit card transactions, you can use PayPal, which is quick and easy to set up. All you need is a bank account to get started.

But your Most Desired Response doesn't have to involve an online transaction. Very often an MDR will be making a phone call, making contact via email, or simply registering personal or business details.

Be sure of your target audience

Successful small businesses identify and corner niche markets, rather than attempt to take on the world! This is doubly important for online marketing, because you will want to avoid competitive keywords when preparing your content for the search engines.

Structure your site and prepare your content

Once you have established your MDR and identified your Target Market, you can begin to structure your site. The structure and content of your site should serve exclusively to trigger the Most Desired Response from your Target Market. Anything which does not fulfill this criterion is superfluous and should be discarded. Be ruthless about this. Avoid building in gimmicks to your site, which only serve to distract your visitors from the MDR.

I recommend drawing a flow chart which maps your visitors' journey beginning with the keywords they enter into Google, and tracking their movement through your site to the holy grail - the Most Desired Response.

When preparing your content, you will need to bear two things in mind. Firstly, it has to comply with the MDR. Avoid superfluous waffle, and make sure everything you say is leading your visitor towards that all important conversion. Secondly, you will need to make sure that your content attracts your target audience to the site in the first place - via the search engines. Start by identifying the right keywords - or more accurately keyphrases - and then ensure that they feature in your content.

In the online world, niche markets take on an even more important role, when you come to choose keywords. The big boys will have the generic keywords sewn up already, and those keywords won't bring you targeted traffic anyway. If you can concentrate on a specialist or localised market so
much the better. You will stand a far better chance of driving targeted traffic to your site and generating hot leads. Of course you need to make sure that your keywords are not so specialised that none of your potential customers are using them. It's a fine balancing act. Nichebot offers a useful tool for working out the most productive keywords.

So you see, none of this is going to cost you the earth. A great deal of thinking and research (I never said it was easy!), but not a great deal of money. Quite the reverse: if you follow the rules, you will soon be making money.

Business Can’t Live Without Websites

Websites can be your business lifeblood. In fact, they are considered a big deal not only to those starting small business but to the well-established business of all time.

Why is it essential? Well, there are lots of reasons. Let us discuss them one by one.

First, websites are controlling sales tools. It is an effective way of hooking probable purchasers in order to secure continuous and productive orders. It’s a way of expanding your business by making the computers talk for you. Every time a customer clicks on the mouse or press the keyboard one tendency is to trigger the ‘buy button’. A website is a valuable asset. No wonder almost all of the businesses now are equipped with websites.

Websites become powerful sales tools because they are definitely good in advertising your goods and services. It serves as a chamber that is comfortable to visit because there is no obligation, no worries but answers and solutions to people’s wants and needs. Websites like mass media has powerful impact on viewers. It is one of the easiest ways to contact your business. It is the best avenue to hear about you, ask queries and see the ad of the business. It is easier than visiting the business, writing or even making a phone call.

Another reason why we have to have our business websites is the fact that it increases credibility. It boosts customer’s confidence in your business. An effective website which consists of helpful information, captivating design, well-written content and good contact can overwhelmingly heighten trust and assurance in you. The reason behind this is that, they become aware that your business is updated and the persons behind are knowledgeable and skillful. This may further impress the visitor which can lead to an instant purchase or subscription.

What else? Well, a website will make your company more visible to customers. It is open 24/7. thus, you are accessible anytime of the day with just a click of the mouse or a tip on the keyboard. This will further open you to bigger and better doors of opportunities.

Don’t be left behind by your competitors. Give your business a chance to boom bigger and better. The secret is to establish your business and earn the trust and confidence of your target market. Another is to open your line to quantified sales. These are all in the bag – all you have to do is to create an EFFICIENT WEBSITE!

No HTML Required: 5 Free Tools to Help You Build Content Rich Websites

Content Rich Websites

There are so many ways to build a website that sometimes it can be confusing.

The first thing you need to decide when building a website is, what is its primary purpose?

Will you use your site only to build a list, will you provide content, do you want to generate passive income?

These are all questions you want to answer before you begin to build your website.

Once you decide what type of website you want to build, then choose the right tools. This will save you a lot of frustration in building a new website, and it's not really necessary for your to understand HTML in order to build an effective website.

1. Landing Pages
Landing page builders are effective if you want to build a list. You can also use them to help you promote on sites like Google Adwords or Overture.

Most of these sites require some type of landing page now because they won't allow you send your traffic directly to an affiliate program.

You can use these tools to help you build landing pages for your pay per click campaigns.

Landing Page Builder - http://www.instapage.com - Free tool to help you build landing pages.

Google Publisher - http://www.net-results.com - Offers a free and paid version. The paid version allows you to create unlimited pages and add your Google Adsense publisher ID.

2. Content Pages
Content will make your site sticky. This is especially effective if you choose to use some type of program like Google Adsense to monetize your site.

The easiest way to make your site sticky is to use articles. Make sure that the articles you choose are valuable to your readers and solve a problem.

You also want to choose keyword rich articles targeted to your market.


3. HTML Editors
Choosing the right editor will determine how quickly you can get your site online.

If you don't know how to write HTML, there are editors available to you that will do this for you.

NVU - http://www.nvu.com - This site building tool is similar to Dreamweaver or Front Page. You don't need to know HTML to use it. Since it's open source, it's free. You can also use it on MAC and PC.

Easy Web Page Creator - http://www.easy-web-page-creator.com/ - This free tool will allow you to create web pages with a few clicks of your mouse.

4. Content Management Systems

If you plan to build a content rich website, you will find a content management system to be the best choice. With a few clicks of your mouse you can totally change the look of your site.

It's also much easier to add and organize content.

The most important aspects of a content management system are ease of use and search engine friendly.

Open Source CMS - http://www.opensourcecms.com - This site allows you to try out all types of content management systems including blogs before you use them.

Since it's open source, they're all free to install and use.

5. Other Scripts

If the thought of creating or writing content makes you crazy, let others create it for you.

The easiest way to add content to your site is to offer an article directory. Then all you have to do is monetize and promote your new site.

Article Dashboard - http://www.articledashboard.com - is a free article script you can use to create your own article directory. It's very easy to customize, and very search engine friendly. It also incorporates RSS, as well as email, allowing you to build a list, as well as promote in RSS directories.

Regardless of what solution you choose for building your website, make it search engine friendly, well organized, and rich in content and resources.

Choose your tools before you build your website, and you'll build a better website.

Designing Sites for Search Engines and Directories

In terms of layout, many web sites are not designed for optimum search engine and directory visibility. People or companies seem so centred on their corporate or personal images, products, and services that they neglect to design their web sites with search engines and directories in mind. Search engines and directories vary in the way they rank your web site in a search query. Some search engines place primary emphasis on the text within your title tags. Some search engines place emphasis on the main ideas presented in all of your text on a single web page. Some directories emphasize the text you submitted in their "Description" field. How and where you place your text, both in the copy your visitors see and within the HTML tags your visitors do not see, will affect your ranking

1. Keyword selection 
2. Keyword placement 
3. Keyword frequency 
4. Links & architecture
5. Site statistics 

Keyword Selection

Of primary importance is selecting the best keywords for your industry and the keywords you believe your potential customers will use to find you. Selecting the right keywords requires research.

Look at your company's printed materials. What words do you use over and over? When you speak to new and current customers on the phone, what questions do they frequently ask and what words do they use? Ask your current customers how they would find you on the Internet. Then go to the major search engines and directories. Type in the keywords you want to use. Study the source code of the web sites that appeared in the top 20. Look at how your competitors ranked in a search query. Adjust your keyword selection accordingly.

Keyword placement

Of equal importance is keyword placement on individual pages. The text in your title tag is one the most important elements for ranking well in search engines. The text in your titles should be descriptive, using the words and lingo in your industry, and should accurately reflect the contents of each web page.

For optimum search engine positions, your keywords need to appear at the top of your web pages. Thus, before you design your web page, ask yourself if you (or your web designer) have strategically placed your keywords within your title tags, meta-tags, headings, graphic images, and the first paragraph within your body tag. If not, you might need to rethink your site design.

Keyword Frequency

What is important to both the search engines and your target audience is keyword frequency and keyword prominence. Designing and coding your site with keywords in the right locations and the right frequency is an art form. Keywords need to appear frequently on your web pages, but if they appear too frequently, your site will be penalized for word stacking (also known as "spamming the index") or could be removed permanently from the index.

Also, some search engines ignore meta-tags. Thus, if you have included your keywords in your meta-tags but have not placed them elsewhere, you have missed a huge target audience, namely AOL users. Sites with frames have problems being indexed well because there is little opportunity otherwise to include additional text with keywords.

Very, very few web sites can get in the Top 10 of all the major search engines (AltaVista, FAST Search, HotBot, Google, Lycos, Teoma) without spamming. We cannot emphasize this enough: if you hire anyone (a submission service, an individual, an online promotion service, etc.) to do the services we just described, they need to have HTML and design experience, online marketing, and excellent copy writing skills. You do not want your web site to be permanently banned from a search engine or directory due to ignorance or lack of experience. Furthermore, submission services usually do just that: submit. Many do not perform keyword research, the HTML coding, and copy writing necessary to get a site optimally placed within the search engines. Ask a lot of questions before handing over any money.

Links & site architecture

Placing keywords throughout your web pages is useless as a search engine marketing strategy if the search engine spiders are unable to record the text on your web pages. Therefore, always have a link architecture (also known as a site map) on your site that the search engine spiders can follow. Oftentimes, this means having two forms of navigation on your site: one that your target audience prefers, and one for the search engines.

Site Statistics

For the first few months after you have your web site submitted to the major search engines and directories, you should see a jump in traffic. If you look at your site reports with your visitor statistics, which should do frequently, you will see when the search engines spider and index your site.

Hopefully, because you have been thoughtful enough to give potential customers a reason to return to your site again and again, people will bookmark your site, and your web statistics will show an increase in a "No Referrer" category under referral URL's. Your site reports should show you where your potential customers are coming from (i.e. which search engine or directory they used to find you) and which keywords they used to find you.

After your site has listed in the search engines and directories for a few months, review your site statistics and determine where the majority of your traffic comes from. Then focus your advertising efforts on those directories and search engines. You get better sales from targeted marketing than from spreading your net too wide.

One client did exactly what we recommended, from keyword selection to monitoring site statistics. They found most of their sites referral traffic came from Yahoo queries. They bought banner space from Yahoo for two months. Whenever two of their keywords were typed in a search query, their banner would appear. Their traffic increased over 500%, and their sales reached five figures per month.

Lastly, the saying "Content is King" still rings true. You can increase traffic to your web site, but if (1) people do not like what they see, (2) you do not offer potential customers what they want to buy, or (3) you do not give customers incentive to stay and/or bookmark your site, they will click off of your web site as quickly as they clicked on to it.