Build a Web Page That Sells!

Build a Web Page That Sells!
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis
A webpage (or web page), as it’s referred to, is one page. A website is made up of webpages.

Sometimes the one page sites are referred to as “mini-sites."

I like to think of them as an advertisement!

The reason I put up one page websites is to sell something.

In order to sell something my site has to satisfy some conditions.

It has to offer a solution to somebodys problem! There are any number of problems when it comes to the human condition, and, if you have a solution to the problem, you can probably sell it online.

So a relevant example would be a site that sells web software and a tuition course for that software. Website making software is one of the biggest sales catagories on the web.

That’s precisely because they can be used for so many different things AND be made to reach those people who are interested in that websites offering.

What if you were a piano dealer? When you run an advertisement in the newspaper people who need tires for their car see your ad for pianos. That's a bad match.

But, when you make a website about the history of pianos…the people who type a search query into the Google box like “history of pianos” may discover you almost immediately. That’s relevance. These people are NOT looking for tires. Otherwise they would have typed in “tires”!

It’s a message to market match! That’s what makes websites work.

To make a website page (webpage, page) you need an HTML editor. Basically this is a word processor (sort of). When you type onto the page the word “Hello” the editor software creates the necessary HTML code that computers can read on the web.

I call that the "backside". Like pictures and text on the front and the code for that on the back.

That is what an HTML editor does for you. It lets you arrange the page the way you like it,and, as you are doing that it is compiling the code on what I call the backside.

It makes it pretty darn easy.

You don’t want to know everything about this code. You want to be able to write “Click here for more info” on the page and when someone sees it on the webpage and clicks on it the software code takes the clicker right to it, right away.

These wonderful things are called “links”.

It may be that they (links) are the most important part of the whole HTML experience because it allows you to effortlessly place your customer in front of a message you want them to see. With just a click.

I'll bet you can imagine what to do with links, and after a few experiments with it you will be a pro.

Open an HTML editor on your computer and ask for a blank document. Type into that document something like this...

"How would you like to see something really cool?"

Leave that sit for a moment and go out on the web and find something really cool. A pretty picture will do.

When you find something you want to practice linking to, go up to the top of your browser window and copy the thing that usually starts with "http://". Copy the whole thing.

Now go back to your HTML editor and find the "link" symbol.

Then, select the words "something really cool" and click the link symbol.

Paste the url you copied into the link box and, maybe, pick "Open in new window" Then, test the link.

You've done it and now you know how to link to anything on the web and that would include affiliate product landing pages and a whole host of other opportunities.

Listen, I know that if you are just getting started, web page building can seem intimidating.

That's just because you aren't familiar with it.

That's why one of the scammier headlines you'll see would read like this "Earn $300 per day and You Don't Need a Website!"

That's just a hook. They know their market target! People who don't know how to deal with HTML editors, that's who!

Don't let that be you! You go, folks. You can do it! It even gets fun in a little while.

If you want to make simple sites that sell the first thing you need to be able to do is make one with an HTML Editor. I have a great offer at my website about websites. AND if you are interested (and who wouldn’t be) I also have a perfect product for you to sell on your spanky new webpage and it’s just $9 bucks. Go now to http://www.makinganinternetmarketer.com

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Website Not Performing As It Should? Ask These 7 Questions To Find Out Why

Website Not Performing As It Should? Ask These 7 Questions To Find Out Why
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In preparing to design and write my new website, I visited hundreds of other sites to get a feel for what I did/did not want.

For example, "squeeze pages" are all the rage these days. You know, those pages which require you to enter your name and email just to get a peek at the actual website (or you can check the always-too-tiny "enter site" button to skip the squeeze page).

I've decided, at least for now, not to have a squeeze page, but fully understand why you would want one (it strongly encourages, we won't say "forces", people to get on your mailing list in order to see your website).

Regardless of whether or not you choose to incorporate a squeeze page on your site, here's a list of the top 7 questions you need to ask your website in order to determine if it's performing as well as it could.

1. What problem(s) do you solve and what result (s) can I expect?

Your website must focus on the results, not the benefits that you offer -- your prospects want to know how you can help them solve their problems. Include results-based testimonials sprinkled throughout your site if possible.

2. Do you offer an email newsletter or "tip-zine"?

If you offer an email newsletter, be sure to have your sign-up box with privacy policy on every page and on the "top" screen (in the event your readers need to scroll down to read your full page).

3. Is your site "clean"?

By "clean", I mean is the text easy to read without TOO much formatting? Do all your links work? Are your navigation buttons easy to find and understandable? Is your site free of typos?

4. Is your contact information easy to find?

I recommend putting your contact information on the bottom of every page -- you want it to be easy for your readers to find you if they have a question. Do this even if you have a "Contact Us" page.

5. Is your domain name intuitive?

When it comes to domain names (your URL, what people type when going to your site), it's more important to be intuitive than to be cute. You could have the cutest name in the world and it means nothing if people don't "get it" and visit your site. Keep it simple.

6. WIIFM

In addition to your email newsletter or tip-zine, what do you offer your readers? What's In It For Me (WIIFM) as a reader of your site? Do you share a no cost special report, audio tips, e-course? Give your readers the chance to get to know you through your giveaway item.

Note: You should still get your email newsletter up and running even if you don't currently have a giveaway item -- you can add that afterwards.

7. Do you have a picture?

If you are a solopreneur (single, small business owner) and you want to generate leads or sell products through the internet, it helps to have your picture either on your site or in your email newsletter/tip-zine.

When working "virtually", your readers will come to know and trust you through the words that you write. It helps for them to have a picture to connect to -- as people, we like to do business with people, not with faceless companies.

These are just a few strategies to insure that you have a client attractive website which enhances your online presence.

An Assignment For You. . .

Your assignment for this week is to take a hard look at your website and see if it measures up. Forget all the work you've put into it, forget that your best friend helped you put it together and look at it as a prospective client who wants to know more about your business would.

For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".

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How to Design A Successful Website- A Practical Guide!

How to Design A Successful Website- A Practical Guide!
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis
There are millions of websites out there, but only a small percentage of them ever reach a higher ranking or even manage to pull in more than a couple visitors a day. The world wide web contains a plethora of information, but the fact is that most of the information available is unqualified. Because there is so much unqualified information on the internet, you have to really stand out if you want to make your website successful. Anyone can show up and start a website related to topics they barely know of. But only a handful of people actually understand their topic or scope and capitalize successfully. It is that handful of people which makes up more than 80% of the web's revenue.

So how exactly can you design a successful website? Here are some pointers to get you started:

1. Create unique content: Forget article spinners and replicators. They are now very easily spotted by search engine algorithms. Search engines love unique content, which means that the content you feature on your website should not be anywhere else on the web. This can only happen if you allow only qualified people to provide content, or write the content yourself.

2. Target a certain segment: Creating a website catering to multiple purposes can be successful, but statistics have proven that specialized websites are by far easier to generate revenue with. So stick with a single topic or scope. If you are starting a news website, do not accept all types of news. Stick with a niche and you will succeed.

3. Encourage frequent visits: Use a mailing list to capture your subscribers and be in constant touch with them. Give them a reason to visit your website frequently. This will generate a critical mass of interest, boosting your search engine rankings as well as your traffic.

4. Do not over-advertise: Do not fill up your website with meaningless banners or sponsors in hopes for a quick buck. Websites which have organized, sparsely used advertisements provide a more professional look. This builds trust faster and can improve your business in the long-run.

5. Base your website on an idea: I cannot state this enough. The money is not in the website itself. It is in the underlying idea. What is your idea? Do you wish to bring the music community together? Is your website catered to bringing single moms to a central platform to solve their problems? Remember, the money is in the idea.

I hope this article was helpful. Remember, anyone can design a website. Only a handful people do it correctly and reap massive benefits.

For more info on how a successful website should be created, check out the new guitar website I recently created!

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Usability: Does Your Web Page Cause the viewer to Think?

Usability: Does Your Web Page Cause the viewer to Think?
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis By Yanik Silver
This is the ultimate test. If the viewer does not "get it" the instant he or she looks at your web page and has to think about it, the game is over and the viewer is gone probably forever. Go next door to your neighbor and haul your laptop with you. Assuming your neighbor is a buddy, he will probably humor you (thinking you may be having a breakdown of some sort) and let you plug-in and boot up your computer. Tell him the truth. You need to know how a stranger perceives your new web page. Tell him to describe what the page is about in less than 5 seconds, and then let him view it. If he stutters, pack up your laptop and head home to do some revising.

In the event someone else has designed your web page for you, the same test applies. Just because your web design company, or design person, is an expert does not mean they are perfect. Sometimes web designers get so caught up in the genius of their work they forget the rest of the world might not see things the same as their brilliant minds do. It's easy to know what a web page is about if you are the one designing it.

Page layout is critical. If the page contains categories of products and/or services, the category list should be displayed in a column on the left side of the page separated by some white space. Category lists work best using black text on white background. Special deals and main products and/or services should be displayed in the center of the page where the viewers' eyes immediately focus. Navigation buttons should be clearly visible and state the exact type of information they link to. The goal of an effective website should be for every page to be self-evident, so that when viewed by a complete stranger, they will know what it is and how to use it.

Most viewers spend far less time looking at our web pages than we website owners would like to believe. For a web page to do its job effectively, often times it must convey the sales message at a glance. Most of the time, a glance is the only chance of stopping the viewer and invoking his interest to read our offer. This is the only opportunity we get to make a sale. This is why it is imperative for our web pages be self-evident and self-explanatory.

Stop and think for a minute "How do I use the web." This will answer your question as to how most other folks use the web. On these multi page sales pitches, do you read every word, or do you just skim the words looking for something of interest to you. Well, if that's the way you do it, it should come as no surprise that most other viewers do the same. Most people are in a hurry and don't have the time or the need to read everything. With this in mind, I believe it would safe to say that effective web page content should be short and to the point. If viewers are going to just skim web pages, it makes sense to design web pages that can get our message across during the scanning process.

Most web sites I have studied are designed with the assumption that viewers will pore over every page, reading every word, figuring out how things are organized, and trying to decide which link to click that will take them to their desired destination. When in fact, what really happens is they glance at a couple of pages and click on the first link that even vaguely catches their interest.

In conclusion, I believe a web page should be designed to deliver its intended message in a powerful, swift, and decisive manner without a lot of fluff and happy talk (words that have no useful meaning).

Resource used for this article: Don't Make Me Think!: Author; Steve Krug: New Riders Publishing: Berkeley, California USA

Smalley Web Solutions is a team of four people with skills in marketing, website design, and programming. Our website design fees are among the lowest in our industry. We offer free web hosting and domain name registration for one year to all of our clients. Contact Smalley Web Solutions at http://www.webwizardonline.net or jfsmalley@clearwire.net.

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Evaulating Web Site Performance

Evaulating Web Site Performance
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis
Setting up a website is the very first step of an Internet marketing campaign, and the success or failure of your site depends greatly on how specifically you have defined your website goals. If you don't know what you want your site to accomplish, it will most likely fail to accomplish anything. Without goals to guide you in developing and monitoring your website, all your site will be is an online announcement that you are in business.

If you expect your site to stimulate some form of action, whether it is visitors filling out a form so a representative can contact them, or purchasing a product, there are steps you can take to insure that your website is functioning at peak efficiency. One of the first indicators of how well your site is working for you is finding out the number of visitors in a given period of time. A good baseline measurement is a month in which you haven't been doing any unusual offline promotional activities.

However, just because hoards of people have passed through your gates does not mean your site is successful. Usually, you want those visitors to actually do something there. It is equally important to monitor the number of visitors to your site who made a purchase. This figure is called the site conversion rate, and it is an essential element of the efficacy of your website.

To find the site conversion rate, take the number of visitors per month and figure out the percentage of them that actually performed the action your site is set up for. For example, if you had 2,000 hits to your site, but only 25 of them purchased your product, your site conversion rate equals 1.25%. To get this figure, take your number of visitors and divide that figure by the number of visitors who made a purchase. Then divide that result by 100 (25 ?00 X 100).

If your website is set-up to get visitors to fill out a form, make sure to then figure out what the difference is between your site conversion rate and your sales conversion rate. This is because not everyone who fills out your form will actually become your customer. However, whether your site is set-up to sell a service or product, or to get the visitor to fill out a form, the site conversion rate will measure the success or failure of your website whenever you make changes to the site.

You may find that you need to implement some additional marketing strategies if you find that traffic to your site is extremely low. There are several effective methods to improve the flow of traffic to your website, particularly launching a search engine optimization campaign. This campaign is targeted at increasing your position in search engine results so that consumers can find your pages faster and easier. You can either research the steps you need to take to improve your search engine rankings, or employ a search engine optimization company to do the work for you. In either case, after your have improved your search engine positions, make sure you keep on top of them by regular monitoring and adjusting of your efforts to maintain high positions.

Another factor to examine is how easy it is for a visitor to your website to accomplish the action the site is set-up for. For example, if your goal is for the visitor to fill out a form, is this form easily accessible, or does the visitor have to go through four levels to get to it? If it's too difficult to get to, the customer may just throw in the towel and move on to another site. Make sure your buttons are highly visible, and the path to your form or ordering page quickly accessible.

Finally, have a professional evaluate the copy on your website. The goal is, of course, to get your visitor to make a purchase or fill out your form. Website copy must be specifically geared to your online campaign and not just a cut and paste job from your company brochure. The right copy can make the difference between profit and loss in your online campaign.

Using one way links for your Web Promotion gets results. WHY? Link popularity is one of the most important factors in search engine performance. Increasing the number of links to your Website will get your site listed higher in search engine results, generating more Website Traffic, increasing your Google PR and improving your site's overall strength. http://www.seolinkmart.com

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Why Add Video to Your Website?

Why Add Video to Your Website?
Download Free Copy Of Start Your Own Online Business
It is a new age. It is a video age.

Years ago, our internet infrastructure couldn't support video. Most people had dial-up connections that couldn't handle video. And there just weren't good ways of putting videos on websites. But today, peoples' computers and internet connections are video-capable. You have noticed that video has become very popular, haven't you?

The emails you receive have video links. Websites you visit have videos to watch. Training on the web, whatever subject, is done with videos now. There are streaming video resources that provide "live" content. videoconferencing, where you watch a video and at the same time listen to a trainer is becoming extremely popular.

What does this mean to you as a website owner?

It means you cannot wait any longer. Today, people are wired for video. Video is triumphing over the written word. If you are going to be a successful website marketer, you have to add video to your website. For website owners, that means BETTER CONVERSIONS and EASY PROFITS... more product sales, more email list subscribers and more people staying on your site! Video sparks your visitors' interest and makes them pay more attention to you.

All you have to do is start using online video on your website!

"But making video for my website is too hard, expensive, and time-consuming", you say. There has to be an easier way to get this done.

Well, bunkie, that is no longer true.

Nowadays, you can get a decent digital camcorder for less than $199. And if you have Microsoft Windows XP or higher, your computer is all ready to go with free video editing software called "Windows Movie Maker."

"Well, then, "it is too hard and too technical for me to put video on my website." I sorry, but this is no longer true either. Not anymore.

All you need is someone to show you the ropes. You need to watch videos that show you how to do it yourself, or you need to buy software that will do ninety-percent of the work for you. Either way, you need to get with the video age.

So now you know...it is not too expensive, nor time-consuming to do and it is not too hard or too technical for you do add video on your website. Join my mailing list, today. I am about to start your training.

http://www.trafficbumper.com is dedicated to helping internet marketers increase their website traffic. Several techniques are explained in articles and videos. Join our mailing list and start learning.

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Interview with a New York Web Design Company

Interview with a New York Web Design Company
Download Free Copy Of An Obvious Truth By Armand Morin
As a Web optimization specialist I spend a good deal of time seeking out the best designers from around the country and around the world. We swap industry insider tips. They teach me about Web design and I show them how to get their beautiful sites to the top of Google, MSN and Yahoo. It's a match made in heaven. The most recent collaboration was a huge success that helped both of us get just what we wanted so we decided to publish our findings for anyone interested. That said; here is an interview with a New York Web design company.

What makes a New York Web design company any different from other Web design companies? That's easy... Competition. Just look at how many design firms there are out there and you will see what I mean! In the city or outside, someone seeking high quality Web design in New York faces hundreds of choices in an area of just a few city blocks. Now that's competition!

If you are not from the area it can be difficult to envision. This might help... Imagine typing "New York web design" into Google's search box and getting hundreds of pages with thousands of links of returns. Instead of clicking on those links however, you're walking into hundreds of offices; each offering their own unique flavor of Web design.

But, with the competition comes a competitive edge that is critical in a struggling economy. Of course we all want to look good on the Internet, but when you're competing with your real live neighbors in addition to those online; you have to step it up a notch.

With that said, I offer some inside advice from a successful New York Web design firm. Let's focus our attention on Website usability. This has the unfortunate distinction of being both the most important yet generally least considered aspect of design all too often and the Website owners suffer for the oversights.

First off, most people do not really read a Web page at first glance; they scan it to see if there is something worth actually reading. You need to get their attention right away and keep it. Here's how...

1.) Jump in with your most powerful content right off the bat. Grab their attention immediately and keep it. Never save the best for last unless you have something nearly as good to lead the reader there.

2.) Make sure your functional areas are consistent, as much as possible, throughout your site. This is especially true of the navigation links (top, left, right, etc.) search fields, logins, and anything else needing user interaction. The more at ease your visitor feels working through the site, the more likely he or she is to stay for a while and go even deeper.

3.) Embed a link to your homepage within your company logo. This is expected by just about every site visitor who has been on the Web for any length of time. It's a safety net many users rely and to deny it could result in major inconvenience to your visitors.

4.) Add a search box in an easy to find, consistent location. And be certain it searches ONLY within your Website. Having a search feature that offers to "Search The Web" gives your visitors an invitation to leave your site. Why would you want that?

Secondly, keep in mind that search engines will also be looking at your site. Making it pretty is not enough. It needs to attract the search engine as much as live visitors if you ever expect those live visitors to find it in the first place. This is known as search engine optimization, or SEO. It's more complicated today than in years past but still quite doable. Here are three "must do" tasks for you to complete if you want your site on top of Google.

1.) Use keywords as anchor text (the visible clickable words) in your links throughout your page's content. This is huge! Allow me to demonstrate how powerful this one element can be.

Navigate to Google.com and conduct a search for the term "Click Here" (no quotes.) Take note of two things right away... Number one, there are more than 1.6 billion other (competing) Web pages. Number two, the top match returned is a link to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Ready for a surprise? The term Click Here is not anywhere on the page text or META tags. The page is number one, out of 1.6 Billion pages, because thousands of Web pages supplying a link to Acrobat "Click Here" as their anchor text of choice. Amazing, isn't it?

This is great news for you! You can easily take advantage of that power by linking to and from pages within your Website. Which leads us nicely into Tip number two...

2.) If you deem that SEO is a priority for your site, create a unique page for each of your main keywords. Just be sure to link the anchor text from each page to the page that has that specific keyword as its focus.

Industry Advice: If you are a blog specialist or Web designer by trade, offering SEO as part of your services is a natural fit that can double the value of your work, or more. With so many good SEO products available to help you get professional results with minimal effort, you can usually rely on reputation as a good indicator of potential success. For example, eBay, Motorola and Lexmark all stake their online success on a tool you can get for $250 at http://www.iBusinessPR0M0TER.com.

3.) Relevant anchor text should also be at the top of your mind when you are requesting inbound links from other sites. This is what Google uses as its strongest measurement to gage the quality of your pages.

This is how you can build your brand using your own words. Getting visitors there is only half the battle, keeping them is a whole different ballgame.

Now, similar to tip number 2, you want to request specific keywords be used in the anchor text leading to your pages from other sites. And be sure to request each link to the most appropriate page. Just linking to the homepage doesn't cut it anymore.

Warning: Avoid reciprocal link farms like the plague! They are so easy for Google to spot it's a joke.

If you are in need of quality links but don't have time to setup link partnerships yourself, you may want to try a service that facilitates "3 way linking" like the one at http://www.3WayLinker.com.

It's very simple and really pretty ingenious. Here's how it works... Site 1 links to Site 2. Site 2" links to Site 3. And Site 3 links to Site 1 forming an indirect chain of one way links.

That's all for now. Good luck!

Based on an interview with David R. by Scott Jason. In 1993 David Radovanovic founded his first New York Web design company. With a decade of success, WhatsTheBigIdea.com began in 2003. Beyond his Web work, David is a respected graphic designer in New York.

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Internet Business Build Your Site Fast!

Internet Business - Build Your Site Fast!
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis By Yanik Silver
You have a business model and a hot niche to enter online, and there's only one thing that's stopping you from entering the game online: you haven't yet built that amazing site you have pictured in your head. Does this sound like you right now? Do you have a picture in your head of what your site will look like when it's completed? Has it been months since you registered your site, and yet it's not up? No matter what your reasons are for not completing your site, it's time to get down to business and finish what you started.

Phase One - Make a List

First things first. You need to make a detailed list of what your site needs in order to be complete. For example, if you are building a site that will mainly focus on selling advertising, then you'll want to note on your list that you need a feature allowing advertisers to set up an account and easily buy advertising space. Make sure you also add graphic design and logo design to your to-do list. Now it's your turn to write down all the items you need.

Phase Two - Your Budget

Next, you'll need to come up with a budget for creating this amazing site of yours. Once you've determined a figure, you can start to come up with a plan.

Phase Three - Plan Options

Once you've determined your budget, it's time to start making plans. We've devised three different plans for you:

Plan A. - This plan is for anyone who does not mind spending over 10 thousand dollars or more for a custom-built site. If this sounds like you, then basically all you need to do is hire a Web development firm to complete the tasks on your list.

Plan B. - This plan is for the person who can spend thousands of dollars. You can go with a Web development firm or scout out a freelancer at a Web site like Guru.com.

Plan C. - This plan is for someone who is willing to spend only a couple hundred dollars to build his or her site. If this sounds like you, either hire a freelancer who can work within your budget or use Web software programs or content management programs like WordPress and Joomla.

When hiring a professional to design and program your site, you'll want to be as clear and detailed as possible. If you are vague, the outcome might not be what you expected, so communication is the key. If you can, give the freelancer a list of URLs for sites that have features you want on your site.

Phase Four - Testing

Even if a professional designed your site, you'll want to test it out and make sure that everything is running smoothly. You can even have a friend or family member make a test purchase to see if everything is working correctly.

Phase Five - Launch

Now all you have to do is start driving targeted traffic to your site and start getting SALES!

Conclusion

There's no point in waiting or doing everything yourself to get your site built and then launched. Remember, the longer it takes for you to build and launch your site, the longer it will take for you to start making money from it. So be a doer and get going today!

For inspiration, tips and home business advice visit: http://www.mommyempire.com/ for work at home moms.

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5 Critical Questions To Ask BEFORE You Hire a Web Designer

5 Critical Questions To Ask BEFORE You Hire a Web Designer
Copyright © 2008 OnlineBizU.com
Download Free Copy Of 14 Point Web Copy Analysis
Whether you're building a website or a blogsite, the investment in a designer can be fairly significant. It's at this point that many service business owners decide to cut costs and have their 16-year old nephew design their site. This works out well until something breaks (with technology, it's never a question of IF it will break, only WHEN) and your nephew is out of touch because he just started his first year of college and can't be bothered. What are you going to do?

To run an online business, your website is your key to success. People arrive on your doorstep (site) like they might in a retail establishment, and decide within 5 seconds if they're going to stay and look around or if they're going to leave. It pays to invest some money in your site, as your site is the first stop on the like, know and trust journey that prospects experience with you. You need to be perceived as legitimate, as a "real" business, and as the solution to the problems that ail your prospective clients. If you're not able to design your own site, an experienced website designer can help finesse this relationship with your visitors.

How can you determine if your designer will create a site that you like and is useful? I've heard many horror stories over the years about the experiences that services business owners have had regarding the creation and maintenance of their websites. Here are 5 critical questions that you should have answered before hiring a web designer:

1. Site Ownership. First and foremost, you should ask if you own the final version of your site and the graphic source files. I've discovered that many web designers do NOT work on a work-for-hire basis. Instead, they maintain the copyright to the design of your site, so if you don't want to use that same company for site updates and maintenance, for example, they will not release any source files to another designer. Consequently, you will have to pay to have your site redesigned all over again. At the very least you should obtain a license to use the files in perpetuity and be able to make revisions to them in the future. This same rule applies to any special fonts or special applications developed for the site.

A second key issue in site ownership is ownership of your domain name. If your site design includes purchasing the domain name for your site, be sure that your domain's purchase is credited to you and registered to you as the administrative and technical contact. Many times the web design company registers your domain name and lists themselves as the contact, or actually purchases the domain and is considered the owner. At that point it becomes almost impossible to get your username and password for the account should you need to make any changes to your domain registration or to even prove ownership. Purchase your domain BEFORE beginning any work on a website.

2. Ongoing maintenance and hosting. Secondly, determine if you will be locked into a maintenance contract or hosting contract with the designer. Are they using any special software or application that will tie you to a particular type of hosting service? This may not be problematic for you initially, but ensure that you've got the flexibility to change your mind in case the design company is sold, for example, and dramatically increases their prices. Once the site is up, can you buy a program, like Adobe Contribute, for example, and do simple site updates yourself or must you use their company for any updates?

3. Experience with similar companies. Thirdly, take a look at their portfolio and be sure you like their previous work and that they have experience in web design for companies like yours. Call 1-2 of their clients (from the portfolios) and ask the client how easy the design company was to work with and how satisfied they are with the final product.

4. Marketing experience. Many web designers are simply that -- great web designers. They can make your site sit up and bark and run around in circles, if you like. However, the newest, coolest, showiest and flashiest technology is oftentimes NOT what you need to bring you the most traffic, get your site found in search engines, and convert prospects to customers. Don't fall for the glitz and glam that you see in a designer's portfolio. The best sites are simpler sites with a clean design and distinct marketing elements, like a clear call to action as seen in an email list signup box. If you can find a designer who excels at both design and marketing, you have found a gem whom you need to hold onto.

5. Return on investment (ROI). Asking a designer about the ROI for their clients is somewhat sneaky. In essence, what you're doing is determining their longevity (will they still be in business tomorrow), as well as their followup strategy in terms of staying in touch with clients to see how their businesses are doing. A web designer who stays in touch is one who's concerned about your success and is one that is much more likely to create a website that will produce profitable results for you.

The creation of your online presence can be a very expensive failure that takes much longer than anticipated. Don't let yourself be the next victim! Before hiring a website designer, make sure s/he answers these questions to your satisfaction, and you'll be on the path to a profitable relationship with a talented professional who can help your online business grow.

Online Business Manager and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com . Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at AskDonnaGunter.com

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Make Your Own Website - Get it up and Running in 24 Hours!

Make Your Own Website - Get it up and Running in 24 Hours!
Download Free Copy Of Automatic Money Machines
Are you sick of not having your very own online presence? Looking for make your own website and getting it up and running as soon as possible? This article will provide you with a short tutorial.

The nuts and bolts of a website...

What is needed for a website to be up and running on the web? - You need a webhost to host your html files - and then you need a website name (a domain name) so people can find you website. - First you need the website html pages (design)

* Get a affordable reliable webhost that WON'T eat your bank account!

This is not a very easy task. So many people get burned by signing up with the wrong hosting company. The majority hosting companies claim to provide above average support, but once you hit the Order button you are left in the dark. Lucky for you I have hosted 30 websites across 10 different hosts and there is one hosting company that constantly gets my number one recommendation. They are HostGator. Hostgator provides the best support plus they are one of the few hosting companies that will charge you by the month and not up front. So you pay the bare minimum right from the start! You don't have to pull out hundreds of dollars to get a hosting account!

* Domains SHOULD be cheap - so get yours for less than $10!

A domain is the address of your website. Without a domain, you can't have a website...and the same thing goes for hosting. A domain and Hosting goes hand-in-hand. There is only one place I recommend for domain names. You can get a domain name for under $9 from NAMECHEAP. You can even Google "NameCheap Coupon" and grab yourself a coupon that will drop the price even further!

Once you bought yourself a domain name, you need to change the "DNS" settings in your NameCheap account so that the domain name points to your hosting. You have to do this so that the World Wide Web can associate your domain name with your hosting and that your website gets pulled up properly. If you don't know how to do this, simply go to HostGator's homepage and click on the "Chat" button. Ask the support team how to do it. They will provide you with the necessary instructions.

*Get a website design asap.

You can get a website design done for you or you can do it yourself. Doing it yourself is not such a difficult task as you might think. All you need is an easy to use website editor and you can start creating your first website starting today.

There are several website editors, some of which are more expensive than others, while others don't cost you one penny.

Priced Website Editors:

- Dreamweaver (the best, but very difficult to learn)

- Adobe GoLive (very powerful, also very difficult to learn)

Free Website Editors:

- NVU (very powerful and free)

- Kompozer (new, unique and free)

- Trellian WebPage (drag & drop plus free)

You can build a 5 page website in a few hours! Heck you can build a 15-20 page website within a day! Getting a domain name and a hosting account will take you less than 15 minutes.

So that's it...all you need is a web host, domain name and a website design and you'll have a website up in running in no time.

Want to learn how to make BIG money from your first website? You don't even need your own product! Learn from the top industry experts as they show you how to do everything from A-Z. *Highly* recommended for newcomers. -> Click Here to learn how to cash in with your first website! Best regards, Reinhardt

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Website Design and Development

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How to Make Your Own Web Page

How to Make Your Own Web Page

Whether it's for business or personal use, it seems like everyone has a web page these days. That may be because it's become so affordable and easy to put a web page together. Web page building is no longer for the "tech geeks". Once upon a time, you had to learn HTML (hyper-text markup language) to build a web page but today you have so many options to create your own website that don't require you to learn complicated coding. You can use a WYSIWG (What You See Is What You Get) editor like Microsoft's FrontPage. This software allows you to write your web page as you would any other document and you can drag and drop images easily. It takes a bit of practice to make things look the way you'd like, but you can also purchase templates to create a professional look and feel.

So, now we know that you don't have to be a technological genius to build a web page -- what else do you need to create your web presence?

Domain: This is the name of your website. You will need to purchase a name that will represent your company or personal web presence. For example: ebay.com is Ebay's domain name.

Web Host: You will also need to find a company that will store your various files on the Internet. This is called a web host. You usually pay them monthly for their service.

Your Next Steps to Building Your Web Page:

WYSIWG software can cost hundreds of dollars and allows you to build web pages that provide basic information to your visitors. If you are looking to have more interactivity and features to your web page like: message board, shopping cart (allows you to securely sell products on your site), mailing list, coupons and other options, you may want to look at a more comprehensive web building service, like the easy site builder at Internet Marketing Sweetie . This service allows you to create feature-rich and professional looking web pages in a matter of minutes. You can also purchase your domain there and they will host your pages on the Internet. There is a 10-day free trial to help you ensure it's the right web-building tool for you.

All in all, building a website isn't as complicated as you may have thought previously. All it takes is some point-and-click web building software, a domain name and a web host.

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Do I Need a Web Designer?

When business owners decide to take business online, the question always comes up, “Do I need a web designer or can I build my own website?”

Both options are very viable, but you need to decide what’s best for you and your business.

Here’s some things to consider:

If you hire a web designer, you don’t have to worry about learning how to build a website – which is a relief to many people. This means you can concentrate on the more important tasks of your business.

However, do realize that building a website is not as technical as it has been in the past. There are plenty of web-building options that are basic point-and-click technology. If you work with a designer, you will be subject to that designer’s schedule. Designers have other clients to manage and they need to prioritize any updates or changes you need to make to your website. This can be a drawback because the Internet is an amazing marketing medium where it’s easy to quick changes and test out new marketing ideas at minimal cost. When your business needs to wait for a designer to make changes, you may fall behind in your development.

Still, if you build your own website, there may be a time where you need to turn to a designer or a programmer if you need special features on your website. Of course, you can learn how to do all these things if you’re so inclined, but it can be a time-consuming and sometimes complicated task. This means if you need a message board, shopping cart or other special function, you may need to turn to a designer or a programmer for that task.

Overall, if you want to save money and have more control over your web presence, you will want to have a hand in your own web development. You might choose to use a site builder that offers many of the features you are looking for (ex. shopping cart, mailing lists, etc.) and uses the point-and-click technology mentioned earlier. That way, it’s easy for you to create an online presence without a huge learning curve and you still have time to focus on the more important aspects of business.

Looking for an even easier option to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at Internet Marketing Sweetie for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

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Designing A Website That Sells

Designing A Website That Sells
By Paul Majestyck

Would you buy meat from a grocery store that left the bad meat in with the good meat or wasn't clean? Would you buy a car from a sales lot that had totaled automobiles on the front lot? I wouldn't and neither would you. Your website is your grocery store; your car lot. You must have an atmosphere that is pleasing to buyers. One that tells that buyer that you are not an amateur, but instead a trained, seasoned professional. Your site is a direct reflection of your product and that is why that having a well designed website can make or break your sales.

The first thing to keep in mind when designing your website, is "surfability". Take a few minutes a look around at several web pages. What makes them appealing? Were there some that you closed out of immediately? Why? Take notes and do your research. Keep in mind that when a person visits your site they have a goal in mind. They are either seeking information or shopping for a product. Give the person what they want without having to search for it. Be sure that all the information on your site is relevant to your product. Make the buyer think that they need your product to solve their problem.

Your main page serves a very specific purpose. It should be an avenue by which the customer can shop your site. It should be easy to view and load very quickly. This is your first impression and we all know that first impressions can either close the deal or loose the deal. Make it simple. It is best to have links that are easily viewable by the reader that will navigate them to where they want to be. Tables are often a great choice when deciding on a way to design the main page of your site. Your main page should load very quickly, chances are if it takes the page more than ten seconds to load even on a 56k modem, the customer will click away to save time, hoping to find the information or product elsewhere. To increase the loading speed of your main page you should avoid large graphics or excessive graphics. To many banners or special effects can cause a page to load slowly as well.

To make your web site more appealing to the eyes, you should stick to mild colors. If your site is a content site where the user will be doing a lot of reading, it is best to stick to black and white. Color can be added when using tables, as a way to brighten up the page, but remember to keep the overall look of the page professional and appealing to the audience that will be visiting most often. Since screen resolutions vary among monitors, it is a good idea to set the pixels to a standard 800x600. You may also choose to set the tables in your web page to span a percentage of the page rather than a set number of inches. This will be sure to accommodate all screen sizes. You should remember that a lot of Internet users will not use the same browser as you, and therefore you should be sure that your site looks as good on other browsers as it does your own. You can do this by downloading several browsers through which to look at your page.

Be aware of the fact that the overall look of your website is a way to make money. The appearance of the site, if designed properly, can be an excellent marketing strategy for your product or service.

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Online Strategies & Tips for Website Development

Online Strategies & Tips for Website Development

By Paul Majestyck


So you want to be an internet star? You have an idea or product or service to sell, or you simply feel you must have a website of your very own.

And now that you've decided, you really have no idea where to start.

So you're casting about online for strategies and tips that will tell you how to build a website that is attractive and functional, one that really expresses what you are all about.

This article aims to give you just that, and more. Read on and you will not only find some great online strategies for your website, but also some great tips for moving forward with your online business marketing plan.

Building blocks of the website:

The first thing you want to determine is your niche market. You want to find a little corner of the net world that you can make all your own, or as close to your own as possible.

Try to hone in on a product or service that you think there is a need for, but one that isn't wildly popular. That way, you'll be creating a comfortable playing field for your website without too much competition, but with enough attraction to do you some good.

A very good suggestion might be to hang out in online discussion groups with an eye toward discovering your niche market. What do people want? What are they looking for, especially online? Ask them!

Now that you have your niche, figure out what makes your website unique. Think of at least one reason your potential customers would buy from you, and not others.

From this position, build your list of keywords and phrases, the tools you will use to be found by your potential clients. Always remember, it's easy to get swallowed up in the internet ocean. It's hard work to find just the right combination to make your ad come to the surface, thus providing the visibility your website requires to sustain itself and your online business. But it is those web marketers who do the hard part that take home the bulk of the spoils.

Prepare your marketing tools, as many as you can think of. The list is practically endless: web content, newsletters, autoresponders, blogs, articles, and banners...and anything else you can think of.

Don't forget the follow-through. Test your system to see if it works. Keep trying various combinations until you find the one that clicks.

And never forget: Do it right once, and you can do it again and again...a whole lot easier! Website marketing is not for the meek of spirit. But those who stay the course usually wonder how they ever lived without it.

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