Friday, February 23, 2007

Our Cheapest Web Design Service Ever

Many people who are on the look out for a web designer are often hoping for the cheapest possible deal. We are not all big businesses or people who have a large budget to spend, some of us are just ordinary people seeking the cheapest possible deal. It goes without saying however that even though cost is very important to us, quality is another essential element in any deal we are going to go for. We are of course not stupid! In this article I am going to explain how I manage to obtain both parts of this deal, a very cheap but quality website design service.

The first thing that is very important for all of us to remember is that the whole business of web design is very cut throat. There are millions of people and companies who are offering this type of service and this all means that there are some superb deals to have. There will be a lot of these people who will be quite desperate to get your business, I am also actually quite cheeky in that I also ask for free web hosting with any website that I have built for me. I also state to the web design firm that I am in talks with a number of other people and that I do not want to mess about with lots of price discussions and that I am looking for their best price.

It might seem quite strange but I have found some really good deals on the auction website ebay. This site of course is very popular and there usually a number of people offering a very cheap web design service. I also ask to see their portfolio of sites that they have already produced just so that I can judge the quality for myself.

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:

stuttering

very cheap web design service

treatment for

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

5 Important Rules in Website Design

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.

1) Do not use splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that -- pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the "back" button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors because confusion means "abandon ship"!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it -- volume or muting controls would work fine.

Attracting Your Traffic: Website Design With a Professional Feel

A website is the medium by which viewers will access information or buy products over the internet, and just like a catalog, newspaper, magazine, etc. it is imperative that the information be presented in an organized, easy to access, and professional looking manner. Obviously not all types of informational websites need to be professional looking but most types of informational websites will benefit from a professional design, and it is a necessity that any type of e-commerce site selling a product be professionally laid out and be as well designed as possible.

Not everyone can afford professional website designers to build their site, however if you are selling a product it is advisable to pay the extra money for a website designer; however, if you are well versed in website design you could take on this challenge yourself. For informational websites, the prospect of doing the work yourself can save you money and still result in a good looking website. This article will help point out some key areas you should focus on when designing your own website.

Software:

Unless you are an HTML guru, you are going to need some website design software. There are many different software titles out there ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. I recommend Macromedia Dreamweaver: it is easy to use, has a ton of features and allows you to have complete control over your website with very minimal HTML knowledge. However Dreamweaver is expensive and may not be within your budget. If you have Microsoft office you can use Microsoft FrontPage to build your website. FrontPage is not as easy to use as Dreamweaver in my opinion but is still very capable of producing an excellent website for your company. There are also a lot of free Programs out there that you can use but be warned, in most cases they will not be as easy to use and may require more knowledge of HTML code to be effective.

Templates:

If you’re not a designer and are having trouble coming up with an attractive and organized website design, templates are an excellent way to build up a professional looking website in a very short time. There are thousands of free templates, simply go to a search engine and search for website templates. Free templates are a toss up however in terms of quality. Sometimes you can find good free templates, and other times you will spend hours looking and not find one decent template. For times like these I suggest you turn to buying a template. Premium templates typically cost up to $80 or so and are very well designed. They look just as good as any major website you’ve ever visited and can include flash animations if you so desire. A template is a very wise investment and is well worth the money. Keep in mind, however, that you will still need some kind of site building software and you may need image editing software (windows paint isn’t going to cut it). Photoshop is typically recommended, but with its large price tag, you can opt for more affordable solutions. Also, some hosting services will provide you with professional template for free just by using their services. Hostmonster.com and
Web.com hosting services offer this extra bonus.
After you get your software and/or templates, you can finally sit down and formulate your plan of attack. Don’t underestimate good planning as it is much easier to have all your angles figured out ahead of time than to keep redoing your site mid-stride. Don’t even touch the computer yet, take out a pencil and paper and jot down your design on paper. This pre-design should be mostly for layout and navigation, obviously you don’t need to draw each image. Write down how you want the layout of your site to be, where you want navigation, content, advertisements, products, links, etc. Be detailed in how you want your navigation to be designed. Do you want very general category navigation and then have that expand when you click on it, or do you want more specific links visible right up front on the main page. Doing this now will save you time later. Now you will need to focus on three basic aspects of website design.

Overall Appearance:

If you purchased a template then you are all ready to go here, just decide on text and link colors and your set. But if you’re starting from scratch you should begin to decide how you want your site to look. The background color should be very light. White is preferable, but you don’t have to have a white background, you can use a very light gray or blue, but the key here is to keep it very pale, very light. By making the background light, you have a bit more freedom in which colors to choose for the rest of your site. This is really up to what the sites topic deals with or what types of products you are selling; however, it is advisable not to use a large amount of varying colors. The colors you choose should go well together. Try a couple sample pages with very simple layouts with tables or layers and just change their background colors and text colors to see what looks good. Don’t be afraid to ask for others opinions also, just because you like the website doesn’t mean anyone else does. Think of it as painting the interior of your house. You may like lime green and purple on every wall, but if nobody else likes those colors, it will be a lot harder to sell your home. So make your site as easy to sell as possible. Text colors should contrast well with their backgrounds. If the text has a dark background it should be light colored and vice versa.

Layout:

Layout is extremely important in designing your website. A confusing layout, a misaligned layout or a disproportioned layout can have a detrimental effect on the design of your website. If a visitor is confused by the layout or misdirected, then that visitor may simply go somewhere else. People are very finicky and it takes only a few seconds for a visitor to form an initial impression about your site.

If you are selling a product or providing information, that is the first place a visitor should look when visiting your website. Put your main content towards the center of the page near the top. That content is typically why the visitor came to your website in the first place, so that content should be the first thing you provide them and the first thing they see. If a visitor doesn’t find what they came for right from the beginning, there’s a good chance they will simply hit the back button and find somewhere else to get their product or information.

The proportional aspect of your layout is also very important. Modern websites are typically designed with two or three column designs. One column is used for the sites content, while the other column(s) are typically used for navigation, updates, advertisements, etc. When deciding on the size of certain section, the content portion should be at least 50% of the total width, more if possible. The actual size of the columns is a judgment call, but typically the sizes should correspond to the content they contain.

In addition to column widths, the height of the header is also very important. The header typically will contain your logo, some advertisements or product promotions, and typically some navigational components. The header, much like the columns, should not be overwhelming and the content portion of your page should be visible without even having to scroll down the page.

By implementing these simple guidelines, your website will have the proper, user friendly layout.

Navigation:

Navigation is one of the most important aspects of designing your website. Without a clear navigational layout, your visitors will feel lost in a maze and find another site to visit. You want your site’s visitors to be able to find the information they need fast and efficiently, and failure to do so will cost you in traffic and ultimately sales.

There are many different ways to layout a navigation system for your website. The best way is to have your sites main categories in one area, and your sites contact info, policies, about page etc in another. This separates your “sales” navigation from your “information” navigation and keeps things a bit more organized. Its best to place navigation where the viewers expect to see it, there’s no need to get creative with placement here. Larger navigation areas are best suited for columns on the left side of the page. You can place navigation on the right side, but most visitors will expect to see those main shopping or information categories nesting on the left. The navigation column should be wide enough to fit each category on a single line of text. If a category has a long title and wraps around to a second line, that’s OK but its better to fit them on one line.

Every category you want visitors to see should be visible on ALL pages. Ideally visitors should not have to hit the back button to find the links they want. Expanding menus are an excellent way to display subcategories for the corresponding main category. They will save you space because only the subcategories under the main category that was chosen will show at a time. Its advisable not to use java script menus for e-commerce sites unless you know how to create them correctly; in addition, not every visitor’s browser will display java correctly, so stick with HTML.

Your company/policy information categories should be placed at the top and bottom of your page in the header and the footer and if you have a shopping cart make sure to have a link to it at the top of the page so customers can checkout easily. You should also have a shopping cart on the side navigation, this way the customer can find their shopping cart at any time. If your customer needs to go on a scavenger hunt to buy your product or read your information, they won’t.

Conclusion:

If you follow these basic guidelines and tips, you will be well on your way to website design success. As stated earlier, don’t be afraid to spend a little money up front on software or templates, they will save you time, produce a much better website, and will end up paying for themselves in the end.

Excellent New Website Templates But Hurry They Are Time Sensitive

I am really excited about this time sensitive information on Website templates and wanted to pass it on. Many of us have heard about making money on the internet by creating websites and then allowing Google to put ads on your page, therefore giving you the chance to earn income from your site. But what paralyzes people is the aspect of HOW DO I MAKE A WEBSITE THAT WILL MAKE ME MONEY?

Well this is where templates come in. A template separates form from content freeing you to write with your virtual pen. It is like an employment application-just fill in the blanks.

But I don't want to get ahead of the story. The internet, as we all know, is here to stay. It is how we stay in touch, be it business or communication or just for fun. Now the internets property, or "virtual real estate," is becoming a very hot commodity.

No, it isn't hotels or houses, its websites and these websites can produce income for their owners. But a sub-standard website just like a sub-standard house will not yield income to the owners in the rate that a first class website will. If you build a first class website it will bring you a healthy flow of long-term passive income.

But how do you build a website that will produce income? You need a few key ingredients to produce a winning site. To start you need excellent content, imaginative design and a hosting company with 24/7 support. You must build your website on a solid foundation in order for it to be successful. You could successfully send traffic to it but if you have poor content or a bad design your visitors will catch on very quickly and leave, probably never to return. And if you haven't properly monetized (interneteze for making money) your site you are leaving money behind.

Okay, you have most likely read a lot of eBooks, bought some tutorials, or tried some software and you still aren't getting anywhere. Well, it takes skills to set up a website. You have to know how to optimize your website for Google's Adsense Ads and other revenue sources. But that takes a lot of time and study.

Finally, there is a system that I used that does all the hard work for you. This new website template system gives you 50 new and different "niche" templates every month. And every month there are different "niche" markets, not just remakes of the month before. A "niche" is a market within a market. Let's say Motorcycles. Well in that market there are sub markets like helmets or insurance or clubs or jackets. If you pick one of those sub markets to build a website around, you are in a "niche" market within the broader market of motorcycles.

Along with the templates you get 250 Private Label Right articles for each "niche" website. They will provide you with unique content for your website which the search engines love. Each "niche" market templates id already set up for Google Adsense Ads so this really is a press the button way to build your virtual real estate on the internet.

The best thing about these templates is that they are easy to use for people on all levels of internet marketing. I cannot stress how easy this system is to use. If you truly want to build a virtual real estate empire on the internet this is the system to use.

Mary Hanna writes eBooks, Software Reviews (for people who are technically challenged like her) and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.GardeningHerb.com and http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com



Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Generating Revenue with Good Planning

For anything to work well, care must be taken to make firm, workable plans to execute it and the same goes for website designs. With a well thought out website design, you will be able to create a site that generates multiple streams of revenue for you.

In fact, many websites turn into online wasteland because they are not well planned and do not get a single visitor. Gradually, the webmaster will not be motivated to update it anymore and it turns into wasted cyberspace.

The crucial point of planning your site is optimizing it for revenue if you want to gain any income from the site. Divide your site into major blocks, ordered by themes, and start building new pages and subsections in those blocks. For example, you might have a "food" section, an "accommodation" section and an "entertainment" section for a tourism site. You can then write and publish relevant articles in the respective sections to attract a stream of traffic that comes looking for further information.

When you have a broader, better-defined scope of themes for your website, you can sell space on your pages to people interested in advertising on your page. You can also earn from programs like Google's Adsense and Yahoo! Search Marketing if people surf to those themed pages and click on the ads. For this very reason, the advertisement blocks on your pages need to be relevant to the content, so a themed page fits that criteria perfectly.

As Internet becomes more widespread, advertising on the Internet will bear more results than on magazines or offline media. Hence, start tapping in on this lucrative stream of profit right away!

In summary - With a well thought out website design, you will be able to create a site that generates multiple streams of revenue for you:

1) Make firm, workable plans
2) Optimize your site for revenue:
a) Divide your site into categories and
b) Subcategories
3) Sell space to Advertising ie:
a) Google and
b) Yahoo


Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Need of Custom Web site Design

There is a huge difference between the website design of the past and those of today. Now most of the website owner looks for custom website design.

A custom website design is an integral part of how a Business or company may be perceived online. An accurate reflection online means achieving that important sale or a true representation of the services provided by the company.

Some advantages of custom website design are:
Provides a look and feel that is particular to a firm and company.
At economical cost, Site will be tailor-fit to exact business needs of the company.
Viewers will get a more focused experience of the company, thus creating a marked impression on them, that might greatly benefit the company.

Custom Website Design Strategies:
Custom website designing takes much more than just programming expertise and technical skills. It involves strategic thinking, analysis of needs and audiences, advanced planning, graphic design and strategic marketing expertise.

Some points to be considered while designing are:

Navigation: This is the most essential part of every website design. Proper navigation helps the website design in two ways. Firstly, it facilitates the smooth movement of the visitors throughout the website design. Secondly, proper navigation helps the search engines to index the website effectively. It can get the information of all the pages to be indexed thereby giving high ranking to those website design. This is the reason all the website design must have a proper 'Sitemap'.

Design of Home Page: The design of the home page of the website should be made very professional looking, and eye catching as the visitors see that page upon landing to the website design.

Contents: Contents are the most important part of every website design since the visitors to the website design goes through the contents in order to get the information website. That is the reason why it is essential that the contents of the website design must propagate the goal of the website properly.

Consistency: The website design must be consistent. This is the reason that most of the website designers are using CSS so that the entire website design can give a consistent 'look' and 'feel'.
Flash Techniques: Better flash techniques have also been discovered and employed in the past several years, leading to greater effectiveness of flash sites, and faster upload speeds. Sites that employ flash now have a more professional look and feel to them, and flash is used often now in the construction of online videos and games those appear on sites and educates and entertains visitors.

Hosting: The website hosting is also an important website design strategy as because good hosting decides the fate of the website design. The website host must be secured and it must be error free.


Source: http://www.a1articles.com

How To Build A Successful Website

The Internet has become a Super Highway for information. With literally billions of websites out there it has become increasingly difficult to get your website noticed, let alone ranked on the search engines.

But, here are 10 basic tips to get your website on the right track.

1. URL

Purchase a relevant URL. What I mean by this is if you are building a website promoting and selling dog food, then your URL should include this. Example - www.qualitydogfood.xxx etc.

2. Spend Time On Your Website

Like the header says, spend a good deal of time on your site. If you need 3 weeks to build a professional looking website, then take those 3 weeks or longer if you have to. There is nothing worse than opening a website that is only half finished. Make it your pride and joy.

3. META Tags

META tags are part of what Search Engines use to rank and find your pages. So make sure to use META tags in your HTML. Study up on this it is important. TIP: You can find META tag generators by searching on the net. Type "META tag generator" into the search box.

4. Website Load Time

Your website should open in a matter of seconds if not instantly. So DON`T make your pages too heavy. If it takes 10-15 seconds, you will probably have lost a potential customer.

5 Don`t Clog Your Pages

Don`t go crazy with banners and advertising on your pages. I am not saying don`t have any banners or advertising, just limit them. You don`t want your website to look like a flea market. Keep it simple so visitors can focus on your main content.

6. Offer An Incentive To Your Visitors

Offer a free gift to people who come back to your website. Or even better, offer a free gift when they sign-up for your newsletter. Retain your visitors, they could become life long customers.

7. Keep Your Pages Consistent

The consistency of your pages is very important. You do not want every page to look different. Keep the colours easy on the eye. All of your pages should look the same. You don`t want to confuse the people who come to your website by thinking they are looking at a different website every time they open a new page.

8. Navigation

The visitors to your website should be able to go through your site (pages) without getting lost. Have an Index in the left or right hand column, so they know how to get "Home" or to the next page. Whatever page they are on they should ALWAYS know where they are.

9. Overlooked But VERY Important

Please check your spelling and grammar. It is ok to write how you speak but the above is very important. This is going to let the potential customer know that you are professional and you know what you are talking about. USE the spell checker and a dictionary.

10. Update Your Pages Regularly and Use ALT Tags

Once a week or so, update your pages to keep them fresh for the Search Engines Spiders. And for your visitors and customers. Don`t let your pages go stale. Let people know about upcoming or new products, events, sales etc. ALT Tags: For every link or picture on your website add an Alt tag. This is where you can put in a description about the link or picture. So when you put your mouse on the link a little box will appear under the navigation arrow explaining the link/picture. Also good for keyword rich phrases.

All of the above can give you a better chance with search engines. I am not going to say you will be ranked in the top 3 pages straight away but now you and your website are on the right track and have a fighting chance against the rest.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com