Website building has become a common and essential knowledge to many people. Businesses, organisations and individuals have created websites either for profit, or for personal recreational purposes.
When it comes to website building, one should pay extra attention to the fine details. This is to make sure that it performs optimally. Here are some important tips to observe to make sure your website serves its function properly.
1. Display simple and clear navigational menu
Provide a simple and easy to understand navigation menu so that even someone who is not internet savvy will know how to use it. It is best to stay away from complicated multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate the site confidently, they will eventually leave it.
2. Avoid using flash
Where appropriate, avoid using flash, especially for the first introduction page. People have to download the Flash player beforehand before they can view Flash movies. Because of this, the number of visitors will decrease considerably because not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your website.
3. Avoid using large graphic images Large graphic files take a long time to download and display. Usually, visitors do not have the patience to wait for more than several seconds for the site to display itself. For this reason, keep the graphic files as small as possible. It is a good practice to optimise images before uploading them onto the server. I use GIMP, the free image editor for reduction of image file size.
4. Avoid using audio on your site
Audio is subjective and therefore not all will like the kind of music that is playing on a website. However, if you insist on adding audio, make sure the visitor can control the volume, stop or pause the music.
Well, these are some tips. They are by no means exhaustive, though. The key is to make the trip to your site as easy and as pleasant to the visitor as possible.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Profitable Web Site Design - 4 Keys to Make More Profit With Web Site Design
Web site design is an incredibly popular and lucrative profession in this increasingly technological society. There is no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of this fact by enhancing your skills and knowledge to put profitable website design in your reach. Here are just a few keys to making more profit with website design:
Be Bold. A well designed site sells for more, that much is obvious. A striking design is one of the best and most externally obvious ways to enhance your reputation as website designer and thus, earn yourself more profit.
Advertise. Make sure that all your clients include a link to your home page where you advertise your services. That way, anytime someone looks at your client’s site, they are directed to yours. And, because they are looking directly at your product, they know exactly how good your sites can be. Also, why not try some article marketing, and maybe making a few postings in a forum? These can direct even more traffic to your homepage, making your website design even more profitable.
Hunt Down Clients. Don’t be passive. If you have friends with businesses, work the angle. Tell them that their site is boring, outdated. Let them know you can do a better job, and then do it. They will be very likely to recommend you to other businesses, and since no business these days is complete without a website, you’ll have an increasing amount of clients, and thus, an increasing amount of profitable website design.
Always use Media. Include video, music, and pictures on your websites. This multi-media content can be a selling point for many people who want their websites to be interactive. If you don’t have a copy of Flash studio, you may want to invest in a copy, because creating dynamic, interactive websites is the best way to make more profit with your website design.
Be Bold. A well designed site sells for more, that much is obvious. A striking design is one of the best and most externally obvious ways to enhance your reputation as website designer and thus, earn yourself more profit.
Advertise. Make sure that all your clients include a link to your home page where you advertise your services. That way, anytime someone looks at your client’s site, they are directed to yours. And, because they are looking directly at your product, they know exactly how good your sites can be. Also, why not try some article marketing, and maybe making a few postings in a forum? These can direct even more traffic to your homepage, making your website design even more profitable.
Hunt Down Clients. Don’t be passive. If you have friends with businesses, work the angle. Tell them that their site is boring, outdated. Let them know you can do a better job, and then do it. They will be very likely to recommend you to other businesses, and since no business these days is complete without a website, you’ll have an increasing amount of clients, and thus, an increasing amount of profitable website design.
Always use Media. Include video, music, and pictures on your websites. This multi-media content can be a selling point for many people who want their websites to be interactive. If you don’t have a copy of Flash studio, you may want to invest in a copy, because creating dynamic, interactive websites is the best way to make more profit with your website design.
Really Bad Beginner Website Design Mistakes To Avoid
Just what is the difference between a bad site and one that is truly outstanding? You'll know when you see them. I'm sure you've seen examples of several great websites on the internet - and also remember examples of those you'll never want to revisit. If you want your visitors to come back then you've got to do a lot to impress them in an extremely short time. First impressions are really important. You only have about 20 seconds to make that first impression count so you want to do the best that you can.
Many individuals or small business owners often opt to design and build their own websites. Without proper experience or website design background many mistakes are made. If you are a beginner then there are several things you should keep in mind to avoid before designing your website.
Here are several common mistakes which should be avoided when designing your new website.
1. Slow Loading Pages
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website and waited and waited for it to load?
Solution: Optimize your images at a lower resolution to achieve faster loading pages. Keep your page sizes well under 60 KB.
2. Page Layout
Problem: Websites that have the navigation in different places throughout the site. It looks cluttered and unprofessional.
Solution: Be consistent and be organized in your websites layout. Make sure all your web pages look the same and the websites navigation is in the same location on each page.
3. Wild and Crazy Color Schemes
Problem: Have you ever visited a website that has a background with a bright, neon color and can't read the content because the colors are so loud? What's the point?
Solution: Think "easy to read." Avoid dark backgrounds with light colored fonts. White background with black text is best for the general public.
4. Spelling and Grammar Errors
Problem: Spelling and grammar errors just jump off the page.
Solution: Always spell check.
5. Text on the Page
Problem: Most internet users don't read web pages - they scan them.
Solution: Make sure your page is easy to read. Break text into manageable pieces, use sub-headings, short paragraphs, highlighted keywords and bullet points.
6. Font Styles and Sizes
Problem: Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are more difficult to read on a computer monitor. Also, text that is too small or way too big are hard to read.
Solution: It's a good idea to use non-serif fonts such as Verdana or Arial for web pages that will be read online. Your page will look much better, more professional, and will be much easier for your visitor to read.
7. Not Enough "White Space"
Problem: Too many words on a web page can be overwhelming.
Solution: Make your page easy to read by breaking the text into smaller, more manageable pieces. Also, use sub-headings and bullet points.
8. Cheesy Music that the User Cannot Control
Problem: Bad background music on a site. Next, not being able to shut it off.
Solution: If you think you need to use music on your website for some reason, then make sure you offer your visitors the option to turn it off, or on, quickly and easily.
9. Poor Layout and Design
Problem: Have you ever been to a website that is simply just "too much"? It's like they are trying to fill every available pixel of space on the entire page.
Solution: Don't overdo it when designing your pages. Just because you can add something doesn't mean you have to. Leave plenty of white space between your text and images.
10. Overly Long Pages
Problem: Ever been to a website with a page that just scrolls down forever?
Solution: Most people will never scan down to the bottom of really long pages. It's better to have several short pages vs. a few really long pages.
11. Non-Standard Links
Problem: You go to a website and aren't sure which words are really links because the link colors have been changed.
Solution: Don't confuse your users. Keep the link colors as they are.
12. Under Construction signs
Problem: Have you ever been to a website and found a page with no content of any type but a big "Under Construction" sign instead?
Solution: Don't use "Under Construction" signs on your website.
13. Didn't Test Your Web Site
Problem: Ever been to a website that just looks like a mess? Maybe you saw text overlapping images, weird alignment, etc.
Solution: Always check to see what your site looks like in multiple browsers and change accordingly before uploading your site to the web.
14. Unclear Navigation
Problem: You don't enjoy broken links, error pages or too many moving objects - neither do your websites visitors. If navigation is too difficult to follow, visitors won't return.
Solution: Make sure that your navigation is easy to read, find and to follow. Also, make sure that it is in the same spot on all of your websites pages.
15. Sloppy Web Site Copy
Problem: Have you ever visited a website with missing words, bad grammar, or it just didn't make sense?
Solution: Always remember, "Content is King" on the internet, so make sure there is plenty of good, focused information for your visitors.
16. Never Updating Your Site
Problem: Ever go to a website that hasn't been changed at all over the last few times that you've visited it?
Solution: You should always update the content on your site frequently.
17. Too Many Clicks
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website, found something you're interested in checking out, and then had to click, click, click before you found the item you were looking for (if you didn't give up first)?
Solution: Don't test the patience of your visitors. Make sure that everything can be found on your site within 3 clicks or less.
18. No Privacy Policy
Problem: No Privacy Policy page is listed on a website.
Solution: Post a Privacy Policy on your website. Make sure that your customers know that you will not share their addresses with anyone.
19. No Company Contact Information
Problem: A company with no address or contact information is not one you necessarily want to give your money to.
Solution: Email addresses or phone numbers are most often seen as contact information on websites, however, having a physical mailing address on your web site adds another key credibility factor.
20. Using Free Web Hosting
Problem: You visit a web page that has a name so long you'll never remember it because it is from one of those free website hosts.
Solution: If you want to be taken seriously as far as your internet business is concerned, avoid using free web hosting. This all adds to the issue of credibility.
21. Using Free E-mail Addresses
Problem: You visit a website and try to send an email to them, however the email addresses are not associated with the domain name.
Solution: Using a free email address, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail, is never appropriate for your website. On your website it is a good idea to always use an email addresses that is associated with your domain name for your business.
22. Advertisements
Problem: You've come to a website where the pages are cluttered with a lot of different advertisements.
Solution: A lot of people are using advertisements to earn extra money. That's fine, just don't overdo it.
23. Bad Images
Problem: How many times have you seen a web page with missing graphics files or misshaped images?
Solution: Always optimize your images and use the height and width attributes of the image tag. Additionally, save the files in the right image formats: JPG for Photographs and GIF for artwork.
24. This Website Best Viewed on .....
Problem: This is often seen on many beginner websites.
Solution: Simply don't use this on your website.
25. No Prices
Problem: Websites that don't have product prices listed clearly.
Solution: If you're selling a product on your website, ALWAYS include a price with the item description.
Last but not least, here's a list of things that you should just avoid, simply because it's the right thing to do concerning website design. And here they are:
Frames, Hit counters, Orphan pages, Anything "Cutesy", Pop ups, Fancy Fonts, Don't overuse Flash, Avoid Javascript links, Blinking text , Animated GIFs, Missing Meta Tags, Horizontal (sideways) Scrolling, Don't underline or color normal text, Don't forget functional links on your footer, Don't forget about your Marketing Strategies, Don't forget to include anchor text on your links, Never subscribe a visitor for anything without his consent, Don't leave the home page title as "Welcome to Mysite.com", Avoid using all the "Bells And Whistles" simply because you can, Not Taking Advantage of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on your website
Whether you have created your own website or are working with someone else on creating your website, I hope all these ideas above will help you build a better website that steadily attracts visitors. If you've never built a website on your own, I hope the tips above help you design the best site that you can and help you to avoid all these issues in the future. Knowledge is critical.
Many individuals or small business owners often opt to design and build their own websites. Without proper experience or website design background many mistakes are made. If you are a beginner then there are several things you should keep in mind to avoid before designing your website.
Here are several common mistakes which should be avoided when designing your new website.
1. Slow Loading Pages
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website and waited and waited for it to load?
Solution: Optimize your images at a lower resolution to achieve faster loading pages. Keep your page sizes well under 60 KB.
2. Page Layout
Problem: Websites that have the navigation in different places throughout the site. It looks cluttered and unprofessional.
Solution: Be consistent and be organized in your websites layout. Make sure all your web pages look the same and the websites navigation is in the same location on each page.
3. Wild and Crazy Color Schemes
Problem: Have you ever visited a website that has a background with a bright, neon color and can't read the content because the colors are so loud? What's the point?
Solution: Think "easy to read." Avoid dark backgrounds with light colored fonts. White background with black text is best for the general public.
4. Spelling and Grammar Errors
Problem: Spelling and grammar errors just jump off the page.
Solution: Always spell check.
5. Text on the Page
Problem: Most internet users don't read web pages - they scan them.
Solution: Make sure your page is easy to read. Break text into manageable pieces, use sub-headings, short paragraphs, highlighted keywords and bullet points.
6. Font Styles and Sizes
Problem: Serif fonts such as Times New Roman are more difficult to read on a computer monitor. Also, text that is too small or way too big are hard to read.
Solution: It's a good idea to use non-serif fonts such as Verdana or Arial for web pages that will be read online. Your page will look much better, more professional, and will be much easier for your visitor to read.
7. Not Enough "White Space"
Problem: Too many words on a web page can be overwhelming.
Solution: Make your page easy to read by breaking the text into smaller, more manageable pieces. Also, use sub-headings and bullet points.
8. Cheesy Music that the User Cannot Control
Problem: Bad background music on a site. Next, not being able to shut it off.
Solution: If you think you need to use music on your website for some reason, then make sure you offer your visitors the option to turn it off, or on, quickly and easily.
9. Poor Layout and Design
Problem: Have you ever been to a website that is simply just "too much"? It's like they are trying to fill every available pixel of space on the entire page.
Solution: Don't overdo it when designing your pages. Just because you can add something doesn't mean you have to. Leave plenty of white space between your text and images.
10. Overly Long Pages
Problem: Ever been to a website with a page that just scrolls down forever?
Solution: Most people will never scan down to the bottom of really long pages. It's better to have several short pages vs. a few really long pages.
11. Non-Standard Links
Problem: You go to a website and aren't sure which words are really links because the link colors have been changed.
Solution: Don't confuse your users. Keep the link colors as they are.
12. Under Construction signs
Problem: Have you ever been to a website and found a page with no content of any type but a big "Under Construction" sign instead?
Solution: Don't use "Under Construction" signs on your website.
13. Didn't Test Your Web Site
Problem: Ever been to a website that just looks like a mess? Maybe you saw text overlapping images, weird alignment, etc.
Solution: Always check to see what your site looks like in multiple browsers and change accordingly before uploading your site to the web.
14. Unclear Navigation
Problem: You don't enjoy broken links, error pages or too many moving objects - neither do your websites visitors. If navigation is too difficult to follow, visitors won't return.
Solution: Make sure that your navigation is easy to read, find and to follow. Also, make sure that it is in the same spot on all of your websites pages.
15. Sloppy Web Site Copy
Problem: Have you ever visited a website with missing words, bad grammar, or it just didn't make sense?
Solution: Always remember, "Content is King" on the internet, so make sure there is plenty of good, focused information for your visitors.
16. Never Updating Your Site
Problem: Ever go to a website that hasn't been changed at all over the last few times that you've visited it?
Solution: You should always update the content on your site frequently.
17. Too Many Clicks
Problem: Have you ever gone to a website, found something you're interested in checking out, and then had to click, click, click before you found the item you were looking for (if you didn't give up first)?
Solution: Don't test the patience of your visitors. Make sure that everything can be found on your site within 3 clicks or less.
18. No Privacy Policy
Problem: No Privacy Policy page is listed on a website.
Solution: Post a Privacy Policy on your website. Make sure that your customers know that you will not share their addresses with anyone.
19. No Company Contact Information
Problem: A company with no address or contact information is not one you necessarily want to give your money to.
Solution: Email addresses or phone numbers are most often seen as contact information on websites, however, having a physical mailing address on your web site adds another key credibility factor.
20. Using Free Web Hosting
Problem: You visit a web page that has a name so long you'll never remember it because it is from one of those free website hosts.
Solution: If you want to be taken seriously as far as your internet business is concerned, avoid using free web hosting. This all adds to the issue of credibility.
21. Using Free E-mail Addresses
Problem: You visit a website and try to send an email to them, however the email addresses are not associated with the domain name.
Solution: Using a free email address, such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail, is never appropriate for your website. On your website it is a good idea to always use an email addresses that is associated with your domain name for your business.
22. Advertisements
Problem: You've come to a website where the pages are cluttered with a lot of different advertisements.
Solution: A lot of people are using advertisements to earn extra money. That's fine, just don't overdo it.
23. Bad Images
Problem: How many times have you seen a web page with missing graphics files or misshaped images?
Solution: Always optimize your images and use the height and width attributes of the image tag. Additionally, save the files in the right image formats: JPG for Photographs and GIF for artwork.
24. This Website Best Viewed on .....
Problem: This is often seen on many beginner websites.
Solution: Simply don't use this on your website.
25. No Prices
Problem: Websites that don't have product prices listed clearly.
Solution: If you're selling a product on your website, ALWAYS include a price with the item description.
Last but not least, here's a list of things that you should just avoid, simply because it's the right thing to do concerning website design. And here they are:
Frames, Hit counters, Orphan pages, Anything "Cutesy", Pop ups, Fancy Fonts, Don't overuse Flash, Avoid Javascript links, Blinking text , Animated GIFs, Missing Meta Tags, Horizontal (sideways) Scrolling, Don't underline or color normal text, Don't forget functional links on your footer, Don't forget about your Marketing Strategies, Don't forget to include anchor text on your links, Never subscribe a visitor for anything without his consent, Don't leave the home page title as "Welcome to Mysite.com", Avoid using all the "Bells And Whistles" simply because you can, Not Taking Advantage of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on your website
Whether you have created your own website or are working with someone else on creating your website, I hope all these ideas above will help you build a better website that steadily attracts visitors. If you've never built a website on your own, I hope the tips above help you design the best site that you can and help you to avoid all these issues in the future. Knowledge is critical.
How to Set up a Web Designer's Home Office
Setting up a web designer’s home office really is not that difficult as long as you know the key elements important to a web designer. Web design takes a lot of work sitting in front of a computer so one of the most important items is home office furniture that is comfortable. A comfortable and supportive chair is a given, but the rest of the office furniture should provide a cozy feeling to the office that makes it a nice place to work. Of course, web designers are on the go a lot as well because they have clients interested in their design skills so they will also need a car office. This might sound surprising, but web designers work a lot out of their car and so a car desk is of utmost importance to the success of a web designer.
When you are considering the home office as a whole you should also take into consideration the car office. You want to include complementary items so that when the web designer needs to work out of his car it is no problem and returning to the home office is easy as well. This requires knowing what is needed at home and what is needed on the road and these are not always the same things. For example, a pen drive would be an important part of the car office but it wouldn’t necessarily be the most important aspect of the home office although it is necessary. The furniture in the home office is a big deal, but the car office really just focuses on a desk where the designer can get some basic work done.
Remember as well that when you are designing a home office the colors that are used are very important. You want to use colors that reflect a positive work ethnic. You can do some research on how colors affect people and then you simply choose the colors that boost work and avoid those that promote sadness, idleness, or other similar traits. When you design a home office in this way and include comfortable furniture then you will create a great place to work that any web designer will love. Just always remember to include all the items the web designer likes to work with and make sure it is an environment that will match the owner’s personality and you have a winner!
When you are considering the home office as a whole you should also take into consideration the car office. You want to include complementary items so that when the web designer needs to work out of his car it is no problem and returning to the home office is easy as well. This requires knowing what is needed at home and what is needed on the road and these are not always the same things. For example, a pen drive would be an important part of the car office but it wouldn’t necessarily be the most important aspect of the home office although it is necessary. The furniture in the home office is a big deal, but the car office really just focuses on a desk where the designer can get some basic work done.
Remember as well that when you are designing a home office the colors that are used are very important. You want to use colors that reflect a positive work ethnic. You can do some research on how colors affect people and then you simply choose the colors that boost work and avoid those that promote sadness, idleness, or other similar traits. When you design a home office in this way and include comfortable furniture then you will create a great place to work that any web designer will love. Just always remember to include all the items the web designer likes to work with and make sure it is an environment that will match the owner’s personality and you have a winner!
Web Design Tips for Health Websites
Health websites have a special way in which they should be designed because web surfers anticipate a certain type of website. Web design is very important and while many companies were not aware of this for quite some time it is now catching on that a website selling medical imaging supplies should be designed differently than a website offering medical advice. It all comes down to people and their expectations. We all have them and whenever we walk in a doctor’s office we expect it to look a certain way. The same goes for a movie theatre, shopping mall, and other places of interest. We have expectations for the places we visit in person and the same goes for the websites we visit virtually. Websites selling medical surgical supplies should be conservative and informative and make it easy for you to buy products whereas another website that is about gossip can be colorful and fun.
There are quite a few web design tips for health websites. One tip for health websites is for them to be designed in conservative colors like blue, black, dark green, and other similar colors. People visit health websites for a reason and they want the website to feel like a serious place. Organization is also important when it comes to designing a health website because people will most likely be visiting for informational purposes. As a result you want to have the information placed in a very organized layout so that visitors can find what they are looking for with minimal effort. Web surfers want instant gratification and if they don’t find what they are looking for very quickly they will simply click off your page and head back to the search engine to try again. Because of this it is very important to have your website organized in a way that will keep visitors interested and on your page otherwise you will lose them.
So, make sure that when you are designing your health website you check out some other health websites that are popular and see what works and what doesn’t. When you can use other websites as references you should because it will allow you to create an even better website with a design that will be outstanding and keep the traffic coming in to your site. Just always keep in mind that simple and straightforward is a lot better than creative and confusing.
There are quite a few web design tips for health websites. One tip for health websites is for them to be designed in conservative colors like blue, black, dark green, and other similar colors. People visit health websites for a reason and they want the website to feel like a serious place. Organization is also important when it comes to designing a health website because people will most likely be visiting for informational purposes. As a result you want to have the information placed in a very organized layout so that visitors can find what they are looking for with minimal effort. Web surfers want instant gratification and if they don’t find what they are looking for very quickly they will simply click off your page and head back to the search engine to try again. Because of this it is very important to have your website organized in a way that will keep visitors interested and on your page otherwise you will lose them.
So, make sure that when you are designing your health website you check out some other health websites that are popular and see what works and what doesn’t. When you can use other websites as references you should because it will allow you to create an even better website with a design that will be outstanding and keep the traffic coming in to your site. Just always keep in mind that simple and straightforward is a lot better than creative and confusing.
Make Your Site Easy for Your Visitors to Navigate
I had a good laugh the other day while researching this topic when I read that websites should be designed so even your grandmother or grandfather can find their way through it. I laughed since I am a grandfather which indicates that the site must be REALLY easy to navigate. - LOL.
What caused me to focus on this subject came from working on a particular website. Like most websites, it started with only a few pages and was easy to navigate. And like most websites, it grew and became more complex which complicated the site navigation.
The original site navigation pattern was a circular pattern where the reader would follow the links from one page to the next until he/she arrived back at the starting page. This works fine as long as there is never a break. However, we all know that during surfing, you have to get up and tend to something or you go off on a tangent to another page. When you return, it is sometimes difficult to determine exactly where you were. If the reader has to follow several page links back to the continuation point, frustration sets in and "click" the reader is gone.
To solve this site navigation problem, a navigation bar was added to the pages on the website.
A navigation bar ("nav bar"), is the basic tool for site navigation. Navigation bars are usually some form of java script. They are text, buttons, or boxes usually placed on the top or left side of every page. This allows the reader to quickly link to the main pages of the site. A feature that is usually incorporated in the nav bar is the nav bar entry for the current page is indicated by a change of color or appearance to indicate where you are currently located in the site.
Some HTML editors will build your navigation bar for you. When you build a page, you specify if you want the page included on the nav bar and if you want a nav bar on the page.
The best web host builds your nav bar for you. When you create a web page, you are given options if you want the page listed in the nav bar and if so, what the text on the nav bar should say.
As an aside ... if you have a landing page on your site where you want the reader to take only one action (click to buy or click to subscribe), do not put any external links or a nav bar on that page. You do not want to give the reader a means of escape except to close the window.
If you include the nav bar on each content page, it gives the reader a uniform way to get from the current page to any other main page with one click which is desirable. A theory of site navigation says a reader should be no more than two clicks from any other page.
In summary, always consider how your reader will navigate your site. If navigation is easy, your reader will dig deeper and deeper into your site. If navigation is confusing or difficult, your reader will click away from your site and will not return. Work to make that navigation easy and keep your readers happy. Especially for grandmothers and grandfathers!
What caused me to focus on this subject came from working on a particular website. Like most websites, it started with only a few pages and was easy to navigate. And like most websites, it grew and became more complex which complicated the site navigation.
The original site navigation pattern was a circular pattern where the reader would follow the links from one page to the next until he/she arrived back at the starting page. This works fine as long as there is never a break. However, we all know that during surfing, you have to get up and tend to something or you go off on a tangent to another page. When you return, it is sometimes difficult to determine exactly where you were. If the reader has to follow several page links back to the continuation point, frustration sets in and "click" the reader is gone.
To solve this site navigation problem, a navigation bar was added to the pages on the website.
A navigation bar ("nav bar"), is the basic tool for site navigation. Navigation bars are usually some form of java script. They are text, buttons, or boxes usually placed on the top or left side of every page. This allows the reader to quickly link to the main pages of the site. A feature that is usually incorporated in the nav bar is the nav bar entry for the current page is indicated by a change of color or appearance to indicate where you are currently located in the site.
Some HTML editors will build your navigation bar for you. When you build a page, you specify if you want the page included on the nav bar and if you want a nav bar on the page.
The best web host builds your nav bar for you. When you create a web page, you are given options if you want the page listed in the nav bar and if so, what the text on the nav bar should say.
As an aside ... if you have a landing page on your site where you want the reader to take only one action (click to buy or click to subscribe), do not put any external links or a nav bar on that page. You do not want to give the reader a means of escape except to close the window.
If you include the nav bar on each content page, it gives the reader a uniform way to get from the current page to any other main page with one click which is desirable. A theory of site navigation says a reader should be no more than two clicks from any other page.
In summary, always consider how your reader will navigate your site. If navigation is easy, your reader will dig deeper and deeper into your site. If navigation is confusing or difficult, your reader will click away from your site and will not return. Work to make that navigation easy and keep your readers happy. Especially for grandmothers and grandfathers!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Web Designing Course - It Pays to Get Your Colors Right
People who visit your website usually form an instant opinion about you and what your website offers. The opinion that is formed in this instantaneous way is done so subconsciously. This happens automatically, and you might wonder why. It has absolutely nothing to do with the text on your website. And yet your visitor will still form their instant opinion without even reading a single word of your costly copy.
It doesn't matter either, whether the quality of the images on your website are of the highest. Nor does your offer matter. You could be promoting a sensational deal, like selling dollars for dimes. But this too, will be overlooked by the site visitor. This is because the initial reaction to your website is instant, and occurs the moment the page appears in the browser of your visitor. You may have guessed there is something subliminal at work here. In a way, that is right. Immediate opinions are formed by visitors to every single website. What causes the instant opinion may be a surprise to you. It's color. Your visitor's instant opinion of your website is primarily due to the color scheme which you have used.
The spooky thing about this is that as a web page viewer we can do nothing about this. Colors evoke an intuitive reaction which we have no control over.' We can't help ourselves. Colors bring us these emotions and feelings whether we want them or not! Companies have known about this years. You will find they spend millions in developing the appropriate colors for their new products and marketing campaigns. Big companies realize that colors are a psychological feature, and they can influence our reception of their marketing. In their business propositions, the big companies understand that the use of appropriate colors is a key element. What webmasters have to realize, and this can be very important, is that the same color psychology applies to our web pages.
By the psychological power you could encourage your website visitors to leave your page the instant they see it. No matter what your website is about, it may simply be unsuccessful due to the colors you're using. Forget the text, it might never be read! But don't despair. By using a different color scheme it is quite possible to influence your web page visitor to react positively to you and your offering. This color psychology is nothing new. It's been around with us for decades. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.
The trick is in conveying the right feeling. A certain color combination might convey a nice feeling. Yet another, could convey bad feeling. Your choice with your color selections is to send a sense belonging, trust and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. The following list gives an idea of the emotions associated with their respective colors:
RED Strength, sense of power, love, danger, leadership, energy, excitement etc
ORANGE Courage, cheerfulness, friendliness, playfulness, confidence, comfort, steadfastness etc
YELLOW Joy, brightness, amusement, curiosity, intelligence, caution, organization etc
GREENHealth, harmony, life, money, food, nature, healing etc
BLUETranquility, acceptance, patience, trustworthiness, peace, love, stability etc
PURPLENobility, royalty, dignity, luxury, ambition, wisdom, independence etc
BROWNNature, primitive, durability, earthiness, tribal, reliability, comfort etc
BLACKDramatic, power, health, style, elegance, formality, sophistication etc
WHITEPurity, innocence, goodness, easy, fresh, cleanliness, simplicity etc
Finally, be aware that your website color scheme should reflect the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you may never see them again. It is important therefore that your website uses the right color scheme. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. Be aware, your color scheme can cause your website to make a profit or a loss.
It doesn't matter either, whether the quality of the images on your website are of the highest. Nor does your offer matter. You could be promoting a sensational deal, like selling dollars for dimes. But this too, will be overlooked by the site visitor. This is because the initial reaction to your website is instant, and occurs the moment the page appears in the browser of your visitor. You may have guessed there is something subliminal at work here. In a way, that is right. Immediate opinions are formed by visitors to every single website. What causes the instant opinion may be a surprise to you. It's color. Your visitor's instant opinion of your website is primarily due to the color scheme which you have used.
The spooky thing about this is that as a web page viewer we can do nothing about this. Colors evoke an intuitive reaction which we have no control over.' We can't help ourselves. Colors bring us these emotions and feelings whether we want them or not! Companies have known about this years. You will find they spend millions in developing the appropriate colors for their new products and marketing campaigns. Big companies realize that colors are a psychological feature, and they can influence our reception of their marketing. In their business propositions, the big companies understand that the use of appropriate colors is a key element. What webmasters have to realize, and this can be very important, is that the same color psychology applies to our web pages.
By the psychological power you could encourage your website visitors to leave your page the instant they see it. No matter what your website is about, it may simply be unsuccessful due to the colors you're using. Forget the text, it might never be read! But don't despair. By using a different color scheme it is quite possible to influence your web page visitor to react positively to you and your offering. This color psychology is nothing new. It's been around with us for decades. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.
The trick is in conveying the right feeling. A certain color combination might convey a nice feeling. Yet another, could convey bad feeling. Your choice with your color selections is to send a sense belonging, trust and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. The following list gives an idea of the emotions associated with their respective colors:
RED Strength, sense of power, love, danger, leadership, energy, excitement etc
ORANGE Courage, cheerfulness, friendliness, playfulness, confidence, comfort, steadfastness etc
YELLOW Joy, brightness, amusement, curiosity, intelligence, caution, organization etc
GREENHealth, harmony, life, money, food, nature, healing etc
BLUETranquility, acceptance, patience, trustworthiness, peace, love, stability etc
PURPLENobility, royalty, dignity, luxury, ambition, wisdom, independence etc
BROWNNature, primitive, durability, earthiness, tribal, reliability, comfort etc
BLACKDramatic, power, health, style, elegance, formality, sophistication etc
WHITEPurity, innocence, goodness, easy, fresh, cleanliness, simplicity etc
Finally, be aware that your website color scheme should reflect the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you may never see them again. It is important therefore that your website uses the right color scheme. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. Be aware, your color scheme can cause your website to make a profit or a loss.
Cool Web Designs - Why Color is the Key Element
You may not realize it, but many of your website visitors form an immediate opinion about you and your website. They can't help themselves. Their instant opinion is formed in their subconscious mind. You might wonder why this happens. This reaction comes regardless of the words and text on your web pages. The visitor need not read a single word, and yet they will form their instant opinion.
You might also have invested in some really great pictures or images on your site. I'm afraid this will carry zero influence on your visitor's instant opinion. You might think if you make an unrepeatable offer, that your visitor is bound to be swayed by that! I'm sorry, the instant opinion clicks in, and your brilliant offer lies unseen. This is because the second your page is displayed your subconscious mind goes to work, and the instant opinion begins to form. By now, you are probably wondering just what it is that has this power. Exactly what can have an immediate reaction in your site visitors. You may have already worked out that the answer is colors. It is the color scheme used on your website which causes your page visitors to create that instant opinion.
The reason this happens is because we all react psychological and intuitively to colors. There isn't anything we can do about this. Colors has an affect on each of us. As you will know, millions are spent by big companies in deciding the correct colors of new products and in their marketing campaigns. What they fully understand is the psychological power of colors. And they use this to the maximum in their promotions. The right colors can be the critical factor in the success of big company products. What webmasters have to realize, and this can be very important, is that the same color psychology applies to our web pages.
The color scheme on your web pages can tell your visitor different things. The colors could convey a negative message, in which case be prepared for your visitors to leave your site very quickly. If you're selling a product from your web page, it wouldn't matter how smart your sales messages are, it's possible that they won't be read anyway. The good news, however, is that you can use colors to engender a really positive reaction. This isn't a new discovery. The psychological power of colors is well known in the offline marketing world. It's been around with us for decades. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.
What we need to do in our website design is to ensure the color combination on our web pages convey a positive feelings. If you do this, then you will be conveying a trust, sense of belonging and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. The following list of colors indicates the feelings and emotions with which they are associated:
RED Excitement, sense of power, leadership, love, danger, energy, strength etc
ORANGE Cheerfulness, courage, confidence, comfort, steadfastness, playfulness, friendliness etc
YELLOW Organization, caution, amusement, brightness, curiosity, intelligence, joy etc
GREEN Money, food, health, healing, nature, life, harmony etc
BLUE Acceptance, tranquility, patience, peace, trustworthiness, stability, love etc
PURPLE Ambition, dignity, royalty, independence, wisdom, luxury, nobility etc
BROWN Tribal, earthiness, nature, durability, comfort, primitive, reliability etc
BLACK Sophistication, style, elegance, health, formality, power, dramatic etc
WHITE Simplicity, innocence, purity, fresh, cleanliness, easy, goodness etc
In summary, the color scheme you use on your web pages need to be reflected by the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you will lose your visitor. You should spend time in determining what are the right colors for your web pages. Try and make sure your colors and message are in harmony. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. Be aware, your color scheme can cause your website to make a profit or a loss.
You might also have invested in some really great pictures or images on your site. I'm afraid this will carry zero influence on your visitor's instant opinion. You might think if you make an unrepeatable offer, that your visitor is bound to be swayed by that! I'm sorry, the instant opinion clicks in, and your brilliant offer lies unseen. This is because the second your page is displayed your subconscious mind goes to work, and the instant opinion begins to form. By now, you are probably wondering just what it is that has this power. Exactly what can have an immediate reaction in your site visitors. You may have already worked out that the answer is colors. It is the color scheme used on your website which causes your page visitors to create that instant opinion.
The reason this happens is because we all react psychological and intuitively to colors. There isn't anything we can do about this. Colors has an affect on each of us. As you will know, millions are spent by big companies in deciding the correct colors of new products and in their marketing campaigns. What they fully understand is the psychological power of colors. And they use this to the maximum in their promotions. The right colors can be the critical factor in the success of big company products. What webmasters have to realize, and this can be very important, is that the same color psychology applies to our web pages.
The color scheme on your web pages can tell your visitor different things. The colors could convey a negative message, in which case be prepared for your visitors to leave your site very quickly. If you're selling a product from your web page, it wouldn't matter how smart your sales messages are, it's possible that they won't be read anyway. The good news, however, is that you can use colors to engender a really positive reaction. This isn't a new discovery. The psychological power of colors is well known in the offline marketing world. It's been around with us for decades. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.
What we need to do in our website design is to ensure the color combination on our web pages convey a positive feelings. If you do this, then you will be conveying a trust, sense of belonging and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. The following list of colors indicates the feelings and emotions with which they are associated:
RED Excitement, sense of power, leadership, love, danger, energy, strength etc
ORANGE Cheerfulness, courage, confidence, comfort, steadfastness, playfulness, friendliness etc
YELLOW Organization, caution, amusement, brightness, curiosity, intelligence, joy etc
GREEN Money, food, health, healing, nature, life, harmony etc
BLUE Acceptance, tranquility, patience, peace, trustworthiness, stability, love etc
PURPLE Ambition, dignity, royalty, independence, wisdom, luxury, nobility etc
BROWN Tribal, earthiness, nature, durability, comfort, primitive, reliability etc
BLACK Sophistication, style, elegance, health, formality, power, dramatic etc
WHITE Simplicity, innocence, purity, fresh, cleanliness, easy, goodness etc
In summary, the color scheme you use on your web pages need to be reflected by the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you will lose your visitor. You should spend time in determining what are the right colors for your web pages. Try and make sure your colors and message are in harmony. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. Be aware, your color scheme can cause your website to make a profit or a loss.
Different Types Of Web Designers - From Large Companies And Affordable Freelancers?
There are lots of different types of web designer. In my experience working full time in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) I come across all sorts.
Some web designers are part of massive companies, has many other people to go to for support on items from outside their sphere of expertise. They have all the resources, and can not only create fantastic websites, but whole online business solutions.
However, all these fantastic abilities and resources do have one downfall, they cost a large sum of money and many businesses in the UK don’t have the financial clout or marketing budget to employ these people’s services.
Another type of web designer can work in a smaller company with one or two other designers and a couple of programmers. They may not or may not be able to do the same quality job as the larger company, but they can only handle four or five jobs at a time, and may take a bit longer.
The websites from these designers are still likely to do an extremely good job, there might be a few less fancy features, but this website is still likely to cost several thousand pounds. This may be more obtainable for some smaller companies, and the investment may well be returned if the website is successful.
Despite business owners knowing how important a website is, these large kinds of investments are a risk, and although that risk could provide long term dividends, there are no guarantees of this success, and will first look for more affordable web designers.
Some web designers may have mountains of experience but still come cheap. I have worked with some of these as my SEO clients. However, mountains of experience and cheap probably just means that they are still designing sites made from tables.
Frankly websites made from tables are ugly. I’ve made some myself and I think that CSS is a fantastic thing, separating the style from the content and allowing you to beautify a page far more effectively than HTML could alone. It also creates cleaner code, meaning faster loading times for your visitors and is better for the optimisation of the site.
Some web designers are like me. They have studied different types of internet technology or have just enjoyed tinkering around with them like I did when I used to take computers apart.
We come cheap, have bags of potential, can create visually stunning designs and can borrow from the thousands of scripts that are available on the internet for the bits that we don’t know how to hard code ourselves.
We often have one skill that sets us apart from other contemporaries. For example, one of my friends who is another cheap freelance web designer is a great php programmer, and can do things with that, that I cannot imagine how to implement. However I know Search Engine Optimisation as well as website construction and being a search engine marketer has advantages for created websites that most would have to pay large sums of money for.
I am able to create sites that have all the on-page factors ready to be read by the search engines. By getting a few good quality links on the home page, you enable the site to be indexed quickly and if the content is of good enough quality, before too long you will be getting some traffic.
Having a website built buy one of these cheaper designers can still increase revenues and brand awareness, maybe not to the same degree that the larger outlay would get you, but this can be what gives you a platform to get the site of your dreams built.
At the end of the day, you will normally get what you pay for. Higher fees charged usually indicate that the designers have some ability. But just because a freelancers site is cheap, does not mean that the site that they would build for you would not provide your business or even hobby or charity an extremely vital marketing and revenue source.
Some web designers are part of massive companies, has many other people to go to for support on items from outside their sphere of expertise. They have all the resources, and can not only create fantastic websites, but whole online business solutions.
However, all these fantastic abilities and resources do have one downfall, they cost a large sum of money and many businesses in the UK don’t have the financial clout or marketing budget to employ these people’s services.
Another type of web designer can work in a smaller company with one or two other designers and a couple of programmers. They may not or may not be able to do the same quality job as the larger company, but they can only handle four or five jobs at a time, and may take a bit longer.
The websites from these designers are still likely to do an extremely good job, there might be a few less fancy features, but this website is still likely to cost several thousand pounds. This may be more obtainable for some smaller companies, and the investment may well be returned if the website is successful.
Despite business owners knowing how important a website is, these large kinds of investments are a risk, and although that risk could provide long term dividends, there are no guarantees of this success, and will first look for more affordable web designers.
Some web designers may have mountains of experience but still come cheap. I have worked with some of these as my SEO clients. However, mountains of experience and cheap probably just means that they are still designing sites made from tables.
Frankly websites made from tables are ugly. I’ve made some myself and I think that CSS is a fantastic thing, separating the style from the content and allowing you to beautify a page far more effectively than HTML could alone. It also creates cleaner code, meaning faster loading times for your visitors and is better for the optimisation of the site.
Some web designers are like me. They have studied different types of internet technology or have just enjoyed tinkering around with them like I did when I used to take computers apart.
We come cheap, have bags of potential, can create visually stunning designs and can borrow from the thousands of scripts that are available on the internet for the bits that we don’t know how to hard code ourselves.
We often have one skill that sets us apart from other contemporaries. For example, one of my friends who is another cheap freelance web designer is a great php programmer, and can do things with that, that I cannot imagine how to implement. However I know Search Engine Optimisation as well as website construction and being a search engine marketer has advantages for created websites that most would have to pay large sums of money for.
I am able to create sites that have all the on-page factors ready to be read by the search engines. By getting a few good quality links on the home page, you enable the site to be indexed quickly and if the content is of good enough quality, before too long you will be getting some traffic.
Having a website built buy one of these cheaper designers can still increase revenues and brand awareness, maybe not to the same degree that the larger outlay would get you, but this can be what gives you a platform to get the site of your dreams built.
At the end of the day, you will normally get what you pay for. Higher fees charged usually indicate that the designers have some ability. But just because a freelancers site is cheap, does not mean that the site that they would build for you would not provide your business or even hobby or charity an extremely vital marketing and revenue source.
Web Site Design- Use of Graphics and Fonts Part I
The use to which you put graphics and fonts in your web site design is more important than you might believe. It is more than just personal preference since they can not only affect the readability of your web pages, and hence the time that visitors stay on your site, but also your search engine listings.
Both graphics and the fonts that you use for your text should be chosen carefully, and not just because it looks good to you, or even different. You might think that your graphics look nice, but they should not dominate your web page. Graphics should complement a page, and be used intelligently to convey a message.
Website graphics are in either GIF or JPG format. JPG formats are generally better for photographs and GIFs for general website graphics such as buttons and menu bars. When inserting a graphic into a web page it is important that you state the dimensions as in: .
This is because it takes time to load a graphic, but if your browser knows how much space is going to be needed it can set that aside and continue loading the rest of the page. The whole page then appears to load faster than if the graphic size was not specified. Some graphics can take a long time to load and you will have to keep an eye on that. Animated graphics especially can take ages, and your visitors will tend to disappear since they are generally not very patient when they visit a site.
Both graphics and the fonts that you use for your text should be chosen carefully, and not just because it looks good to you, or even different. You might think that your graphics look nice, but they should not dominate your web page. Graphics should complement a page, and be used intelligently to convey a message.
Website graphics are in either GIF or JPG format. JPG formats are generally better for photographs and GIFs for general website graphics such as buttons and menu bars. When inserting a graphic into a web page it is important that you state the dimensions as in: .
This is because it takes time to load a graphic, but if your browser knows how much space is going to be needed it can set that aside and continue loading the rest of the page. The whole page then appears to load faster than if the graphic size was not specified. Some graphics can take a long time to load and you will have to keep an eye on that. Animated graphics especially can take ages, and your visitors will tend to disappear since they are generally not very patient when they visit a site.
Web Site Design- Use of Graphics and Fonts Part II
It is best to keep animation to an absolute minimum, if it is necessary at all, and you frequently see sites that allow you to click a button to skip the animated introduction. There’s not really much point in having it in that case! Studies have shown that visitors are more attracted by text than by graphics, and large banner ads are complete turn-offs. In many cases, therefore, your web page would perform better with more text and fewer graphics. Where graphics are necessary, because many sites do not look like right with none at all, try to keep away from Flash since they can take ages to load.
There are circumstances where graphics are useful, such as photographs of yourself or your products, and most online businesses like to display a logo. However, to help your search engine listing you should provide alternative text for two reasons. One is that if the browser fails to resolve the graphic for any reason, your reader will see a textual description rather than a blank, and also the search engines do not read graphics but read the HTML description of it.
There are circumstances where graphics are useful, such as photographs of yourself or your products, and most online businesses like to display a logo. However, to help your search engine listing you should provide alternative text for two reasons. One is that if the browser fails to resolve the graphic for any reason, your reader will see a textual description rather than a blank, and also the search engines do not read graphics but read the HTML description of it.
Web Site Design- Use of Graphics and Fonts Part III
Text, too, is important. There is no evidence that search engine algorithms have a text element, but easily readable text is useful in keeping visitors on your page. There is a big difference between reading on a screen and reading a book or magazine. Serif fonts are generally too fussy for on-screen reading, but are better than sans serif for paper text. The serif is the little tail that many letters have in fonts such as Times New Roman. If you must use a serif font online, Courier is better than Times.
However, sans serif (French for ‘without serif’) always wins hands down, and the two best are Verdana and Arial in that order. Arial tends to be a bit difficult to read in the smaller font sizes than Verdana, and most computer software have both available.
However, just in case, allow an option by phrasing your HTML thus: . The HTML will load the Verdana first, but if that is not available then it will load Arial. Your text should be crisp and easy to read, and rather go for fancy text and background colors, stick to black on white for the majority of your web page. You can use other combinations for specific highlighted areas, but not all over.
Finally, your text size should preferably be HTML size 2 or 3. Size 1 is too small and can even be penalized by search engine spiders if they think that you are trying to hide the text behind its size. The same applies to insufficient contrast, and if a spider reckons that you are trying to hide keyword stuffing by reducing the contrast between text and background, it will penalize you. Keep in mind that spiders have no eyes for color: they read only the HTML. Try to use only two font sizes on a page, one for the main text and the other for headlines and titles.
Intelligent use of graphics and fonts in your web site design can benefit you, both in the black and white view of spiders and in the eyes of your visitors who like attractive sites. Keep it simple and natural to succeed.
However, sans serif (French for ‘without serif’) always wins hands down, and the two best are Verdana and Arial in that order. Arial tends to be a bit difficult to read in the smaller font sizes than Verdana, and most computer software have both available.
However, just in case, allow an option by phrasing your HTML thus: . The HTML will load the Verdana first, but if that is not available then it will load Arial. Your text should be crisp and easy to read, and rather go for fancy text and background colors, stick to black on white for the majority of your web page. You can use other combinations for specific highlighted areas, but not all over.
Finally, your text size should preferably be HTML size 2 or 3. Size 1 is too small and can even be penalized by search engine spiders if they think that you are trying to hide the text behind its size. The same applies to insufficient contrast, and if a spider reckons that you are trying to hide keyword stuffing by reducing the contrast between text and background, it will penalize you. Keep in mind that spiders have no eyes for color: they read only the HTML. Try to use only two font sizes on a page, one for the main text and the other for headlines and titles.
Intelligent use of graphics and fonts in your web site design can benefit you, both in the black and white view of spiders and in the eyes of your visitors who like attractive sites. Keep it simple and natural to succeed.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lucrative Web Site Designing
Developing a website for one’s business takes in a lot of time, investment s well as energy. So, what can be the ways which would guarantee a good return to your investment?
There are numerous ways which can ensure good profits. We see lots of small business websites which have cluttered backgrounds, unreadable fonts, and too many contrasts to color and shade, the most important factor in making a good impact to the consumer in the first glance is to keep the website as clean and in order as it can be. With consumers having enormous choice in front of them, it is also essential to capture their interest in the first 10 to 20 seconds. This time is usually very crucial, as in this time, consumers usually decide whether they would be looking deeper into the website or moving on to the next one. Therefore, try to keep the objective and the purpose of your website as clear and as exposed as possible, so that the prospective client would take some more time to browse thorough the website and find what they are looking for.
Websites which hold a lot of content on their first page generally take longer to load, with the attention and patience span of consumers becoming lesser and lesser due to the vast variety in front of them, hence, the first page of the website should be precise and concise. Lastly, a rightly designed website must be updated regularly with all the current and up to date information.
There are numerous ways which can ensure good profits. We see lots of small business websites which have cluttered backgrounds, unreadable fonts, and too many contrasts to color and shade, the most important factor in making a good impact to the consumer in the first glance is to keep the website as clean and in order as it can be. With consumers having enormous choice in front of them, it is also essential to capture their interest in the first 10 to 20 seconds. This time is usually very crucial, as in this time, consumers usually decide whether they would be looking deeper into the website or moving on to the next one. Therefore, try to keep the objective and the purpose of your website as clear and as exposed as possible, so that the prospective client would take some more time to browse thorough the website and find what they are looking for.
Websites which hold a lot of content on their first page generally take longer to load, with the attention and patience span of consumers becoming lesser and lesser due to the vast variety in front of them, hence, the first page of the website should be precise and concise. Lastly, a rightly designed website must be updated regularly with all the current and up to date information.
The Future of Webpage Templates for Low Cost Websites
As technology has improved we have seen continual upgrading of the esthetics and working of webpage templates. Collateral improvements of course are seen in search technology, thanks to Google and the competition within the industry.
As the worldwide web continues to grow in dominance for many forms of communication we have seen websites proliferating for every business, personal and public need that can be imagined. Webpage templates have quickly assimilated these improvements into low cost and very effective designs.
The webpage template has a very strong position in the website design market especially for small businesses, blogs and personal websites. For graphics and simple solutions they make a fine solution in a customizable package.
Many projects like Wordpress have made it quick and free of charge to establish an online presence. There are also free online template type CMS systems that provide free hosting like Register.com.
What will webpage templates offer in the future? The template of the future will continue to offer the best in layouts and graphics as well as trial tested navigational systems that work quickly and effectively.
Web templates will be even more customizable with additional content management systems (CMS) and cascading style sheets (CSS) as components within the web template package. And yes, the price and dependability will continue to improve.
In the near future you will be able to choose from thousands of interesting and highly functional templates that are easily customized, uploaded and managed. This means having a first-class website will be as easy as setting up your telephone service. And you will then have only the monthly hosting service fee of $5-10.
Very large or complex websites with cutting edge technology of course will not be available as web templates. But many Flash and video/audio feeds will be built into web templates already.
As the worldwide web continues to grow in dominance for many forms of communication we have seen websites proliferating for every business, personal and public need that can be imagined. Webpage templates have quickly assimilated these improvements into low cost and very effective designs.
The webpage template has a very strong position in the website design market especially for small businesses, blogs and personal websites. For graphics and simple solutions they make a fine solution in a customizable package.
Many projects like Wordpress have made it quick and free of charge to establish an online presence. There are also free online template type CMS systems that provide free hosting like Register.com.
What will webpage templates offer in the future? The template of the future will continue to offer the best in layouts and graphics as well as trial tested navigational systems that work quickly and effectively.
Web templates will be even more customizable with additional content management systems (CMS) and cascading style sheets (CSS) as components within the web template package. And yes, the price and dependability will continue to improve.
In the near future you will be able to choose from thousands of interesting and highly functional templates that are easily customized, uploaded and managed. This means having a first-class website will be as easy as setting up your telephone service. And you will then have only the monthly hosting service fee of $5-10.
Very large or complex websites with cutting edge technology of course will not be available as web templates. But many Flash and video/audio feeds will be built into web templates already.
Tips For Designing Your Best Website?
What Do Your Readers Really Want?
Have you ever visited a website that really has some cool stuff on it? I have. Maybe the graphics are particularly impressive. Perhaps there are things moving in and out all over the place? How do they do that?
Who cares?
Once you get past the fancy pictures and moving gizmos (which takes just a few seconds) what is left? If there is nothing else to keep you on the site you are gone in a flash. So, I ask the question again. “What do your readers really want?” The same thing you do. And that is… the message.
Keep that in mind as you design your website. Your design is the palette upon which your message is painted. It is not the message itself. It should never overshadow the message. It must support it… present it in an appropriate way.
The Best Designed Websites Make A Positive Impression
That is not to say web design is not important. Of course it is. It supports the message. But that is all it does. It supports it. It helps create an environment where your message will get heard.
Busy, flashy things are distracting and unprofessional. They shout to your visitor, “There is no message here! We just gave you cool stuff to look at!”
Your best designed website should immediately put your visitor in a relaxed mood. Online reading is difficult enough as it is. Don’t add to the problem. Create an environment which will put your visitor at ease and subtly support your message. How do you do that? Start by…
Keeping It Simple
Creativity is great. But don’t overdo it. Simplicity is usually the best approach. If you don’t believe that simply visit a few of the top sites in the world. Sites like Google or eBay or Yahoo. Each of these companies can afford the best designers in the industry. Nevertheless their design is simple and serviceable.
None of these sites jumps out like a loud used car commercial. They are subtle, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. So that is where you start…
• Keep your site uncluttered• Use plenty of white space• Provide clear, easy navigation• Use headlines and subheadings to draw your reader• Write in short paragraphs using short sentences
All of this is part of your design. Why? Because all of it supports your message and makes it easy and enjoyable for your reader to get to the point of your message.
Design Your Site To Fit Your Message
Consider the personality of your ideal visitor. If you are creating a website for business people or lawyer types keep the creativity to a minimum. Think of the documentation they are used to reading. Sharp white pages with simple black print. It speaks of professionalism.
But what if you have a site dedicated to throwing parties? The mood is much more festive. Add a little color to the background. But make it subtle. Colorful backgrounds make reading more difficult.
Is your website about dream vacations? Plenty of pictures of people having fun in exotic places are what you need. The pictures help carry the message. They help set the mood. Your overall design can reflect the warmth of a Tuscan village or the coolness of Caribbean water.
Have you ever visited a website that really has some cool stuff on it? I have. Maybe the graphics are particularly impressive. Perhaps there are things moving in and out all over the place? How do they do that?
Who cares?
Once you get past the fancy pictures and moving gizmos (which takes just a few seconds) what is left? If there is nothing else to keep you on the site you are gone in a flash. So, I ask the question again. “What do your readers really want?” The same thing you do. And that is… the message.
Keep that in mind as you design your website. Your design is the palette upon which your message is painted. It is not the message itself. It should never overshadow the message. It must support it… present it in an appropriate way.
The Best Designed Websites Make A Positive Impression
That is not to say web design is not important. Of course it is. It supports the message. But that is all it does. It supports it. It helps create an environment where your message will get heard.
Busy, flashy things are distracting and unprofessional. They shout to your visitor, “There is no message here! We just gave you cool stuff to look at!”
Your best designed website should immediately put your visitor in a relaxed mood. Online reading is difficult enough as it is. Don’t add to the problem. Create an environment which will put your visitor at ease and subtly support your message. How do you do that? Start by…
Keeping It Simple
Creativity is great. But don’t overdo it. Simplicity is usually the best approach. If you don’t believe that simply visit a few of the top sites in the world. Sites like Google or eBay or Yahoo. Each of these companies can afford the best designers in the industry. Nevertheless their design is simple and serviceable.
None of these sites jumps out like a loud used car commercial. They are subtle, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. So that is where you start…
• Keep your site uncluttered• Use plenty of white space• Provide clear, easy navigation• Use headlines and subheadings to draw your reader• Write in short paragraphs using short sentences
All of this is part of your design. Why? Because all of it supports your message and makes it easy and enjoyable for your reader to get to the point of your message.
Design Your Site To Fit Your Message
Consider the personality of your ideal visitor. If you are creating a website for business people or lawyer types keep the creativity to a minimum. Think of the documentation they are used to reading. Sharp white pages with simple black print. It speaks of professionalism.
But what if you have a site dedicated to throwing parties? The mood is much more festive. Add a little color to the background. But make it subtle. Colorful backgrounds make reading more difficult.
Is your website about dream vacations? Plenty of pictures of people having fun in exotic places are what you need. The pictures help carry the message. They help set the mood. Your overall design can reflect the warmth of a Tuscan village or the coolness of Caribbean water.
What Can a Free Photo Shop Download Do For Me?
When it comes to exploring the world of graphic design, a free photo shop download will certainly come in handy. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate user, or expert, there are plenty of ways to enhance your skills with the software program that brings newsletters, photos, and graphics to life. Today, the Internet is filled with plenty of free photo shop download opportunities for computer users to explore.
As you sit in front of your PC or type away on your Mac, you never know when a free photo shop download will make life much easier for you. With the changes in technology and the way the world now uses the computer to tweak digital camera prints or create greeting cards at home, software is needed to execute these activities. Photoshop is one of the most popular software applications on the market, but how do you know if it is for you?
Depending on the software title, you could be spending more than $100 on a selection that may or may not complete the kind of tasks you wish to accomplish. Sometimes, the application is great, but a little too advanced for your taste. When you are interested in checking out the line of Adobe products, a free photo shop download helps you test-drive the goods before committing your finances.
A free photo shop download allows you to see the kind of skills needed to operate the software. After a trial period, you can decide whether or not the software will satisfy your needs. Not only does a free photo shop download permit you to navigate the ins and outs of an application, but may also provide free photo shop tutorials to help you create a wide-range of projects and achieve a variety of graphic design goals. This type of free photo shop download also helps save money for the individual that often gets into the habit of purchasing a self-help manual for their software applications.
The best part about most free photo shop downloads for tutorials is that many offer animation and colorful screen shots that present step-by-step instructions in a slow, easy-to-follow manner. Many individuals have learned how to effectively use the toolbox, filters, and adjust colors – all by using a free photo shop download. Once you find just the right photo shop download for free, navigating the application becomes much easier, allowing you to make the most informed software purchase.
As you sit in front of your PC or type away on your Mac, you never know when a free photo shop download will make life much easier for you. With the changes in technology and the way the world now uses the computer to tweak digital camera prints or create greeting cards at home, software is needed to execute these activities. Photoshop is one of the most popular software applications on the market, but how do you know if it is for you?
Depending on the software title, you could be spending more than $100 on a selection that may or may not complete the kind of tasks you wish to accomplish. Sometimes, the application is great, but a little too advanced for your taste. When you are interested in checking out the line of Adobe products, a free photo shop download helps you test-drive the goods before committing your finances.
A free photo shop download allows you to see the kind of skills needed to operate the software. After a trial period, you can decide whether or not the software will satisfy your needs. Not only does a free photo shop download permit you to navigate the ins and outs of an application, but may also provide free photo shop tutorials to help you create a wide-range of projects and achieve a variety of graphic design goals. This type of free photo shop download also helps save money for the individual that often gets into the habit of purchasing a self-help manual for their software applications.
The best part about most free photo shop downloads for tutorials is that many offer animation and colorful screen shots that present step-by-step instructions in a slow, easy-to-follow manner. Many individuals have learned how to effectively use the toolbox, filters, and adjust colors – all by using a free photo shop download. Once you find just the right photo shop download for free, navigating the application becomes much easier, allowing you to make the most informed software purchase.
Becoming a Freelance Designer
In today’s competitive cyber world, a talented and creative freelance designer can have a steady stream of never-ending clients for his unique yet effective designs. Moreover, web design and development in today’s date has turned out to be one of the most competitive industries with tough competition between established brick-n-mortar web designing companies and freelance website designers. So, professional and skilled freelance designers must possess a powerful position in the market to make customers realize their importance and advantages over big web design companies. In other words, motive of the article is to discuss prospective advantages of a freelance designer. Let’s have a look at these benefits;
Cost Factor
Saving and cost-effectiveness is, no doubt, the first and foremost plus of hiring a freelance web designer as compared to choosing any web design company. A freelance designer will offer you low cost service because he doesn’t have bloated overheads of an established web design company. This real, tangible and attractive advantage turns out to be of great importance, especially over the long run if a customer uses the same freelancer for his multiple projects, translating huge savings in thousands of dollars.
One-on-One Partnership
Working with a freelance designer gives rise to a personal, one-on-one partnership. A client may have a number of questions in his mind once he starts with his project. Without the walls of middlemen and managers, ideas and doubts are more clearly and effectively communicated at a single point of contact. Furthermore, there are less probability of revisions and suggestions and project is completed quicker.
Accountability and Interest Factor
Client is investing a good amount of money on his project and wants the best outcome. So, he is more likely to find someone who could work for him with a complete dedication and an emotional interest. If compared, then a web design company may simply want to get a site finished and move onto the next project to make maximum turnover in the minimum time possible. Well, while assigning a project to a one-man shop, there is an obvious doubt that it will be mere waste of money and time if the project to a one-man shop may get the project sour. It is true to some extent, but when a freelance designer gets engaged with a project, he puts his career, status and livelihood on the line, and will try hard to produce best out of skills and talent.
Experience
Most of the freelance designers are very niche-oriented and have years of experience behind them. Today, market is full of these uniquely skilled and specialized freelance designers to offer their creative yet cost-effective services.
With the benefits of hiring a freelancer, I would like to add few words for freelancers as well. As the market is competitive for both established web design companies and freelancers, so, a professional freelancer must possess a strong status in the market to convince the clients. Freelancers must have targeted and well-groomed portfolios with them. Well-prepared case studies highlighting past successes do wonders. However, to focus o the client at hand is the most critical angle of marketing that shows what you can do for them today, and how your services and your talent is unique and can help their business flourish. It’s always better to give more than what your client expects. Creating value beyond monetary figure will add a star in your reputation. Once the client is convinced with your skills and professionalism, he will definitely prefer you to the next person or company in line, no matter what price they offer.
Cost Factor
Saving and cost-effectiveness is, no doubt, the first and foremost plus of hiring a freelance web designer as compared to choosing any web design company. A freelance designer will offer you low cost service because he doesn’t have bloated overheads of an established web design company. This real, tangible and attractive advantage turns out to be of great importance, especially over the long run if a customer uses the same freelancer for his multiple projects, translating huge savings in thousands of dollars.
One-on-One Partnership
Working with a freelance designer gives rise to a personal, one-on-one partnership. A client may have a number of questions in his mind once he starts with his project. Without the walls of middlemen and managers, ideas and doubts are more clearly and effectively communicated at a single point of contact. Furthermore, there are less probability of revisions and suggestions and project is completed quicker.
Accountability and Interest Factor
Client is investing a good amount of money on his project and wants the best outcome. So, he is more likely to find someone who could work for him with a complete dedication and an emotional interest. If compared, then a web design company may simply want to get a site finished and move onto the next project to make maximum turnover in the minimum time possible. Well, while assigning a project to a one-man shop, there is an obvious doubt that it will be mere waste of money and time if the project to a one-man shop may get the project sour. It is true to some extent, but when a freelance designer gets engaged with a project, he puts his career, status and livelihood on the line, and will try hard to produce best out of skills and talent.
Experience
Most of the freelance designers are very niche-oriented and have years of experience behind them. Today, market is full of these uniquely skilled and specialized freelance designers to offer their creative yet cost-effective services.
With the benefits of hiring a freelancer, I would like to add few words for freelancers as well. As the market is competitive for both established web design companies and freelancers, so, a professional freelancer must possess a strong status in the market to convince the clients. Freelancers must have targeted and well-groomed portfolios with them. Well-prepared case studies highlighting past successes do wonders. However, to focus o the client at hand is the most critical angle of marketing that shows what you can do for them today, and how your services and your talent is unique and can help their business flourish. It’s always better to give more than what your client expects. Creating value beyond monetary figure will add a star in your reputation. Once the client is convinced with your skills and professionalism, he will definitely prefer you to the next person or company in line, no matter what price they offer.
Good Web Page Designs - The Right Colors Equals More Cash
I wonder if you knew that visitors to your website form an instant opinion? And they form it about you and your offer. They can't help themselves. Their instant opinion is formed in their subconscious mind. It happens automatically. Your site visitors can't help themselves. It has absolutely nothing to do with the text on your website. In fact, their instant opinion is formed before the visitor will have read a single word of your copy.
The quality of the images on your web page won't make any difference. Their quality doesn't affect in this instant opinion. You might think if you make an unrepeatable offer, that your visitor is bound to be swayed by that! I'm sorry, the instant opinion clicks in, and your brilliant offer lies unseen. This is because the second your page is displayed your subconscious mind goes to work, and the instant opinion begins to form. By now, you are probably wondering just what it is that has this power. Exactly what can have an immediate reaction in your site visitors. This may surprise you, but the answer is colors. Your visitor's instant opinion of your website is primarily due to the color scheme which you have used.
The spooky thing about this is that as a web page viewer we can do nothing about this. Colors evoke an intuitive reaction which we have no control over.' There isn't anything we can do about this. Colors has an affect on each of us. As you will know, millions are spent by big companies in deciding the correct colors of new products and in their marketing campaigns. What they fully understand is the psychological power of colors. And they use this to the maximum in their promotions. The right colors can be the critical factor in the success of big company products. What this leads us on to that colors have a key element to play in the design of web pages. Colors on a computer screen also invoke this subconscious reaction in us all.
By the psychological power you could encourage your website visitors to leave your page the instant they see it. No matter what your website is about, it may simply be unsuccessful due to the colors you're using. Forget the text, it might never be read! But all is not lost. In the same way that colors can be a turn off, it is possible to create a positive feeling through the use of colors. This color psychology is nothing new. This has been with us for generations. It doesn't make any difference whether you know about color power, your subconscious mind is affected.
For example, a particular color scheme could convey a good feeling in each of us. However, a different color scheme might convey not so good feelings. If you do this, then you will be conveying a trust, sense of belonging and warmth. If you get your colors wrong, you could be conveying negative feelings like distrust, rejection and coolness. The following list gives an idea of the emotions associated with their respective colors:
REDStrength, danger, leadership, love, excitement, sense of power, energy etc
ORANGEConfidence, cheerfulness, steadfastness, courage, comfort, friendliness, playfulness etc
YELLOWcuriosity, caution, intelligence, amusement, brightness, organization, joy etc
GREENLife, healing, harmony, food, money, nature, health etc
BLUELove, patience, trustworthiness, acceptance, peace, stability, tranquility etc
PURPLEIndependence, ambition, dignity, wisdom, royalty, luxury, nobility etc
BROWNReliability, primitive, comfort, tribal, earthiness, nature, durability etc
BLACKWealth, dramatic, power, style, elegance, formality, sophistication etc
WHITEPurity, goodness, easy, cleanliness, fresh, innocence, simplicity etc
In summary, the color scheme you use on your web pages need to be reflected by the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you may never see them again. It is important therefore that your website uses the right color scheme. If you can achieve this, you will produce better results from your website. In summary, the difference between the right and wrong color scheme on your website can be the difference between profit and loss.
The quality of the images on your web page won't make any difference. Their quality doesn't affect in this instant opinion. You might think if you make an unrepeatable offer, that your visitor is bound to be swayed by that! I'm sorry, the instant opinion clicks in, and your brilliant offer lies unseen. This is because the second your page is displayed your subconscious mind goes to work, and the instant opinion begins to form. By now, you are probably wondering just what it is that has this power. Exactly what can have an immediate reaction in your site visitors. This may surprise you, but the answer is colors. Your visitor's instant opinion of your website is primarily due to the color scheme which you have used.
The spooky thing about this is that as a web page viewer we can do nothing about this. Colors evoke an intuitive reaction which we have no control over.' There isn't anything we can do about this. Colors has an affect on each of us. As you will know, millions are spent by big companies in deciding the correct colors of new products and in their marketing campaigns. What they fully understand is the psychological power of colors. And they use this to the maximum in their promotions. The right colors can be the critical factor in the success of big company products. What this leads us on to that colors have a key element to play in the design of web pages. Colors on a computer screen also invoke this subconscious reaction in us all.
By the psychological power you could encourage your website visitors to leave your page the instant they see it. No matter what your website is about, it may simply be unsuccessful due to the colors you're using. Forget the text, it might never be read! But all is not lost. In the same way that colors can be a turn off, it is possible to create a positive feeling through the use of colors. This color psychology is nothing new. This has been with us for generations. It doesn't make any difference whether you know about color power, your subconscious mind is affected.
For example, a particular color scheme could convey a good feeling in each of us. However, a different color scheme might convey not so good feelings. If you do this, then you will be conveying a trust, sense of belonging and warmth. If you get your colors wrong, you could be conveying negative feelings like distrust, rejection and coolness. The following list gives an idea of the emotions associated with their respective colors:
REDStrength, danger, leadership, love, excitement, sense of power, energy etc
ORANGEConfidence, cheerfulness, steadfastness, courage, comfort, friendliness, playfulness etc
YELLOWcuriosity, caution, intelligence, amusement, brightness, organization, joy etc
GREENLife, healing, harmony, food, money, nature, health etc
BLUELove, patience, trustworthiness, acceptance, peace, stability, tranquility etc
PURPLEIndependence, ambition, dignity, wisdom, royalty, luxury, nobility etc
BROWNReliability, primitive, comfort, tribal, earthiness, nature, durability etc
BLACKWealth, dramatic, power, style, elegance, formality, sophistication etc
WHITEPurity, goodness, easy, cleanliness, fresh, innocence, simplicity etc
In summary, the color scheme you use on your web pages need to be reflected by the product or offering you make. What happens is that the subconscious mind of your visitor will attempt to reconcile the colors with the message. If it can't, it will lose interest. And you may never see them again. It is important therefore that your website uses the right color scheme. If you can achieve this, you will produce better results from your website. In summary, the difference between the right and wrong color scheme on your website can be the difference between profit and loss.
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