Etips is a publication of:
Your Guide to Professional Web
Site Design and Development
| Issue: |
#134 |
| Date: |
April 22, 2003 |
| Circulation: |
28,920 |
| Publisher: |
Shelley Lowery |
| Email: |
admin@web-source.net |
Hello,
Welcome to this week's edition of Etips!
I have some great news for those who have been patiently waiting for the
release of my ebook, Web Design Mastery, in PDF format.
After months in development, Web Design Mastery is now available in PDF format!
But, that's not all. The entire book has been completely overhauled with
updated tutorials, new tutorials, screen shots and codes.
This eight volume series is now over 500 pages of solid information written
specifically for the Internet marketer interested in designing (or improving)
their own web site.
The feedback has been absolutely phenomenal and I thank each and everyone
who wrote to me over the weekend. I sincerely appreciated your kind comments
and success stories. Your success is my success...that's why I do what I
do.
Click
here to pick up your copy of this powerful series.
In today's edition of Etips, we will continue our ten part series, "The Birth
of a Professional Web Site," with part two and focus on your strategic
plan.
If you missed part one in this series, you can find it at the following web
address:
The Birth of a Professional Web Site:
Part One
The
Learning Process
I hope you'll enjoy this week's edition of Etips.
To Your Success!
The Birth of a Professional Web Site Part
Two Your Strategic Plan
There are millions of web sites
on the Internet today with thousands more being added each day. The competition
is fierce and in order to be successful, you must stay one step ahead of
the game.
Although designing a professional web site is an important part of your strategic
plan, it is only the first step. Before you begin the actual design process,
you must first determine your overall strategy and design your web site
accordingly.
Internet marketers have basically two choices:
-> Design a mini web site that focuses on just one product or service,
with no other content of any kind.
-> Design a content web site that includes not only your products and
services, but also information and resources that will be of interest to
your target market.
Although both types of sites can be effective, your success ultimately depends
on your site design and marketing strategies. Both will play a very important
role.
Content Web Sites
Content oriented sites are sites that provide visitors with content, such
as articles, tutorials, free ebooks and resources. This type of site attracts
their target audience with incentives. Their products and services are mentioned
on the main page with a link to further information.
Content sites usually profit by educating their visitors. For example, a
content site focusing on dog grooming might provide a basic tutorial to assist
their visitors in learning how to groom a dog. They provide this tutorial
completely free; however, the main purpose for this tutorial is to educate
their visitors and promote their products.
When you provide your visitors with quality information that teaches and
informs, you are not only gaining their trust in you by sharing your expertise,
but you're also building your credibility, which is very important on the
Internet.
The key to using this technique effectively is to provide content that targets
your potential customer.
Mini-Sites
Mini-sites are different from content sites, as they don't provide any content.
They usually contain one or two pages and completely focus on one product
or service. Basically, the site is just a sales letter for the product.
No matter which type of site you design, keep in mind, your web site is a
direct reflection of you and your business. The appearance of your web site
is the most important factor in determining your web site's value. If your
site doesn't look professional or pleasing to the eyes at first glance, it's
perceived value will be low. The perceived value of your web site will have
a great impact on your success.
On the other hand, you may have a great web site, well designed and a quality
product or service, but if it takes too long to load, the value will still
be perceived as low. Why? Your potential customer will not wait -- ultimately
costing you business.
If you're serious about your Internet business, designing a web site specifically
designed to sell your products is an essential part of your success. Everything
within your web site should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitors
to take action.
Your Strategy
Prior to designing your web site, you must decide on the type of response
you're looking for. For example, if you're selling a product, the response
you're most-likely trying to achieve is to make a sale. If you're developing
a content site, your main goal for every page of your site should be to lead
your visitors to your sales page. You can accomplish this in a number of
ways, including:
1) Display a graphic image of your product on your main page with a short
ad and a link leading to your sales page.
2) Create a "Products" section within the navigational menu of each page
with a short description and link to each of your products.
3) Write articles that focus on the same topic as your product. At the end
of the article, within your bylines, provide your visitors with information
about your product.
4) Write tutorials that target your potential customer. At the end of the
tutorial, provide information about your product.
5) Provide your visitors with a free autoresponder course. Your course should
identify a problem, provide advice in regard to solving the problem and provide
the solution with your products or services. Keep in mind, your course should
not be written like a sales letter. It must provide quality information written
to teach and inform.
No matter what type of response you're looking for, your site must be
specifically designed to achieve your goal.
Every part of your web site must be strategically designed. From your overall
design to your sales copy -- each will play a very important role.
Your web site is the most important sales tool you have. A professional web
site should be pleasing to the eyes, well organized, easy to navigate, load
quickly and be optimized for the Search Engines.
Above all else, you must specifically design your site for your potential
customers. Provide them with the information they desire, while continually
mentioning the benefits of your products, and you'll reap the rewards.
(Continued in part three)
Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2003.
About the
Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the highly acclaimed ebook series,
Web Design Mastery -- An eight volume (500+
pages) in-depth guide to professional web design. Web Design Mastery is being
hailed as the "Bible" for professional web design.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com |
|
| Tip of
the Week |
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Text can be formatted in a
number of ways using the paragraph tag. <P> - Paragraph tags are used
to display paragraphs that automatically adjust to each viewer's window size.
You can format text with the paragraph tag by using the align="left",
align="center", or align="right" attributes within the <P> tag. <P
align="center">
Today's tip is an excerpt from the highly acclaimed
Web Design Mastery series.
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