Designing Your Home
Business Web Site
If you would like to do business on the Internet,
having your own web site is an absolute must. However, deciding on the type
of web site you'd like to create can be difficult.
You will basically have two choices - develop a mini
site or a content site. Mini sites are very popular and highly effective,
as they tightly focus on just one product. Content sites also work well,
but they are typically used to sell several different products in the same
niche. Content sites sell by educating your visitors, while mini sites are
direct sales sites.
Once you have decided on the type of site you'd like to develop, and the
products you will be offering, you can then design your site around the products.
The important thing to remember is that every part of your web site should
have one specific purpose - to get your potential customers to take action
and purchase your product.
Let's look at some of the key components of a professional web site.
Navigation
A very important part of designing a great web site is
the navigation. If your customers can't easily navigate your site, and they
can't find your products, you won't be making many sales. Place your navigational
links at the top, side and bottom of your web pages.
Your Store Front
Although the main page of a personal web site is known
as a home page, the main page of a business web site is known as the store
front.
It is vitally important that your store front page load as quickly as possible
when a potential customer arrives at your web site. It should also give the
visitor a good idea as to exactly what you're offering.
When designing your store front, less is more. Instead of trying to place
all of your information within your main page, create sections for each type
of information and include a small sample of the information within each
section. You can then link to additional information on separate pages.
To keep your web page load time down, avoid using large graphics, a large
number of graphics, animations, special effects, and large page sizes. If
your web page takes too long to load, your visitors certainly won't waste
much time waiting, which will result in lost sales.
Web Site Enhancement
There are many ways you can enhance your web site without
using a lot graphics. For example, you can use special ASCII Character Codes
to add colored bullets to your links and many other characters. In addition,
you can use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and/or HTML tables to add color
to your pages in many ways, such as highlighting, background colors, and
section dividers.
A good rule of thumb in regard to graphics is if they
don't somehow enhance your page, it's best to not include them.
Using Tables
Although there are many people now using CSS to design
their web pages, most still use HTML tables. When using tables, try placing
your heading text above your table, and your most important keyword phrase
in the top, left portion of your page for higher Search Engine ranking.
Screen Resolutions
When designing your web pages, it is very important that
you test the pages to see how they look in different screen resolutions (visit
AnyBrowser). The resolution is determined by the number of pixels the monitor
is capable of displaying. Not all monitors are created equally, and your
page needs to look good when viewed with different monitors and browsers.
To ensure your page will display properly when viewed through different browsers,
instead of using fixed widths in your tables, use percentages. This will
enable the tables to display based on a percentage of the screen size.
Background and Text Colors
When selecting your web page colors, it is very important
that you select your colors very carefully, as colors can affect your mood
and will also have an effect on your visitors.
A great way to select your colors is to do so based upon the type of effect
you'd like to achieve. For example, if you're looking for a cheerful or happy
effect, use bright colors, such as orange or yellow. If you'd like a calming
effect, use purple or blue. However, dark colors, such as black and brown
may have a depressing effect and should probably be avoided.
Although you may be tempted to use fancy backgrounds and colored text, this
makes the text very difficult to read and should be avoided. It is always
best to use a white background with black text. However, there are a few
exceptions for using text colors, such as headings, sub-headings and emphasizing
certain words.
Take some time to educate yourself about web design, Search Engine optimization,
and Internet marketing prior to developing your web site, as each will play
an important part in your success.
The most important thing to remember when building your web site is that
your site's main focus must be your product. Every part of your web site
should have one specific purchase - to lead your visitors to your sales
page.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is a successful well-known Internet Marketer and the owner
of several successful sites, including
www.Web-Source.net. Would you like
an easier way to make money online without having to design your own site?
Learn how to easily generate thousands of dollars every month with this secret
residual income system on complete autopilot. Visit:
www.ResidualIncomeOpportunitySecrets.com
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
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