| |
| |
|
Web Development Information |
|
|
|
Making Your Websites More Compelling
The Internet is a remarkable publishing medium. With just a little effort, you can make your web pages visually irresistible by playing with color, shapes and text. Whether your websites are already launched or you're ready to create your first few, use the 3 simple steps below to kick things up a notch and make your sites professional and appealing. Step 1: Grab People's Attention with a Photo or Graphic. Without a logo or visual image to represent the central offering on your web page, you are asking potential clients to immediately take a big leap and dive into your text. Why risk the possibility of them not reading your important message? People browsing the web are notoriously impatient. Capture their attention with a photo/graphic before they click off your site. Choose the perfect image from Photodisc, ClipArt or Corbis for as little as $9 to $90 per image. Human beings are visual creatures. Consider your favorite magazine for a moment. Would it still be your favorite if it used only text on its cover this month? Step 2: Boost the credibility of your service or product by using a professional color scheme. Using the image you selected in step one, it's easy to go the next step and pull together a professional looking color scheme. ColorSchemer is a small, inexpensive software (US$25) that helps you choose a color scheme that's eye-catching and unexpected, even if you're color-challenged. When picking colors, don't be afraid to let your personality show through. Check out http://www.colorschemer.com/. Step 3: Use graphical "signposts" throughout your material to help readers absorb your message. As you browse the web, start making mental notes about sites you enjoy visiting. I'm willing to bet it's the ones that break up text with colored bullets, numbers and other signposts that mentally engage you the most. I'll even go so far as to say that a website that does not use graphical signposts shows a disregard for the needs of the reader, intentionally or not. Think of these mini-graphics as a way of showing consideration to your reader. They want to read your material and you help them make it easy by providing mental white space and places to rest their eyes. Just a few No-No's: Don't overdo. The power of visual communication can be diluted if too many images are used on each page. There is both art and science to finding the right balance since too many images on a website can be just as ineffective as too few. The key is to work at finding this balance by studying other websites. Don't use Flash or other animation. More often than not, flash/animation comes across as cheap rather than professional and has only been shown to be effective in very specific circumstances. Moreover, web pages created with Flash don't rank well with search engines. If you must use it, do so very sparingly and be sure to have it professionally designed. Whatever you do, don't be bland. With millions of websites published every day, you must stand out in order to be noticed. Graphics that reflect you, your offering and your personality will help you become more attractive to clients -- quickly, affordably and with style. One of the challenges of working online is to alleviate your client's natural reservations in a new and unfamiliar environment - the virtual world. Making things more comfortable for them is your number one priority and graphics will help you achieve that. By going the extra mile to make your websites look 100% professional, you become more credible in your own eyes as well. Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J.Leonard's General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. For more helpful tips, visit www.39lessons.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Most Important Aspect of Writing Web Copy There is an ongoing debate about web copy. Some say that it should be similar to direct mail copy. Your Biggest Mistake When You Create a Website? --------------------------------Why Should You Create a website?--------------------------------A. What do you want when you create a website?B. 7 Ways to Gain a Professional Online Reputation A professional online reputation is essential to the flourishing of any business big or small. Many business owners spend countless hours on the core operations of their business forgetting the importance their website has. Make Your Own Website - General Website Design Tips Wow, we`ve already taken a domain and chosen a web host. Great job ! Now it`s time for something special: making your own website. How to Create Sizzling Sales online "Don't Sell the Steak, Sell the Sizzle."Have you heard of this phrase before? It has been widely regarded as "principle number one of salesmanship" as far back as 1936. How Disabled Users Access The Internet In 1995 a new era of accessibility for disabled people began. The Disability Discrimination Act was passed, stating that:"It is unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public. 3 Rules of Website Designing and Layout Now that you have got your domain name registered, your next worry is about designing a website or getting it designed, depending on your budget,inclination and knowledge.To help the newbie's start it right - Design your website before getting the domain name registered. Web Measurement: What You Don't Know Would Make A Great Book "What's in it for me?" you ask. "Why should I measure how people use my website? How does it help and what does it all mean?" The purpose of this article is to try to give you some insight into effective web measurement and to talk about the most important page of any website, the landing or home page. Do This One Thing to Create a Powerful Product-Selling Web Site Spend time planning your Web site. Before you design a page or write a word, get a visual, and mental picture of your preferred audience. KISS Your Website! Many web developers today are starting to KISS their website, and it shows!No, I don't mean they get hot and heavy with the monitor, I mean they apply the basic values of Keep It Simple Stupd! (KISS)Many sites today are focusing on high end graphics, advanced java scripts, catchy logos, and other trivial factors. What they don't realize is that it's a win win game if you keep it simple. Learn What 98% of Targeted Visitors Do On Your Website Getting a Targeted Visitor to a website is a waste of time and money if you've got no idea what 98% of them do when they get there.I'm assuming that if you have a website selling products that your conversion rate is at least 2%. Is Your Web Site Talking to Your Customer? A while ago one of my clients approached me and mentioned thatthey were experiencing a serious problem with customerregistrations (obtaining customer names and e-mail addresses),on their web site. They still had a lot of traffic, but werefinding that the ratio between traffic and registrations hadbeen dropping steadily. How To Start Your Own Website I'm one of those people that always wanted a website, but had no clue as to using the internet. I could check my email and that was about it. Search Engines and Customers Want Focused Web Site Content How do you decide on the content, products and or services you will promote on your Web site.Or should I go back one step further and ask why did you decide to create a website in the first place. Websites for Writers - Why You Need One and How to Get Started Today It may seem like the publishing industry's equivalent of Beanie Baby madness- everyone is talking about writer's websites. Freelancers and authors everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, publishing sites to promote themselves and their work. Remember This When Building A New Site - Beginners Guide I recently helped my mom to launch a website (www.mom2me. UK Online Shopping with an Edge, for Buyers and Sellers Alike Any new website competing on the internet, needs to take its business seriously, as there is so much competition around. So, there needs to be an edge on quality, content, and general user appeal. Developing State-enabled Applications With PHP Installment 1Developing State-enabled Applications With PHPWhen a user is browsing through a website and is surfing from one web page to another, sometimes the website needs to remember the actions (e.g. Beyond Web Usability: Web Credibility If you've been developing websites on Mars for the past few years then you'll be forgiven for not knowing about web usability. You'll still be creating splash intro pages, having pages with massive download times and using more images than you can shake a stick at. What Does An Ex-Basketball Coach Know About Pulling Web Metrics? In my previous life..
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |