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14 Ways to Add Content to Your Web Site
When I surf the Net, I often see web sites filled with beautiful graphics that strive to capture my attention. Well, they do so for an instant, however I click away when I don't immediately find relevant content. The content you add to your web site...
Advantages of a Simple Design
Easily maintained If a design flaw is found for a particular browser, it's far easier to find and fix the problem in the HTML source of a simple design, compared to a complex one. Browser compatibility All of the browsers out there,...
Good Web Design: Create A Custom 404 Error Page
As you know if you've spent any time at all surfing the web, sometimes you will see the dreaded 404 error condition. This often occurs because you've entered an incorrect link (perhaps added a ".html" instead of ".htm" at the end of the file) or...
How to Use Meta Tags for Search Engine Optimization
How to Use Meta Tags for Search Engine Optimization Copyright 2002 Herman Drost Statistics show that only one of every four Web Sites have Meta tags. However using these tags can give your site an advantage over other sites that do not. Meta tags...
Keep Your Website Up-To-Date
In almost every business publication there are articles telling us how, as a small business, we need to have a website. This is very true! The Internet is where most people go to find a product or service that they are interested in or may have...
Make a Winning Home Page
Title: Make a Winning Home Page Email: mailto:les@zmoon.com Copyright: Copyright © Les Goss2003 Web Address: http://www.zmoon.com/ Word Count: 1127 Summary: To create a home page that will rank well in the search engines and attract new visitors...
Simple Steps to a Great Banner Ad
Everyone is using them now and if you’re planning on creating your own banner ad then there are some things that you should know. Standard Size I’ll admit I made this mistake. I was too caught up in creating a really nice looking design...
Webjunxsion is Foraging It’s Way Through the Muddle
Webjunxsion has come a long way since September of 2003. There webpage was VERY unprofessional in the beginning as you can see at http://www.webjunxsion.com/home. Things seem to be changing for them though and there looks are improving somewhat as...
What’s a Design Dinosaur
Are you fond of applying and scrambling old and new design clichés in one helpless web page? Are you one of the thousands not yet enlightened that ‘too much of a good thing is bad’? Are you too engrossed in improvising other designs and not coming...
Why Every Business Needs A Professional Web Site
Okay...you are trying to land an account with a new customer and your first meeting is tomorrow. What do you wear? Tattered jeans and old running shoes? Of course not! You wear clothes that accurately reflect the professionalism of you and your...
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3 Questions Everyone Should Ask Themselves Before Designing or Redesigning a Webpage
With web design tools becoming easier and easier to use, almost anyone with an idea can create their own website. In many cases, individuals who design without professional guidance miss key elements, which compromise the effectiveness of their webpage. In order to help understand some of these mistakes being made by novice designers, we will dissect the current redesign of http://www.profitmaker.net and discuss some of the major questions that should be asked before creating or redesigning any webpage.
What is the focus?
This is the most important question to ask yourself before you begin any project. In the case of www.profitmaker.net, the main purpose of the site was to promote the client's downloadable book. The original design failed to accomplish this. Not only was the book difficult to find, it wasn't even mentioned on the main page! See for yourself:
http://www.profitmaker.net/old_site/index.htm
In order to ensure the downloadable book can be easily accessed by a visitor, two links were created on the main page to lead prospects directly to the download page. If the link in the header doesn't draw the attention of the prospect, the large graphic of the book in the center of the page definitely will. Also, eye-catching text, designed to promote the benefits of the product, accompanies each link leading to the book's download page. This gives the prospect yet another reason to download the book.
http://www.profitmaker.net
Does your design achieve continuity?
A simple way to diagnose this problem is to ask "Do all the elements in the webpage look like they belong together?" The original design of profitmaker.net had two major problems in this department. The choice of graphics for the navigation and the choice of fonts were throwing off the overall unity of the page design.
When it comes to establishing continuity within a webpage, there is no better guide than simplicity. For the navigation and overall graphics, a simple color pallet was chosen consisting mainly of green as the primary color and yellow as a secondary. Sticking to
this color pallet ensures that we avoid the introduction of colors that may clash with the rest of the design. Also, font choices play a major role in achieving the overall flow within the main page of the site. Again, simple is the way to go. Only one major font was chosen for the redesign. This makes it easier to establish font hierarchy, allowing clear interpretation of the differences between headlines and body text.
Does your website capture leads?
Without capturing leads, any website that was created to generate business is doomed to fail. When looking at the original profitmaker.net design there are several things that could be improved upon in this area. In the original design, the newsletter sign up area was located nearly halfway down the page compromising the chances of it being viewed by potential customers. Also, the graphics and text accompanying the submission field were not at all eye-catching.
The Solution for this dilemma was simple. First, the newsletter's sign up area's location was moved to become one of the first items mentioned on the page. Secondly, it was given more prominence by enlarging its headline text making it more likely to be noticed by potential prospects.
Although asking these questions about your site during a redesign may help improve the odds of success, it's only the beginning. There are many other subtle elements that must be considered in order to make a website successful. At worlddesignservices we take them all into account when designing or redesigning your website. Let us have a look at it. Contact us at mailto:customerservice@worldprofit.com and we'll provide you with specific recommendations that will help improve your websites profitability today.
About the Author
Colin Eyo is a member of Worldprofit's Design Team at (http://www.worldprofit.com) Remember your site must be appealing in design AND make use of tested successful marketing techniques. We offer you both. Put our experts to work for you! Contact mailto:customerservice@worldprofit.com with details on your site, your business and plans.
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