Important! How Site Speed Can Affect Your Sales!

By Anthony Jewell

As important as the design and the way a websites work, another important issue can actually have negative results on not only your customers but your business. Site speed is a very important topic and should not be overlooked when having your website designed or re-designed. It can actually directly hurt your sales and cut into your profits as people do not have the time to sit there and wait for your website to load. This is something that good sites take advantage of only having very small load times and bad sites seem to ignore(because they seem to overlook download time without even thinking of site optimization).

If it takes forever to get into your website as well as click through it(meaning it takes forever to load each page) then people are going to leave your site. Remember this. Just think if it takes you 20 minutes to walk to a grocery store or 5 minutes to walk to the local market(where you can get everything you need) why would you walk that extra 15 minutes? Simple, you just wouldn't walk that extra 15 minutes and this is true for a website. If I can get what you are giving me somewhere else then I am going to go there. If visitors leave then they do not get a chance to view your products, but, more importantly they will not purchase your products!

Site speed can and will lead to either more sales or less sales. Which one it is will determine how successful your website will be but also how long it will be around. Also you have to monitor competitors sites to see what their loads time are and try to match them. Start giving their customers a reason to come to your website. Combine quick load times with great products as well as great prices and your sales will start to sky rocket.

Remember to stay away from heavy graphical sites and try to use more text for area(html text not graphic text that is). This will improve performance but also will increase the click through rate of people viewing your website. The more pages they view the better your sales will be. Save your visitors alot of download time and this will give them a reason to visit your website, look around and will help increase your sales!

Anthony Jewell has over 6 Years experience in the Web & Graphics World. You can visit my business and join in conversation at Logo2D.com - Logo2D.com Forum

©Copyright 2005 Logo2D.com : Feel free to use this article freely but please keep in the copyright

Why is Optimizing Your Site For Speed is Important? Tips on How to Do So!

By Anthony Jewell

If there is one thing we have all suffered through is waiting for a site to download online. It seems like it is the worse thing in the world and will never end. We actually either click off of the site or after the initial download of the frontpage completes, we then click off of the site because the subpages take too long to load. We have all been here and this article is to help make sure your visitors don't go through it as well.

The reason why a websites speed of download is important is actually very simple and we have broken it down into two parts:

-The first part is that people want to get to where they are going quickly. This is pretty straight forward and now a days no one seems to have the time to wait for a site to download(no matter how important it is).

-The second part is to deliver the content to the user as quick as possible so that we can keep them interested and entertained. The quicker they can get to the information the more they will click around your site and the more they will interact with your website. This is extremely important if your website has it's own estore, as the more products your visitors are able to view then the more time they spend in your store and the better the chance you have of them purchasing something off of you. Pretty simple and straight forward.

Now you may be wondering how you can take your current design or your re-design and improve the performance of your website so it doesn't take forever for it to download. The truth is that it isn't too complex and actually anyone can follow these steps. Here are some tips on how to get your website to load faster and why these factors may cause long load times:

1. Tip one is to use regular html text instead of graphic text(such as exporting text from a program like fireworks or photoshop). The reason for this is that html text carries alot smaller kbs size when added to website design. So anywhere that you use regular text instead of "graphical text" will really help decrease your page size making the download time quicker for each user.

2. Tip two is to limit other graphics uses on your website where you can. Some things such as using a graphic for your logo can not be avoided but try to make an effort to limit the amount of graphics on each page. The more graphics you use the higher your page size will be and the more time it takes to download it. Really graphic intensive websites can have users waiting a while for everything to download. Some occasions where it might be ok to use graphics is if they will also be used on subpages. These graphics will already be cached on your visitors computers and will not have to be downloaded again when a person visits your subpages.

3. Tip three is to limit the use of flash. It can make your page take even longer to load as the kbs size of each file are usually quite larger then any graphics on your website. This can really increase download times and in alot of cases is not necessary.

4. The final tip is to try not to nest tables inside of each other. Try to break down your design and use multiple tables. This way each table will load separately giving your visitors something to view while the rest of your site loads. If you load everything into one table then they will have to wait for the whole main table to load.

Remember the key is to get your users to the information as fast as possible. If you follow this advice and apply these rules to your site, then there is nothing saying you can't have a quick loading and great looking website as well.

Anthony Jewell has over 6 Years experience in the Web & Graphics World. You can visit my business and join in conversation at Logo2D.com - Logo2D.com Forum

©Copyright 2005 Logo2D.com : Feel free to use this article freely but please keep in the copyright

Create Your Own Download Linklsecqf

By Mark Meshulam

One of the great features of working with the web is the ability to download a file by clicking on a link. As most earthlings know, a link is most frequently visible as blue underlined text displayed on a website, or on an HTML email. Links can also be presented as hot spots on an image, or a button which can be clicked.

Sometimes when we click on links, we are magically transported to a new web page. Behind the scenes, we are actually receiving new files from a web server, and our browser software is "rendering" the files on our screen according to instructions contained in the files.

These new files could be served up by the same web server which served up the previous page, or with equal ease we could be receiving files from a totally different location, possibly from halfway around the world! Such are the wondrous ways of the web.

Other times when we click on links, we get a different experience. Our browser offers to download a file and patiently awaits our answer. When we accept and possibly tell our browser where to file the download, the web server sends the file to our computer and a download takes place.

The usefulness of this functionality is obvious. We don't always want to see the information painted on our screen, sometimes we just want to use it. Consider a spreadsheet file as an example.

If I want to share my spreadsheet with you, I can easily send it to you as an email attachment, but what happens if the file is too large? Chances are, your file attachment could hit a bottleneck somewhere in your, or your recipient's email system and may never deliver.

However, if I send the file as a download, email system bottlenecks are bypassed and the pipe is wide open. Here's how it works:

1. First, I upload my large file to a web server somewhere.

2. Then, I place a download link to that file in my email to my pal.

3. When he receives the email, he either clicks on the link or pastes it into the address bar of his browser.

4. He easily downloads the file.

5. He is incredibly impressed.

To do this, here is what you will need:

1. Rights to a web server to host your file - many web hosting companies offer this.

2. Software for uploading your file - for starters you can actually use Windows Explorer.

3. Knowledge of the correct "path", or URL which will allow your recipient to access the file. This should be available from your web hosting company.

The format of the URL will look like this:
http://www.domain.com/downloads/myspreadsheet.xls

Where "domain" is the domain you have registered for your use, which is targeted at a folder on a web server, which has a subfolder named, for example, "downloads". Your example filename, in this case, "myspreadsheet.xls" should match the actual filename exactly. Filenames should not have spaces or odd punctuations.

In case the above steps seem too intimidating or labor intensive, there is a software/webhosting package available called Personal FTP (www.poingo.com).

The software uploads your large files to your private webspace on the Personal FTP server, opens a new email, and places a download link onto the email, all in a few clicks. In addition, you get your own subdomain, which not only adds your identity to the link, but also enhances the reliability of the download.

Mark Meshulam offers Poingo Productivity Suite, unique & inexpensive software which speeds your work and makes it more fun. Includes:

Send files using FTP. Email tickler system. Create JPGs and PDFs. Edit images in Outlook. Timestamp filenames. Hotkey shortcuts to anything. Cropped screen capture. Much more.
http://www.poingo.com

See Mark's blog, educational ruminations on people and technology in the workplace. http://www.poingology.com

Web Journeysy

By Jenny French

By looking at how we interact with the world in our everyday life, we can learn some of the techniques we use and begin to understand why they work so well. We can then employ the same methods in web design to create a similarly easy experience.

Deciding how to get there

I recently moved house from South East to South West London and this meant I had to find a new way to get to work. My friend recommended I should try get the bus as I was now closer to where I worked and could save some money. I was a little dubious - I thought it might take too long and be too difficult to work out what bus to get. However, I thought I'd give it a go, just this once.

We also need reasons why we should sign-up to a new service, or download an application on the Internet. As such, you should always provide benefits to site visitors to encourage them to do this. For example, just like how I was told I would save money if I took the bus, you should tell site visitors upfront that they'll get all your latest special offers if they sign up to your newsletter.

You also shouldn't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. When someone has had a good experience they're more likely to recommend it to others. But be warned - when we have a bad experience we also like to have a moan to someone else about it!

Preparing to take a journey

The first day I decided to take the bus I left for work early. Although I looked on the Internet and found out how long the journey would take, I wasn't all that confident. I didn't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident when doing something for the first time. We need to be reassured that what we're doing is correct and be given constant feedback that we're on the right track. Users who are new to your site might have negative ideas or assumptions about site processes. For example, if users need to register on your site, they might think that the form will take ages to fill in and after registering they'll be bombarded with junk mail.

You need to dispel negative expectations at the start. If you tell site visitors that it'll only take two minutes to register and their e-mail won't be passed on to third parties, then they'll be more likely to continue. I wouldn't have got on a bus if I don't know where it was going, what route it was going to take or how long it would take.

Site visitors can also learn what the site can do by seeing what others have done. We learn by watching others and are more inclined to do something if we see that others have done it too. You can provide case studies, testimonials and examples on your website to do this.

Taking the journey

I looked at buildings, road names, shops, posters, advertisements, and people on the street. I looked for clues from the environment to try and discover the route I was taking. I used tube stations as landmarks to recognise I was getting closer to my destination.

We also need these navigation clues on the web. Users may now expect to find a navigation bar along the left of the screen or across the top of the page. The logo in the top left hand corner often links back to the homepage.

To help users navigate, link text should stand out and make sense without forcing users to read around the link. Using ‘click here’ as a link is no more helpful than providing a road sign that says ‘Go here’. You don't know where you're going unless you absorb additional information around the area.

Web users also need to know that they're on the correct route. They need feedback and reassurance. If site visitors follow a link that reads ‘latest news’, the main heading on the page they reach should also read ‘latest news’. If it reads ‘latest articles’ or ‘today on the web’ site visitors may be unsure that they've come to the right place. Similarly when filling out a form, site visitors should be provided with feedback of their progress e.g. ‘You are at step 1 of 4’.

Finishing the journey

I knew when I was approaching my stop as I could see London Bridge, but I didn't know whereabouts the stop actually was. Based on past experience, I knew I had to ring the bell to stop the bus. I hoped that someone else would get off at my stop so I would know when I would have to get up. Luckily many people started to get up to leave at the same time and I just followed their lead. I got off the bus, had a quick look around and by familiarising myself with the surroundings could confirm that I had reached my destination safe and sound.

On the web, users should also be told what they can do next and should not reach dead ends. For example after placing an order, users should be told that an e-mail is going to be sent to them and how long the order will take. They should also be given recommendations of where to go next on the site, so they have somewhere to go.

Trying it again

After my first day on the bus I thought I'd give it another go. It wasn't a bad trip after all. Each day I got on the bus I started to learn more of the route. I got on different types of buses, and they all worked in the same way. I was gaining confidence and thought about taking the bus to go to different places at the weekends.

I'm still using the bus and I now notice when billboards change or if we're spending longer on a particular road than usual. I can predict the route. I can even fall asleep and program myself to wake up at the right time. I've learnt route numbers and I can now explore London and always know how to get home.

As users' confidence increases they'll be more willing to explore your website further. This should be supported by allowing site visitors to undo any mistakes they make. If they follow a wrong link there should be a way for them to get back where they came from. Before submitting a form, site visitors should be able to review it.

It's important to remember that web users won't use your website to its full potential on their first visit. When they return, they may be prepared to look further. This should be supported by providing the same means of interaction with the site throughout and using similar techniques that can be found on other websites.

Conclusion

When you visit either a place or a website for the first time, there's a lot for you to take in. Everything is new and exciting, but it can also be daunting. There's a lot to explore and you may not know where to start.

When you become more familiar, you start to learn your way around. You soon learn the best places to go and the best routes to get you there. When you know a place well you may even learn short-cuts. You're also more likely to notice when small things change - like the poster on the billboard at the end of the street.

Something as simple as taking a new bus journey to work can provide you with valuable usability lessons. Sound strange? Read on for more...

This article was written by Jenny French. Jenny's crazy about web usability - so crazy that she's now a usability consultant with Webcredible (Webcredible - http://www.webcredible.co.uk), an industry leading web usability and accessibility consultancy. She's particularly passionate about usability testing.

CMS - How to Choose the Right Content Editor for Your Site?

By E Msk

A site content should be editable by authorized users.

That is what it is all about when thinking about editing your site from anywhere in the world via a web browser.



A CMS (content managment system) should be easy to use and many users should be able
to add / delete or edit content on the site.

This is the main purpose of CMS system (You can call it Content management, Web Editor or content editor system as well).




You would be surprised to see how much you can save just by choosing the right CMS system.

A good CMS is not the most heavy in features. It actually very similar to a mobile phone

which has many features but we mainly use saving numbers and sending SMS, all the trendy features are hardly use

So when you choose a CMS don't be tempted to choose the most fancy one.



When choosing a content management system it is important to ask how much do I pay?

Well, this is not always very clear since most of the CMS's companies are using site license based system.

It means that if you have only one site than you pay a low sum of money, but any additional site will

result in extra money. If you have more then two then it might get very expensive.....be aware.



Conclusion: You should look for a CMS that you can install many times with no extra fee or that the extra

fee if very low. Note, make sure in addition that you have no annual yearly expenses.

Now, this is important to know!!!

The chipset Content Management system have the same abilities as the expensive one.

Surprised?

Why is that. Most of us use an WYSIWYG API (what you see is what you get) both in
mozila and explorer.
This features are built in the browser.

sooooooo, All the different cms's are using the same API.....It means that no need to pay extra since the mechanism is the same.

Now, the last point which is very important to site owners, is the restriction!!!

Although some of you have only one site, the number will grow...believe me, once you opened a site you will add more in the future.

There for you will want that different users will be able to edit different part of a site or sites.

This feature is common in most CMS's.


However, all CMS's are using a word like edit panel (the WYSIWYG feature) which gives a great

ability to edit and change the site in an easy and clean way just like you are editing a word document.

But, this gives sometime extra freedom for users that change the site to look ugly...........

The CMS system must have the ability to give a user limitation for only text editing and not graphical view.

If this ability exists in a CMS you probably are looking at a good one.

Now.......make sure you choose wisely and with care

Since changing a CMS is not always an easy task and it usually takes time to do so.

My personal view is not choosing a CMS that uses database since replacing a content management system can be a nightmare.

E.Msk Content Editor Specialist
http://toko-contenteditor.pageil.net

Take Action: Create a Website Strategy that Generates Revenue

By Stephanie Diamond

Why should you care about your website strategy? Wouldn't it be easier just to put up a website and hope you hit on something that makes you money? If you're like hundreds of thousands of other online business owners, that's probably what you did. But now it's time to re-assess the results and develop a strategy that will increase revenue consistently.

Decide what Business you are in NOW

When you put up your first website, it was a snapshot of your business at that point in time. As your business evolves your website should reflect that. Have you added new and different products? Have you changed the focus of your services? Like websites, the businesses they support are organic. They grow and change. Your strategy for meeting those goals and objectives must change with it. Adding content piecemeal is necessary to keep your site updated, but at some point during each year you need to re-assess the big picture.

Take Action: Make time to sit down with your key staff and review what your main business is today. Don’t cling to old notions about what it was or should be. Decide what it IS. Make sure that you are taking advantage of opportunities that will propel your business to the next level.

Analyze your Website Content

Does your content match your current goals? I recommend using a tool called a Mind Map (developed by Tony Buzan) to analyze your website. But you can use any tool that allows you create a map showing all the main branches on your home page. The key here is to strip away the graphics and really look at your content and navigation path. Don’t be distracted by pretty colors and pictures.

Take Action: Create a specific path on your home page for visitors to “walk” For example, if the main goal of your website is to get visitors to call, don’t put up extraneous links to distract them. You want to them to write down your phone number and call you. Everything on your home page should support that! An 800 number in the banner area is a great idea. Links to books they should read on the subject is not.

Compare the Competition

It’s always a good idea to look at what the competition is doing on their website. Create maps for their home pages as well. But don’t assume that because they are bigger, that their website has a better strategy. Deep marketing pockets can often mask website failures.

Take Action:

Compare your maps and see what emphasis the competition places on their home page. Do they focus heavily on promotions? Are they using free content to attract visitors? Note the best strategies and see how they apply to you. But have confidence that your content has value.

Revise and Test

Be prepared to change your home page content based on what you learned. Be bold, try new things. But be sure you test what you’ve done. You don’t want to change something that was working. Your webmaster should be providing you with the statistics you need to test and revise.

Take Action:

Carefully analyze the changes you’ve made. Buy the best website analysis tool you can. Make sure you know what kind of content generates sales. Then pour it on and watch your revenue grow consistently!

A seasoned 25+ year management/marketing professional, founder Stephanie Diamond is experienced in building profits in a broad range of product and services businesses. She created a highly successful line of multimedia software products that sold millions of copies for America Online, and has developed unique business strategies and products for a variety of companies, including AOL Time Warner, Redgate New Media and Newsweek, Inc.
Visit her website at http://www.DigMediaWorks.com

Simple & Free Website Calendar

By Jeremy Miller

Offering a calendar to your site is a popular and easy addition to any site. In this article I will explain the relatively simple logic to allow you to create your own calendar. To be more specific, we'll create a calendar which shows either a monthly or weekly view and assume you can pass variables into the program.

The first thing needed are the minimum variables or parameters necessary to give ourselves a fair amount of flexibility. These variables will be the starting day, number of days to show, and any offset needed. The first two variables are pretty obvious, but the purpose of offset may not be clear. offset can be used to show previous and next calendars while maintaining view (e.g. monthly or weekly).

Next, considering that we would like to be able to show periods such as "this week", "this month", "next week", etc. we will need to create some logic to handle these options. To do this, we'll have 3 variables the program will accept: calendar, showdays, & offset. calendar will be used to request a specific calendar (e.g. "this week") while the other two variables come from those defined above. Our script will need to take the calendar and offset variables to populate the starting day. Note: All code shown here is pseudo-code and will not work in any known language. For the example calendar script in PHP, please visit the author's site.

// First, establish the starting day and number of days to show.
// Express number of days using "month" for a monthly show because months vary in number of days.

IF calendar = "this month"
start_day = first of the month
num_days = "month"
ELSE IF calendar = "this week"
start_day = last Sunday
num_days = 7
ELSE IF
... continue for all acceptable forms
ELSE
start_day = default day
num_days = default number
END IF

// Now modify start_day by the appropriate offset and establish number of days (count_max) to
// show appropriate for the value of num_days
IF num_days = "month"
start_day = first of the month adjusted by offset number of months
count_max = number of days in the month
ELSE
start_day = start_day adjusted by offset number of days
count_max = num_days
END IF

// Determine the day of the week start_day falls on
start_day_of_week = day of week for start_day, this should be a number from 0 to 6.

We have now collected all the information necessary to show the appropriate calendar. Moving on, we now need to generate our calendar. Our calendar should output the header information and the name of the month as a caption. Then all which remains is to output each row. Let's take a look at how that can be achieved:

column_position = start_day_of_week

IF column_position > 0
OUTPUT: empty TD cell spanning column_position+1 cells
INCREMENT: column_position
END IF

original_start_day = start_day

current_day = start_day

WHILE (current_day - start_day) < count_max)
IF (column_position MOD 7) = 0
OUTPUT: open TR tag
END IF
OUTPUT: TD cell with current_day in it
INCREMENT: column_position
INCREMENT: current_day
IF (column_position MOD 7) = 0
OUTPUT: close TR tag
END IF
END WHILE

This will output each of the rows, wrapping on Saturday, but will leave the last TR tag open, so be sure to close it and the table. Then, all you need to do is save your file and use the code, setting the appropriate variables, wherever you would like! Now, this is an extremely simple example and adding features such as navigation and event management are definite pluses. For a copy of this script with functioning code, please see the author's website.

Jeremy Miller - Webmaster of Script Reference - The *NEW* PHP Reference & Tutorial Site For Non-Programmers

Setup Website: Setup Your Business for Success

By Rod Hodgson

Starting a business can be a very scary thing but if you are inadequately prepared, starting an Internet Business can be even more so. Where do I begin? What should I expect? How much should this cost? I hope to answer some of the common questions asked by business owners wanting to setup a website.

First you must register a domain name. This will be the address for your setup. Websites need to contain keywords but also need to be attractive to human readers, so do not get carried away by keyword1-keyword2-keyword3.com domain names. Keywords do help, but you want a name that is able to be branded as well. I register all of my domains with godaddy.com. They start at around $8 a year for a regular .com registration but sometimes you can get a good discount if you sign up for another godaddy service such as private registration. This keeps your contact information hidden from the public. If you would like to see what kind of information is publicly available, do a Google search for Who Is when ever you get the chance.

The next task is to decide where you will host your site. The two most common types of hosting are Shared Web Hosting and Dedicated Web Hosting. For most starter websites Shared Web Hosting should be sufficient, but larger websites should enjoy the added benefits of dedicated web hosting. Shared hosting is going to cost around 10.00 a month compared to dedicated hosting which can run around $75 or more a month. If you receive a large number of visitors a day, or have a fairly large database driven dynamic website, dedicated hosting is the only way to go. Most Search engine specialists will recommend a dedicated server over a shared server even for small websites due to the possibility that your site could theoretically be penalized for shady actions taken by other websites that share your sever and IP address. So if you choose to start off with shared hosting, shop around and make sure you will be sharing your sever with a reputable company that hosts reputable websites. Even though some companies offer webhosting for $3 or $4 dollars a month, it doesn’t mean it is a good buy. Spammers know where the cheap prices are, as they register them in bulk!

Now the fun part! The final task is the most challenging of all, the building of the website itself. You can outsource your web design with a website design company or you can opt to build it yourself. If you decide to build your own site, remember to practice common design recommendations like header tags and good text based navigation. Another important tip is to set a title, description and keyword tag in the head section of every page. A lot of people believe these tags are useless, but this is far from true. The title tag is the most important on page factor because it greatly affects ranking. The title tag is also important for enticing users to click on your listing as most search engines pull some of your listing information from the title tag. I try to keep my titles under 65 characters long. The description meta tag is also quite useful for ranking and can be quite a bit longer. Look at keeping your description under 250 characters, including spaces. I believe the keyword information is mainly used for categorization purposes. Just make a point to not repeat any words more than two or at the most three times or it may hurt you more than help.

If you would like more information on Shared Web Hosting or Dedicated Web Hosting, contact us at hostip.com. If you are looking for Website Setup tips and would like more webmaster related information, visit our other website Hosting-Spot.com


Setup Website with Hostip.com today for Low cost Web Hosting

The Future Of Web Design Is Content Management!

By Martin Lemieux

Web development has greatly increased in popularity over the last 5 years. Many new design concepts, code standards, and technology advances have happened in a short amount of time. With that, so has the knowledge and demand for better, more independent and functional web design packages.

More and more we are starting to see a shift in consumer demand for the increasingly popular website content management system.

Most website owner's are typical business entrepreneurs who don't have the time to chase down their web design company for some minor updates that usually cost an arm and a leg. Updates for websites are becoming more and more necessary. It's now a reality and a trend that in order to make something happen with your website online, you need to stay on top of things and create new content to keep visitors coming back.

As entrepreneurs, we all get new creative ideas almost every day on how to improve our products or services. Without the ability to update our own website's, those fresh, new ideas may not become a reality for a long time.

Website Content Management Systems Are The Future:

This is somewhat of a call out to all web design companies. If you cannot offer content management to your clients, you may be left in the dust within a few years. The more affordable content management becomes, the more in demand it will be. Without giving your prospects this crucial option, you may lose a great chunk of your potential clients to the next web design company that has a fully automated system that states: "all the consumer has to do is login and get started."

Granted, there will always be a need for web designers. That is an understatement but with the option of content management, you can also decrease the amount of work needed to put into each project and concentrate more on marketing your business and it's services.

Content Management Gives The Consumer The Freedom They Need!

Without giving too much freedom that may make the website look bad, there is a high demand for the ability to update a website when needed, not when convenient. People like to have power over managing their own company, content management gives them the freedom they need to expand on their own terms, without extra costs.

Here Are Typical Features Of A "CMS":

- Add/remove/edit pages.

- Update content within each page.

- Add images where needed.

- Update contact information.

- Show updated listings (i.e. Real estate listings, Mortgage rates).

- Add new tips on their industry everyday (The spawn of blogging).

+ Many extra features not listed here.

Take The Real Estate Industry For Example:

In the last 2 years, "Real Estate Content Management Systems" are popping up everywhere we look. I can recall reviewing over 50 websites that offer this style of service. And why not! Real estate agents as a whole spend a great deal of money marketing themselves. Just in the last couple of years, real estate agents have seen more value in marketing online than they have through regular print media. Many real estate agents I know would rather spend $4,000 for a website rather than spend $4,000 getting listed in the local telephone book.

In Conclusion:

If you offer web design services and have (CMS) Content Management Systems available to your visitors, this might be the time to consider this ever growing popular service for your company. You won't regret putting in the effort of developing your own system and marketing it, there is a shifting demand for this ever-popular freedom online.

About The Author:

Martin Lemieux is the owner of the Smartads Advertising Network helping companies like yours to increase your business further!



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Steps to Solving the Spyware Threat

By Mitch Johnson

Spyware has become a prominent factor in using the internet. To keep your computer free from spyware and working well as well as to protect your private information it is necessary to install one or more spyware tools. Spyware can and will strike a computer system as soon as possible which means users must immediately install anti-spyware software upon connecting a computer to the internet. Some forms of spyware work fairly silent and do not have many adverse side effects while others have a mission to bombard to aggressively with pop ups email advertisements.

Once current spyware infected files are fixed there is a process you can take your computer through that technicians say will arm your computer against spyware. Start by downloading the latest software updates from your software provider and get in the habit of regularly checking for new updates.

You computer should also have a secure personal firewall running, especially for users with a direct internet connection. Without a firewall your computer is open to threats including hackers, spyware, viruses and more. For Windows users it is advised you have the Service Pack 2 which has a built in firewall along with other vital updates. For other users or alternate firewalls there are several free for downloading.

With a firewall established users should run Spybot Search and Destroy, a spyware scan and removal tool. Spybot is well known and trusted by many computer users because of its effectiveness at catching and fixing thousands of known spyware problems. Always run Spybot or any other spyware tool with the latest updates and perform scan regularly. A second spyware scan tool recommended for use along with Spybot is AdAware. Using two spyware tools together will assist in finding all spyware threats, as one program is incapable of catching them all.

Although spyware is a threat it is still important for users to update and run their anti-virus tools regularly. Also try downloading Firefox to use as your browser as opposed to Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer has many spyware and other types of threats targeting it while Firefox is known as a much more secure, less vulnerable browser.

Performing each of these tasks on your computer will greatly help in protecting against spyware and other invasive internet threats. The results found in the spyware scans may surprise your but the performance of your computer after spy files are found and prevented will be worth the cautious efforts.

Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/ , a site that focuses exclusively on spyware removal software, as well as tips on how to prevent spyware from popping up on your computer. This site articles on has spyware guard, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_guard.htm as well as spyware scanner, http://www.spyware-removal-made-easy.com/spyware_scanner.htm

Preventing Repeat Form Submission Using PHP Sessions

By Jeremy Miller

We've all seen those messages on some websites warning not to click a button more than once or negative consequences, like paying a bill twice, may result. Sometimes we can cause these problems by hitting the back or refresh buttons. In this article I will explain a methodology whereby a site can ensure each form is submitted only once, thereby demonstrating that such warnings are unnecessary and, depending on the nature of the problems caused, worth repairing immediately.
Let's begin by taking a look at the process we are studying: Form Submission. As pedantic as it may seem, it will be worthwhile to detail each of the steps in this process:

1. Visitor requests a page from the server which has a form on it.
2. Server retrieves form and sends to user.
3. User enters data on form and submits to server.
4. Server processes form data and returns resultant page.

The scenario we now need to analyze is when the user re-triggers a previous form submission process. What we need to find or create is something which changes during the form submission process which does not depend on the specific form being submitted and which we can tell changed. That was a loaded sentence which fully details our solution, so let's break it down. Find or create something which

1. changes during the form submission process,
2. does not depend on the specific form being submitted, and
3. we can tell changed.

Since the item which changes does not depend on the form being submitted (e.g. it doesn't matter if it's a newsletter registration form, customer signup form, payment form, etc.), the item is not something which already exists and therefore must be created, so let's create a form variable called submissionId and assume it has the 3 properties mentioned above. So far, so good -- or so it appears! The third "property" is that "we can tell [it] changed", but "changed" is not a property of a variable, so we need to look at this more closely. In order to tell something changed, we must have a reference point, an answer to the question "changed from what?" This is where a session variable will come into play. If we define a session variable, say $_SESSION['nextValidSubmission'] and treat it as a reference point, we will have all of the tools necessary to protect our visitors. The idea will be to keep the session variable updated with the last submissionId sent out and change the submissionId each time it is sent out to the user. Then, if they try to resubmit the data, they will be submitting an old submissionId which doesn't match nextValidSubmission and we will know not to re-process this data.
Let's look at this in terms of the processes:

1. Visitor requests a page from the server which has a form on it.
2. Server retrieves form, generates a new submissionId which is embedded into the form, updates nextValidSubmission, and sends to user.
3. User enters data on form and submits to server.
4. Server processes form data, changes nextValidSubmission, and returns resultant page.

Now, if the visitor somehow resends the data, they will be sending the old submissionId which will not match the new nextValidSubmission. So, you can now say goodbye to relying on javascript to remove/disable buttons, silly warning messages, and upset customers by preventing form re-submission.

Webmaster of Script Reference - The *NEW* PHP Reference & Tutorial Site For Non-Programmers

See here for more detailed information, an example using PHP, and an alternate method which doesn't require sessions.

Revealing the Firefox Secret Used by Top Web Developers and Power-Browsers

By Rob Barrett

Profiles are one of the best kept secrets around regarding Mozilla Firefox (my browser of choice).

In the role of web site designer, I find it useful to have Firefox set up with various Extensions for helping test compliance, keep track of Google Adsense earnings, checking PageRank and Alexa rating, etc...

However, when I am simply surfing the internet, I don't want to be weighed down by all these tools, cluttering up my status and toolbars. I like a slick, simple browser that looks good and works quickly.

Fortunately, I am able to have both of these scenarios in Firefox, through the wonder of Profiles.

How do Firefox Profiles work?

Firefox allows multiple users to set up the browser to suit their own specific needs and tastes, from Themes and Extensions to Bookmarks and Home Page.
Upon startup of Firefox, you are able to choose which user profile you would like to use.
So, you can now have a profile for your web development needs, one for your personal surfing, and even one for the kids (allowing you to increase Firefox's security measures).
Each profile is independent of the others, so it's like having a new installation for each user.

How do I activate Firefox Profiles?

1. Firstly, find the Firefox shortcut on your desktop (or create one from the .exe file).

2. Right-click it, and select properties.

3. Lastly, in the Target box, add ' -p' without the apostrophes to the end of the target line (so that it reads something like 'C:Program FilesMozillaFirefoxfirefox.exe -p'), and click OK.

Now when you start Firefox through this shortcut you will be prompted with the Profiles Manager box (as long as you do not already have an instance of Firefox open). It's all self-explanatory from thereon.

For faster start-up, I advise that you keep two shortcuts on your desktop - one to load up Firefox as normal, and this new one to execute only when you want to change profile.

Rob Barrett is a professional web designer based in Dorset, England.

To read more free articles on Web Design and Mozilla Firefox & Thunderbird, visit:

http://www.articles.rob-barrett.com

7 Reasons YOU Need a Website

By Jeff Herring

1) A marketing necessity

I still hear it said from time to time that you really do not need a website if you are a private practice professional. I disagree. In today's world, I think you are selling yourself short if you do not have a website, because you are not using one of the most powerful ways in which to market you and your services.

2) Websites are affordable

When I had my very first website in 1997, the domain name by itself cost me almost two hundred dollars. Today you can get a domain name and a month of hosting for just over eight dollars.

3) A website increases your "expert-ability"

When you have a website featuring your area of expertise, you are perceived as the expert, no questions asked.

4) A website increases your prospects

One of the many useful strategies we teach in our TeleSeminars at BuildingYourIdealPractice.com is that you have to have a prospect first in order to have a new client. Prospects can visit your website, learn more about you, your services and the benefits available without you having to be there.

5) A website increases your publicity

A website gives you a worldwide presence. Even thought there are millions of websites on the internet now, a website stills says "I am here, I know what I am doing, and I can help you."

6) A website increases your profits

One of my favorite experiences as a practice building coach is the look on the face and/or the sound in the voice of someone who has just made their first passive income on the internet. It's very addictive. A website allows you to make money when you are doing something else. It's a real kick to get up in the morning and have more money than when you went to bed.

7) A 24/7 worldwide store

How would you like to have a 24 hour a day, seven days a week, 365 day a year store whose sole reason for being is to promote you and sell your products that will help other?

Get a website.

Visit BuildingYourIdealPractice.com for more leading edge tips and tools for creating your ideal practice. You are also invited to visit our Private Practice Marketing Podcast

How to Draw Icons or Images on a Mapserver Generated Map

By Roberto Colonello

In this example I have used the map of the Itasca demo of the Mapserver.I have done only small changes to the map file.The Itasca demo has (into the html file) the parameters of the path where to store the images:

IMAGEPATH "set in index.html" IMAGEURL "set in index.html"

I have changed them as fixed path

IMAGEPATH "/tmp/ms_tmp/" IMAGEURL "/ms_tmp/"

Than I have set as STATUS ON several layers for a better map.

The Database

The positions and the images paths that have to be shown on the map are stored into a table of a database in MySql.
I have created a new database named "mapexample" and a new table "weather":

CREATE TABLE weather (

id bigint(20) NOT NULL auto_increment,

imagepath varchar(255) default NULL,

x double(16,4) default NULL,

y double(16,4) default NULL,

PRIMARY KEY (id)

)

and than I have inserted into the table the positions of the weather images and the path of every icon:

INSERT INTO `weather` VALUES (1, '/data/weather/icons/sunny.gif', 478107.0000, 5250301.0000);
INSERT INTO `weather` VALUES (2, ''/data/weather/icons/cloudy.gif', 408107.0000, 5220301.0000);
INSERT INTO `weather` VALUES (3, ''/data/weather/icons/storm.gif', 468107.0000, 5270301.0000);
INSERT INTO `weather` VALUES (4, ''/data/weather/icons/variable.gif', 408107.0000, 5310301.0000);

It is not necessary for the images to be stored into a directory visible from the web, because are taken directly by the script and then merged with the map.

The PHPMapscript codeHere is the code I have used for generating the map:

define("img_WIDTH", 0);define("img_HEIGHT", 1);define("img_TYPE", 2);
// CONFIGURATION OF MYSQL ACCESS $MyHost = "localhost";$MyLogin = "root";
$MyPassword = "";
$MyDatabase = "mapexample";
$mappath = "D:/data/web";
$scale_to_showicons = 1000000; // SCALE LIMIT TO START TO SHOW THE ICONS ON THE MAP
function AddImagesToMap($mapurl)
{
global $MyHost, $MyLogin, $MyPassword, $MyDatabase, $scale_to_showicons, $map, $mappath;
// CONNECT TO DATABASE
@mysql_connect($MyHost, $MyLogin, $MyPassword);
@mysql_select_db($MyDatabase);
// IF the scale is small enougth to show the images on the map?
if ($scale_to_showicons > $map->scale) {
// PATH WHERE TO FIND THE MAP IMAGE GENERATED BY MAPSERVER
$mapimagepath = $mappath . $mapurl;
$mapdim = GetImageSize($mapimagepath);
$coords_map_width = $map->extent->maxx - $map->extent->minx;
$mapscale = $mapdim[img_WIDTH] / $coords_map_width;
switch ($mapdim[img_TYPE]) {
case 1:
$mapimg = ImageCreateFromGif($mapimagepath);
break;
case 2:
$mapimg = ImageCreateFromJpeg($mapimagepath);
break;
case 3:
$mapimg = ImageCreateFromPng($mapimagepath);
break;
} ;
$qry .= "select * from weather where x > '" . $map->extent->minx . "' AND x < '" . $map->extent->maxx . "'
AND y > '" . $map->extent->miny . "' AND y < '" . $map->extent->maxy . "'";
$res = mysql_query($qry);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_object($res)) {
$dimic = GetImageSize($row->imagepath);
switch ($dimic[img_TYPE]) {
case 1:
$tmpimg = ImageCreateFromGif($row->imagepath);
break;
case 2:
$tmpimg =?; ImageCreateFromJpeg($row->imagepath);
break;
case 3:
$tmpimg = ImageCreateFromPng($row->imagepath);
break;
}
$x = ($row->x - $map->extent->minx) * $mapscale;
$y = $mapdim[img_HEIGHT] - (($row->y - $map->extent->miny) * $mapscale);
@ImageCopy ($mapimg, $tmpimg, $x, $y, 0, 0, $dimic[img_WIDTH], $dimic[img_HEIGHT]);
} ;
// SAVE THE NEW IMAGE ON THE OLD ONE
switch ($mapdim[img_TYPE]) {
case 1:
ImageGif($mapimg, $mapimagepath);
break;
case 2:
ImageJpeg($mapimg, $mapimagepath);
break;
case 3:
ImagePng($mapimg, $mapimagepath);
break;
}
} ;
} ;
$map = ms_newMapObj("itasca.map");
$img = $map->draw();
$url = $img->saveWebImage();
AddImagesToMap($url);
?>

More info: http://www.parsec.it/tutorials/

Roberto Colonello owns and operates http://www.parsec.it and http://www.gmdir.com

9 Simple Steps to Create a Background Tiled Image Branded with Your Name

By Mike Makler

You have seen those web pages where they have the name of the Name Web repeated over over over in square tiles as the background. Now by following these 9 Simple steps you too can create a web page Branded with your Name, or Company Name.

I am far from a graphic designer but by using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Paint and these 9 Simple Steps. I have been able to create Tiled background Images.

Step 1

Go into Microsoft Word and Create a Word Art with your Text.

• Click on Menu Item Insert then Picture Then Word Art.

• Select a Word Art Template

• Enter Your Word art Text

• Select your Font Style and Size

• Rotate your Word Art (Going from Top Right to Bottom Left seems to work best)

Step 2

Open Paint and create a New File

• Click on Menu Item File the New
  

Step 3

In Paint ----Set Image Attributes Size to

Width 168 Pixels

Height 197 Pixels

• Click on Menu Item Image then Attributes
• Type 168 in Width Text Box
• Type 197 in Height Text Box
  
• Select Pixels
• Click OK Button

Step 4

Go back to Microsoft word and Copy the Word Art Image

• Right Click on the Image then click copy

Step 5

Go to paint and Paste the Word Image

• Click on Menu Item Edit then Paste

Step 6

In paint choose your background Color

• Click on Menu Item Colors and Select your Color
  
• Then Click the Little paint Can (Fill with Color)
• Then Click the Image
  

Step 7

Save Your Paint File as a Gif or JPG - img.jpg or img.jpg

• Click on Menu Item File then Save As
• Type a File name in the Type In Box (myimage.jpg)
• Select GIF or JPG from the File Type Selection Box
• Click the Save Button

Step 8

Upload the Image to your Web Page
http://domain/images/myimage.jpg

step 9

Place the following code inside your body tag background=http://domain/images/myimage.jpg

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
an Organization of over 100,000 Members

Get Mike's Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter


More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

12 Tips To Great Websites

By Richard Hill

Why do some sites succeed while the vast majority of others fail? More and more website owners are asking themselves these questions. The answers are often more obvious than you may think. Below are 12 tips for better, more successful web sites.

1. Location, Location, Location

The old real estate saying applies to websites as well, but Internet location is really the website name. You must have a name that is easily remembered and that reinforces your business.

If you can use your actual business name, that's great. But if not, then choose one that will bring surfers to your site - your product. BestWidgets.com says it all, but JonesBrothers.biz doesn't help at all for a small business.

2. Focus

What are you selling? Concentrate on that one thing (or group of things). Unrelated products can confuse and irritate your viewer. If you offer many products, dedicate a page for each one. Up-selling great, but don't dedicate so much to it that the customer feels caught in a bait and switch.

Make mention of other products but do so subtly. Remember, too, that domain names are cheap to get and to host, so consider having a different website for each product or service grouping.

3. Load Fast

You only have between 10 and 30 seconds to capture your potential customer's attention. Make your site load fast, minimizing graphics to those really needed, keeping the actual page size rather small. Stay away from glitzy animations and sounds. That fancy flash movie may be really cool, but not so after you have seen it a dozen times!

You can make your secondary pages a bit longer once you have the prospect on your site. Don't forget to test your pages at different connection speeds. Your cable modem may blaze, but what happens on a 56k modem on dialup? You may be surprised. Also make sure that all your cool stuff works on all current browsers. FrontPage and DreamWeaver both let you test this, and if you are serious about your business site, you need one of them, or a good web designer.

4. Target Your Audience

Who are you selling to? It is critical that your site reflect the desires of your potential customers. Are you trying to sell to teenagers between 14 and 17? If so, the site must be designed for what they expect to see. Is your product aimed mostly at home-based businesses? Then you can afford to emphasize different products or services on different pages. The key here is to know your market and build the site to their preferences. Don't try to be all things to all people.

5. Credibility Is Crucial

Your contact info should include an email address, mailing address, phone number and a fax number, if applicable. Remember, too, that a PO Box is an acceptable address if you are working from home. If you are unwilling to provide this information to your customers, how can they trust (or buy from) you?

6. Privacy

A clear privacy statement is "must have". Every commercial web site should have a privacy statement posted on line. Do not think that because you are small, you don't need to do this, and all the other items. It matters. Provide an easy-to-see link to your privacy statement from every page on the site as well as from any location that you are asking your visitors for personal information.

7. Guarantee Everything

Offer an ironclad, no exceptions, money back guarantee. This also establishes credibility but it is important enough to stand alone. If the customer sees that your are willing to assume all of the risk, they will immediately be more inclined to trust you. If you are providing a downloadable product and someone asks for a refund, don't get hung up on their still having the product. Just ask them to delete it and then you forget about it. The last thing you want to do is to get into an argument with a customer.

8. Payment

If you don't currently take credit cards, start doing so immediately. You can either set up a merchant account or use a service like PayPal or ClickBank. Take checks on line through PayPal. Provide an address for those who prefer to pay by check or money order, but make it clear that you do not accept cash. Say that you do, and someone is sure to claim they sent you money and got no product.

Make sure the payment method is easy to access and use. Do not ask for any more information than is necessary to complete the transaction. If you don't need the info, don't ask for it. Remember, too, that if you are keeping customer credit card info online, you had better have a very good firewall and anti-spam software. There is a major liability potential here. That is why outside services like PayPal are so popular. The keep the card info and you never see even it.

9. Easy Site Navigation

Make site navigation easy and intuitive. While it may be artistic to make your index page all black and hide the link to continue, will that generate business? If your customer can not navigate your site to find what they want, they will go elsewhere. Limit the choices and direct your customers through a sales process.

10. Design Consistency

Make sure the site is consistent through out your site. New pages should look consistent with old pages. If you want to change the design of a new page, consider a total site redesign. Nothing is more disturbing to a customer than feeling as if they have just gone to another site. Keep colors and themes constant throughout the site.

11. Content is King

Does your website get the message across to your visitors? Is it compelling? Is the site user-friendly? Does it lead your visitor through the sales process? Have a few friends or colleagues review, critique and edit your copy to insure it is delivering the intended message. But first, make sure they are good spellers! Always double check your spelling and grammar.

12. Be Search Engine Friendly

About 85% of all web users find what they are looking for via the top search engines. Your web pages must be easy for the search engine spiders to find and navigate. Focus on your keywords and keyword density within your page, but don't try to write just for the search engines. Utilize the meta tags keywords, description and title. Use your keywords when naming your pages and within the body of the page.

Implementing the twelve steps above probably will not change your site into a LandsEnd.com overnight. You should see a marked improvement in the site's traffic and sales when you implement these suggestions. It may take a few weeks to a few months, but you will see success. And success breeds success.

© 2005 Richard F. Hill - All Rights reserved

Richard Hill is the author of the popular, and free, eBook
"Autoresponder Cash Flow NOW!" which is available at
http://www.us-email-service.com/arcfn.htm

Make Your Own Website - General Website Design Tips

By Ivan Juras

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. You could`ve completed this step before, but at the time you`d had finished it, the domain name could`ve been taken. We don`t want any complications right ?

You have 2 possible routes now (..as it is in the life right..) :

1. To learn HTML and other "programming" languages of the world wide web ...or..
2. To buy a specialized software which makes creating websites a piece of cake.

The first one, learning HTML, the "programming" language of the WWW, and all of the "add-on" languages such as Javascript, PHP, ASP... is more rewarding in longterm, but it takes a lot more time to set your site up and going. It takes about 3-6 months just to master the standard HTML, but longterm, you could become a website programmer and gain reputation. Not to mention that you`ll have unlimited possibilities of designing your websites.

Personally, I`ve taken this path. It important to mention though: It won`t, under any circumstances, affect your website traffic or income. You see, how the website looks like really doesn`t matter much. We will cover that aspect later.

Here are some of the top HTML tutorials that will teach you how to make your own website from scratch. Zero knowledge required (.. you do know how to open notepad, or any other text editor, don`t you.. ).

w3schools.com HTMLgoodies.com Webdiner.com

The second one, buying a specialized website building software, will make building a website a lot more pleasant experience (.. who wants to learn coding and programming these days :) ). It`ll also make it a lot shorter one.

Generally, I think this is a better option. To attract website traffic and generate income, you don`t have to know programming. All you have to know is to draw tables and write text. Your website design will be a little bit limited with the exceptions of software like Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage (..although they do require some skills..) .

However, there is a software called Site Build It! that I honestly recommend, Not only it`s an outstanding website building tool, it also helps you in marketing it. You could call it an "ultimate package". I`ve tried it, and it really works. It will save you a lot of time. The interface is nice-looking too.

There is also a website building software called xSitePro, wich is also a great option. It can build a fully functional search engine optimized website for you in less than 60 minutes. I haven`t tried it personally, but I noticed that people on various forums speak great words for this software. You might check it out.

Ok, now that you know where to learn how to make your own website, here are some useful tips on how to actually design it:

• The looks of a website is much less important than the actual content. There is a phrase: "content is the king" which applies to SEO (Search engine optimization). You`ll learn about SEO in the upcoming articles. It`s very important to have a good unique content that is updated REGULARY. Fresh and unique content brings back the old and keeps the new visitors coming.
• Look at this website, Construct-a-site.com. Admit it, it`s not too atractive. Well, I didn`t even want it to be. I put the content in the first plan. In the upcoming articles you`ll learn that search engines ( .. you know.. like Google..) can read only the content, and you`ll find out that you get around 70-80 % of free traffic from search engines.
• Sidenote: I advise you not to start your first website until the next article which will be "What topic should your website be about".. You`ll learn how to target a profitable topic.. i`ll also point how you should write about it..

Keep your website small. There is nothing more frustrating than loading a website. Make your website load longer than 5 seconds, and it`s a good chance that the majority of frustrated visitors will leave. Prevent that by not putting too many images on your website.

Navigation. Make your navigation clear and visible. It pains me even to see how the "big websites" deal with this issue. Their navigation is totally unclear, and they even sometimes mix it with advertisements. I`d just click "back" on my browser (.. which is Firefox .. :)) ) and never visit that site again. Keep the navigation clear and visible.

• Don`t put banner-ads on your site. Banners and images are history, text links are the modern type of advertising. Banners just take up your space and slow the "page loading" process.
• 
  Well, these are general tips on how to make your own website and improve its design. You`ll learn more advanced techniques to boost your traffic and generate more income in the following articles.

As always, if you liked the article, feel free to distribute it on your website or newsletter, just please keep the links as they are and give link-back to Cosntruct-a-site.com

You can visit my site at http://www.construct-a-site.com to learn how to make your own fully functional, money making website. You can also read interesting articles that contain website design and marketing tips and find out about hundreds of webmaster resources..Site is updated daily..Oh, I almost forgot: I`m only 16 y.o and still, I managed to succeed on internet...I metioned that just to inform you that this is not some scammy guru site, because I don`t sell anything that`s not worth of your money..

Set Up Your Website in Minutes – For Free

By R.G. Srinivasan

There was a time not long ago when setting up a website meant endless technical jargons, hiring a web designer, writing the html or jawa codes, selecting the right hosting platform and deciding on the band width.

Now setting up a website is like 1..2..3.. and you are online. You don’t need to a technical geek anymore. Let me teach you how to do it. And right now.

You can be online in minutes. Without spending a dime.

O.K. Let us start.

The first thing you need to decide is the subject of your website. Decide on a specialized area or a narrow theme. Do not make it a very general website. A niche site has better chance of being found by people with specific keyword search. You can start a site to share your specialized knowledge or special products or just give free information in the area of your specialization to establish yourself as an authority.

Once you have decided on the subject of your site give it a name targeted to convey your subject. If you are a training consultant, your website should be named training.com. You can make it more focused. If you specialize in communication training you can name your site commmunicationtraining or commiunication-training.

Having decided on the most important aspect of deciding on a name, now we can proceed to the next step. That of actually setting up the site.

Open a new browser window on your desktop. Enter www.blogspot.com . You may also click on www.blogspot.com and a new browser window will open up.

Click on the arrow’Create Your Blog Now’ and a new page will open for account sign up. Enter the name chosen for as described above in the column user name and chosen names along with other particulars such as your desired passwords as required in the sign up form. Finally check the terms of service box. Click on the Continue arrow.

Fill in the blog title and the web URL in the columns. Once the chosen name is available and accepted you will be directed to the template page. Here you have a choice of a dozen templates. You can always change the look of your web if you don’t like the looks or you may want to give a new look to your site anytime.

Now your web site is created and online. You can start posting. It is easy. All you need do is type out or cut paste the matter you want to post to your site and click publish.

The blogger program is very user friendly with help available if you get stuck anywhere. Use it and over a period of a week you will be an expert webmaster.

Are you online yet?

Srinivasan is a Management professional, Writer and Author. You can view his home-business resources blog at http://www.home-businessresources.blogspot.com for online marketing tips, resources, opportunities and online promotional strategies.

How To Evaluate Your Web Sites Performance

By Nancy P Redford

Setting up a website is the very first step of an Internet marketing campaign, and the success or failure of your site depends greatly on how specifically you have defined your
web site goals.

If you don't know what you want your site to accomplish, it will most likely fail to accomplish anything.
Without goals to guide you in developing and monitoring your website, all your site will be is an online announcement that you are in business.

If you expect your site to stimulate some form of action, whether it is visitors filling out a form so a representative can contact them, or purchasing a product, there are steps you can take to insure that your web site is functioning at peak efficiency.

One of the first indicators of how well your site is working for you is finding out the number of visitors in a given period of time. A good baseline measurement is a month in which you haven't been doing any unusual offline promotional activities.
However, just because hoards of people have passed through your gates does not mean your site is successful.

Usually, you want those visitors to actually do something there. It is equally important to monitor the number of visitors to your site who made a purchase. This figure is called the site conversion rate, and it is an essential element of the efficacy of your web site.

To find the site conversion rate, take the number of visitors per month and figure out the percentage of them that actually performed the action your site is set up for.

For example, if you had 2,000 hits to your site, but only 25 of them purchased your product, your site conversion rate equals 1.25%. To get this figure, take the number of visitors who made a purchase and divide that figure by the total number of web site visitors. Then multiply that result by 100 (25 % 2000 X 100).

If your web site is set-up to get visitors to fill out a form, make sure to then figure out what the difference is between your site conversion rate and your sales conversion rate. This is because not everyone who fills out your form will actually become your customer.

However, whether your site is set-up to sell a service or product, or to get the visitor to fill out a form, the site conversion rate will measure the success or failure of your web site whenever you make changes to the site. You may find that you need to implement some additional marketing strategies if you find that traffic to your site is extremely low.

There are several effective methods to improve the flow of traffic to your web site, particularly launching a search engine optimization campaign. This campaign is targeted at increasing your position in search engine results so that consumers can find your pages faster and easier.

You can either research the steps you need to take to improve your search engine rankings, or employ a search engine optimization company to do the work for you. In either case, after your have improved your search engine positions, make sure you keep on top of them by regular monitoring and adjusting of your efforts to maintain high positions.

Another factor to examine is how easy it is for a visitor to your web site to accomplish the action the site is set-up to do.

For example, if your goal is for the visitor to fill out a form, is this form easily accessible, or does the visitor have to go through four levels to get to it? If it's too difficult to get to, the customer may just throw in the towel and move on to another site.

Make sure your buttons are highly visible, and the path to your form or ordering page quickly accessible. Finally, have a professional evaluate the copy on your web site. The goal is, of course, to get your visitor to make a purchase or fill out your form.

Web site copy must be specifically geared to your online campaign and not just a cut and paste job from your company brochure. The right copy can make the difference between profit and loss in your online campaign.

Nancy P Redford shows you how to Take Online Payments for any web site without a costly merchant account. Stay safe on the Internet by getting wise to Online Scams and Shams. Plus get some of the best business tools and resources for your home-based business here at: http://www.miriadz.com

Making the Most of Your Website: Start with the Basics

By Carla Alvarez

One of my most salient memories from when I sold real estate in Oregon for my Dad’s company was listing a property where the owners had initially tried to sell it For-Sale-By-Owner with no success. After the listing contract was signed my Dad told them, “Next time put your phone number on your sign.”

It is easy to laugh when someone forgets something as obvious as providing a contact method for a buyer, but far too frequently website usage falls into the same category.

Below are a few tips to make the most of your website.

First things first . . .

Email signatures – Is your website listed on every email you send out? If not, you may be missing out on exposure for your business. You may think that if someone already knows you, that they already know what you do. However often when someone knows you on a personal basis, they do not always remember your business connection.

Business cards, flyers, and printed material – Every single piece of printed material you put out should have your web address on it as well, whether it is a coupon, gift certificate, flyer, letterhead, or business card.

Advertising – If you are advertising in the yellow pages, a magazine, newspaper, TV, cable or radio, make sure that your web address is included. I have seen business spend thousands of dollars on a huge ad in the yellow pages and leave out their website, which is the equivalent of money flying out the window.

Any time you put something out there that says, “This is my business, this is what I do,” make sure your website is on there.

Learn from the big boys:

Large corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on market research to test consumer response patterns and behavior. As a small business, there is sometimes the view that we can’t compete with a large conglomerate. However, the Internet is a great leveler. A professionally presented web site can give a small business the same credibility on par with an international company.

Small companies can take advantage of the lessons that large corporations have paid much to learn. Corporations do not see a website as an entity unto itself, they view it as part of the total marketing strategy.

What do those million dollar Super Bowl commercials have in common? They all prominently feature the company web address for viewers to visit to get more information. The ads are designed to create awareness and corporations use their website to sell the benefits of their product or services.

The purpose of marketing is to create awareness about your product or service, highlight the benefits that you offer, and to entice the buyer to contact you. A website is an increasingly important component of a comprehensive marketing plan.

Copyright 2005 - Carla Alvarez, Legacy Marketing Services

Carla Alvarez is owner of Legacy Marketing Services which provides integrated marketing services for businesses including business identity, web and CSS development, and business development seminars.

5 Ways to Build a Website

By Steve Knorr

If you are like me you have wanted to build a website but didn’t know how!

Why?

Because you haven’t learned html

Because it costs too much to have someone do it for you.

The software you have found is too complicated

You just didn’t have the time or patience to read the 500-page manual

There was no one to teach you how to do it.

Well let’s review those one by one.

You didn’t build a website because you haven’t learned
html.

With today’s easy to use html text editors you can build a website as easy as typing a word document. You need to learn very little of the html coding and what you do need is very easy to learn if taught properly.

You didn’t build a website because it costs too much to have someone do it for you.

Well that’s a fact! If you have someone do it for you, you will have to pay a web designer Big Bucks to create it. To get just what you want, optimized by keywords, with the look and feel you desire you will spend as much time with
the designer as if you did it yourself. And then pay them more when you need changes!

You didn’t build a website because the software is too complicated.

Most of the software is designed with the professional in
mind. All the bells and whistles add to the complexity of the product. Which makes you wonder where you are even going to start. Throw in the fact that you need to master a few other programs to support the design software and you have a confusing tangle of programs to learn all at once.

You didn’t build a website because you just didn’t have the time or patience to read the 500 page manual.

Not to mention that you have to read the manual more than once to understand things, so you can learn by trail and error. And are you ever sure you did it the right way? Was there a shortcut you didn’t know about? Are there other programs you can use to make it easier and faster to get a website up.

You didn’t build a website because there was no one to teach you how to do it.

A tutor or html training course is a great way to learn how to build websites. Preferably if you can get one-on-one tutoring.The problem is one-on-one tutoring is very expensive.

Many group courses are taught when it’s convenient for the teacher not the student. After the class is done there is no on going tutoring or ability to ask questions when you run into problems.

So what’s the answer?

Learn on line with an html video tutorial series. An html video tutorial that teaches you step by step at your own pace how to build a website. You can rewind a section and play it over again if you don’t understand it.

And what if this tutorial product includes all the software you will need FREE. Along with the live video
tutoring on how to use all of it.

You can build a website as you go through it. When you have completed the video tutorial you will have a built
a working website. I mean a WORKING web site.
Done! Finished! Completed!

There was no one to teach you how to do it

You are now ready to work on that all important marketing of your website. As you learn how to market your site, making the necessary changes are a snap for you! Because you were able to build a website. And now you can edit it yourself.

Give yourself some credit. It’s a lot more rewarding when you do it yourself. And, if you are like me you don’t have the money to waste trying a lot of different things.

This works! For more information check out this link = = > http://www.web-marketing-products.com

Steve Knorr is a veteran of the offline marketing world who has brought his talent to the Internet. He makes it easy to learn from today’s best Internet Marketing Experts. For more information and a free subscription to his Web Marketing Newsletter visit his site at= = > http://www.web-marketing-products.com

Why You Need a Website

By Jennifer Stewart

You hear a great deal about the Internet these days -- that it's revolutionised communication ... commerce ... education ... Life-As-We-Know-It ...

Is this just hype?

You be the judge:

AN INTERNET TALE

After spending over twenty years at the Chalk-face, as a high school teacher, the novelty had worn off somewhat, so I did what so many others are doing now, I started looking for ways I could achieve that most desirable of lifestyles and be my own boss.

Home Based Businesses (HBB) are the fastest growing segment of the economy with thousands of people launching out on their own every week.

But there are pitfalls in setting up your own business: capital equipment can consume huge quantities of your precious resources; advertising costs can be horrendous, but since they're the only way you can tell people about your product or service, you have no choice; printing costs eat into more of your money; then you have to pay for postage, long distance phone calls and faxes to suppliers and customers. And we haven't got to the problems that can arise when suppliers let you down, when there are problems with transport ... aargh!

If I sound as if I've 'been there and done that,' it's because I have. My first business was marketing a series of courses I'd written.

I had the courses printed; I set up a free-call number and a reply-paid postal system; I advertised in all the major newspapers in three states; I paid to have the courses mailed to those who ordered them, and I soon discovered that I was just covering costs ... but only just.

This certainly wasn't the door to economic freedom I'd visualised (OK, let's be honest, it wasn't the freedom I'd fantasised about. Where were the big cheques every week? Where was the huge customer base that was supposed to be clamouring for me to write more and more courses for them? Mere figments of my imagination!)

ENTER: THE INTERNET!

But then I discovered the Internet, and suddenly there was no need to print hard copies of my course; I could email the whole course to students anywhere in the world!

And it didn't cost me any more to send courses to a hundred people than it did to send one course to one person. Suddenly my running costs were reduced, and I was able to halve the price of my courses.

I could change the course as I saw the need, adding newer examples to keep it up to date, deleting sections I wasn't happy with, rewriting whole sections. Plus, I now had the most amazing advertising vehicle for my course -- a website!

I was able to put up examples of my writing; I could show people what was in the course; I could point out the importance of being able to write well. I could do anything! And this was all because of the Internet.

Mind you, it took me some time to work out how to actually build a website; I made some terrible mistakes and wasted an incredible amount of time -- time that I could have been using to build my business. (My first efforts are outlined in an article I wrote, The Saga of the alt tags: http://www.write101.com/saga.htm )

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

That was in 1998 and my business has expanded to include professional writing services -- something I'd never thought about doing. It grew because people I met through the Internet asked my advice about their own writing and then asked me to write for them; I now have clients from every continent (except Antarctica).

That's what happens with business opportunities -- they just sort of arrive out of nowhere, and you have to be ready to recognise them and grab them before they get away!

MASSIVE GROWTH

The Internet provides the greatest opportunity of all in its capacity to change the way we do business and communicate, and in the rapidity with which all this has happened.

In 1996, there were an estimated 40 million Internet users worldwide, but according to a study released by market researcher the Angus Reid Group, global Internet usage is well on its way to reaching 1 billion users by this year (2005).

Consider the following:

• A world where e-mailboxes outnumber TV sets and telephone lines is probably only two years away.

According to statistics compiled by Messaging Online, the total number of e-mailboxes in the world has soared 83.5% in the past year. For comparison, the CIA says there are almost one billion TVs in the world, and according to the ITU there are less than 800 million phone lines. This means email has in 12 years done what it took 50 years for the TV and 125 years for the telephone to do.

• Online advertising revenues are expected to grow to $28 billion worldwide this year, according to new Jupiter research released in June at the Global Online Advertising Forum in Cannes, France. Jupiter says that nearly 6% of all global advertising revenue will be spent online and that growth will partly be driven by the rise of the online population worldwide, which will more than double within the next five years.

• Because of the swift time-to-market and the strong return on investment of e-mail, a new Jupiter report estimates that commercial e-mail spending will grow from $164 million in 1999 to $7.3 billion in 2005 - an estimated forty-fold increase in e-mail volume.

• The online population growth in Northern Europe, Asia and Latin America will lead to a global melting pot in a few years, eMarketer predicts and most of the Internet's growth will be in Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

• eMarketer also predicts that wireless devices will link millions of new users to the web in the next few years.

According to the European Commission, Europe has one of the highest cell phone penetration rates in the world, with Finland leading the pack at 64.4% (Statistics from Masha E. Geller's MediaPost: http://www.mediapost.com)

Convinced?

WHY YOU NEED A WEBSITE

As well as using your website to facilitate your business, as I did, there are countless other uses:

• Keep in touch with family. So many families these days are spread across the country and around the world. We miss out on all those precious moments such as new babies, first steps, graduations, birthdays, weddings ... but having your own website means you can post pictures of your family, you can even put up videos and recordings so everyone in the family can keep up to date.

• Have you retired? Use the Internet to plan that great Retirement Odyssey; put up maps of your travels so friends can follow your trip; post your travel diary and keep the best travel memories fresh for all time.

• Set up a site around your hobby, sport or craft and show off your work or collections.

• Are you a member of a charity organisation? Build a website to keep in touch with members and benefactors. Use it to arrange fund raisers.

• We all know that children these days seem to be born computer literate, so give your children the opportunity to explore their talents and to build their skills by giving them their very own website. If the Internet is going to play such a dominant role in our lives, your kids need to be thoroughly skilled in all its uses.

Developers have seen the writing on the wall and many are now building housing estates with Internet access a standard inclusion in new homes.

Websites are the way of the future and we can learn to use them or get left behind.

NB If the spelling of words such as "visualised" in this article worried you, please read this: http://www.write101.com/aus.htm

Jennifer Stewart has had her own web-based business since 1998 and offers ghost writing and other professional services to clients from every continent except Antarctica. Visit http://www.write101.com and subscribe to free, weekly Writing Tips: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Guidelines for Web Page Optimization

By David Lahiri


Below, I have listed 8 simple steps that you can take to optimize your web pages. By following these, you will improve your chances of increasing your rankings:

1) Target one word for each page: A huge mistake that many beginners make is cramming numerous keywords onto every page. Instead of doing this, you should focus on one specific keyword for each page. That way, you can make sure that the page is focusing on that one word without any distractions. If you want to target multiple keywords then it is necessary to create a separate page for each.

2) List your major keywords in the links back to your site: Many search engines, Google being the most famous, have started to take into account the words that are mentioned in the title tag of the links that point to your site. So, a great way to improve your rankings for your keywords is to place it in the title tag.

3) Make your first 100 words on the page keyword rich: Another mistake that most webmasters make is to have a menu on the left-hand side of a website. Since search engines primarily focus on the first 100 words of a website, a left side menu is a misuse of valuable space.

Instead of doing this, you should have your title, description and web copy within the first 100 words of your site. An easy way to do this is to have your menu on the right instead of the standard left-hand side.

But, since the left-handed menu is now commonplace, you can also choose to put your first 100 words above the left-handed menu, so this text will be the first thing read on your website.

4) Insert the keyword into your title tag: In the source code of most pages are "header tags" (also known as Meta tags), which help search engines understand the content of the page.

To fully optimize your website, you can tweak the source code of the page. The first step is to insert the keyword in the title tag. (This is what is shown in the results of a search engine when your site is listed)

5) Insert your keywords in the description tag: The description Meta tag is almost as valuable as the title tag. The information in this tag is listed directly below the title tag in search engine results. As a result, a good description can make your website stand out from other listings. To get the prospect to click on your site, it is important to write a snappy description while using your keyword.

6) Insert them into your keywords tag: Like the title and description tags, keyword tags are used to help search engines understand the content of your web page. Although this Meta tag has become less popular, it doesn’t hurt to put your keywords here.

7) Place your keyword in the header: When writing the actual text of your site, the first part should be the headline. Whenever a search engine scans your site, it rates all words in the headline as being more important then the rest of the web copy. To take advantage of this, you should have your keyword in the page headline. But, since the header tag (h1) is quite large, you should format it so that it is smaller.

8) Write your keyword enriched web copy: Now that you have set up the structure of your page, you can write your web copy. While creating the text, you want to include the majority of the keywords at the top and the bottom of the page. In addition, the keyword should be included a few times in the middle. Basically, the common saying is that the keyword density should resemble an hour glass shape.

The total web copy of your page should be about 300-500 words. Also, the keyword should be included about 5-12% of the total words of the page. The percentage varies according to each search engine, so you might want to play around till you find the best results.

If you follow all these steps, you will definitely see an improvement in the search engine rankings for your keywords unless they are extremely competitive.

To professionally optimize your site and have top ten ranking for more than 10 phrases at a low cost, you need to appoint an India Web Design Company like Calcutta Web Developers to develop your web site and then optimize the web pages. The service is technically termed as Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

SEO with 6 yr exp

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Guidelines-for-Web-Page-Optimization&id=40278

The Do's and Don'ts of Launching a Small Business Website

By Adil Wali


Launching a new small business website is often a long and painstaking process. And for most small businesses, the endeavor rarely ends in success. The terrain is mapped with freelancers, firms, and consultants that don’t offer the same services and most certainly don’t charge the same prices. Projects are often riddled with unclear expectations, missed deadlines, and ridiculous hourly rates. What’s worse is that many developers have the audacity to ask for even more money halfway through the project. Even after all of the hard work is complete, most companies don’t even see a return on investment.

If you haven’t been there, you probably know someone who has. IT outsourcing and procurement is often times so traumatizing that many of us vow never to deal with it again. But the whole process need not be so difficult and fruitless. The purpose of this article is to aid you in launching a successful website with minimal pain and effort. Who knows, if you play your cards right, it may even be within budget and on time!

The Don’ts

Don’t spend too much on web hosting. If you are a small business that is just beginning to define your online presence, you don’t need a whole lot! You most certainly don’t need 10,000MB (10GB) of web space and 100,000MB (100GB) of bandwidth each month. So don’t pay for it! You might be thinking, “Well, if it’s relatively cheap and I may need it in the future, why don’t I just spring for it now?” That kind of reasoning paves the road to overspending. Besides, web hosts making such offers are hoping that you won’t really use the massive set of features. Expert web developers and power users will use that kind of space and bandwidth, however, and the end result is a bogged down and slow web host. Go with something economical and reliable; it’s probably even faster.

Don’t mold your website to a pre-defined package. Although your local newspaper advertisement for development of a “5-page website with logo design for only $995” may be tempting, don’t fall for it. Any company that sells you pre-set web site packages (or charges based on the number of pages) has the wrong idea. Web development should be a custom-fitting job. Your website is a business tool, and should be developed to exact specifications that enable it to complement the rest of your business. If you compromise your website’s functionality, you compromise its ability to help you make money.

Don’t start the project until you are fully prepared. The easiest way to ruin a web development project is to get started before you are ready. Everything does not need to be in perfect order when you are shopping around for development; however, once you select a developer and begin work, being unprepared will only slow your project down greatly and drive up costs. Avoid this by purchasing your domain and web hosting, writing out all content, and deciding on the general layout you desire, all before the project begins.

Don’t compare apples to oranges. Not all web developers are created equal, so it is unfruitful and unwise to compare them on a single benchmark (such as price). While some “full-service” firms will create your website, upload it to your domain, and maintain the site to make sure it’s up-to-date, others will simply e-mail you a folder full of files and expect you to know what to do from there. Similarly, some firms will revise the finished product over and over until you’re satisfied while others believe you are paying them for one draft of work and no more. Be mindful of these differences and understand what is built into the different prices of each provider.

Don’t focus too much on eye-candy. Remember what your website is for. Unless you are the exception to the rule, the purpose of your site is either to a) give information about your product/service or company, b) allow users to buy directly from the site or c) both. In all cases, the site must be easy to understand, navigate, and operate. If your site is so new-age and graphic intensive that users have no idea how to get around it, or worse—it takes too long to load, you’ve defeated the purpose of its creation.

The Do’s

Do have a marketing budget for your website. Launching a website without a marketing plan usually always results in a zero return-on-investment. Why? Because there are millions of sites on the internet, and if you don’t market your site, no one will come. Unlike a typical brick-and-mortar establishment that benefits from exposure to passersby, your website will not be seen by anyone until you tell people that it exists. Take advantage of the fact that your website can reach more potential customers than a small storefront ever could. Set aside marketing funds at the onset of your project.

Do prepare a timeline for the project. Many developers work virtually, that is, directly through the internet such that you may never meet them in person. This style of work is very different than the conventional, and the lack of face-to-face contact makes it easy for both parties to simply forget about the project as time goes on. Ensure that your project won’t stagnate. Prepare a solid timeline with clear milestones, expectations, and deadlines so that it is easy for both you and the developer to stay on target.

Do provide feedback in a timely and detailed manner. Although you are paying a design firm for its creativity, remember that ultimately what you say goes. You must be sensitive of the fact that development is a step-by-step, layer-by-layer process. If you don’t respond with feedback immediately, developers will have already completed other layers of the site before your feedback reaches them. This means that they must not only re-work the layer in question, but also the following layers. Some developers have been “burned” so many times in this manner that they will wait patiently for your feedback before they go on to the next layer of work. This means that development comes to a screeching halt until they hear back from you. They may get so fed up that they take on another client while they wait, leaving you at 2nd priority.

Do research developers before setting a budget. There are two reasons to do your homework before you decide on a budget. First, setting a budget without understanding a particular industry is simply nonsensical. You must know the price ranges of development and also what type of service to expect within each range. Second, a small business website, unlike a typical personal expense, is an investment. The goal of launching the site should be to aid the company in making more money. If the site won’t make money, don’t create it! If you limit your budget at $1000 without understanding the investment or industry, you may get an excellent site in that price range that makes no money. You would be better off if you do your homework, however, and find that spending more will likely yield a return. For example, you might spend $4000 on a site that actually makes you and additional $20,000 annually.

Do plan to keep your site up-to-date. One of the biggest advantages to having a website is that you can quickly and easily update information. Nothing sends a more powerful message to a potential customer than a website that hasn’t been updated for several months, or even years! You are telling people that the business is defunct or unpopular. Make it a point to update your site frequently, even if you don’t have much to say. It will let your customers know that things are going well and that your company takes an active interest in keeping them informed.

Although the above Dos and Don’ts are definitely not comprehensive, they are a good set of guiding principles for any individual or small business owner looking to create an online presence. No set of rules if foolproof, however, and there are always exceptions. My suggestion would be to always err on the side of caution. Many of the cliché statements we’ve all heard will come in handy: there is no such thing as a free lunch, and, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions to people who know more than you. In fact, feel free to contact me if you ever get into a jam:
adil@steezo.com. Good luck!

About the author: Adil Wali is Chief Operating Officer of SteeZo Media, a company founded in 1999 that focuses on consulting small and medium sized businesses in their efforts to create or revamp an on-line presence. Under Adil’s leadership, the company shifted away from broad-based IT consulting to a more specific focus on matching clients with the most capable and cost effective developers. SteeZo Media also manages web development projects on behalf of clients.

Company information: SteeZo Media, Inc. 1809 McAdam Rd. Darien, IL 60561. 1-888-8STEEZO. http://www.steezo.com

Tips for Building a Great Business Website

By Arun Pal Singh

A website is lifeline of internet home business. In order to succeed you must have a website that that meets the general criteria of accepted standards. Flavor of each site varies according to the intended business and choice of the owner. But there are guidelines which should be kept in mind while you work to develop your own e-shop.

First of all is the domain name. It is the address to your website. So it should be kept simple and easy to remember. Try as for as possible to include letters only in your website name. Numbers are most easily forgotten. So are the hyphens and underscores. They take time to get registered and fade quickly. Domain names should be themed around your business. Try to keep it short and sweet.

Focus on your customer. Always keep your customers first. Remember! Everybody is busy and so are your customers. Nobody will have the time to search for your products if you do not guide them well. With this in mind a website should be developed for maximum benefit. There are other things which appear small and obvious but together they add up to quite a difference to your home business.

To name a few ---

# Orientation – What is your website? What can a visitor get from your site?

# Fast loading - Very essential. If it takes a long time the person will definitely get annoyed and close the page. There goes your potential sale.

# Easy Navigation – Can the customer move through your site effortlessly back and forth from each page? Are the hyperlinks working well? Make sure they do.

# Professional Look- Though you are not suppose to display best of the web designs but your site should look professional enough and appealing to the eye. Your site should be smart and crisp. Choose your theme well and go for it.

# Content rich site – Try and give all the relevant information that your potential customer might need. Again the information should be well displayed and easy to understand.

# Contact us – It is almost mandatory. Where should a person leave his query in case the need arise. You might debate and decide on your physical address yourself but an email contact is must.

# Coordinated color pattern - Make sure that foreground background are well matching. Your font and text should be pleasing and not difficult to read.

# Careful use of graphics - graphics are pleasing to the eye but take a lot of time to load. So you should strike a balance. People have a temptation to use a lot of graphics but do keep in mind that all the best business sites are mostly text based. Take for example Google or Yahoo. No truck loads of graphics. Only well used text with spares use of graphics.

If you make your website keeping your customers’ needs in view then automatically you would like to consider the above listed points. As I said many of them look too obvious but often we overlook the things because they are obvious.

Make sure you do not. Try them and see the difference.

Wish you success.

Copyright 2005 Arun Pal Singh

Arun Pal Singh, a successful marketer and writer offers a unique and duplicable business opportunity at http://www.homeforprofits.com. To avail his free Income Course, send an e-mail to subscribe@homeforprofits.com with subject ‘subscribe’.