Web Design - 10 Tips to Make Your Website User-Friendly

Other than a nice design and excellent content, a good website must also be user-friendly. When you make life easier for people who visit your website, they will stay on your site longer and more likely to take action. Therefore, usability of a website is extremely important.

When someone visits your website, he or she will want to easily find what they are looking for. If your website makes it difficult for them to find what they are looking for, they will leave your site and go to your competitors. Now, let me share with you 10 tips to make your website user friendly.

1. Make sure your images don't take away all the focus. If you want your website visitors to take action, you need to make sure that they are presented with the right information. Don't make them think.

2. Use powerful headlines. Great headlines capture the attention of people. So ensure your headlines are interesting to get people to read the rest of the content on the page.

3. Choose the right font size and color. The text on your website should be easy to read. Try to use a white background for your website.

4. Make sure that your navigation bar is prominent and easy to use. First-time visitors to your website must be able to navigate to key pages within 1 to 2 clicks.

5. For text, don't use images. Search engines cannot read the words in an image and this will affect your search engine rankings. So always use text for your content.

6. Use captions on images in case they don't show up on browser.

7. Always provide contact information on your website so that your prospect can contact you easily.

8. Include a sitemap. Sitemap makes it easy for Google and website visitors to find other pages of your site.

9. Proof read the content on your website. Before you publish your website online, you should get someone else to proof read the content for you. Frequent spelling and grammar mistakes turn people off.

10. Keep multimedia and image file size to the minimal. Large file sizes make your site loads slower and this can be a great turn off to people who have slower internet connection.

Website usability is something you cannot compromise when it comes to web design and development. So make sure that your web designers know about the points mentioned above.

Cheow Yu Yuan is the co-founder of OOm, an online marketing agency providing web design singapore service.

Check out more web design portfolio here.

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Making the Best Landing Page

A landing page is basically the page that a potential customer arrives to after clicking an advertisement or a search engine result link. This specific page contains additional information regarding the product or service being advertised. It shows the visitor the benefits and advantages he can get once he decides to follow through and avail of the product or service being advertised.

Usually, when potential customers are redirected to the homepage of an advertisement, they spend a few seconds reading whatever they first set their eyes on and eventually if they don't see what they need to do immediately they hit the back button to move on to find other competitors. What a landing page aims to do is to capture the attention of the visitor and guide them on what to do next. This is done by pointing out what benefits he can get presented in short phrases but strong enough to make the visitor click through and come nearer to closing the deal with the advertiser. Landing pages can contain a list of specific links that is related to the advertising that the visitor clicked on. For example, the visitor clicked an ad regarding loans, the landing page that he gets redirected to may contain links to various loan applications online. The visitor then has the option of choosing a link that is best suited to the type of loan that he needs. Another strategy that landing pages provide is that it makes signing up for the said product or service easier.

A landing page may contain a sign-up form requesting important information regarding the customer. This part of the landing page states what happens next after the customer gives the information. Some landing pages automatically redirect the customer to the sales page and asks for more information and at the final click of a button a sale has been made. While some landing pages offer to add the customer to their mailing list in order to receive a daily newsletter or other e-mailing campaigns that the advertiser uses.

Bruce Tucker has been in the field of internet marketing,SEO and landing pages for a long time with a web site about Landing Pages and with a blog that is all about Landing Pages that you would find interesting.

3 Secrets to Designing Your Website

When designing your primary objective is to have the visitors to your site enjoy their visit enough to want to stay. You want them to have a great experience. In order for that to happen, there are three things you must do: make your website easy to navigate, have a great design, and make the loading time fast. No one will stay on a site that takes forever to load.

First, you must make your website easy to navigate. Keep in mind who your audience is and put yourself in their place. They shouldn't have to hunt for your toolbar. Keep it in this same place on each page. Never make them search for the information they're after. Make it easy to find. Keep hyperlinks to a minimum. No more than three. Your hyperlinks should open in a new page, so that they can easily go back to the previous page.

Second is your website design. Again, put yourself in your visitor's place and keep it simple. You want your audience to enjoy their experience. Keep loading time short. Some say that each web page should be different, but I don't agree. You don't want them wondering if they've somehow been sent to a different site. Keep the same look and feel to each page. Have your navigation bar in the same place, and use the same header on each page. Keep balance between text and images on the page. Play with the site while you're building it to make sure images are well placed and fit the text. Your text size and the type of fonts (Tahoma, Verdana and Georgia test well) you use should be relevant to the importance of the subject. Look at your page. Have others look at it and give you feedback.

Third, page loading time is important. You don't want your visitors leaving, because it takes too long for the page to load. Although many people are now using broadband, there are still those who use dial-up internet connections. We have to keep them in mind as well. We want to make everyone's experience a good one. Text loads quickly, but where you can make a difference is in the images that you use. Use an editing software (IrfanView is free and easy to use.) to reduce the image size without losing quality. Because we want to have enough images to attract our visitors and we don't want to slow down the loading time, using image editing software is going to be one of your favorite tools.

In designing your site, keep these three things in mind and you'll be on your way to a great site. For more frugal and free ways to build your business and your website go to: http://www.frugalebizproducts.com

Marilyn Parmelee is a published author, pastor and internet marketer. She helps author's, nonprofits, and small businesses develop a web presence. To find out more go to http://www.frugalebizproducts.com

Create Your First Web Page Today

There are two ways to a new web site project. You can either jump right in and get your hands dirty, or you can do some planning first.

You can start by creating a "test" web page, but not worrying too much on how it looks. Of course if you have marketed your name and a lot of people are going to be visiting your homepage, you want to first plan ahead.

The overall impression of your first website depends on many variables, like the text, font, graphic placement, headlines, colors, and other eye-catching elements. Everything needs to work together.

Most of the time it takes a professional to make a web site look really good. But a professional web developer is not needed to make your site look pretty good.

One of the key aspects to web design is simplicity. The human eye is trained to see and appreciate simple, unornamented designs. You should start by using the simplest design, that will accomplish your task, and then try to make it even simpler.

If you think about it simplicity has very specific advantages in the web design world. You should take in factors like download time constraints, compatibility issues of different browsers and screen resolutions. A simple design will take in all these factors.

Another factor is the ever-growing popular mobile devices. Everybody is using mobile device now a days so you need to make sure that your website is compatible with mobile. A simple website almost always displays perfect on most mobile devices.

Lionel has been writing articles online for nearly 3 years, not only does this author specialize in web development and design, you can also check out his latest website on his new Bisquick Cookbook which has some great recipes for your next meal using Bisquick.

What is the Definitive Custom Web Design?

You'll see this phrase all over the Internet when searching for Web site development, whether in Calgary or around the world, the term "custom" web design has itself become incredibly diluted in its meaning. While I don't like to be pedantic with words, advertising can quickly gloss over a true meaning of a word by hoping that its target audience doesn't fully understand the term's definition, or the context of the term. If you go to a popular search engine and type in "Custom Web Design" you will see paid ads on the side that say things like:

Free Web Design & Hosting

30 Day Free Trial! Custom Website

Design & Hosting For $6.99 a Month.

This sounds like a good deal, right? "Free Web Design & Hosting" - Of course, they actually contradict themselves on the third line when the "Design & Hosting" now suddenly cost $6.99 a month! Hmmm...Can a trial actually be seen as free if there is a cost associated with the actual product? So "Free" actually means "on loan" or perhaps they mean that you don't get charged extra for their website templates that you build your site with because they are included in the package price?

But I digress, my main point with this ad is the use of "Custom Website Design" in the ad copy and the question is, is this actually true? I would have to say no, that this is not a proper use of the term "Custom Web Design." Why? Because they are using design templates that you can "customize" - which is different than an actual custom design that is started from scratch. Sure, you can change pictures in pre-coded spots, maybe change colours and positions, but in the end the design is a prefab template - this is NOT custom design, it is customized design.

Now, customization in Web development is extremely useful, it allows for fast, semi-automatic development where the majority of code is reused across a wide platform of applications. It streamlines the process and also makes security updates and coding/database upgrades a lot easier since the sites share the same code and database structure. This is the major advantage and reason for the large variance in Web site prices online since, for those willing to use template designs, they can make the process user friendly and basically automatic for ANYONE to use...and provide this service at an extremely low price. However, be aware that there could be dozens or hundreds of other companies using the SAME template that you're using, which in the end, could well damage your image and not promote it.

For those who create a definitive custom design, their Web design process start with a blank page and a strong connection with their client's vision and needs. Sure there is overlap with how these needs are satisfied, as there is also need to keep to certain, proven conventions in design that ensure proper navigation, logo presentation and content layout and promotion. But the goal of the custom Web designer is to create a unique, one-off design that will stand out from template designs and designs that do not satisfy or adhere to the needs of design conventions, nor capture the client's perspective.

The best Web designer/developer will be able to balance between the customized world of coding and the custom world of design. This ensures a fast, manageable turnaround time in the development of the code and database (if necessary) and the integration of a design that is compliant with Web standards, is built for Search Engine Optimization and is unique in its graphic layout.

If you are looking for a custom Web site design in Calgary, Cochrane or anywhere else in the world, make sure you are getting a unique design by asking your Web designer if the design is based on a template or if they build from scratch. Take a look through their portfolio and see if their work shows variety, improvisation and innovation while simultaneously providing consideration for proper navigation, content flow and effective use of branding.

If you are looking for a proactive and multi-faceted design team in Calgary Alberta, please visit Calgary Web Design to see BlindDrop Design's full list of services to the Cochrane & Calgary Area. Lucas Arnatt has been a Calgary Web Designer producing custom Web designs since 1997.

Google Sites - A Free No-Hassle Option for Business Owners

If you own a business, you most likely want to bring in business from the Web. You also want or need a website. But the problem is most of your options take too much time or cost too much money. So you're still frustrated and still don't have a website.

An option is Google Sites. As the name suggests, it's a site made by Google. There are four reasons why Google Sites are great if you want a website right away but don't want to waste time or money. There's also one problem with them (which is actually not that hard to fix).

Here are the strong points:

1. It's free. That includes hosting, which usually costs about $70 a year and is tough to set up if you've never done it. Nor do you have to worry about buying the website design, so you're not getting whacked for a design that just looks nice to programmers.

2. Google Sites are quick and easy to set up. Usually, you have to do a ton of work just to get a site just up and running, or you have to know HTML. With Google Sites, you don't need to know any programming. You can put a functional site on the Web with just the brass tacks you need, and worry about changing it around later when you feel like it.

3. Your site isn't covered with ads. Many business owners get duped into buying pre-built sites for free or cheap. There's a catch: the outfits that sell these sites don't tell people ahead of time that they're covered with ads and logos. Google advertises in plenty of places, but not on Google Sites, which are clean and ad-free.

4. It's simple, clean, and Google-friendly. A lot of sites are littered with flashy trinkets that distract customers or irritate them until they leave. The layout is straightforward, which is good for when customers go to the site. The behind-the-scenes wiring (the coding) is efficient-which helps you on the rankings.

The only downside is you get a bad website name when you create your site. Google automatically gives you a name like "sites.google.com/site/yoursitename." That's too long and confusing. If your name is that difficult, potential customers won't remember how to get to your website, or they might not be able find it in the first place. There's a way to get a better, simpler name. It's kind of involved, but easy if you know how to go about it.

Especially if you get around the issue of the way-too-long name, getting a Google Site is the shortest, cheapest way I know to get a solid website up and running for your business.

Philip Rozek invites you to watch a free video at http://www.letsgetyoufound.com on how to get a Google Site for your business. He will also show you how to get a short, simple name for your Google Site, and more.

Website Building Software - Top Website Builders Reviewed

If you still think you need to pay some wizard programmer a couple grand to build you a professional looking website - I've got something else you might want to consider before signing that check. During this past decade technology took a giant leap in this area. You could build cleaner websites during your lunch break - than the overpriced web designers take a month to do.

Building your own website doesn't have to be a hassle

Some people may have you believe that in order to make a website you need to be a geek with ultra high IQ, have some expensive software and spend years learning some alien looking codes. Trust me, there are other options.

Here are a few top website builders to consider:

• Site Rubix Website Creator
• Xsite Pro Webdesigner Software
• Bluevoda Website Builder

A brief overview of some of the key features of each one:

Bluevoda Website Builder - If you're on a tight budget, this builder is definitely for you. It's free, so if you need something to hold you over before you're ready to invest some money into something better, this one is the way to go. It comes with an array of pre-designed templates and very easy to use. Drag and drop function is nice, no knowledge of any code required.

The downside is that you're tied up to their host and eventually could be a problem if you're trying to run a website which requires higher bandwidth. Hosts like that tend to run slow because of their popularity - there are currently about 3 million people who use Bluevoda.

Another big con is the fact that it can only run on Windows based platforms. So if you're on a Mac you're out of luck.

Xsite Pro Webdesigner Software - Regarded as one of the top builders out there for the price. This builder will set you back about $200. One of the biggest advantages of Xsite pro is that it's the first builder built with Internet marketer's needs in mind.

• The most regarded feature is instant SEO (Search Engine Optimization) checker. It automatically analyzes your website and suggests the best possible way for you to get listed in the search engines painlessly. This feature is what makes it unique.

• It also comes with hundreds of templates to choose from

• Automatic sitemap creation feature built-in. Another handy feature for Internet marketers

• Affiliate link wizard. A marketer's dream. You can store all your affiliate links and just pop them in into any page at a click of a button

• Full tech support 24 hours 7 days a week, plus a user forum is nice

Again the downside is it's only compatible with Windows systems and for the same price you could get a professional edition of Adobe Dreamweaver if you're planning on learning more advanced techniques in the future.

Site Rubix Website Creator - This builder is by far the most versatile and user friendly I've ever come across. Some of its key benefits:

• Extremely user-friendly and intuitive interface. It's also known as WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). No HTML code knowledge on your part is required. You just drag and drop every component of your website into place.

• Multitude of pre-built templates to chose from

• Dynamic drag enabled menus

• Built in FTP program (most other ones don't have this)

• Instant screenshot tool

• Template and banner swapping

• Media Management Support (Video, Images, Screenshots)

• Flexible Operating System Support

Overall I'd say Site Rubix is the best of both worlds. You can run it on either Mac or Windows based systems. And it has every feature that all the other programs offer. What makes it stand out is the fact that it's tied into it's own forum where not only you can learn how to build websites - you could also become a top level Internet marketing professional with the 1-on-1 coaching program that's offered.

To see my review on it, visit Site Rubix Review at my website. To learn how you can take full advantage of the forum and the coaching program, see my Wealthy Affiliate Review