Web Design: How Web Design Affects Your Website Traffic...

Your web design is the very first thing your visitor experiences when she arrives at your site.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, your visitors form an instant "first impression" when they arrive.

This first impression comes before they consume the actual content. Your content may be excellent, but if you lose them before they get there it is all for not.

Do you want your site to inspire confidence in your visitors? Then you must present your visitors with a clear, easy to use site with easy navigation, eye-pleasing layout and logically flowing content.

The following aspects of web design will be covered:

- Look & Feel
- Web Page Layout
- Text or Words

Look & Feel Of Your Website...

To present a professional look and feel your site must be clean,clear, credible and confidence inspiring.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, your visitors form an instant opinion. Obviously, a good first impression is critical.

Your web design can either put your visitor at ease or indicate a lack of professionalism.

Your ultimate goal in your site's design is to engage each visitor and get them in a mind-set that is receptive to your words.

Your writing skills at this point is irrelevant because you are writing from your own knowledge and passion (Or at least you should be!). Plus, design templates make it relatively easy to put together a winning look and feel.

Focusing on the "look"...

The "Look"

A clean look and feel with great content has always been, and continues to be, the best practices for small online businesses.

Taking it to the max is just plain unnecessary. It all started with the animated graphics a few years back and now people are using flash like crazy! (There are exceptions. Based on your audience, adjust for their specific peculiarities.)

Remember, people are on the net for information... for solutions. If they wanted TV they'd be watching it instead of surfing the net.

When we're talking about "look," we're talking about more than graphics and layout. The way your text appears is very important.

Avoid these web design blunders:

1. Excessive typos (Get someone to proof-read for you!)

2. Pages difficult to read or scan down (Weird looking fonts or cluttered with links)

3. BOLD FONTS AND CAPS EVERYWHERE

4. Over-use of color varieties in your text (Use colors only for very special circumstances)

That's the look part, what about your site's "feel"...

The "Feel" : Usability And Navigation

You may have the most eye-popping, gorgeous site in the world, but sites that have 14 tiers and one of those JavaScript driven navigation bars that people get frustrated with because they can't figure it out, you WILL lose business!

The basic message here is just keep it simple.

Next...

Web Design And Web Page Layout...

Your site's layout contributes to your overall look & Feel.Keep your paragraphs short and use lots of white space.

Clean and simple works best even though many have high-speed connections today. The only time this may not be the case is if your potential customers are mostly upscale or urban.

Use images only when you need them and keep them as optimized as possible.

Remember the exception: If your market is a higher end market or an urban market they are more likely to be equipped with high-speed connections.

How Your "Words" Affect Your Web Design

Combine knowledge with passion and be original. This helps you connect with your visitors and builds trust and confidence.

Don't fake it. Either know your topic inside out or find one that does. Visitors today are discerning and will be turned off if you come across like an encyclopedia or use unnecessarily difficult words.

You are NOT using words to sell, you are providing relevant and useful information that "pre-sells." Pre-Selling leads to selling.

It's called that because it comes before your sales effort.Understand the difference between selling and pre-selling.

Pre selling warms up your visitors and develops an "open to buy" mindset.

Since you yourself are not a brand, people won't buy or follow your recommendations just based on your say so. Your conversion rate soars when you pre-sell regardless of how or what you are selling on your "sales page."

Build a "Brand of one" with your "island" of knowledge

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