Webmaster Papers








Choosing Your Web Design


We would all like to have the best looking website, that's a fact - but if we keep in mind that our main objective is to finally sell our product or service online, we'll realize that maybe design is not the most important factor when it comes to achieve this objective.

Professional design is probably the most time consuming part of the web development, so my first tip would be, before you are contacting a Web Design Company, to browse the Internet for companies which offer similar services and products - you will find probably hundreds of them - save in your Favorites four or five websites which you really like, print out these, and show the printouts to as many people as you can, especially to your existing customers, and ask them which one it's more likely is to make them take an action (contact, buy, subscribe) on the site. This way you have conducted your own little "marketing pool" which will add weeks and weeks of online presence and business.

Based on this little pool you've conducted you know have a good idea on how your website should look like to entice your visitors to buy your service/product.

The next step would be to contact the Web Design Company of your choice and show them exactly want you want, cutting this way 80% of the design time. The designer will probably make suggestions and additions, some off them good ones but most of them just so they can mark up the price of the design.

I would advise that you should be really firm on your feet if you really want your website to be up and running ASAP.

Another very important aspect of this design contracting process is that even you showed them exactly what you want, you have to realize that you are not the designer's only client and the designers are working on probably tens of other projects too, so I would advise you to put in the contract you are signing a very firm deadline for the site design, and ask for penalties on the design company end if it's not done in time, this way you will ensure that your project is prioritized.

Mr. Josh Szatmari is a Web Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Specialist & Web Developer, currently the Vice President of Performance Development Corporation and the Web Development Director of Hilton Head Rentals.

RELATED ARTICLES


Offshore Web Design and Development - Use Great Opportunities
Sooner or later every small or medium business owner realizes that he needs a web site for his business. And almost everybody wants to have great web site for affordable price because usually web site design budget is quite limited.
Top Ten Absolutely Free Websites for Downloading Cool Fonts
The following list of websites is the best compilation of sites on the web where you can download many different fonts totally free. Also, there are a variety of different types of fonts and styles you can download from the following sites so start searching today. Keep in mind that these sites are not listed in any particular order.
How To Create A Stunning Drop Capital Effect On Your Web Pages
Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and magazines in the offline world.  You will frequently see the large capital letter sinking down into the first paragraph of articles, stories and chapters in the majority of publications you come across.
Make it Clear What Your Website is About
Just about every list of the "Top 10 Web Design Mistakes" includes at least one reference to either
Website Design Considerations
Q: Should I build and maintain my business Web site myself or pay someone else to do the work for me? -- Wesley L.
Building Your Website to Save You Money
Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE you any money?Websites are more than just marketing tools, out there in Cyber-Land effortlessly promoting you and your products. While that's great, why not use that same website to save yourself some money?How? Well, while I don't know your particular situation, I can provide you with some thought-provoking ideas that you can take back to your web designer for more input.Reduce your support costs.It is often cheaper, easier, and more effective to support customers over the Internet than through more tradiditonal methods such as telephone and direct mail. Services such as instant messaging and Get1on1 (www.get1on1.com) provide immediate chat facilities to current and potential customers.Corporations can support their employees and business partners over their corporate intranets, keeping them informed and soliciting their feedback. Providing documentation for perusal saves time and reduces labor on your email server.Providing a map to your location can save your receptionist valuable minutes on the phone explaining turns and streets, freeing her up for more important tasks.Including a forum on your site can bring people of a common industry or interest together to discuss upcoming events, current problems, and other interesting ideas and thoughts. These forums can grow very large very quickly. And, in the meantime, your website traffic increases. Stick an ad on the forum and bring in more sales from people that you already know have expressed interest in your industry.Interested in reading more ways to increase your sales and save money?Visit http://techlh.com/why_web.htm and read our full storynow!
Building Web Sites Using Web Templates
Gone are the days when you had to rely on a web-designer to design your websites. New technologies with innovative ideas have brought out a new variant to this trend in the form of ready to use website templates.
Colorblind People, Can They Really Read Your Web Site?
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with this editor to write Russian text on a western Windows without using a Cyrillic keyboard in front of your computer.
Maximising Web Site Viewability - Resolution
This is my second article on maximising web site viewability. Analysing screen resolution data.
Every Website is a Human Being?s Attempt at Achieving a Goal or Obtaining Happiness
Have you ever thought about the real stories behind all the websites on the Internet? There are over 10 million sites out there and a human being with some hope or dream driving the process constructed each one. Too much of our modern world is presented to us in a barrage of superficial pictures that only show a very external glimpse of the true reality beneath the surface. Wouldn't you like to know about the people who live behind this wall of technology? Humanity is the force behind all the websites, and for that matter, all technology that we use without a second thought everyday. Behind every advance in technology is a human being who wanted to get something done, then did it.
Five Common Web Design Mistakes
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage or website. Learn about the top five website mistakes, and how to avoid them.
Dos and Donts in Web Design - part 2 (content)
Do know your audience
Why You Should Hire a Professional Website Designer
Your web site should always adhere to standards!
15 Website Elements That Attract Visitors
Here is a quick list of components that make a website attractive. They are listed in layers of attractiveness beginning with the "must" haves, to "nice to haves."
Design Matters in our Visual Culture
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
Testament To Testimonials
We have all seen websites showcasing their testimonials either spread strategically throughout the site or all together on their own glorious page. They're there with the intent of leading us toward that high dollar purchase or convincing us of something's legitimacy. Sometimes we read them and sometimes we won't. Sometimes we believe them and sometimes we don't. Well, are they really worth all the time and effort?
Using Graphic Design on Your Website
Almost everything is available on the web? products, services, e-books, software, audios, videos, membership sites, or newsletters. Regardless of what you're promoting, there's a never-ending supply of prospects and customers on the world-wide-web. Your goal is to capture and turn those prospects into paying customers.
Why You Want to Include an FAQ In Your Site
Congratulations! You've got a brand new site and it's doing pretty well. You check your statistics every day and the hits and page views keep climbing, your links are all in order and everything looks very good. On top of that, your guestbook is filling with great comments and you're getting a few emails now and then with praise and perhaps a question or two.
Color and Web Design
Color is one of the most important but least understood elements of web design today. Whether they know it or not, visitors to a site respond to colors and other visual elements on the site on a psychological level. Color affects the emotion of the audience, and emotion drives decision-making. An intrigued visitor is more likely to engage in the goal of your site -- whether it is meant to inform, entertain, or to sell products or services. If the colors are unsuitable, the eye will reject the site and your product may be rejected too, no matter how good it is. A well-considered color scheme is frequently the difference between an okay web site and a great web site. It can also make a site unusable if the scheme used is too outrageous and hard on the eye.
Give Your Web Wite Visitors What They Really Want - Information!
Surfing the internet is basically an information-fest! From intellectual discussions to the bizarre...people surf the internet for information more than products or services. Through sites that offer information -sales are generated indirectly which is perfect. By offering valuable information to your visitors, you start a marketing relationship just by creating value in your website.