Website?

     This is probably one of the MOST frequent questions I hear from individual wanting to start their own business.  Hopefully the following information will be of help.

     People always want to follow the latest thing, be it in fashion, sports, that kind of thing. Websites have become a necessity to almost everyone. Companies, businesses, individuals, even young adults have created personal websites with their respective purposes, be it for profit, or for entertainment.

     What one must consider, however, before creating a website, are the factors in which must be put to thought before doing so, such as the cost, maintenance, use, web hosting and so forth.

     Firstly, associating with the cost, we must always try to find an affordable host, not spending too much, or too little. A cheap host does not exactly symbolize a credible reliability rating, but we must always look for value for money deals. Also, regarding the efficiency and server/web host reliability, there are many cases of web hosts not providing the service they had assured other people, some had even shut down and were nowhere to be seen. Keep this note in mind, if you would like a long-lasting website, this would be the first thing to look for.

     Next, would hiring a professional be affordable? Is it the best option? For simple websites, we could always pick up the coding, or even use programs, as it is relatively simple. However, when it comes to more complex coding, and when you want it to do a tad more than just providing information, hiring help in doing so would be the best way. Not only in terms of design, but security is also a key factor in assuring a quality website. If the website also acts as a portal for businesses, security would definitely be the issue here.

     So, having considered the things to do before building a website, do we actually NEED one? If creating one would boost sales or promote positive implications, then by all means, go ahead and do what’s best. Yet again, planning is the key to success, in everything we do.

     Here are 5 Important Rules in Website Design that you would want to keep in mind if you are doing your own website design work.

1) Do not use splash pages

     Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that -- pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the "back" button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

     Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

     You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

     When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors because confusion means "abandon ship"!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

     If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping over and over on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it -- volume or muting controls would work fine.

Here’s some information that may be of help:

     Design Free Websites:  Review this information to see all the FREE stuff you can get.

     Your Own FREE Website:  You only have to pay for annual hosting fees.  You design the website the way you want it!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"You may be the best at what you do,

but WHO knows that?"