The Hidden Tricks of Web Designing: 2008

How to Make a Website Fast and Easy

Anyone can make a website these days using the services and products readily available to us all. But for a first-time web master, it can be a slow and frustrating process, as you figure out how everything works, what is compatible with what else and how everything slots together.

A simple website can easily go from nothing to a finished, published site in less than a day *if* you know what you're doing. Otherwise it can take weeks if not longer - and that assumes you get finished at all!

So in this article we're not just going to look at how to make a website, we're going to be more specific and consider how to make a website fast and easy so you can get your site online sooner rather than later.

Okay, well the good news is that with all the software and services around at the moment there is a greater chance to make a website fast and easy than ever before.

Let's take a look at some of the resources that will help you achieve this...

1) Wordpress

You can use Wordpress software free of charge to make a blog super-fast. Within minutes you'll have a basic website set up for you to tweak when you have time. Add some articles and you're done.

2) Blogger

Google's offering for bloggers offers a similar service to Wordpress though differs being easier to use but less fully-featured.

3) Nvu

Nvu free web design software lets you make a website easily on your home computer without splashing out cash.

4) Free Website Templates

Whether you decide to make a website from scratch using software like Nvu or using an online blogging solution like Wordpress or Blogger you will be able to find a host of free site templates that you can either use as-is , or modify to perfectly suit your needs.

A quick search in your favorite search engine will likely turn up hundreds of sites listing these template files.

5) CoolText

Allows you to create your own logo free of charge. Just visit the site, type in your website name, select the color, the font and so on and out pops your finished logo. What's more, they look great!

6) Royalty Free Images

Websites like IstockPhoto allows you to get royalty-free images to use on your website so you can add professionally-photographed pictures, animations and cartoons to your site, without breaking the bank or risking a letter from a solicitor.

7) Low Cost Web Hosting

There is plenty of competition in the market now for web hosting. If you're wondering how to make a website fast and easy, then select a budget web hosting company to host your site. Then consider using Wordpress or Blogger to actually build a site, together with a free template to give it a professional look. You can be set up for under $5 a month with this solution, including your own website address.

The end result is fantastic and it's quick and easy to set up. This is my own personal favourite technique for making a website fast.

Six Qualities of a Good Website

Websites today have become a very important platform for companies however small or big to showcase their products and services and increase their brand visibility. A good website not only entices its visitors but also ensures that they keep coming back for repeat visits.

Getting a website is no big task in today's world. With scores of small and big website development companies vying the customers, the customers are the happiest lot. However sometimes people may decide to create websites all by themselves. But creating websites or getting websites developed by people who have limited technological expertise and experience has its own risks. Economical and cost effective website may help save money but they may prove unproductive in the long run.. Such website may be low in quality and also not appeal to the target audience.

So whenever you plan to get a website for yourself, try take the help of a professional website designer or a company. You should also look for some very basic features and evaluate your website on the following parameters which constitute a good website:

1) Template- Choose best template that matches your work & company profile. Don't use free template available on the other site because these types of template are repeated on many websites and fail to give your company the required unique identity.

2) Content - Content is a soul of any website, so take your time to improve this section. Ensure you have content related to the theme of the website and also ensure availability of fresh content for each & every page. It will help attract new customers.

3) Meta Tag & Title - Each and every page should have a title & be supported by appropriate meta tags. This will help in getting good ranking in search engines like Google, Yahoo & MSN.

4) Internal navigation - Ensure that your website is properly interwoven. Try to keep internal pages maximum three click away from the index page.

5) Broken links - Cross check all the active links on the website. Broken link have a very bad impact on the customer & it also harm your search engine rankings.

6) Search Box - Include a search box option in the website. It will always help the customer in finding important information on the web site.

A good website is an asset for any organization. So the next time you think of getting a new website created or an existing website revamped do keep the above mentioned points in mind. Do talk to you website provider about the parameters and figure out the best deal before you finally decide to go ahead with any of them.

A Confused Mind Won't Buy

So often as we surf online, we are presented with many options. Sometimes more than we can process. We create websites and try to pack as many things as we can into each one hoping that a web surfer will come along and click one of our "buy" links.

When we design a website, we need to keep something in mind... "a confused mind won't buy". Quite simply put, make sure your website is focused. When a visitor comes to a website, he should be presented with as few options as possible. Ideally, each step of the site should only offer a yes/no answer.

You start out by first determining the actual purpose of your website. Is it to provide information, grow an email contact list (lead generation), or sell a product or service directly? You need to have a clear picture of what you want your website to do so that you can guide the visitor and make it easy for them to follow the steps.

If you are building a website with the intent of building a list of leads, then just focus on that.

If someone comes to a website that is designed to sell them something then by the time they get to the bottom of the page, they should only have a choice to buy or leave the page. Don't offer too many things at once or the customer won't know what to do.

If you don't know what you want your website to do, how will your visitor know what to do when he gets there?

WYSIWYG Web Design

WYSIWYGis the acronym for What You See Is What You Get. It is a nickname used to describe software in which an outlay of the final design is available at the same time as developing the content. WYSIWYG is often pronounced as wizi-wig. One of the main applications is in web designing. This software allows the resulting page will display exactly or similar the way it was designed by the author. In other words, a WYSIWYG editor or program is one that permits a developer to see what the final result will look like even while the interface or design is being created.

Three WYSIWYG modes with different levels of realism exist. These are composition mode, layout mode and preview mode. In composition mode user sees something somewhat similar to the end result. That is the final product will be exactly the same as the user expected. In layout mode, the user sees something very similar to the end result. Here the final product will be only somewhat similar to the expected product. In a preview mode the application attempts to present a representation that is as close to the final result as possible.

This type of HTML software can be described as a user interface that permits the user to view something very similar to the end result while the document or image is being created. For example, a user can view on screen how a document will look when it is printed to paper or in the case of this article, displayed in a web browser. The editing software gives the designer the ability to alter the layout of a document without having to hand type any HTML or CSS coding.

As web designers, this type of software can help us in prototyping designs and provides a platform to help junior web designers develop their HTML skills as they can refer to the HTML code that the program is creating for them. WYSIWYG Software can also help speed up experienced web designers, by allowing them to format text and proof read their web page quicker by switching to the view mode instead of the code view.

Some of the most powerful web design software such as Adobe Dreamweaver does a reasonably good job of producing valid and cross platform compatible code, without restricting your design.

Advanced HTML editors, such as MS FrontPage and Dreamweaver and will shield the designer from the HTML code and permits the web designer to think entirely in terms of how the content should appear without worrying about the code. One of the trade offs, however, is that HTML editors with viewing mode can sometimes insert markup code that it thinks is needed, all on its own. Then, the developer has to know enough about the markup language to go back into the source and clean it up manually.

As a professional web designer, I have used many advanced 'What you see is what you get' editors over the past 6 years. Although it is one of the more complex editors, Dreamweaver has become the industry standard web design and coding software. Adobe Dreamweaver offers a powerful viewing mode to the user, however beginners may struggle without a basic understanding of HTML and Web Standards. Nevertheless it is a great tool for getting starting and for professionals alike.

How to Create Your Website - 5 Simple Steps

The effort required today, to create your first website has been rendered very easy by a number of tools offered by several providers like Microsoft. But, if you pay attention to some of the basic norms, you can have a great website. The 5 steps below will help you achieve this objective.

1. Reading ease

Make your content easy for people to read. Pay attention to comfortable font size, color, background, etc. No component should dominate another. Capital letters if used should be kept to the minimum. Align your text to the left, since it facilitates easy reading.

2. Create facile navigation

When you create your first website, link your pages well. Having clear hyperlinks on your pages will make it easy for the visitors. Never attempt to mislead the visitor through hyperlinks. Understand that people can be fooled, but only once.

3. Promote your website

If you create your first website and leave it without promoting it, nobody will get to see your efforts, nor can you expect any benefit from the website. Promote your website using search engines, ezines, directories, social networking, social bookmarking etc.

4. Design consistency

When you create your first website, make sure that each page of your website has a consistent design and layout for a uniform look. This approach will also lend a professional image to your site.

5. Download speed

Websites should be quick to download. If you create your first website with plenty of graphics and media which takes ages to download, possibly, the only one viewing the website will be you. Keep things simple and quick on the net.

5 Killer Tips For Creating Your Online Personal Training Website

In the past, I've personally done full graphic design and coding for twelve of my own websites. I've also had local community graphic web designers create two additional websites. But now, I outsource all this time-consuming work to Pakistan, India, or some other very inexpensive technology sector based geographical area. I talk comprehensively about this type of outsourcing in Chapter 5 of Train For Top Dollar.

So what methods have I used to create my websites?

Whoever you use to host your website will typically come include free web templates. What this means is that you can download the template to your computer, or you can use an online editing program that is usually available on your web host, and most of the work is done for you. For multiple reasons included in my book, especially for utilizing one-click, simple blog creation, my favorite host is Bluehost.

The colors, backgrounds, and organization in these templates are already present, and you just drag and drop your desired pictures and text. This can be a very effective and quick way to design your website.

On the flipside, a template will have a very generic feel, and you have extremely limited control over the basic website design and organization. These type of sites have no wow factor, but if you're on a time crunch, have a limited budget, or just want to get started, this may be the way to go.

If you use an online website design tool, typically also available from your hosting service (like Bluehost), you'll finish a web page on your web site, then just press "publish" or "save", and it now appears when people type your domain name (aka URL) into their computer's web browser.

If you use your own website design software, based from your computer, you typically have to create the website on your computer, then send it electronically (called FTP) to your hosting service, which typically provides pretty good instructions in the help section on how to use various web design software to create and upload your site.

My favorite computer based software is Adobe GoLive, but if you go to a freeware or shareware download website like Tucows, you can trial or use any number of free website design software packages.

Here are my five killer tips for your website design:

• Keep it simple and clean. Include lots of "white space" so your readers don't become confused with 18 different training advertisements, fitness pop-ups, and sounds or music when they first visit your page.

• Use photos effectively. Try to include your face or body if possible, to build a trust relationship with your potential online clients and show that you are indeed fit.

• Use a simple navigation menu without too many buttons. A simple "Home", "Services", "About Us", and "Contact Us" will suffice for a basic online personal training page.

• Include space for publishing your latest breaking articles on your home page. This is very important for search engine optimization, which I present later in this chapter.

• Include a space for client testimonials. Here's an e-mail that I send out to each successful client after they've reached a milestone goal and have enough dopamine and endorphins rumbling through their system to give me a fantastic testimonial:

"Dear _________,

The people I coach and train are my main focus in life. When you reach your goals, I feel I've contributed to your life in a unique way, and somehow contributed my knowledge to help you achieve something special and meaningful.

I'm in the process of updating my website - specifically the online fitness and nutritional training services. I really want people to know how I can help them achieve their desires.

Here's where you come in. If you're interested, I'm looking for testimonials. Just a brief sentence or paragraph about how I've helped you identify objectives, reach your goals or simply supplied you with a nudge in the right direction.

If I use your testimonial on my website or in a brochure, I would just write your first name, or simply your initials if you'd prefer. All you really have to do is shoot your testimonial to me via e-mail.

Thanks for considering, and remember to train and eat smart!"

These 5 tips will get you started. I also offer business and website consulting services to personal trainers, and give a vast amount of information in my book Train For Top Dollar, which teaches how to maximize your income as a fitness professional.

Effective Website - Things to Consider

1) Design - If your website looks crappy then people will tend to have less credibility towards your company. First impression when they enter your website will make a huge difference in making a purchase decision.

2) User interface - When people visit your website, they should clearly know where to go and click to find the right information they need from your website. It should be easy to navigate and there needs to be a clear call to action. If people come to your website and don't know how to buy the production because of the messy user interface, then what's the point of them visiting your website. If people cannot find the information with in short period, they will right away leave your website to search for better website. Remember, how easy it is for the visitors to leave your website. It's just one click.

3) SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - SEO has become a must for a website to be successful. If you have a fancy looking sports car but it's placed inside a garage of a remote house, then what's the use? If people can't find your website and no traffic comes in, then good design and good interface doesn't matter. Being found on Google and Yahoo with the right keyword has become one of the most essential parts of having a successful website.

Here are some tips, try to optimize your website for Google first since it will bring you the most traffic. However, keep in mind that Google is the most difficult search engine to optimize since the competition is fierce. There are limited spots on the first page in Google. Before starting, know that SEO takes time, energy, and patience. So make a short-term and long-term plan to find the right key word you want to optimize.

Effective Website - Things to Consider

Color Psychology in Online Marketing

On the internet we don't deal with face to face selling. The internet is a visual and psychological medium. The words, or sales copy, on your website have by far the greatest psychological impact on your visitors and thus becomes your most important communication and sales tool.

But another important psychological aspect of your website that is often overlooked are the colors. Yes, that's right... I said colors.

Just as you use words to express yourself, colors can be used as an expression as well and are a language all on their own.

The background color of your website, the color of your header, the color of your text, headlines and sub-headlines etc. can all have a psychological impact on your visitors.

Here is a list of some of the common colors and what type of psychological emotion they invoke in people:

RED is associated with love, passion, danger, warning, excitement, food, impulse, action, adventure.

BLUE is associated with trustworthiness, success, seriousness, calmness, power, professionalism.

GREEN is associated with money, nature, animals, health, healing, life, harmony.

ORANGE is associated with comfort, creativity, celebration, fun, youth, affordability.

PURPLE is associated with royalty, justice, ambiguity, uncertainty, luxury, fantasy, dreams.

WHITE is associated with innocence, purity, cleanliness, simplicity.

YELLOW is associated with curiosity, playfulness, cheerfulness, amusement.

PINK is associated with softness, sweetness, innocence, youthfulness, tenderness.

BROWN is associated with earth, nature, tribal, primitive, simplicity.

GREY is associated with neutralality, indifference, reserved.

BLACK is associated with seriousness, darkness, mystery, secrecy.

You can use the above as a guide when choosing colors for your website. It really boils down to your target audience and what psychological message you want to convey in colors.

Blues and white backgrounds work best for business sites. Maternity sites should consider some pink. Golf or lawn sites sites should consider green. Food sites should consider red, etc.

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Web Design Myths

Myth 1: Web Design is For Techies

This couldn't be further from the truth. There is free software out there like CoffeeCup that will aid you with your design. The templates have already been pre-created, so all you do is choose the one you want and insert your text.

CoffeeCup also has an upload feature, and if your web host supports the software, you can save your work right to the web.

And if you want to take an even simpler route, there are web hosting solutions like Tonight that allow you to select a template, edit the page, and save your work right to the web with a few mouse clicks. Everything you need to build and manage your site comes with the web hosting package.

So before you go out and hire an expensive web designer, make sure you look into the solutions above. You may be able to get what you need at a much lower cost!

Myth 2: Flash Will Enhance Any Website

If you plan on using any enhanced features such as Flash, be sure to use it efficiently and sparingly.

Keep in mind that not every person is surfing with a high speed connection. Some people may still be crawling at 56 or even 28K, so this means the animation may take some time to load.

Remember, this feature should enhance the visit, not hinder it. You don't want people to become impatient and hit the back button before they even see your key message.

Additionally, people may not have the Flash plug-in installed on their PC so before they can view your site, they must wait for it to download.

Don't get me wrong, Flash can be a very nice enhancement to a web site if used effectively. Just make sure you test it out on a sample audience and get their feedback.

Also be sure to give your visitors the opportunity to view a "non Flash" version of your web site for those who cannot or do not wish to read the Flash version. You certainly don't want to lose visitors because people cannot view your site properly.

Myth 3: Lots of Colors Enhance A Web Site

Remember that actual humans will be reading your site so you want to make it as visually pleasing as possible. If your visitor's eyes hurt from reading your pages, they won't return.

Your site should consist of 2 to 3 colors max and remember that it's easier to read dark text on a light background. Even though red and purple may be your favorite colors, they don't generally team up very well for a text/background combination.

Also remember to make sure your hyperlinks are the same color on every page. Many believe you should only use the standard blue color for your links, but I disagree. As long as they contrast from the background and are consistent throughout your site, the color shouldn't matter.

Myth 4: You Can Never Have Too Many Images

When used sparingly, images can really enhance various pages on your web site. They are great for illustrating certain points, and if you're creating a personal site, you may want to add a photo album.

One very important thing to keep in mind about images is that they can make your pages load very slowly. If your page doesn't load within 10 seconds, you are in danger of losing many visitors.

Ideally, your pages should not be larger than 30K in size -- this includes the images and HTML. If you find that they are too large, use an image editing program to size your pictures down.

Additionally, ensure that all of your images are saved in the correct format. Photos should be saved in .jpg format (more colors), while web images, clip art, etc. should be saved in .gif format (fewer colors).

Also remember to always include the "height" and "width" HTML attribute on all of your images so your text will load first instead of waiting until all the images load.

Myth 5: Your Site Is Always Viewed Equally

This is a common mistake made by many webmasters. Just because your site looks fine on your PC, don't assume it looks that good everywhere.

Remember that different browsers handle HTML a little differently. So if you've checked your site in IE, make sure you also view it Netscape.

Also remember that not everyone has their resolution set to the same value. If you're building your site with your screen resolution set to 1024 x 768, make sure you view it in 800 x 600 as well. The latter is still the most popular, so you want to make sure your site looks fine there as well.

If you are using tables, you should set the widths in percentages rather than pixel values. That way if you have the width set to 80%, for example, it will take up 80% of the screen no matter what resolution you view it in.

On the other hand, if you set it to 900 pixels wide on your 1024 x 768 screen, it may look fine, but if someone else is viewing your site using 800 x 600, they will have to scroll left and right to view your entire page. That is a huge annoyance.

Remember to design for the masses!

The Easiest Way to Design a Website

http://eu.v-com.com/images/screens/wep6_wild-animal_website_small.jpg

By now, you probably know that in order to start a website, you need a domain name (yoursite.com) and a web host. But that's just the beginning.

Once you have those two things you'll need to take the next step and actually build your pages.

If you're a beginner, the best way to build and design a website is to use a pre-designed template and edit/customize that template using some web editing software.

If you plan on taking this route, be sure you use a standard host like this.

NOTE: If you use a host that already offers pre-built templates (WebSite Tonight, for example) then you don't need to read this tutorial. It won't apply to you.

How I Created This Site

To help you understand the website creation process better, I'll talk a little bit about how I created this site...

First, I bought this template ($24) at DreamweaverTemplates.net. After I purchased the template, I opened Dreamweaver and customized the template to my liking right through the software. Again, you can do this with any editor of your choice.

The nice thing about Dreamweaver is you can download it immediately from Adobe's site after purchasing.

So whatever software you decide to use, you'll need to open up the template files with your editor. Usually there is an index.html or index.htm that comes with the template. Use this page as your template to create the additional pages of your site.

Simply add your content right into the body of the page, and of course you can change the menu/navigation text (if applicable), logos, background colors etc. to customize the site to your liking.

A Word About Logos and Images...

Most templates come with placeholder logos/images. So you'll see a header image that says something like "Company Name." If you have web editing software, (I use PhotoShop), then you can customize these images for your site.

PhotoShop and Fireworks are quite expensive for the average consumer, so I would recommend an alternative solution if you are looking for something more cost-friendly.

I highly recommend PhotoShop, and remember if this is for a business you can write off the cost as a business expense.

Building a Large Site? Make It Easy to Update With Includes

After I bought my template, I created include files. That means if I update my left, right, top or bottom navigation, I only have to change one file and all the pages get updated at once.

If you plan on creating a large site, make sure you either buy a template that has include files or create them yourself. (Do a Google search for "creating include files" for help with this.)

This will allow you to update all pages at once. Include files have made my life much easier, especially since this site has over 130 pages.