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.

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

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.

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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The Easiest Way to Design a Website

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.