#You are# out searching for healthy, designer food. You visit two health food stores. The very first one is light and cheerful: Its products are displayed pleasingly and its personnel, by means of snappish, starched aprons on, is slim, friendly and helpful with smiles that twinkle. There's another health food store immediately across the street Similar products. A fat, greasy-haired sweaty man, breath redolent of whisky, garlic and fermented cheese, egg stains on the front of his crumpled shirt, the middle of which strains to #stay# closed struggling to keeping its charge - a protruding belly - surrounded by, worn-out buttons #at the# #ready to# pop...#comes to serve you.

#You are# your website: It's a mirrored image of who that you are, your product, your service. Portray yourself as being a qualified, seasoned professional. Your internet site is the only contact your prospects, potential and current, have with you. You must create an atmosphere that is pleasing #to your# consumers to make them prefer to #stay# and purchase, and more significantly, #to want# to come back again and again. You need to aim for duplicate business. The long and #short of# it #is this#: Your website can make or else break your sales...#and your# business.

Tips OF THE TRADE

What strategies can you apply in the design #of your# website?

1. Surfability

Do your investigation by browsing numerous internet websites. Make a note of what made them appealing, attractive or the reverse. At all times keep in mind that visitors #to your# site have one goal #in mind#: They are either in search of information or searching for a product. Your goal is to provide them what they want without their having to search for it. It's a essential rule to create your site easy to navigate. Make sure that all the information is relevant #to your# product/service. Convince visitors #that they# unquestionably need your product to solve their problem(s).

2. The Initial Feeling Lingers...The #Importance of# your Main Page

The primary page has a very exact purpose: It's #the store# front #of your# website where your customer lands and from where she/#he will# shop. Therefore, this page must load #very quickly# and be real easy to view. That's the first contact #with your# customer: First impressions can either close a transaction or...lose this same deal that has precisely the identical potential.

Make effects simple: Guarantee that links are easily viewable by your visitors and that these links will navigate your visitors to wherever they wish to go. #Very often#, an amazing choice is the use of tables when deciding how #to design# the principle page #of your# site. If your page requires in excess of ten seconds to load even on a 56k modem, your visitor will click away, through impatience, or to save time, seeking information or products somewhere else. To speed up the loading of the main page, it's highly recommended avoiding large, or excessive, graphics. A lot of banners or #special effects# often in addition cause a page to load slowly.

3. Assemble your Website Appealing to, and Easy for, the Eyes

Colors

Mild colors are your most excellent bet. In case your site is a content site someplace your visitor are going to be doing a lot of reading, it's recommended #to keep# to black and white. You can still add color when using tables as a method #to brighten# up the page. However, always bear in mind to maintain the general look #of the# page professional and appealing #to your# target audience that will be visiting more often.

Screen Resolutions

These differ amongst video display units. It is, for that reason, good counsel #to set# the pixels to a normal 800x600. You may additionally decide to set the tables in your web page to span a percentage #of the# page rather than #a set# #number of# inches. This will likely be sure #to accommodate# all screen sizes.

Browsers

Bear in mind# that a great deal of Internet users will not use exactly the same browser as you. Consequently, make sure that your site looks #as good# on other browsers the way it does #on your# own. You can do this by downloading several browsers through which to see your page.

#Be aware# that the general look #of your# website is #to make# it attractive to visitors, which in turn appeals to emotions and, as a result, lead to sales #and to# make money for you. The appearance #of your# site, if appropriately planned, can be an excellent marketing strategy #for your# product/service.