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The Add Me! Newsletter *** ISSUE #25 ***
"Free tips for promoting your website"
Add Me, Inc http://www.addme.com
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>> Web Design For Success <<
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April 2nd, 1999 *** ISSUE #25 ***
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.....THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE.....
Web Design For Success
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Thousands of companies joined the exodus to the Web during
the past year, drawn by the promise of a new and growing
consumer base. For some, the move was successful, but for
most, a disappointment.
The Web is a relatively new medium where success is not
necessarily bestowed on companies that are well organized
and efficiently run. Traditional strengths in the normal
business world often prove to be irrelevant in the world
of cyberspace. The main reason for this is that the Web
is primarily a visual medium, similiar in some respects
to television but with an audience that has millions of
selection options and a short attention span. Content is
important, but presentation is the key to holding attention.
Web site design, layout and navigational ease play a
crucial role in converting the casual surfer to a customer.
Companies with unattractive web sites fail to grasp this
simple concept and often try to compensate with expensive
promotional schemes.
Successful web page design is a mix of common sense, skill
and knowledge. One of the most important factors in basic
web design is ensuring that a web site is optimized for
the most commonly used web browsers and for different
screen resolutions. The design and layout of a site should
hold true regardless of the web browser or screen resolution
used by visitors to the site.
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Page loading time is another important element in site
design but somewhat contingent upon target audience. If
your potential clients are the corporate crowd with T1
connections, then special effects and large graphics are
an option. On the other hand, if you are targeting the
average surfer with a 28.8 modem connection, then page
and graphic file sizes should be kept as small as possible.
Pages of 40k or less should keep most visitors from
succumbing to mouse click syndrome.
Finally, there is the element of uniqueness, that special
look and feel that some web sites have and that most don't.
Unique web sites aren't created by using templates and mass
produced graphics. A cookie cutter approach to web design
is one of the reasons that so many corporate web sites look
alike. Hire a designer with the graphical talent to create
a special look for your business. Branding is as important
on the Web as it is in the normal business world and "images"
are retained in the public mind far longer than words.
Web page design is important to a site's success but appea-
rance alone is not enough. Studies have shown that visitors
are drawn to sites that offer them the means to interact or
participate. Newsletters, guestbooks and feedback forms are
just some of the many ways that you can communicate with
visitors and potential clients and provide them with a vehicle
for contacting you. Supplement interaction with regular site
updates. An "alive" web site keeps people coming back to
check on whats happenned since their last visit. Give your
visitors a reason to call your site "home" and word of
mouth (think email, chat & newsgroup postings) can increase
your traffic tenfold.
On a final note, keep in mind that there are definite
advantages to using the services of a professional web
designer. Anyone can learn HTML with a little application,
but the combination of graphics, color and layout into a
unique web page design generally requires the talents of
a skilled professional and is worth the investment to
ensure long term benefit.
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Web Designer
Matti E. Simonaho
http://www.simonaho.com
simonaho@simonaho.com
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