Friday, December 26, 2008

Your Customers Is Whom Custom Web Design Is For

By Stephen Grisham, Sr.

You aren't the one who needs to be impressed by your web site. You're trying to sell your products to people you don't even know. When working on your web site, put the customer first. Here's six rules to follow.

Rule #1: Make your site fast. People have broadband for a reason, so if your site takes forever to load, they're going to seek their business elsewhere. Make sure your page is simple enough to load in an instant. This way, they won't leave out of boredom.

Rule #2: Don't make users download anything. Sure, ActiveX and other technologies can do amazing things but they're a pain to install, and open up users to viruses or other bad things. HTML is powerful enough to do whatever you need it to.

Rule #3: Don't be tacky. Customers trust a salesman who exemplifies class, so make sure your web site does this, too. Cut out the blinking text, animated GIFs, and music that plays uncontrollably when a page loads. They make the page load slowly, too.

Rule #4: Hire a custom web designer. Let's face it, HTML can be fun to learn, but there are people out there who do it for a LIVING. If you want a website that really impressive customers, you need to hire a professional to get the job done. Custom web design for your website can convince customers you're trustworthy and that means they'll give you their money.

Rule #5: Know what you are selling. If you are selling craft supplies, then your home page doesn't need to have a puppy on it. You will get better results if you stick to the theme instead of trying to be cute.

Rule #6: Webmasters are the key. If you don't hire a talented webmaster, your site is doomed. Hire someone who is a good fit for your product and whatever presence you plan on having and while not every webmaster can know everything, make sure yours knows exactly how your web site works and how to fix it. Believe it every web site goes down eventually, and a good webmaster can make sure your site isn't down for the count.

The basics of custom web design are rooted in, simply put, good design. By keeping to the rules, you can easily customize your site within a reasonable budget and without alienating any of your target audience. The best results come from proper planning. - 15246

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