Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Your Customers Is Whom Custom Web Design Is For

By Stephen Grisham, Sr.

Who cares if your website impresses yourself? You won't make much money selling products to yourself you're looking for new customers. They, not you, have to come first when it comes to designing your site. There are six important 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: Avoid things that require additional downloads. ActiveX offers some really neat interactions, but not all of your online shoppers are going to be gamers who know what ActiveX is. They may think it's a virus, decline to download, then they can't see anything.

Rule #3: Be classy. This means no annoying MIDI music, no animated GIFs, and definitely no blinking text. If you want customers to see you as a trustworthy source, you need to exemplify class in your web site. Nothing turns people off more than tackiness.

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 your audience. If you're selling tools, fluffy bunnies are probably not going to attract the consumers you're looking for. Understand the market segments and demographic groups that are going to be your target audience, and design your site around them.

Rule #6: Hire a talented webmaster. By this, we mean someone who is a good fit for your product and your web presence. Make sure whomever you hire knows how every aspect of your site works, and how to fix it. Your website WILL go down, at some point, and multiple times most likely.

Custom web design comes down to, once and for all, good design principles. Play by the rules, and you'll have an inexpensive but customizable site within your budget and appealing to your core audience. Plan ahead, and you'll have great results. - 16890

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