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HOW TO CREATE AN AWARD WINNING WEBSITE

The World Wide Web, virtually nonexistent only 10 years ago, has grown into a multi-functional medium of communication offering unlimited opportunity to promote, sell and deliver merchandise entirely online.

Savvy entrepreneurs recognized the potential of this technology and have modified and developed business plans to take advantage of this new avenue to satisfy customer demand. The first amendment to their business plan was to create an online presence. The best way to create an online presence is to design, build, and host a website. Similar to a brick-n-mortar storefront, which can sell merchandise to customers on the real world, a website is a virtual storefront that can sell goods and services to customers on the Internet.

Here are five items to consider when designing and building a website for your business.

Design

Design your website with your visitors (customers) in mind. Keep the graphics on your site to a minimum. This means banners, logos, flashing text, etc. This only slows the time it takes for your site to be viewed. Many web surfers become very impatient and may leave your site if it takes more than 5 to 10 seconds to load. Also, know that some of your visitors will be viewing your site using different browsers. Different browsers may view your pages differently. View your site using different browsers to ensure consistent appearances.

Informative

Make your site informative. Millions of websites exist today. What will separate your site from your competition? The only answer to that question is to provide outstanding web content. Of course, your site is designed to produce an income, however you must provide unbiased resources in addition to your products and merchandise. Write how-to articles sharing your expertise on your industry. Another great source of site content is to provide articles written by industry professionals and local expects. The goal you want to achieve for your site is to have it “book marked” by your visitors. This will encourage them to return to your site and become repeat customers.

Links

No one site can provide all the relevant information on any one subject, so don’t try. Use links to other websites with similar content. Not only does this increase the amount of information available from your site, it allows you to multiply your effort. Links are one of the best ways to take full advantage of the Internet. For example, if you link your site to 25 sites with similar content, ask for a reciprocal link. This means that those other sites will place a link from their site to your site. In essence, you have just hired 25 additional sites to promote your sites and its goods and services.

Fun

Make your site fun and appealing to the eye. This doesn’t mean you have to use large graphics and flashy banners, as this usually slows down your site. It does mean you have appropriate colors, good navigation for your site and appealing layout. In addition, you may include fun contests; ask the president page, a question and answer page, and industry specific chat rooms for visitors and customers.

Update

Update the content of your site continuously. This doesn’t mean you completely redesign your site everyday, but always update your links, content and articles. Nothing is worse than visiting a website with broken links, outdated information or old graphics. This will demand time from you or your Webmaster, but it will pay off.

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