Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Custom Web Design: It's For Your Customers!

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: Customers don't like it when you make them download things. ActiveX and other technologies are cool but they can be trouble for your customers, and even worse, can introduce some bad things (viruses and worms) to their computers. A simple custom web site doesn't make customers download ANYTHING.

Rule #3: Don't be tacky. Some movement is OK, and sometimes background music is OK, but no one wants to watch neon billboards and listen to music they hate. Keep motion (like blinking words) to a reasonable level and pick songs that fit your audience.

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.

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. - 16747

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