Website Design Basics; Combine Search Engine Optimization, Credibility and Image.

Do some simple homework and your business website will prove to be an asset instead of a useless expense.

Part One
By Andy Jones
http://www.724leads.com

September, 2003 -- Dallas Entrpreneur Explains Website DO's and Don'ts in an Easy to Undertand Manner. Excerpt: "Don't build a "canned" website. Don't be tempted by those offers from a hosting company or other source to build a website in a few minutes. These "canned" websites allow little flexibility and most only allow you to enter text into a field.

Likewise, don't be tempted to use the templates included with Microsoft FrontPage. Either one of these websites will adversely impact your credibility. They look like just what they are -- a minimal effort! Would you send a flyer out to a business prospect written in crayon by a six year old? Why build a website that is the equivalent of a crayon flyer? A tacky website will lose you prospects!

Don't have a one page website that looks like a flyer. You have seen those type pages with flashing banners, scrolling marquees, mission statements, flashy resumes, animated "click here" buttons and repeated exclamation points. What better way to tell the prospect you are offering nothing but hype? Your opportunity to make a great first impression is limitless on the internet, why destroy that opportunity with one tacky page? Is this the image you really want to project?

Don't use information from a previous brochure or flyer. Sure you spent hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars developing this printed material but we are dealing with a different medium on the internet. Start from the ground up and build your website with solid information your visitors find useful and valuable. A flyer or brochure copied to your new website still looks like just what it is -a flyer or brochure. Content is King on the internet! Make your website a place visitors want to return to!

Don't bloat your home page or default page with big graphics files (pictures), movies, flash animations or sound files. This will be the most visited page in your entire web and you don't want visitors to click away in frustration because it takes forever to load. You have to capture a new visitor's attention in 10 seconds or less. We are an impatient bunch these days and will not tolerate anything less than immediate gratification!

Do make sure that you and your website developer understand the litigious nature of our society today. Many professionals such as insurance agents, realtors and doctors are subject to advertising regulations mandated by state or local governments. In some states, these regulatory agencies spell out in very specific terms what you can advertise and the manner in which it may be delivered. You may need disclaimers on each and every page of your website and it is your ultimate responsibility as the website owner to make sure the legal criteria is satisfied."

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