Sitemap and Its Importance Today!

Sitemap is the smartest way for a person to know where each of your website's pages are locate. With the help of a sitemap a user does not need to go around your website trying to search the information he requires. A simple look at sitemap will show him the page and a click will take him there. This is simply just the single use of sitemap.

Internet is growing at a breakneck speed, no wonder there are hundreds websites coming up each day, with so many websites there is an obvious delay from the search engines for getting our websites crawled. Any spider bot trying to crawl your website will try and find out as many web pages as many available with your domain names. This consumes valuable time, instead you could tell what your site contains to the robots with the sitemap.

Another advantage of a sitemap, is you can tell the search engines, importance of each of your web pages and how often these are changed. Though this feature does not ensure that the search engines will crawl your website within equal intervals, however, it is possible that your website will get multiple crawls if you change it often for updating information.

Many search engines like the Yahoo and Google, now accept the sitemaps. You can expect your website to be crawled faster with a sitemap rather than those without it. you can find several tools online which can show you how you can create sitemaps all by yourself.

Creating a sitemap:

You can create your own sitemap, however, it is important that you have some prior knowledge of HTML (it is not so difficult to understand though you need to have some time). Sitemap coding can often become a bit difficult, a small space and your sitemap will be rejected by the search engine. When I tried to create my own sitemap, I had to stay up till 2 am and modify the simple sitemap at least 6 times. The sitemap that actually resulted was pretty basic.

However, you need not despair if you do not have the knowledge of HTML, you have many tools online which can actually generate a sitemap for your website. These tools are available for free as well as paid ones. You can study the guidance and protocols for sitemap on the website sitemaps.org

Paid sitemap generators are easy and automated. These generators study your website and create sitemaps that are properly coded and detailed. This sitemap would be very user friendly and would allow the user to steer to the proper page he is looking for.

A sitemap is important part of web development and should not be ignored; web pages indexed in your sitemap have all the chance to be indexed faster.

Visit http://www.internationalshoppee.com to find out more about web hosting and related software!

Instantaneous, Consistent Website Profits - All With the Addition of One Dirt Simple Web Page!

If you dream of nothing besides consistent website profits...if the notions of your cash register needing to be replaces every week due to overuse gets you wildly excited then you had better read each and every word here!

While the internet community continues to re-invent the marketing wheel every six seconds, what is being lost in the fray is the UNDERSTANDING of how people really buy things on the web. If you are looking to make outrageous, consistent web profits, then you need to immediately focus on one thing and one thing only...and that is your CONVERSIONS!

Are you buying great web traffic and seeing little or no sales?

Of course you are.

And that's because you are HAPHAZARDLY throwing those wonderful (expensive) people at your home page and you are crossing your fingers hoping they'll buy.

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...

Your prospects need to be WARMED UP BEFORE THEY BUY, GUYS!

They need more info. You are asking the girl you just met not on a dat but if she'll spend the next 49 years with you.

Wrong!

You need an intermediary page that gets your prospects so EXCITED and so desperate for you to tell them more that they are willing to give your their name and email so that you can start a relationship with them! If it takes multiple exposures of your stuff for them to get comfortable enough to buy from you (it does) then you need CONSTANT COMMUNICATION!

You need to ask that woman to dance before you ask her to marry you. If you are going to get consistent website profits, then you need to play this game the right way.

So why isn't every web owner doing this if it's all been proven to work?

Time and expertise.

We have both. And we build web pages that will astound you on a host of different levels.

Kevin Browne is a former Creative Director and Senior Copywriter at agencies including J Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson and Young and Rubicam. Kevin now runs WhitehavenWeb.com where he shows web owners how to FINALLY earn money online.

Flash Website Design - 3 Simple Steps to Easy Flash Website Design

The steps in flash website design are easy. The best way to create flash website designs is to get more acquainted with some media programs. You want to learn some basics in flash website design, including the starting point of creating your flash design by considering Macromedia or Flash. Flash enables you to create animations, movies, films, and much more and all you need to do is to learn how to click some tabs, open some programs, and so forth and you are on your way to creating flash website design. To get started you simply follow a few steps.

Step 1: Go to the Windows Taskbar by clicking on your Start Tab at the lower, left side of your Window screen.

Step 2: Find the menu screen

Step 3: Select "All Programs," and then choose Macromedia. If you do not see Macromedia, look for your "flash icon" on your desktop and then "double-click" on that icon to open your Flash.

Once your Flash media opens, look in the center of your interface to find the "Create New Flash Document" tab. Next, select create a new film or movie file. Once you click on this tab, you will see the "empty stage." There will also be a blank key frame and some blank layers, which are commonly "titled Layer 1." Now you can start your flash website design by following a few directions and reading some of the instructions provided to you in your flash media program. If you do not have a flash media program, you can shop on the Internet to find some free downloads and more.

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 45-page Report:

"Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!"

Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your FREE copy now before its gone!

Aesthetics of Website Designs

When you decide to take on the world-wide-web and elevate your business to the next level, the first thing you are going to need is a website.

Many website design firms simply turn out the same style of design over and over again. A website should not be just another cookie-cutter styled template. A website is the face of your business and your global presence available 24/7. Both the content and aesthetics of the website design should be something well thought out that reflects your business in a professional and positive light.

The most important consideration when planning aesthetics of website design is to keep the end-user in mind. If your designer doesn't discuss your audience, it is a big red flag. He should ask good questions and conduct relevant research. Who are your customers? What do they need? How will you solve their problem? How will the graphics, images and colors make them feel? Where will their eyes travel through your website design? How will the flow of the design make for an easy and intuitive experience? These are all key considerations a website designer should discuss in order to develop a website design that converts traffic to on and offline business.

Consider the color scheme for your website design. If you sell baby accessories, obviously you don't want the overlaying color scheme of your website to be red and black. Certain colors inspire certain feelings in people. Wouldn't white, light blues and pinks be a much better choice for this website design? These colors appeal to women and put people in a relaxed mood. They are associated with babies. Red and black represent action, speed, adventure, and technology - probably better suited for a website design for motorcycles, sound systems, speed boats or entertainment.

Your choice of images plays an important role in the aesthetics of website design. If you are a floral designer, you certainly need a lot of images that represent your work. If you are an accountant, your image choices will only serve to break up your text and make the copy less monotonous. Be careful with your image choices. First of all, images can slow down the speed at which visitors can access your site. Secondly, your images can hold or send away visitors quickly. A doctor client recently wanted to show videotaped surgeries on the home page for a women's health website. These details are better placed deep within a website if at all. Instead, we chose images which represented support, health and well being. The idea here was for women to see themselves healthy and to feel that there was a caring advocate behind the website with knowledge and expertise.

Understand your audience. Research your choices. Communicate with your website designer. Choose a professional internet marketing firm. These are all things that will help you develop a website that is both aesthetically pleasing and financially rewarding.

Randi K. Brawley
SYNERGe-Marketing
http://www.synergemarketing.com

Working With the Pen Tool in Photoshop

Photoshop has multiple pen tools. The standard pen tool draws with the greatest precision. The freeform pen tool draws paths as if you were drawing with pencil on paper, and the magnetic pen option lets you draw a path that snaps to the edges of defined areas in your image. You can use the pen tools along with the shape tools to create complex shapes. When you use the standard pen tool, the following options are available in the options bar:

• Auto Add/Delete lets you add an anchor point when you click a line segment or delete an anchor point when you click it.

• Rubber Band lets you preview path segments as you drag between clicks.

Before drawing with the Pen tool, you can create a new path in the Paths palette to automatically save the work path as a named path.

The easiest path you can draw with the pen tool is a straight line. Click the pen tool and create two anchor points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.

Let's try it. Select the pen tool. Position the pen tool where you want the path to begin, and click to define the first anchor point (do not drag). The first segment you draw will not be visible until you click a second anchor point. If you select the rubber band option to preview path segments and direction lines appear, you've accidentally dragged the pen tool. Choose Edit > Undo, and click again. When you are finished, click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of 45°). Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments. The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previous anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points. In order to complete the path, position the pen tool over the first anchor point. A small circle appears next to the pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.

You can also create curved lines with the pen tool. Create a curve by adding an anchor point where a curve changes direction, and dragging the direction lines that shape the curve. The length and slope of the lines determine the shape of the curve. Drawing curves with as few anchor points as possible makes them easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster. Using too many points can also produce unwanted bumps in a curve. To prevent this, draw widely spaced anchor points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction lines.

Let's practice. First, select the pen tool. Next, position the pen tool where you want the curve to begin and hold down the mouse button. The first anchor point appears, and the pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead. The pointer changes after you start dragging. Drag to set the slope of the curved segment then release the mouse button. Extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to draw. You can later adjust one or both sides of the direction line. If you wish to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°, hold down the shift key.

This article is written by Kevin M. Sugrue and is an extract from part of 'The Essentials of Drawing in Photoshop' Ebook. For more go to http://www.tutorialhell.com/ebooks

5 Basic Rules of Good Web Design

When designing your website, great care should be taken to ensure every last detail of the site performs at an optimum level and actually serves its purpose. Here are five simple rules of good web design that anyone would do well to remember when considering building or designing a new website.

1) Don't use flash intros

Flash intros are still commonly seen as the first pages many web visitors view when they arrive at a website. Flash intros or splash pages as they are also known, are normally short flash based movies with moving images and text; featuring information about the site and many times words like "welcome" or "click to enter website". In point of fact, they are just a distraction and inconvenience to web visitors that serve no real purpose. Don't force your visitors to have a reason to click on their browser's back button! Give them the valuable content of your actual web site... that is what they are looking for after all and get rid of the flash intro / splash page.

2) Don't use too many banner ads

These days even internet novices are astute enough to ignore banner advertisements so don't waste your valuable website real estate on annoying flashing banner ads. Why don't you just provide more valuable content instead? Then mix in some relevant affiliate links within your website's body content... this helps your website visitors feel that they want to buy instead of feeling like they are being pushed into buying.

3) Easy to use and intuitive navigation

An absolute essential as far as web design is concerned is the provision of a straightforward and clear navigation menu system. It should be so clear in fact that even an 8 year old could use it. Steer well clear of complicated flash navigation menus or multi-tiered dropdowns. If your visitors find your site hard to navigate they will leave your site and they probably won't come back.

4) Give visitors a clear indication of where they are

When visitors are browsing deep within the inner pages of your site and are enjoying being there you should ensure they know which part of the web site they are actually on at any given moment. By giving visitors a clear indication of where they are they will be able to browse all relevant information on your website or indeed navigate to any other section of your website with ease. Don't willingly confuse your visitors because confusion can lead to them leaving your website.

5) Avoid using background music on your website

If you really want your visitors to linger long on your web site, reading your content, the very least you should do is ensure that they aren't put off by annoying background music looping on your website. If you really feel you must use background music at least make sure visitors have some control over it - give them the option of volume or muting controls at the very least.

Scot Crone is a search engine optimisation consultant who works for Totally Ace Web Design Bath Totally provide professional web design, internet marketing and digital printing in Bath UK.

Building a Profitable Website

You've just built the most wonderful website, in your opinion anyway, and now you're ready to conquer the world wide web and start hauling the money to the bank. But wait, I here you saying; "Exactly how am I supposed to do that?"

This is a common question many people face on today's Internet. It's seems there is so much you have to do to get up and running... the list seems to go on forever.

You need to get traffic to your site. You need to start growing your opt-in list. You need sales and you need to make sure your site is SEO friendly and optimized to the max so you don't miss any chances in your search engine rankings.

While all these things and a lot more, are extremely important, all you really need is a plan to follow and realize it's just not possible to do everything at once. Below are three simple basic steps that will help get you started in the right direction.

1. Make sure your website has a proven sales process and killer sales-copy.

What's the point of doing all the work if, when you do get visitors, you let them slip through the cracks in the sales process.

Internet statistics show that you have around five seconds to convince people to stay on your site. Your headline must grab there attention and make it impossible for them NOT to read on. It has to make them feel like, in a short period of a few seconds, that they'll definitely miss something if they don't continue reading.

The best headlines tell visitors that they're going to find exactly what they're searching for, and compel them to keep reading.

You must make sure you guide them through an intentional process that:

* Identifies with their problem while building your credibility

* Engages them, and explains how you can help

* Explains exactly how your product will benefit them

* Overcomes any objections or obstacles they may have about buying

* Compels them to take action, and tells them exactly what to do next

You should always give you prospects a clear call to action that gets them motivated by re-stating the biggest benefit they'll get from buying now. Never assume that they will know what to do next. Tell them what to do. Instead of saying; "Click here to buy now" say something like; "Click Here Now for Instant Access to a System that will have You Writing Like a Professional in No Time". Take your readers through a proven sales process and don't give them a reason to click away.

2: Get Testimonials. Testimonials prove that your product really works and will do exactly what you promise and can also really boost your sales, for free.

How to get testimonials:

* Give your product away to friends or a small group of people in your target market, in exchange for their feedback and ask permission to use their comments on your site.

*Ask your customers to give you their vote of confidence by sending them an email or mail a feedback form to them through the regular postal service.

* Call your customers and make sure they are satisfied. Then ask for a testimony. Tell them you would like to use it on your website. Depending on what kind of service or product you're selling, tell them you will place a link to their web-site, if they have one,after their comments.

When you do start getting testimonials, make sure each one has at least a first name and preferably a last name, and a location (city and state), to prove they're from real people and even include their picture when possible.

3: Make it easy to buy. This is a step you simply cannot afford to miss.

* Make sure your navigation buttons state exactly what your customers will find when they click on them. Don't play games trying to look sophisticated or cute.

* Keep your site navigation simple and consistent throughout each page of your site.

* Make sure your site is not too busy with graphics and sales pitches for other products you offer. Keep it simple and don't confuse visitors.

* Provide the widest range of payment options possible.

* On your order form, ask ONLY for the information you need. Don't ask for information unless it's absolutely required to complete the process. The less work people have to do here, the more likely they are to buy.

* Include a phone number and a real physical address so people can contact you if they have any questions. This helps build credibility and brand you as someone they'll want to do more business with in the future.

While this is just the tip of the iceberg in getting started with websites on the Internet, these suggestions should get you headed in the right direction to a profitable experience in your new venture as a site owner. Your next step should be to learn all you can about promoting and getting traffic to your new site.

Paul Barksdale recommends this program for raising funds, which he is actively involved with and is living proof that it really works. All the monies generated from this program go to the Autism Society of Alabama. You can find out more about Paul by visiting his personal blog

Why My Website Lacks Performance?

Does the above question ring any familiar bells? Are you one of those who had already spent a fortune on a website and after months or years, still waiting for it to start performing better? Or did you get the website made for your business just for the sake of having it, thinking it might be useful some day? If the answer to any of the above question is resounding YES, then welcome to the club of millions of website owners who are in same situation as you, if not worse.

Internet arrived with a big bang and bought with it the luxury of inexpensive communication and opportunity for commerce at a lightening speed. New age entrepreneurs grasped this opportunity and jumped in to get a slice of business to earn their share of bread or to expand their business horizons without giving much thought to the process involved in setting up their online shops. And this resulted in the problem of plenty, where the user is spoilt with choice and while few websites flourished and doing brisk business many are still waiting for their lucky day.

Here are few handy tips to get your website out of the soup and start performing better:

• Setting goals and practical expectations from your website is the first step. Every website is different and can be used to produce different results. You have to be clear about what your website is going to do for your business, is it to

- generate more enquiries
- showcase the product to the public
- sell your products and services online
- help people resolve their problems
- or just generate public interest

Write down your goals and hand it to the website development team and ask for suggestions. Or if you are one of those self trained website owner, start looking at best performing competitor's website and take notes.

• Go an extra mile to explain your products & services on your website. Do not limit yourself detailing products only with price and physical attributes. An ice cube is an ice cube - true! But it makes world of difference when showing Ice cubes you are also telling users about the source of water, hygiene standards maintained, delivery options and how important every order is for you.

You can go ahead and guide them on occasions when ice cubes can be ordered and in what quantity, show party pictures in full swing, show customer testimonies while your competitor website may still be talking about Prices only.

• Get a professional website design done with clear site navigation to help user easily surf the site. User spends less then 15 seconds before deciding to stay or leave your website so we better pay attention to it.

• Use your website address as an integral part of your business communication and mention it on all available resources like business stationary, packaging, advertisements, emails, catalogs.

• Keep investing in your website regularly as competition is fierce. You need to invest time and money regularly in upkeep and marketing activities to attract more visitors and make business grow.

• Don't lose customers; keep them happy by quick response system, regular updates on products and services, sending periodical newsletters, offering special privileges from time to time so that they keep returning to you.

Websites are not rocket science until you believe it to be. They are the new way of doing business and you have to keep ahead in the learning curve to use it most effectively to your advantage. Website break geographical barrier and help business grow to never before limits. Wish you all the best for your better performing website.

Author: Gaurav Dhingra
CEO of DIGITALLYDEFINED.com a website design and development company and Gr8India.com - India travel information company - Travel India with Gr8India

When Web Development Starts to Take Into Account the User

Up until a few years ago, web development was gone about in a utilitarian kind of way. Something needed to get done, and a quick and logical solution was found for it. Technologies such as cgi, asp, ajax all came about to give answers to difficult questions such as how to create dynamic pages. Php eventually won out by being the most efficient and easy-to-learn language along with MySql databases. With great support and free software, these were the best web development solutions out there for the common user.

It is that common user that made this evolution happen. When people who were not trained in web design started making their own websites, then finally the most accessible web development technologies became commonplace. But still, web development was not being done in a way that was turned toward the user. It was done in a functional way that solved any issues that arose, but did not ultimately help the user get around a site or ever find the website. That is when the push for css-based design and url re-write mods came to be.

One of the heroes of this movement in my mind is Dave Shea. He pushed for standards in web development and for the use of CSS-based designs that minimized the amount of html and improved the versatility of websites and made universal access and compatibility a must. By keeping the user in mind, designs became more artistic and creative. Javascript and Flash often get in the way of a good web experience for many users and CSS takes care of that partially by creating desired effects without having to use these two programs. Of course, there are always limitless possibilities with Flash design, but in terms of usability, it is inferior to CSS.

The push for Search Engine Optimization has also pushed web developers to make websites with easy to remember url's and well organized content that makes sense to users and search engines. Google's algorithm becomes smarter and requires that page content be readable to humans and not just robots. Good use of headers and semantic page content as opposed to spam-dexing has become more commonplace. Web development has helped with this by generating attractive url's and, through css, has done image replacement for header tags for design purposes.

Al Keser is a journalist, video producer and web designer. He is very up-to-date on New York web development trends and recommends Blue Fountain Media for all New York web design projects.

Why You Need to Search Inside HTML Tags

When it comes to computer programming, codes become quite the essential parts. In fact, all computer programs would come with their respective codes. These codes are very important when you want to incorporate web design and development. What's more, these codes are used by web browsers and the search engine optimizers of MSN, Google, and Yahoo! Thus, any computer programmer would want to know just how to use HTML tags so that these tags themselves can be used as optimal tools in earning top search rankings. And for this purpose, it would also be better for computer programmers to familiarize themselves on how to search inside HTML tags.

Aside from HTML tags, keywords are also important when it comes to search engine optimization. However, when you combine these keywords in the HTML tags you are using, search engine optimization is better fostered. We all know how important title tags and Meta tags are in search engine optimization. This is because spiders and crawlers take all of the time they need to search the content of websites all over the information superhighway, and they use title tags and Meta tags in doing this as well.

Let us place this into context, to make it clearer. Let us say you are an entrepreneur just starting out your own online business and you are looking for strategies to attract as many clients on the web as possible. Your product: herbal weight loss supplements. You then decide for your company to go by the name of Quality Weight Loss Supplements Inc. The name of your product would then be the Fast Loss Pill.

Now, web pages actually come with a certain hierarchy, meaning there is a certain hierarchy that you will have to follow for your website. The first would be your HOME PAGE, followed by your PRODUCTS PAGE, and then the FAST LOSS PILL PAGE. For your FAST LOSS PILL PAGE, you should come up with a title that can encompass so many aspects all on its own. For instance, you can choose to have the title: QUALITY WEIGHT LOSS - The Fast Loss Pill - Lose Weight Fast! By incorporating this title, three birds are actually hit with one stone. There is Quality Weight Loss, which is the name of the company; Fast Loss Pill, which is the name of the product, and Lose Weight Fast, which is the primary aim of the your product, to aid fast weight loss for your customers.

As for Meta tags, it is important to avoid repeating words over and over again. The search engines would actually treat these as spam. To choose the right words, the wise thing to do is to think the way your customer would. What sort of information about your product would capture your attention, as a customer who is out to look for fast weight loss methods? "Becoming slim" would indeed be one of the phrases, and so would "weight loss supplements". Make sure to produce creative Meta tags for your product. This way, you are sure to grab the attention of your customers. More importantly, when you search inside HTML tags, all of these would be better understood and implemented.

If you are interested in search inside html, check this web-site to learn more about find within html.

Have I Got a Website For You

I can't help it. Almost every time I am asked to look at a Website with my Copywriter hat on I fall in love. I always see so many possibilities - so many small changes that can be made that will help attract more traffic and make the visitors to the Website more prone to buy their fine product or service.

I can't help it if my imagination runs wild and I see all kinds of possibilities to use articles and press releases to create a buzz about what they have to offer. I can't help it if I see the opportunity to gain valuable SEO back links that can lead to better ranking in the major search engines. I can't help it if I want to seize the moment and help make your new product or service all that it can be.

To my way of thinking copywriting and marketing are all different pages of the same book, maybe even part of an informative e-book give away that can be used as a freebie to get more people to subscribe to your mailing list.

I am always amazed at how many possibilities to maximize the potential sales of a new product or service are overlooked. The existing Website content cries out to me for revision and redrafting that can result in much greater consumer interest.

What I find most amazing is that the selling points are almost always there, they just have to be reformulated into hard hitting attention getting copy that can properly reflect the unique benefits the particular product or service has to offer.

The time has past when it is all about the offer. Today you have to have the right goods and services, but you still need to offer them in an irresistible way.

Why not use a new medium - the Internet - to solve an age-old problem with speed and substance and imagination.

Why not take advantage of the opportunity of a worldwide showcase to put your best product or service in front of a huge audience of prospective buyers.

Why not take this wonderful new product or service of yours, and make it all that it can be?

Why not permanently brand the image of your product or service on the minds of your Website visitor and potential customer?

Why not make the most of your Internet marketing opportunities?

Hi this is Arthur Levine. To find out all the ways I can help you maximize the potential of your Website, please visit me at http://freelancecopywriter123.blogspot.com and leave a comment.

Please feel free to use this article as long as credit is given to the resource box.

© Copyright Arthur Levine 2008

Is Your Website Too Fancy?

I've written numerous articles on how you can improve your conversions and one of the aspects that I like to hammer home in those articles is the fact that it's vital for your website to appear professional. Put your best foot forward and create a good first impression.

Now, for some reason, a lot of people translate that into more graphics. So they try to utilize as much graphic as possible and soon their websites are so graphic laden - they actually saw a drop in sales even if those website now look "fancy and cool".

I'm not saying graphics are bad or anything... but do you know why is there a drop in sales? Well, here's a snippet from Marketing Sherpa's 2008 landing page handbook that might explain it, "As of 2007, roughly 50% of the US Internet population gets broadband and 80% of heavy users (which includes offices and your webmaster's home) are on broadband. That still means tens of millions of Americans are not on super-high bandwidth. Plus, anyone who uses a satellite service for Internet access may only have high bandwidth part of the time."

That means websites that too graphic laden lost customers simply because they take too long to load. We are impatient creatures. In fact, we don't even read things online anymore and you expect your customers to wait for your websites to load?

So how do you design a page to load quickly? Here are some tips for you.

1. The most obvious way to reduce load time is of course to use lesser graphics. Eliminate graphics that don't add value to your website - and I know you used graphics for the sake of using them.
2. If you absolutely need graphics, try to re-use them whenever possible. The same graphic used several times are only downloaded once and displayed wherever it's supposed to appear, so it doesn't bog down a website like 2 different graphics would.
3. As a rule, don't use animated graphics. Animated graphics are really several images strung into one moving-picture so they'll naturally take more time to load.
4. If you have a huge image, remember to predefine its size so that the browser knows of its size. There are two benefits: faster load time and it makes sure your graphics appears the way you want it to.
5. If you don't know much about coding, I suggest you let somebody else do it because excessive code is one of the culprits of lengthy load time. Use css based design and separate css files rather than containing it in the main code. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you definitely need to outsource it.

Depending on your market, these optimizations by itself can dramatically boost your sales. It works especially well if you are targeting elderlies. They generally use slower internet connection so they'll be most affected by load times.

Now, would you like more in-depth lessons on these copywriting tips? Due to space and linking limitations I can't complete it here but I've set up a website where you can continue to discover the details.

Andre Thomas was a freelance copywriter for 8 years. He now works at home as an internet marketer around his family. You can find his latest best-selling copywriting course at his website.

Is Your Website Driving Customers Away? Strategies For a Successful, Profitable Website

The Internet is an amazing place and getting easier and easier for people of all skill levels to operate. This means a great opportunity for businesses to utilize the power of the web to increase their profits and expand like never before. Exactly the same applies to other organisations, be they charities or members clubs.

One of the biggest pitfalls many small businesses and organisations fall prey to, however, is the temptation to cut corners and save a few dollars with all of the seemingly simple ways of putting a website online. Yes, there are hundreds if not thousands of hosting companies that will allow any user to build a website with simple site builder tools. These are terrific for individuals wishing to chronicle their daily experiences, share pictures and videos, or just stroke their egos. However, for a business, a simple amateur website can actually drive customers away.

Some of the possible reasons your website could drive away potential customers are:

• Long Load Time: Internet consumers are not only savvy, they are impatient. The high-speed world has made shoppers demanding and they expect immediate results at the click of the mouse. Studies have determined that a website page has about 3 seconds to load before potential viewers think about leaving. Research from Zona Research in 2001 showed "...7 to 8 seconds is a critical period; further, that the difference between losing or keeping 20% of your audience is 1 second". Pictures that are not sized appropriately, or fancy graphics, that take minutes to load are a killer for your website. The potential customers will not wait for your pictures and information to load, there are too many competitors on the web who have taken the trouble to ensure that their pages download quickly.
• Garish Design and Poor Layout: These are typical amateur mistakes that take an experienced eye to rectify. There can be a fine line between elegant and gaudy. A professional web designer will know what works best from having created many successful websites. An amateur designer will be tempted to use too many garish displays such as multi-media and banner ads to get a point across. Amateurs may be tempted to include all sorts of technically interesting special effects. All of the available media techniques have an important place but knowing how to use them, and the best way to incorporate them into a website without overpowering it, is vital to success.
• Poor Navigation: Like short load times internet consumers expect a website to be easy to navigate and fast to move between pages. If they are looking for a specific piece of information such as contact details, service pages, or even individual product information and it is not readily found they will go somewhere else - fast. Equally frustrating are broken links, between pages or related sites, or an inability to get back to any part of the site within two clicks.
• Poor Security: One of the most important things on a consumer's mind is how safe their personal and financial information will be if they shop with you. Regardless of how impressed they are with your products if they are unsure of your site's security measures they will go somewhere else.
• Poor SEO: Search engine optimization is one of the most vital marketing tools a website has. If your site isn't showing up high on search engine lists you won't have the chance to drive customers away from your site because they will never get to it to begin with!

If you have an existing website it is important to give it an honest evaluation. How does it stack up to the above pitfalls? As essential as a good website is to your business it is better to have no website at all than to have a poor one that turns customers away.

Rob Kent is a partner in the UK web creation firm, ITinsite We deliver cost-effective and tailored web solutions, comprising site design or improvements to your current site, content creation, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and site performance analysis.
We focus on your business goals, not web technology, whatever type or size of business or organisation you represent, and wherever you are based.
We don't just create websites, we create 'websites that work'!

Choosing the Right Company For .Net Application Development

When you have to choose a software development company for .Net application development you should know what exactly you need. On the net you can find many custom software development companies but only few of them will match your criteria. And fewer will give you warranty and full technical assistance for the software developed.

Going for outsourcing of .net development in India not only saves your time but importantly, a significant amount of money as well. One of the major advantages that a company gets while outsourcing services, apart from the major amount of money that is saved is quality solutions. India is the best place to choose for .Net application development because India has come a long way ahead in the field of technology; to be more precise there has been lot of converts and modifications in the "Software Development Company". One of the fastest growing areas in IT is Asp.Net application development and it is not surprising that more and more technical up gradations are taking place in this particular field. India's huge number of software professionals is doing just this and a lot more.

Companies in India follow the entire software development life cycle. This is executed with the help of the expert professional staff including the software architects, project managers and the quality analysts. This facilitates the customers to receive a quality product, in the desired time frame, on cost effective terms.

For this reason large numbers of companies are looking towards the India as More and more companies are therefore looking towards India as the most ideal place for of outsourcing of .net development services. Companies in India are therefore always in the forefront, when it comes to offering quality software solutions.

Rapidsoft Technologies is one of the offshore software development companies in India providing customized, cost effective, technology driven internet/ web based solutions all across the world. They offer full range of software application development, web application development and open source customization and Portal development, e-commerce site development services, custom web application development using PHP, ASP, ASP.Net, AJAX, VB.Net, C++, Java and XML and also offer software development services. All these aspects make it the right choice for global companies to outsource ASP.net development services.

Cathy Brown is a well known writer for offshore outsourcing companies in India. Presently, she is writing on .Net application development, Asp.net application development outsourcing in India for http://www.rapidsofttechnologies.com

Have I Got a Website For You

I can't help it. Almost every time I am asked to look at a Website with my Copywriter hat on I fall in love. I always see so many possibilities - so many small changes that can be made that will help attract more traffic and make the visitors to the Website more prone to buy their fine product or service.

I can't help it if my imagination runs wild and I see all kinds of possibilities to use articles and press releases to create a buzz about what they have to offer. I can't help it if I see the opportunity to gain valuable SEO back links that can lead to better ranking in the major search engines. I can't help it if I want to seize the moment and help make your new product or service all that it can be.

To my way of thinking copywriting and marketing are all different pages of the same book, maybe even part of an informative e-book give away that can be used as a freebie to get more people to subscribe to your mailing list.

I am always amazed at how many possibilities to maximize the potential sales of a new product or service are overlooked. The existing Website content cries out to me for revision and redrafting that can result in much greater consumer interest.

What I find most amazing is that the selling points are almost always there, they just have to be reformulated into hard hitting attention getting copy that can properly reflect the unique benefits the particular product or service has to offer.

The time has past when it is all about the offer. Today you have to have the right goods and services, but you still need to offer them in an irresistible way.

Why not use a new medium - the Internet - to solve an age-old problem with speed and substance and imagination.

Why not take advantage of the opportunity of a worldwide showcase to put your best product or service in front of a huge audience of prospective buyers.

Why not take this wonderful new product or service of yours, and make it all that it can be?

Why not permanently brand the image of your product or service on the minds of your Website visitor and potential customer?

Why not make the most of your Internet marketing opportunities?

Hi this is Arthur Levine. To find out all the ways I can help you maximize the potential of your Website, please visit me at http://freelancecopywriter123.blogspot.com and leave a comment.

Please feel free to use this article as long as credit is given to the resource box.

© Copyright Arthur Levine 2008

Content Development and Management

Web content development is the process of researching, writing, gathering, organizing, and editing information for publication on web site and can consist of prose, graphics, pictures, recordings, movies and other media assets. In today's digital world any web content after its development has to be well managed and so the term encompasses a larger context and is a collaborative process.

• Content creation
• Content updating
• Publishing
• Translation
• Archiving of content
• Retirement

Who are the different people involved in content management? They include the content writer, the editor, content managers, translator, publisher, administrator and other staff besides the consumer.

A CMS software is used for content management and may include a document management system. While publishing for the web, content management systems are used so that many people can easily interact with the content. Other areas of content management is in the inter office use of digital computer files, image media, audio files and electronic documents.

Today websites require content that is not only of interest to the site visitors but also such that it attracts the search engines. Thus the content has to be (SEO) search engine optimized. It is a special type of content writing that involves being conscious of and including special key words and tags in the content.

Another important feature of content management is the work flow which is facilitated by e-mail or automatic routing methods. The best example of a CMS is the online Wikipedia website that uses the Wiki software for collaborative content management. The system has a repository to store huge amount of content that enable effective search and retrieval.

The author of this article is Ricci Mathew of Outsource Strategies International (OSI), a US based company that offers services in Search Engine Optimization, SEM, PPC advertising for clients across the US.

Importance of Content Designing in Web Development

Web application development is a broad term used to describe activities that go in website design for intranet. There is a common misconception that website development means development of website which is exclusive of any designing aspects. Website design is the most important aspect of development. The whole process of web development is ruled by design and content. The other most commonly over looked area is web content and development.

Content designing is a very important feature of any web. Many of the webmasters were slow to realize that content decides the future of their online existence. Content is the king of the internet jargon. Content designing is one of the most underestimated areas in the web development. Content designers are the people with specialized skills who work hand in hand with the programmers to develop a website. Content designers are differentiated depending on the content format which they are developing for e.g.: Content designer working with the graphical content is called graphical designer. The term content designer is mostly associated with the writer who designs contextual content for the websites.

Quality content decides the success of the web page or web application. The quality content is essential for the success of a website. The success of any application development is attributed to the precise positioning of the content. A website design can be termed as successful only if its contents are easier to find and guides the customer to its focused goal. A through understanding of elements involved in specific area can generate ideas during the initial stages of web development. These ideas develop into powerful advertising gimmicks which arrest the attention of the visitor. The powerful content always has the capability to retain the visitor whereas other contents are just used for supporting the website. The content development process should be well defined with arrangement of content. Content designers should outline the ways to update the content from time to time in order to make it interesting and appealing.

3 points that content designer should keep in mind during content designing for the web development project

1. Content designer should understand the relevancy of content in particular website. Many times the contents are created just to creep into search engines or just to grab the visitor's attention whereas they don't deliver any particular advantage.

2. Easier Navigation: Be it hard coded programming scripts during website development navigation is the most important thing. Write the things that can be easily found and easily understood. Most of the users will reach out to you through internet or customized web application. So write the text that can be easily found. Content should have clarity, persuasiveness and logic.

3. The more value your content offers to the visitor more they will stay on your web page. Adding value content to your website application is important to retain the customer.

Next time when you are outlining your website development strategy, put content designing on a high pedestal and decide the most important goal of your content.

Author's Bio: - Grace is an associate editor to the website http://www.sigmainfotech.com.au an Australian based Website Design Website development firm specializing in cheap Website Design web Application Development and Web Development Australia. For more distinct article feel free to visit http://www.sigmainfotech.com.au/articles/articles.html or write editor to webmastergrace@gmail.com your comments and suggestions will be highly appreciated.

Content Development Services - Why Necessary?

The rapid growth of the World Wide Web has created the demand for content development services and looking at the ever-increasing number of websites being launched every month, it's likely that the demand will multiply in the years to come. Content development services have become necessary because they are now an integral part of Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives.

Content plays an important role in Internet marketing efforts by attracting online users and motivating them to spend more time on targeted web pages. In search engine optimization, keyword-enriched content allows online operators to make their web pages search engine friendly, thereby paving the way for increased traffic.

The Internet has certainly made it easier for you to start your own small business, but since not much can be achieved until you increase the number of hits, you might be required to hire offshore content development services. Content acts as the "soul" of online resources and it is only when you manage to get that right, will you be able to bring more users to your website. Choosing content development services outsourcing will help you achieve just that.

You need not hesitate because most of the online businesses, both large and small, are already reaping the benefits of content development services outsourcing such as significant improvements in visits, page-views, average time spend on site, goal conversion rates, ROI (return on investment), page rank and keyword-specific rankings on search engine results.

Having made the decision to choose content development services outsourcing, you need to ensure that the right offshore content development services provider is selected. Not all offshore content development services providers have the required skills and expertise and that's why you might have to spend some additional time on locating the most appropriate offshore content development services provider.

Once that is done, you will find it easier to realize the full potential of your online initiatives.

Telegenisys India Pvt. Ltd is primarily focused in providing a full spectrum of BPO - Business Process Outsourcing Services in the area of Content development services outsourcing call center/customer support, accounting, administration, inventory management, data entry services, research, CAD Design Support, insurance and risk analysis for medium sized enterprises.

Web Design Means More to Search Engine Optimization Than it is Given Credit For

Designers say style, search engine optimization specialists say text. The truth? Both sides are right. When marketing your web site online, you could possibly make something so ugly that you get a lot of traffic from a favorable Google ranking, but no clients or conversion.

Why is that? Because Cleanliness is next to Googleness. If you would like, take a few moments to search some highly competitive keyphrases in Google. The web sites that are ranked on the first page are normally, professional, well designed web sites. This is not a coincidence. Clean sites rank higher and convert better.

So why does the average search engine optimization company pay such little regard to professional design? Because search engine optimization specialists are analytics gurus and designers are artist. In short, it takes two to make it work.

When working with a designer, you should ask them what their strategy is for maximizing your search engine exposure. While designers do not have to speak fluent SEO, they do of course need to know what not to do to your web site so that an SEO can come in after them and help increase your search engine ranking.

When considering SEO friendly design, think clean. Web sites that have a direct point (call to action) at the top of the page will convert visitors to customers much better than the competition. If you searched for health insurance quotes on Google, you would see a list of natural results. Most of those allow you to start the health insurance quoting process right at the top of the home page.

If you work with a guaranteed search engine optimization company, (one that guarantees first page ranking) they may require you to update your design to decrease their risk. Yes, design makes that much of a difference. Search engine's like what people like. Easy to navigate web sites, text that is clear and to the point, and simple vertical layouts.

So if high search engine rankings are at the top of your concerns, make sure your designer plays nice with search engine optimization specialists or even better, use a search engine optimization company with a talented on staff designer. This will greatly increase the success of your online presence.

Jason Bland is with guaranteed search engine optimization company, Adviatech Corp. Adviatech is one of the leading SEO firms offering results based online marketing solutions. To learn more about guaranteed SEO services, visit Adviatech.com.

How to Create Your First Website Without HTML Knowledge

In this article I am not going to teach you how to create top class design. Instead I will show you how to design your first website without any HTML knowledge.

If you have never designed any website before it may sound like difficult job. Don't worry - if you can work with Microsoft Word you can also create easy website. There are two ways how to achieve this goal - the first one is classic HTML coding. The second one is using WYSIWYG editor.

WYSIWYG means What You See Is What You Get. You will be maybe surprised to hear that one of the easiest WYSIWYG editors can be Microsoft Word. You can easily write some text, format it, add some pictures etc. and then instead of saving the document like .doc choose save as HTML. The source code will look extremely unprofessional for every web designer but more important is the fact that it works and everybody can do that.

OK, now you are able to create very easy website and you are probably asking yourself if there is a way how to make better website using similar method. You can download some editor like Front Page. The interface is similar like Microsoft Word but there are many other functions specially designed for web developers. These functions are very intuitive so after a few minutes of testing them you will be able to go to the next level of web designing.

One of very useful functions is switching between WYSIWYG mode and HTML source. When you will become familiar with your WYSIWYG editor you will probably sometimes need to do something what is not possible in WYSIWYG mode. It is the time when you should every time when you change something on the website switch to HTML mode and learn was changed in the HTML code. This way you will be very quickly able to understand basic HTML and make some changes in the source code every time you will want.

The next level can be using some of many online website builders. You can find some easy website builders which can be used for free, sign up for some service offering feature rich builder or go with a web hosting company which offers this feature in its web hosting plan. When you decide for one of these solutions you will pick some of many offered designs, choose color scheme and add text for every page. Then save your work and your web is finished. The advantage of using website builders are professionally looking designs which you will probably never create using WYSIWYG editor. On the other side you must keep in mind that the same design will be used by many other webmasters. So this solution is good for personal or other non-commercial websites.

Another way to your own website are free templates. There are hundreds of free designs which can be downloaded for free as long as you leave the authors link in the footer. When you download your favorite design, open it in your browser, click by right mouse button and use View source option. Now edit the text in the page and when done save it and publish.

Author recommend to your attention http://www.marblehost.com/hosting-plans.php because Marble Host offers 3 affordable web hosting plans with preinstalled php scripts like wordpress.

Rising Popularity of Web Application Development

Web applications are used by industries or companies to promote their business and the scenario today is that every type of business needs their own web applications. The web applications include such simple tasks as filling a form for certain facility as net banking to giving some orders or working on some projects.

The web applications are built according to the user requirements so they are beneficial as they fit well into the environment and can be expanded whenever required according to the usage. Web applications are easy to use and are more presentable and attractive than the traditional softwares.The web applications are getting popular due to the advantages they provide to their users. The use of web application does not require any additional hardware or software configuration for its working. The data security is there as it is stored in one central server and not individual computers. A custom build web application certainly costs less than the off the shelf applications and provides greater efficiency and reduced maintenance. So the cost of supporting and providing services to the customers is reduced. The customers also benefit by these applications by getting the convenience to interact with the company at any time of the day or night. Then it provides improved sales with lower sales cost to the company and at the same time good communication with the customers and higher level of interactivity with the clients,

The development of new web technologies, languages and procedures has given way to the development of new dynamic applications. The growth of web 2.0 trends has lead great influence on the web industry. These facilitate the programs to be made easier and more functional thus enriching user experiences. The development of AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML ) has lead to greater web interactivity in which changes are made to individual user interface components rather than refreshing the whole page. The future of web application is enormous with the work going on in the area for semantic web and artificial intelligence.

Software Services UK is a UK based company offering Web development UK, Web Development London

Select a Good Topic For Your Website

You can create a website based on your hobby, occupation, interest, or things you like to do. The only limitation is your imagination. Chances are that if you are interested in a certain topic there are other people interested in the same topic. The main thing to consider is that you must have an interest in the topic and have some knowledge about the topic. Ask yourself some questions to build a list of topics:

1. What are you the most passionate about?
2. What do you spend a lot of time doing?
3. What are you good at doing?
4. What do other people come to you for help or information about?
5. Do you like to travel?
6. Do you like to take photos?
7. Do you like to write about a certain topic?
8. Do you like to watch movies?
9. Do you like to read books?

Once you have made a list of topics to consider then you can do a little research to see if this topic would be one that you could use to bring visitors to your website. You want to pick a topic that you can use to make money, so you also want to decide how you can use your skill, hobby, or interest to make money. Go through your list and think of ways that you could make money with each topic.

For example if you like to travel and like to take photos, you could create a website that reviews tourist areas. You could write a review about a hotel you stayed at and post some photos of the hotel and your room, etc. Every time you travel you can take photos of the places where you stay, eat, or visit. Keep a diary to make notes of the places and things that you liked or did not like. Try to think of things that others may want to see and explain why they might want to see those things. Take a lot of photos.

How can you make money with this website? You could sell prints of the photos you took of exotic places or animals. You could compile a book from all your notes and photos and sell the book in printed form or in electronic form. You could join the Amazon Affiliate Program and post advertisements for travel books and make money if someone buys a book through the links on your website. You could join Google AdSense and post Pay Per Click ads on your website, then you would make money every time someone clicks on an ad.

By monetizing your website, you could actually make enough money to fund your trips. Your website will grow every time you take a trip. The new content will add to your website and bring new visitors who are searching for information about the places where you have been. If you build a good website and fill it with content, then you could potentially make this a full time venture and travel to more and more exotic places.

If you write the reviews and post them on your website, then you could get free accommodations at resorts and other travel destinations. The owners of such destinations would want you to stay with them and write a review about their service, etc. This is good for them because they will get advertisement through your website and also the free gifts are a tax write off for them. You could send letters to the resorts and other travel destinations and let them know about your website and that you would like to write a review for them.

This is just one hobby that I have explored as an example. I have not covered everything there is about travel and ways to monetize a travel website. As you can see the limitation is your imagination and how well you can pursue the things you imagine.

Jim Van Dyke is The King of Scripts and would like to help you become a King of Scripts too! I offer free information on my Blog that will help you design and create your own website that will help you make money. I also offer a membership area that has digital products that you can download and use yourself. There are complete website packages that you can use to create your own website. There are information products and some have Resell Rights, so you can sell them for 100% profits.

FREE Report. Check Out My Blog About Website Design and Creation

More on Selecting a Good Topic

Once you have narrowed your list of prospective topics and possible ways to monetize your website, then you need to do some research. You need to find out if there are people searching for the topic(s) on the Internet. There are many ways to do this and I will discuss a few in this post.

Amazon.com is a good place to start. Open up your web browser to Amazon.com and then do a search for your topic. You may be surprised by how many books there are written on the topic you have selected. See how many books are listed and also how much they are being sold for. This may give you an idea of how much competition there is already and may also give you an idea for how much to charge for your product. You may also want to do a search on a general term that is related to your topic, because this will show other related products that you may be able to promote as an affiliate. You may want to reconsider any topic that does not have any results from the search, because this indicates that there is not much of a market for that topic.

Do a Google search for your topic and see how many results are listed on Google. Look at the related websites and products. Keep a list of the related websites that may not be a direct competition, because you may be able to get links from their website, or even promote their products through an affiliate program. You can also do a Google search for forums and discussion groups that relate to your topic. Use this format for your search "topic + forum" and use the quotation marks. This will narrow your search to just forums, and you could do the same for discussion or for directory. These sites are great for links back to your website, so keep a record of these for later use. You can also post in the forums or discussion groups to see how receptive your topic is with the people that frequent the site.

eBay is another good place to check for demand of a certain product. Start in the What's Hot Section of eBay to see what is currently selling the most on eBay. Digital information products are sold on eBay, so do not overlook this venue for selling your digital products. Another place to look for potential products to market is Want It Now, this section of eBay is often overlooked, but can be very useful to find people that want your product(s).

How can you select a good keyword or key phrase for your webpages?

There are free tools to help you, I use SEO Tools and find their tools very useful. This is similar to using a search engine search. Enter a keyword or key phrase in the box and then click on Submit. You will be shown a list of related keywords and key phrases as well as some useful statistics to help you decide on the best to use for your webpage. You want to select a keyword or key phrase that gets searched between 200 and 1000 times a day, because it will be easier to get a higher ranking on a less searched keyword or key phrase.

If you get 10 visitors to your webpage and you have 10 webpages on your website, that will mean that your website had 100 visitors. If you increase the visitors to each page or if you increase the number of webpages, then you can get thousands of visitors each day to your website. So do not look down on the lower searched keywords, because even the small numbers from the search will add up when you have many webpages on your website.

The greatest tip that I can give about keyword selection is to make sure that the keyword you select is related with the main topic of your website and that your webpage gives good information about the keyword or key phrase. Luring people to your website with a bogus search will just result in a high bounce rate for your website, because people will see that your website does not relate to their search and they will leave. Give people what they want and they will come back and they may also tell others about your website too.

Jim Van Dyke is The King of Scripts and would like to help you become a King of Scripts too! I offer free information on my Blog that will help you design and create your own website that will help you make money. I also offer a membership area that has digital products that you can download and use yourself. There are complete website packages that you can use to create your own website. There are information products and some have Resell Rights, so you can sell them for 100% profits.

FREE Report. Check Out My Blog About Website Design and Creation.