Online Marketing Chronicle

Creating your own website can be one of the most rewarding projects you will ever work on — or the worst nightmare! A little pre-planning and visualization will go a long way towards simplifying the job, and still keep it looking professional.

Know What You Need
Before you start your own website, sit down and write out a list of what you need on your website. Is it intended for personal or business? Do you need a “shopping cart” function for product sales? Or do you just need a single “personal presence” page with a link to your email address? Try and limit the things you put on your site. If you don’t need it on your site DON’T put it there! Flashy graphics, movies, music, tables and pictures all use up “bandwidth” and cause the site to load slower. Continue reading »

If you are thinking of starting your own website, you may already be frustrated with the complexity of coding, design, image choice, and content writing. Here is a short guide on how to start your own website that may help you get past some of those issues and steer you towards simplicity and friendliness.

Design

Although lots of companies still do this, flashing lights, banners, and bright colors are often a turn-off for visitors. It’s common for people to visit such a site, then click off right away and go to a competitor whose website is not such a visual nightmare. Keep the colors simple and understated, avoid videos that the client has to wait to see, and for the time being don’t put in any flash movies. People don’t like to wait for loading.

Layout

You may have just one simple home page, but more than likely you will have several. Organize it so that there is a link to each page from wherever you are (unless there are lots of other pages embedded), and always provide a back button and home button on every page. Continue reading »