Is your website's objective to make money? Is your website's success important to you?
If your answers to my questions above were "yes", then I have a little project for you to complete. Don't worry, it won't take long and it will improve your website's success instantly if you take what I'm telling you seriously (eve if you have been repeatedly advised otherwise) and apply the concept to your website.
I am going to ask you to visit a number of website template designers' websites. Make a list of those that are the most popular and that you feel provide attractive layouts. Now visit these websites one by one, and ask yourself the following questions. Write down your answers as you visit each web template designer's site:
1. What was the web template designer thinking when they designed their website?
2. What were they thinking when they designed the web templates they offer their customers?
3. Were they thinking "web site" or "graphics"?
4. Does their own website contain the majority of the same attributes as the designs they are selling? If not, why do you think they didn't design it in a similar manner?
Now I want you to think of all the successful online businesses that you know. Make a list of these too. Don't limit yourself to only the obvious such as Google, Amazon, eBay, etc. There are thousands of "silent" extremely successfully online businesses owned by mom and pop shops that pull in six figures minimum a year, and many more that pull in several million a year. If you don't know where to find these "silent" successful businesses, I urge you to hang out for awhile with some of the Internet's most successful marketing gurus. Find out who these "silent" successes are and then visit their websites. If your business is targeting a specific niche market, then visit those websites that you know for sure are making it big-time in that niche market.
When you visit these successful websites, ask yourself these questions and write down your answers:
1. Do they use Flash or anything animated?
2. Does their website contain excess graphics or graphics that have no real purpose?
3. How long does it take their website to load with your internet connection?
4. Take a look at their source code. Are they using External CSS with HTML tables or do they use pure CSS with exact positioning?
5. Do you think there is anything on their website (text, graphics, media, etc.) that is not in some manner making them more money?
Now compare your answers from the first list with the second. What are the major difference? I can assure you the differences will include the following:
Successful websites that pull in a high profit on a consistent basis ...
1. do not use excessive graphics that serve little to no purpose.
2. use only text (sales copy) and enough graphics to assist them in making money.
3. rarely use Flash or anything animated.
4. do not use pure cascading style sheets for their layout.
5. load quickly even on slow internet connections.
6. were developed by designers who are constantly thinking "web site" and not "graphics".
7. keep all of these attributes (#1 thru #6 above) secret because if everyone knew, they wouldn't be making as much money.
Now compare your website with the list of attributes you made when you visited the successful websites. What changes can be made? If you purchased a FAT web template or design layout, it will most likely be necessary that you will have to redesign your website the correct way. When I say "correct way", I mean in a manner that helps you accomplish a successful sales volume thus is "effective" for your company goals. This may or may not require you to completely redesign or seek an effective website template elsewhere.
If you seek a new template design that will help you design a successful website, first be sure to read our article, "
25 Questions to Ask a Web Template Designer Before You Buy" so that you can get started on the right track.
// posted by BasicRic on 2/03/2005 08:19:13 AM / Permanent Link
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