If you’re looking for an affordable and quick way to get a great look for your website or blog, a pre-designed template can be the way to go. Website templates are very affordable and they save you a lot of effort and time when you want to create a new layout for your website. However, people often make mistakes when it comes to choosing and using a web template, so they end up with something they didn’t expect. Here are some guidelines to help you avoid those mistakes.

The first obvious mistake when choosing a website template

The most common mistake you’ll see is using a template that’s very popular. If too many people use the same template, you’ll see what is essentially the same website in a bunch of different places. Don’t you want to be unique? If you’re going to use a template, be careful to pick one that you won’t see everywhere. You can also purchase a premium template. Premium templates won’t be as widespread, and often times you can get exclusive rights (though that will cost more).

Over-customizing a template. Is there such a thing?

The whole point of using a web template is to save time and effort, but as I already said, you want to look different. Some people will choose to just change the title and appropriate details and be done with it. If you’ve chosen a unique template, then that’s probably enough. Still, you might want to customize things a bit more. Just don’t get bogged down in the details. If you take the time to customize the template so that it looks nothing like the original, you’re kind of defeating the purpose of using a web template — saving time and effort. That’s a personal judgement call, but something to be aware of.

However, on the opposite side, if a template you purchase is suitable but some changes must be made to suit your site’s theme, then you will have to take some time to make the changes. For example, you can find a very nice template that suits your hobby site except the original designer has put an image of stamps in the header. You can find images of garden plants and spades to replace the stamps for your gardening hobby site. Still, though, only make the necessary changes and don’t redesign the whole template. That kind of defeats the purpose.

Know your audience. Choose a template with an appropriate theme.

In some circumstances, some people simply make the wrong choice of templates. This is subjective, but you really should take time to be sure the template that you select suits your audience. Don’t use a garden theme if you’re selling computers. Don’t choose templates just because they are pretty, choose them because they work for your mission and your audience.

Templates can be a time saver and give your site a great look fairly quickly, just be sure to take a little time do do it right.

P.S. – There’s tons of inexpensive premium templates at TemplateMonster, or if you’re on Wordpress, there’s always Thesis, which I use and love. The beauty of Thesis is that it is highly customizable and doesn’t have to take up a ton of your time to look amazing.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. How to Avoid Getting Your Password Hacked
2. Which is Better? Blogger or Wordpress?
3. How to Make a Favicon for Your Website

Most online business owners start with little to no money. Are you one of them?

This business owner does it all. They create their product, develop a marketing strategy, and build the website that will attract new customers. As their business expands over time, they find that their simple “homemade” site might not be enough to cover everything, and they will have to take a day or two away to simply dedicate that to the website expansion.

Sound familiar? Chances are, you’re someone who started your business with a limited budget too, so you’d rather not have to pay for something that you could do yourself. When it comes to your website, however, there is a lot to say for hiring a professional.

When you hire a web designer to do your job for you, you are doing more than just handing over the “dirty job” to someone else. By making a small investment, you get a professional site and you can let the designer worry about the little annoyances that will waste your time and energy.

The result? You’ll be more focused and have more time to spend on your actual business strategy.

The other thing is that the designers you hire are professionals so they are good at what they do. By outsourcing your web design jobs to them, you won’t have to worry when problems surface because you can always get them to fix it for you. Again, they will be able to identify the problem and fix it faster than you probably will be able to.

The work you pay for will turn out more professional than what you can achieve because the designers have been doing it longer than you have. After all, they do it for a living so they have to be good!

So, remember to not just work your business, but grow your business too!

P.S. To get help with your website without having to pay a fortune, check out Performance Web Solutions.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. How Do I Get a Logo for My Website?
2. The First Ten Steps to Creating a Website
3. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

If you browse the web regularly, you’ve probably noticed that many websites have a small icon in the address bar or on a tab in the browser. That tiny image is a favicon.

Favicons are especially useful for site branding. When a visitor to your site sees your favicon in their browser bar, they become familiar with it and will automatically recognize it (and you) every time they visit your site. Using that image in other places increases that familiarity, extending your reach.

For example, every time you see the Nike Swoosh, you know exactly which company that represents, right? It makes perfect sense that Nike’s favicon is the Swoosh image. Check it out at Nike.com. It’s a simple and extremely effective tool. Using a favicon for your own site helps visitors quickly and visually identify your site among large numbers of bookmarks, etc.

So how do you create your own favicon for your site?

(1) First, you need an image. You’ll need to find or create an image that you want to use as your icon. Choose an image that will best represent your website. The dimensions of a favicon are tiny – just 16×16 pixels, so keep that in mind when choosing or creating your image. The image will also need to be square, and must be viewable at a very small size. The simpler the better. I chose a cropped portion of my company logo to create my favicon. It’s simple, easily recognizable, and unique.

(2) Next, save the image file. Once you’ve created your image, save it in one of the following supported formats: gif, jpg, png, bmp. I use jpg and png for just about everything.

(3) Convert it. Now we need to convert your image to a favicon. Just save it again as “favicon.ico” (without the quotes). That’s it.

Note: If you’re not comfortable with image creation and resizing, there’s a terrific generator located at  DynamicDrive.com and it’s free to use. You simply upload an image to their site and the generator creates the favicon for you. You’re able to preview it on their site, and it does save a little time and effort.

(4) Upload the image to your server. In order for your newly created favicon to show up on your site you need to upload it to your server. This is the hardest step.Upload your favicon.ico file to the ROOT directory of your site on your server. You’ll most likely need to use FTP access for this. You can check to see if you uploaded it correctly by typing  http://yoursite.com/favicon.ico (replace “yoursite.com” with your own URL)

(5) Insert the code. The last step is to insert one line of code into the <HEAD> section of your web sites pages. This code has to be on every page that you want the favicon to appear for. If you’re using WordPress or another template, you’ll only need to insert the code in one place. If you have a static website and you don’t use a template or includes, then you’ll need to add the code to every page.

Here’s the code: <link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”/favicon.ico”>
Once you’ve inserted that code into the <HEAD> section of your page(s), check your site. If it doesn’t show right away, be patient. Refresh your page or try a different browser.

Keep in mind also that every browser displays a favicon differently. For example, Firefox shows favicons in the address bar and in tabs, but Safari shows them only in the address bar. In Internet Explorer, it may not show up at all.

Don’t get frustrated. If you’ve followed the steps exactly, you’re all set.

That’s it! If you have any questions or comments, or would like to share YOUR favicon, please post a comment. Enjoy!

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. How to Optimize Images for Your Website
2. What Is a 404 Error Page?
3. How Do I Get a Logo for My Website?

When it comes to your website, you want to get it right the first time. Pay extra attention to every little detail to make sure your site performs the way you want it to. Here are five important things to consider to make sure your website performs well.

1) Avoid splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. In fact, they are just that — pretty vases with no real purpose other than serving as Google bait. Splash pages are usually built for search engines, not for the visitor. It’s just one more click that your visitor has to make to get into your site. Your visitors will feel more welcome if they get what they want right away! Don’t make them open a door – show the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Go easy on the banner ads

You know what I’m talking about – you arrive on a site and there are more flashing ads than content. Our eyes are trained to avoid these ads, so don’t waste valuable real estate. Provide valuable content and weave selected ads and affiliate links in where appropriate. Banner ads are fine in moderation – just don’t overdo it, and be sure that the products you’re promoting will provide real value to your customer.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

We’ve talked about this before. It’s important to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even someone who isn’t comfortable with computers will be able to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. Don’t make your visitors think. If your site is hard to navigate, your visitors will leave.

4) Give your visitor a map and some breadcrumbs

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, it’s easy to forget where you are. Breadcrumb navigation helps the visitor see exactly where they are on your site and how they got there. Help them browse relevant information and navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “abandon ship”!

5) Let the visitor control the audio and video on your site

It’s so annoying when a site loads and immediately starts playing music or video. If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they’re not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make absolutely sure that controls are available and easy to find. A pause button, volume control, etc. will work just fine.

P.S. Like this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. The First Ten Steps to Creating a Website
2. What is Web Usability, and Why Do I Care?
3. Best posts on Best Website Tips from Dec 2008

These days it seems like everyone has a website. Do you? Establishing an online presence has become a key part of any small business marketing plan. If you don’t have a site yet, it’s never too late to create one, but it does take some preparation. Before you go out and hire a designer, let’s review the basics:

1. Define your goals. What’s the purpose of your website? This question is really important. Understand that your website is the equivalent of a traditional paper brochure and business card, but it’s viewable on the web from anywhere in the world. Will your site be strictly informative, or will it be something more? Do you plan to sell tangible goods or services on your site? If so, you need to take that into consideration as well.
2. Know your target market. Who are you marketing to? Who are your customers? Where are they? How do they use the internet? Know your market and have a clear vision before you get started.
3. Decide on a domain name and register it. I purchase my domain names through GoDaddy. A good domain name can be hard to come by, so you may have to try a few times before you can find an available domain name that suits your business. Make it easy to remember and easy to spell. Don’t worry if you’re not ready to build your site yet. Once your domain name is registered it’s yours, hanging out in cyberspace until you’re ready to use it.
4. Help Google find you. Do your research and find the keywords that will help your website stand out in search results. Choose the best keywords and build your copy around those keywords.
5. Figure out what makes you different. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What makes your business unique and sets it apart from the competition?  When a customer asks “why should I buy from you instead of the other guy?”, be prepared with your answer. That’s your USP.
6. Clarify your message. You have less than five seconds (usually about three) to convince a new visitor to your site to stick around. If a visitor has to try to figure out “what’s in it for them”, they will leave. Who are you? What do you do? What do you offer? Answer those questions clearly and concisely. Rather than providing tons of details about your company, it’s better to point out the benefits to the customer.
7. Make a category list. Work out a list of key areas of information (categories) that will serve as your navigation.  For example, if you sell dog supplies, you may want your categories to be “Dog Food, Dog Leashes, Dog Toys, Dog Beds, Dog Crates”, etc. A visitor to your site should know exactly what to find within each category. Refer back to your keyword list for some direction here.
8. Establish your reputation. Consider creating an “about” page, a testimonials page, an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page, and a page with contact information. At the very least, the “about” page and the “contact” page are good to have because they add credibility to your site. If you’re selling goods, you might want to add a page with shipping information, and a page with company policies. Write out what information those pages will include so you have it ready.
9. Read, re-read, and read again. Check your copy carefully for readability and spelling or grammatical errors. You might want to ask a friend to proofread it for you. If you’re not comfortable with writing, you can hire a copywriter.
10. Create added value. Once you have some visitors, how will you keep them coming back? Think about what your customers will find valuable. Is it a monthly newsletter? A freebie? Valuable information? Be the go-to person. Have a plan in place to keep their attention. I use and love Aweber for newsletters and automated emails.
11. Shout it out! Once your site is live (or at least a “coming soon” page), add your URL (website address) to your business cards, letterhead, email signature, brochures, etc. Tell friends and family. Network. Get creative and make your site visible.

Ok, that’s eleven steps.

Now that you have the framework in place, it’s safe to enter production mode. Hire a web designer, or if you’re comfortable, create your site yourself. Take into account all the pieces that you have put into place, and make it happen.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. Best posts on Best Website Tips from Dec 2008
2. Creating Video Content for Your Business Marketing
3. Five Important Tips for Designing Your Website

You may recall my recent review of SiteBuildIt (SBI). SBI is service through which you create a well-designed, thoroughly-built, successful online business (you can read more about it here).

Well, I thought I’d give you a heads up on a terrific deal, and let you know that if you’re considering becoming a member, now is the time to do it. Here’s why:

For a very limited time, when you purchase a new subscription to SiteBuildIt!, you get a second subscription absolutely free! You can even give that second subscription to a friend or family member as a gift, or keep it for yourself so you can have two high-performing SBI sites. This holiday offer expires at midnight on December 25th.

Site Sell doesn’t offer specials like this very often, so demand is pretty high. If you think SBI is a good match for you and you’re serious about building a profitable online business, you should check out SiteBuildIt! and get two SBI sites for the price of one.

Remember! This offer expires at midnight on December 25th.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. Best posts on Best Website Tips from Dec 2008
2. SBI Holiday Special Extended Until January 5th
3. Wouldn’t You Love a Free Trip to Sea World? I Would!

It’s happened to all of us. We submit an online search for something, click on a link in the search results, and see “this page cannot be found”. Frustrating, isn’t it? You’ve just experienced a 404 error.

A 404 page is what you see when the page you’re looking for is not available. There are a number of reasons why this may happen. The page may have been removed, the link to that page may be broken, or the visitor may have typed the URL incorrectly. For example, if you’ve deleted a post on your blog, or changed the URL to the page, other sites that link to you will be directing their visitors to that page using the old link – resulting in a 404 error.

Why is it called a 404 page?

That’s because when a non-existent page is requested, the web server sends back a status code of 404, indicating that the page cannot be found. It’s as simple as that.

What do you do when you see this page?

If you’re like most people (and like me), you hit your back button and go to the next site in the search results. Unfortunately, most web visitors who encounter a 404 error page will just click away and  go look for information elsewhere. But as a site owner, that’s the last thing you want your visitors to do! Once you’ve lost that visitor it’s highly unlikely that you’ll get them back.

So what should you do to prevent that from happening?

404 errors are inevitable. They’re going to happen. What’s important is how your site handles them. The solution is to create a custom 404 error page that will complement your site’s design and give your visitors a little direction. Some servers have created a 404 page for you already, but you should still customize it if you can. If you have access to your server you’ll be able to do this. If you don’t, contact your server to see about getting access, or see if they’ll create one for you.

Here are a few tips for creating a 404 page:

• Tell your visitors clearly that the page they want can’t be found. Be friendly and use your own voice (style of writing).
• Customize your 404 page so that it complements your site design. Ideally, it should look the same and have the same navigation as your other pages. By doing this you’re inviting your visitor to take a look around, and you’re making it easy for them to do so.
• Consider adding a search field to this page. At the very least, offer a few suggestions for pages or posts the visitor might be interested in.
• Include a way for visitors to report this broken link. This can be as simple as an email link or a “contact” link that goes straight to you.

Though often overlooked, a custom 404 error page is an important part of any successful website. Make yours great!

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. How to Make a Favicon for Your Website
2. Five Important Tips for Designing Your Website
3. My Top 12 Favorite Wordpress Plugins

I hear this a lot. A client will contact me to set up a website, but they don’t have a logo, and they have no idea how to get one. If that sounds like you, this article will help point you in the right direction.

What is a logo, and why do I need one?

A logo is a graphical representation of a company. It’s a symbol that identifies that company to the world. It doesn’t even have to be fancy. For example, Apple Computer’s logo is simply an apple – it’s unmistakable. The same with the Nike Swoosh, or McDonald’s Golden Arches. You recognize them instantly. Like those companies, you want to have a logo that is unique and reflects your brand.

How do I get a logo, and can I really afford one?

It’s common for a company to hire a graphic designer to create a logo for them.  When you work with a talented designer, you’ll receive a unique logo that meets your needs and helps you communicate your company’s message.

If you’ve never worked with a graphic designer and are not sure which one to choose, ask around. Talk to friends and colleagues – find out who made their logos. This is a great way to find a graphic designer who is reputable and whose work you are already familiar with and enjoy. Every designer is going to have a different style, so take that into consideration as well. For example, don’t choose a designer who only creates grunge-style logos when you really want a sleek, elegant look.

Another way to find a graphic designer is through freelance websites such as Elance. These designers are usually freelancers, so the cost might be less – but not always. You’ll post your request and elance providers will submit bids on your project. Then you choose the bid that best fits your needs and budget.

It may be tempting to choose the person who turns in the lowest bid, but like with anything, you get what you pay for. It is more important to choose someone who can do a quality job, even if they cost a bit more. Look at their portfolios for examples of work they have done in the past and ask to see some testimonials of former clients. You can even follow up with those clients and get their feedback. Don’t ask the designer to create an example, though, unless you’re paying them for it. That’s strictly against Elance’s Terms of Service.

Don’t rule out creating your logo yourself!

If you are creative and have some experience working with a graphics program, you can save money by creating your own logo. I created the logo for this site. I know it’s exactly what I want and totally unique.

What about bartering?
If you have your heart set on working with a designer but your budget won’t allow it, you may be able work out a barter agreement. In this instance, you offer something in trade for a “free” logo.  This can be one of your products or services, or something else the graphic designer may be in need of. Not all designers barter, but it’s worth asking. Often a designer that is fairly new and still building a portfolio may be willing to barter their services for your great testimonial.
So there’s a few ideas to get your started. With a little creativity, any business can have a terrific logo, regardless of their budget.

P.S. If you’d like one-on-one help with creating your personalized logo, contact me for a free estimate.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. The First Ten Steps to Creating a Website
2. How to Make a Favicon for Your Website
3. How to Optimize Images for Your Website

Domain names are hot commodities in today’s world.  Virtual real estate can be obtained quickly and inexpensively. Because of the incredible ease and low cost of registering a domain, domains are scooped up quickly and it can be hard to find an available domain name that fits your needs.

It’s no secret that .com names are the best to have, because they are the ones that Internet users have become accustomed to. They receive the most type-in traffic of any top level domain, and they are the “standard” for a URL. But with memorable and keyword-rich .com names in short supply, it’s time to start considering other top-level domains (TLDs).

The second most recognizable TLD after .com is .net. It is one of the original top-level domains, and was created for use by network providers. But its registration was never formally restricted, so it’s become a logical alternative to .com. Although most of the shorter .net names have already been taken, there is still a good chance of getting the domain name you want with a .net extension if you can’t get a .com.

Getting a domain that has relevant keywords in it is helpful for search engine positioning, and the search engines don’t care what your extension is. So if the keyword-packed domain you want is unavailable in .com, getting it in .net can give you the same search engine benefits.

Instances in which the .com you want is unavailable aren’t the only reasons for buying a .net domain, though. Here are some more situations in which you might want a .net:

• When registering a .com domain name, site owners who wish to protect their brand often register the same name with a .net extension as well.  This will prevent copycats or competitors from getting the .net version and exploiting it.  You can set up a redirect so that any traffic from the .net goes to the .com address, or you could create a separate site for it.

• A .net extension can be used to come up with clever domain names that might not be available on a .com.  One good example that is already taken is fishing.net.

• A .net domain name might be a good fit for a social networking site, or for a firm that provides Internet-specific services such as search engine optimization or web hosting.

Although .com has become something of a default TLD due to its widespread use, .net has a great deal of potential. It is much more recognizable than many of the newer TLDs, and it’s easier to get the domain you want in a .net than a .com. For most website owners, if the domain they want ending in .com is taken, .net is the automatic second choice. But in some cases, it makes a fine first choice.

But what about .org?

One of the original top-level domains, .org is most commonly associated with non-profit organizations. The .org top-level domain (TLD) was created back in 1985, at the same time as .com, .net, .edu, .gov, and .mil.  The .edu, .gov and .mil TLDs were reserved for use by educational institutions, the U.S. government, and the U.S. military, respectively.  Although .org was created for use by organizations that didn’t fit under any of those categories, its use was never restricted.  So along with .com and .net, it became available for registration by any person or entity.

.org is the Internet’s fifth most popular TLD.  Contrary to popular belief, there is no law that says a .org site has to be run by a non-profit. The .org TLD is good for a number of purposes other than non-profit organizations, including science sites, educational sites, political groups, religious groups, art and culture sites, community groups, special events sites, or open-source projects.

Is It Acceptable for a Business to Use .org?

It’s debatable whether or not a for-profit company should use a .org domain. There are no legal restrictions, but some would consider it a poor choice.  Since .org is associated with charities and other non-profits, visiting a .org domain and finding a site that was created to make money could turn a lot of visitors off.

There are some circumstances in which a business could feasibly use a .org domain. If your business does charity work, for example, you might find that a .org domain is ideal for information about that.

If you choose to use a .org for your main business site, it’s important to be up-front about the fact that it is run for profit. Be transparent. If you do, you can maintain the sense of trust that is critical for your reputation. Make sure there is absolutely no confusion about the purpose of the site.

My recommendation would be to first try to get a .com that fits your mission, and get the .net to go along with it. Unless you’re clearly running a not-for-profit site, I’d stay away from .org. As the internet continues to grow, some of the lesser known extensions will become more mainstream.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. How the Heck Do I Market My Small Business?
2. The First Ten Steps to Creating a Website
3. Which is Better? Blogger or Wordpress?

Microsoft’s FrontPage software has helped lots of people publish websites.

For nine years it was a hugely popular program, but was discontinued in 2006 when Microsoft released Expression Web. So what’s a FrontPage user to do? Is your software dead?

Those that still enjoy using FrontPage can certainly keep using it for now. One of the main benefits of using FrontPage for Microsoft users is that it looks similar to Word and the other Microsoft programs. For those don’t have much web experience, using a program like FrontPage can certainly make things easier.

That said, this would be the perfect time for a FrontPage user to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. A move to Expression Web or an open source platform such as WordPress would certainly keep things up-to-date and user-friendly. Plus, you’ll get support that’s current as well.

If you liked this, you might like these too:

1. What is SBI and Does it Really Work?
2. Do I HAVE to Use Video to Gain Attention?
3. How to Create Content that Leads to Sales – Part 2