Site Designing For Your Niche

A common mistake that many web site owners make is "over designing" their sites. Let's use a fictitious example of a classic car replacement parts website as a case in point. This company has been in business for 10 years and they enjoy a strong catalog following. They want to increase their sales and expand their business by utilizing the Internet as an additional sales platform. Although not necessarily a home business per se, but a small family owned business that has been highly successful in offering post-war classic car replacement parts. The time has come to expand or stagnate.

The company begins to research web site designers and settles on one that has an impressive portfolio. Lots of flash animation and state-of-the-art design technique. After many weeks of information gathering of product photos and data, design meetings and cost discussions a site is born. It's even been optimized to rank well with the search engines.

The site has been indexed by the major search engines and receives a modest amount of traffic. The site designer assures them that it takes time to get correctly listed and rank well in the search results pages for their top keywords. Almost a year has passed and there is no appreciable increase in sales. The cost to build and maintain the site has not paid for itself.

Should they abandon the site and revert back to a catalog only business? The answer is no, no and no!

What they need to do is understand their internet customer base better. Here's what I would suggest as a consultant.

1. Immediately install site tracking software. This can be accomplished for free by using Google^© Analytics which is part of creating an AdWords^© account. This is pretty simple stuff. You get coding from Google and place it on every page of your site.

2. Create a keyword Advertising program through Google or Yahoo Marketing. This will help to drive traffic to the site and at the same time should help to defray some of the site costs.

3. Allow enough time to analyze site visitors. Another words, wait.

Let's say that by doing the above there is a large enough of a sample to analyze. What did we find?

A. There were hundreds of clicks that landed on the home page or the specific landing page but were abandoned right there. They never bought.

B. The sample showed that many viewers had lower resolution screens, older browser and older flash versions. This is important because of the flash animation on your site. Also the new versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome have many of these supporting features built in.

C. Viewer loyalty was low (They didn't come back) and average site time was very low as well as page depth (the total number of pages viewed.)

D. There was a high level of abandonment for those that did want to buy, but got to the shopping cart and then aborted before finalizing the sale. ( a form of buyers remorse)

This not what you want to see on a site that sells products that people need and want to buy, why else would they come to the site?

Why did so many viewers drop out after viewing the home page? Let' see if we can make some sense of it all. You know that buyers want your products because they have bought from your catalog very successfully. Then why didn't they buy from your site?

A possible and likely reason for some of the short stay issue could be in the site design. Sometimes simple is better. The reason is not everyone's computer has the latest operating, Internet and Flash software. Your site might not show well in older browser versions and consequently any scripting may cause additional problems. This is not to say that your potential customer is backward it may just mean that they have older computers and operating systems that won't display well. Many viewers get spooked right away if there are any oddities on a site.

Also consider that some one running and older Pentium PC or an older version of a Mac your site with all of its Flash and graphics may take a long time to load. This discourages customers as well and is a deterrent to viewing your site. It's important to understand your customer base first and then add some bells and whistles later. So what is the answer?

Begin by creating a simpler site that is easy for anyone to get around. After all your primary purpose is to open up your market and sell more products to a larger audience.

Make sure you are set up with some analytical software to evaluate your site. Google Analytics is a great choice because it can tell you so much about your viewers and buyers. It even has a function to understand all of the steps someone took before they bought one of your products. This is done through a function called goals and it is a powerful feature to this free service.

In closing, the smart choice is to start out slow and simple and be in the position to analyze everything that goes on in your site.

Rick Carbone is the Director/Publisher of http://www.HomeBusinessResearch.com one of the top home business sites on the Internet. HBR has been helping entrepreneurs start up and successfully manage online home based businesses since 1998.

How to Choose a Web Designer For Your Website

In today's global market, businesses without a web presence are often considered invisible. In a business culture where a virtual world of information and resources are just a click away, inability to make your product or service available via the Internet can cost you millions of dollars in revenue every year. The general store has been replaced by ecommerce and the elemental book of yellow pages has been replaced with Internet search engines, making a consistent and assured Internet web site an absolute necessity. Before you squander your investment dollars hurriedly creating a network existence, be advised that a problematic and lackluster website has more of a chance of hurting your sales, rather than serving them. This is because consumers don't want to filter through annoying nonsense or risk leaking personal or financial information to the wrong people.

Your principle objective is to lead possible consumers to your company web page. On the Internet, there are often thousands of options available, generated from the search query of a single word. Getting your company's website noticed depends on where it ranks on the results page of the search engines. A website that can't be found can't be seen. A good and professional web designer will make your site a prominent presence on the Internet. SEO techniques, if applied properly, can help web crawlers locate and advertise your site, maximizing your efforts to reach your customers.

In this fast-paced, short-attention-spanned advertising culture, some people spend more time surfing the channel than actually watching television programs. Internet marketers are often confronted with the same problem. With so many search engines results, websites need to capture a surfer's attention and keep them interested. The primary page of the website needs to be attractive, exciting and easy to navigate. Page factors that get hung up downloading elaborate video or animation are just frustrating for the users and neon colors or flashing text are intolerable and hard on the eyes. In order to get your message across and direct the customer to the next step, your website should be elegant and simple with look and feel that radiates the style of your company.

The final step is the most important one, making the sale. Online transactions are the next generation in accelerating sales worldwide. A successful ecommerce site offers user-friendly tools and equipments to allow customers to seek out, explore and purchase quickly, reliably and easily. Bringing your resources into the limelight and making successful transactions efficient and trustworthy are what professional and effective web designing is all about.

Business service providers, Business 1st introduces Webclinic Search Engine Optimisation package. The Search Engine Optimisation package provided by Business 1st includes Webclinic web diagnosis reports that analysis the competitor and maintains the website to achieve maximum search engine visibility.

Economics of Web Design For All

Have you tried using these card-making programs ever? Are you aware of the kind that permits you to type in the instance and then take a pick from the pre-designed multiple cards for you to customize and get it printed? Several consumers prefer these because it saves them money as well as time and as the card can also be printed at home or can also be formatted and given the look that you exactly wanted. The similar philosophy can be applied while making certificates. You just need to fill in a form and that would generate a customized and professional certificate.

When you try to think over it, you'll note that there are numerous programs designed only to allow the development of a wider product range that previously required to be purchased individually for each customized order. Try applying this same principle for web design and you'll see why this web builder technology is so very important for numerous business owners. As a business owner discovers how convenient it is to get a site customized according to their preferences and also without any added costs to be associated with the help of a traditional web designer, he would probably wonder why he never ventured this before.

This situation is almost similar to the difference between getting card printed from an existing program or hiring or getting into contract with someone to develop a brand new idea for card design, creating the art work and then finally getting it printed professionally. Does that really make sense? Many of the business that have been using web builder technology are actually amazed to see how easy and quick it is to develop a site using this method. They are really pleased to notice the templates and its familiar usage. The content can also be imported easily. Most of the online businesses using web builder technology are found online the very day they have decided to use the service.

Whenever a new product is made, you'll notice several pessimists and contingents who would be adamant about the new product and its superiority as compared to the status quo products. For example, when consumers' could possibly get cards printed at home with the use of their computers and printers, who would feel that this actually saved time and expenses of the traditional card sending method? That is till the time these card companies decided to embrace the modern technology and took a step ahead and started off the distribution of e-cards. What is even interesting is the fact that traditional web designers are also developing various ways to facilitate you in updating websites without any assistance from them. That's an exceptional idea indeed, except for the fact that the business owner would still be bound to pay similar fees as compared to the period when web designers took great care for each and every changes they made to the site. Is it fair?

It is true that the technology of self directing websites has been adopted by many traditional web designers, but the consumers generally fail to realize savings.

This is possibly the biggest reason why web builder technology makes great sense for business. If you are to make the changes all by yourself anyways, why would you pay something that is more than 500% for this kind of privilege?

Website Designers, You're Fired - Why You Should Sack Your Website Designer

Website Designers should be for life, not just for Christmas.

Like your family pet that brings you much joy for many years the same thing can be said about your website and your website designer. Your business website can you bring you enormous joy and bundles of cash if you get it right.

You should expect your business website to be an important role in your business success, it needs to constantly change, evolve, get bigger, stronger and more popular as every month passes. This is not possible without total co-operation form your designer.

Your website is never finished, it needs constant attention, love, tests and input. Your website designer will need to be on-hand to help you make your business website a success.

If you can not get the support you need from your web designer you need to give him the sack, say it in the words of Sir Alan Sugar or Donald Trump, You're Fired! You will feel good.

You want you website designer to help you with the following:

Pay Per Click advertising on Google - Paying to get on top of the search engines
Article Marketing; Publishing articles online as a way of driving massive amounts of traffic
SEO; Getting traffic at no cost from Google and the other search engines

Your business website can hold the key to your untapped profits online, and your website designer is a key player in bringing it all together.

If you existing web designer can not deliver the goods, get rid, and get someone who can, this will make you a lot happier and potentially a lot richer.

By the way... Do you want to know exactly how to choose a website designer who is perfect for your business and can help you increase sales with a good website?

Download my new report for free: 'How to choose a Website Designer & Save Thousands' click here: How to choose a Website Designer

Leonardo Wood wasted thousands trying to get a decent website built for his business. Leonardo says "I nearly went crazy trying to find a Website Designer that could deliver a professional business website, so I took matters into my own hands" Leonardo now designs, builds and optimises professional business websites. Check out his website: Website Designers in Colchester

Keeping a Close Eye on the Market

How large is your market, and how much of that market do you control?

These are two very important questions to consider before you start any kind of marketing push, because the answers are going to affect what type of advertising you focus on.

I'll go over both of these in a little more depth.

The first thing to always ask yourself is exactly what kind of growth is taking place in your market. Some markets grow incredibly fast, others slowly but consistently, and unfortunately with others the market might actually be shrinking a little.

If the market is growing at a strong and steady rate than you need to be sure that you're getting the right amount of advertising done to capitalize on it. I would suggest as well that this marketing should be spread out over a diverse pool of people. When you get something like color poster printing done you need to do it with this growth in mind. Growth means new customers, which means you'll probably be focusing a lot of your advertising on pulling in new people.

If you have a slow but steady growth than a stronger reliance will certainly be on your current customers and keeping them happy while making smaller strides for new people. You don't have the same level of new customers coming in, making you need to keep your eye focused on those who you already have.

If you're marketing is literally shrinking than you not only need to make sure that you're keeping your current customers happy, but I would suggest also looking into what other similar markets to yours that you can jump into as well to continue growing your company. You'll need to start looking at other places you can put your color poster printing to good use.

Looking at the second question, how large is your share of the market? This is likely to affect the way that you advertise yourself. If you are a controlling force within your market than you'll need to emphasize what an expert you are in your field.

If you're still struggling to really find your place than you can focus on the things that your competitors don't do as well, and do your best to emphasize to people that you can give them a better service or better deal.

In a smaller market this is going to be even more important, whereas in a market that has rapid growth you might not need to focus on your competition much at all because you'll have a number of new customers you can bring in without taking away their customers in the process.

As I hope you can see, these two questions are going to greatly change the way you market yourself, and need to be considered before any kind of marketing push.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit Color Poster Printing

Charen Smith writes articles about Internet Marketing. She has an extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to business strategies, techniques and business solutions.

5 Simple Rules to Website Design

When designing a website you sometimes only have one chance to keep the internet visitor from clicking the back button on their web browser. Whether you are selling a product or offering a service, remember your website design represents your business.

For years, we have been told that when going to an interview you have 10 seconds to make a lasting first impression. There is no difference when designing your website than making the first impression in an interview. You are making a first impression with the internet visitor who has searched for what you are offering in your website design every time. The first impression can make the difference between in a paying customer or just a visitor to your website.

Here are just 5 simple rules to keep in mind when designing your website.

Rule #1. Limit the use or do not use flashy banners and advertisements at the beginning of you website. There is a time and place for the banners and advertisement.

There is nothing more annoying then clicking on a website to see cartoon characters, advertisements for other products flashing in front of your face. This can be too much for your potential customer. Your customer is there for a purpose and if the blatant advertisements or flashing banners turn them off they may just hit the back button before they find what they are looking for.

The only exception to this rule is determined by the purpose of you website.

Rule #2. Make sure your website design make it easy for the visitor to find the navigation buttons. If a customer has to search for a navigation button to find information about the company or the navigation buttons are not working, the visitor may get frustrated and leave you website.

A rule of thumb for your navigation buttons are on the left side of your web page because the majority of people read from left to right. Think about reading a newspaper or a book. You look at the headlines then you read from the left to the right.

Rule #3. When visitors are browsing your site, have a clear indication for the visitor of where they are on your website and how to get to other parts.

You may want to put a link on each page that the visitor clicks to take them to the home page or another page relating to the information currently viewing. In other words do not confuse your visitor or you visitor may just click off the website totally.

Rule #4. When designing your website pay close attention to loading time. The time it takes your web pages to load. You can reduce loading time by reducing graphics on each page. A good website design should load under twenty seconds.

The longer it takes the pages to load the more frustrating it can be to the internet visitor. People want it yesterday not today and definitely not tomorrow.

Rule #5. Use a font that is common to all web browsers and easy to read. You have to think of your market. If you are selling a product or service that is used by older individuals you may want to increase the font.

Most of us are not going to get younger and with age, we find our eye sights are not what they use to be.

In addition, different web browsers display fonts differently. Therefore, you want to use a universal font compatible to the popular web browser for better viewing.

Bonus Rule #6. Make sure the information on your website is up to date, and relevant to what you are offering. If your website is selling 32", LCD Flat Screen TV's you should not be offering products to repair your driveway. I know that is extreme but people want to know they are visiting a website that has up to date information and is relevant to what they are searching for.

These are just a few rules of website design. There are many other things to adhere to when designing your website for optimal visitors.

When designing your website look at it from the customers or internet visitors standpoint. Would you want to visit this website? Would you want to purchase a product from this website? If you answer "no" then correct the problems.

If you deal with customer service, you need to do as they do. Get out from behind the counter and see what the customers see from where they stand. If you go "ugh", that is not good and you need to make some changes.

Pat Turman is a successful mid-level manager and internet entrepreneur. She co-owned and operated a quarter million dollar e-retail store selling golf equipment for women, runs numerous online businesses, and manages a company with revenues of over a million dollars. She holds a BBA from an accredited University and numerous awards and certificates. http://www.eznichewebsitedesign.com

How to Create Your Own Website - Pick a Template and Boom You Are Done

Building your own website may be a necessary part of any little business plan. This will give means to the buyers so that they have instant access to your goods and services. Taking the correct steps when building your website may distinguish whether you spend hundreds of dollars for a expert web designer or having that money for other promotions for your business.

It can also be a lot of fun for non-professionals as well. In this day and age, with families living far away from one another it's a great way to keep everyone updated on your life. You can learn how to create your own website that is updated frequently with pictures and stories from your life.

Your first impression might be that creating a website is complicated and beyond your ability. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many companies specialize in "how to create your own website" with a content builder. That simply means that you pick out a template, type in all the required fields and soon your very own site is up and running. Learning how to create your own website is a no-brainer in today's world.

If you prefer to create a one-of-a-kind site, you can find all sorts of internet tutorials to learn from. They begin with the fundamentals for rookie web designers and also provide material to aid in adding to the skills one has already acquired. Regardless of your proficiency level, you're sure to find a tutorial on the Net that can assist you in accomplishing your aims.

Before designing your website it's important to think long and hard about exactly what you want your content to be. If you're a business, you will need to figure out which sections you'll need. For example, you might want an area that has a price comparison between your different products. Or, you might want a section devoted to testimonials from previous customers.

The sky is the limit when it comes to private websites. The hardest part will be figuring out what you want because you can customize any combination of links, pictures and blogs to present your personal vision.

You don't have to know the technical aspects of how to create your own website to own one. Whether for a profitable business or for keeping in touch with family and friends, there's tutorials and software out there to help you make your own website, be it basic or complex. The hardest (and most important) part is deciding what your content should be. Be sure to carefully plan what sections you want to have. A business website should have testimonials and price comparisons; a personal website should have photos, essays, and links. Even if the layout of your website is not, the content should be unique to attract visitors.

Website Design Guidelines For Novices

The internet is the first place people go to find the information they seek. The web provides people with quick access to information and the ability to find products they are seeking. While other markets are suffering, the World Wide Web is running strong.

A website design which makes your site attractive and easy to navigate is an important advantage regardless of whether you are promoting merchandise or services, selling items through an internet shop, or just providing information and/or blogging.

One of the important elements to the success of your site is its website design. You need not only attract visitors, but to keep them coming back. Some aspects of a visitor friendly site are; an attractive appearance, good information, laid out in a manner that draws your visitor's attention to your products or services and a navigational flow that is easy.

When you are selecting the colors for you template, always keep one thing in mind that not to choose those colors which could harm the eyes of the visitors. Do not use many different and intense bright colors. It is always best not to use one color at more than three places. The text shade that you use should be in way that it is opposite to the colors that you have used in your template.

Quality subject matter is crucial to your web sites success. When your customers arrive, you want them to stay, come back and refer the site to their friends. You want to provide correct and informative content. In case you are selling an item, you want to provide full descriptions that are easy to understand.

Another important aspect of website design is ease of navigation. You need to be certain that it is easy to get to all your pages. In fact, each page on your site should be reached by no more than three clicks. Navigation bars are probably the simplest way to be certain that your pages are linked properly. Another helpful option is to post a site index.

Without visitors all of the hard work you've put into your site will be pointless. One method to increase page views and to promote your site is the use of search engine optimization techniques. These techniques involve the purposeful use of keywords to improve your rank with search engines. Keywords are words or phrases people are most likely to enter into a search engine to particular pages. Using keywords properly will cause your site to appear closer to the top on search results.

If this seems like biting off more than you can chew, there is always the option of hiring someone experienced in web design to assist you. Often, you can find online designers, but there are sure to be ones in your area as well. You can do an online search to find web designers. It is simple as typing in web design Los Angeles in your search engine, and a list of experienced designers in that area should pop up.

No matter if you looking to the web for a marketing campaign to bring attention to your business, selling a product via online store or have an information site, you can benefit from a well laid out website design. Without visitors all of the hard work you've put into your site will be pointless. One method to increase page views and to promote your site is the use of search engine optimization techniques. Using keywords properly will cause your site to appear closer to the top on search results. For professional assistance, try typing "web design los angeles" into a search engine.

Making a Website That Converts - 5 Must Have Items

So you now have a website and you are driving traffic to it, but the sales just aren't coming in. I know it's frustrating, first thing you should do is stop all advertising, stop spending money. I know people that think "well they will come back and make a purchase" 85% of the people you are sending will never even click on the vendor's pages, let alone go back and buy the product. So Stop all advertising. Now the 5 "Must have items".

1.) Catchy Headline - Make sure that your headline grabs the attention of the visitor, on average you have less then 5 seconds to get the attention of a visitor, after that consider then lost.

2.) Professional graphics - Now I don't mean go spend 1000's having your site redesigned, or all flashy graphics. What I mean is that you must have a good looking webpage so the visitor feels like they can trust you. Gone are the days where you can throw up a headline, some ad copy, and makes sale. Make a good looking website.

3.) Site Layout - This is often forgotten, but if you have a opt-in box, the best place is for it to be in the middle right, or upper right hand part of the screen above the fold. Having your opt in box at the bottom of the screen, or a horrible looking pop hover, or whatever they call it are bad choices.

4.) Testimonials with pictures - everyone needs reassurances when they are buying online, and having testimonials with "real" pictures goes along ways, and to go a step further if you can get a video testimonial that can do wonders for your conversion rates. Here's a tip - don't be fake, it must be sincere and honesty, people will see through fake testimonials.

5.) Clear calls to action - People have to know what to do once they are at your website. If they are unsure, they will just leave, think of it as leading a man to water. He needs to know where to go, and how to get there and it expecting you to help. So make sure your visitor knows what to do when they are at your page.

Those are 5 things you can change today to help your website. And hopefully increase your sales.

Make sure to check out my site at http://www.cash4noobs.com - find out why your not making the kind of money you should be online!

Is a Website Creator Easy to Use?

Many people have the need for a website. Whether it is for personal or business usage, creating a website can be a very daunting and unnerving task for those not familiar with coding and all of the technical aspects of building a web page. The typical consumer wants to be able to input their data and come out with a webpage they can be proud to show. One may think you need a magic wand to be able to complete this task. Well, let a website creator be that magic wand.

You can use a website creator -- a template -- to easily design a site. It allows you to provide all the information, including words and photos, and then it crafts it into a Web site. When you're building a Web site many Web editors impose certain limits, such as a maximum number of colors or backgrounds. Others might have no restrictions at all and it'll be completely up to you. Often, what's available to you depends on how much money you are willing to pay.

If you're just beginning, you might wish to try a free online web creator. You can find these online if you type in "building a website" or "homepage creator" into a search engine. Literally hundreds of sites will show up. When you review them, make sure you look for quality results. Also watch for how much flexibility these sites will give.

If free editors do not appeal to you and you are feeling a bit adventurous. Your options are to bu website building software or download it. You have more flexibility and control of your creation, with the more expensive software. There also maybe promotional incentives offered with the paid software, such as free hosting or technical support. The best thing about own the software maybe that you have the security of associating your specific business with the product.

People usually don't think about security in the design of their website. It is good to have in dept knowledge of the people servicing the software whether the service is free or not. The internet has a lot of scams; so be aware of someone hosting a web site just to get information from unsuspecting users like you or someone else. Make certain that you research web site hosts thoroughly to make sure they are credible.

Website construction should not have to be boring like your chore. It should be fun and exciting while allowing you to express your creativity at the same time provided that the right tools are utilized. A website creator is such a tool; it can help turn your website from dull to captivating.

The average person desires an easy way to build an appealing web site. A website creator can help. It is basically a template that allows you to plug in your information, pictures, and other content, and then presents you with a completed web page. Depending on the specific website builder, you may have more or less control over the process. Building your own website does not have to be a chore. It can be a fun exercise in creativity if you have the right tools. Using a website design program can also help take your present web page from blah to brilliant.

Make it Easy to Purchase From Your Website

This is in large part due to the streamlining the buying process. A decade ago, commercial websites were not interactive and consisted of little more than an electronic version of a magazine ad. Such mail order purchasing is a cumbersome process and that is why internet commerce was minimal in the early days. Today, the way in which people can buy online is much easier. That is why they buy in such volumes. Yet, there are still those who employ a website design module that is ten years out of date. So, let's take a look at the website design methods that are much easier for people to make purchases.

First and foremost, the website designers must make it apparent that the website is a commercial venture. Poor web development, for example, may be loaded with lots of cool graphics and interesting text but the actual items that are for sale are presented in a peripheral manner as opposed to the focus of the site. Needless to say, such website development is very weak and will not facilitate any profits.

Solid website design, however, will clearly identity the products or services that are offered. The description will be clear and properly illustrated. If you are selling boxing gloves, for example, you would need to provide a photo of the gloves; the manufacturer should be identified; the different weights of the various gloves; the different colors the gloves come available in; and, of course, the price of the gloves. In short, the potential customer knows EXACTLY what he is buying. If a person is provided with proper information then the person will be less likely to dismiss the purchase.

Now, here is the absolutely MOST CRITICAL aspect of commercial website design. The website positively must have reliable shopping cart software installed. Without such software the ability to make a purchase is made much more difficult. The first time a customer buys from your site all they will need to do is plug in vital purchasing information such as credit card info, mailing address, etc. This info can then be saved on the cart's memory so the next time a visitor wants to make a purchase they can do so with one click. Such ease of use makes customers much more likely to buy.

Ultimately, that is the goal of streamlining website design for commercial sites. You want to make it as easy as possible for customers to purchase. When the process is easy then the ability to sell more items becomes much easier.

As an affordable designer of award winning Canada Website Design, we offer front page search engine listings and global marketing with every website we create. Based out of Alberta, Canada we are a very reputed, global webmaster and web development company specializing in branding and consumer interaction.

We start your web development with a detailed fact finding discovery session, were we identify your companies online objective, target audiences and your specific branding message. Creating a successful design is about understanding the companies our service represents on a personal level to truly appreciate your business objectives and challenges.

We are more than an website design studio, web developments shop, or programming house, we are GlobalWebsiteCreations.com, dedicated to businesses and consumer interaction.

Creatively yours, Todd Herman
President
Senior Vice President
GlobalWebsiteCreations.com
President
GlobalWebsiteCreating.com

The Powerful Key of the Logo for Your Business

Do you want to know the powerful key of the Logo for your Business? Now you imagine if logo as a CEO of the company, the first thing he would say “Please don’t change me, I’m here for long time!” If you observe the logo you will find the very interesting character of the logo. First you will find the silent message that represents your company and its products and services. Then the most essential thing of the Logo is the spirit of your business life. Given such an important role, shouldn’t the design of a logo be given services consideration during the development of a company’s strategic plan?

Thinking in long term, what then some of the issues to address? Positioning of a product or service in the proper category is the most important in planner’s minds when a product or services is just introduced. Advertising themes and campaigns consider effective positioning in the desired category in be the most urgent objective.

Positioning is the process of creating a specific perception of a product, service a company’s attributes in the mind of a desired consumer goal. An advertising theme positions a product or service to utter to a particular segment of the population, a segment that is known to have a need with those attributes.

Each group of people (different of age, income and geographic) has different needs and will respond to product they feel will fill those needs. An effective, particular developed logo can subliminally communicate the capability to perform better than competitive products.

Design of a company or product logo should not be labeled on to an advertising campaign at the end of the planning process. It deserves to be well considered and integrated into the body of the campaign; it should not be the tail of the dog. A good logo is developed at the front and, the part that inspired!

Planners should communicate to the graphic designer certain key information about what the company or product targets are. They have to pass in to the artist a demographic picture of their target consumer age, income, where they live. All of these factors are coming along with the strategic planning process.

Logo work’s unique development process enables the number of logo interpretations for an individual product, service or company. Through convergence of ideas, take from some different artist, logo design choices are optimized and it is to good to make a choice one or more that best communicate the desire positioning for the product or service.

In choosing a logo, we should be around for as long a time, looking for it everywhere, emblazoned on everything, it can be either a joy or eyesore.

Some logos have survived through ravages of time they are still effective at transmitting a well-established corporate image. Passing through many generations, the Rock of Gibraltar logo still lends its strengths to AIG; the Mac Donald's logo keep its great taste, BMW and IBM logos still drive their products in right direction.

Periodically, every business planner should examine his company’s logo to ensure if they are effective represent his company and his company’s products or services in this moving world. Sometimes we need modification, revisualization new graphic could be employed to ensure greater effectiveness without changing the basic message the original logo was designed to transmit.

About the Author

Thomas Joseph is a professional Art Director, and has a huge passion for logo creation and sharing his knowledge to others.Thomas's personal goal is to help his clients and friends to come up with a conceptually strong, and easy to remember logo. You can know find more about Thomas in www.wiselogo.com.

5 Ways to Create Effective Website Content

In order to retain the attention of prospects and clients visiting your small business website, the content you present needs to be organized, easy to read and search engine compatible. Writing for the web is different - online reading is not the same as reading from print. Web users, particularly those performing website searches, have limited attention spans - they tend to scan pages for specific information rather than reading every single word of content.

1. "Clean" Information Layout

Research indicates that the average web user only reads 20% of the content on any given web page. Here are a few ways to design your content so it captures the attention of your visitors:

• Descriptive headings - Let the reader know exactly what's on the web page by using headings that provide accurate descriptions of the content
• Short paragraphs - present one topic or idea per paragraph to make it easier to scan through a web page
• Bullet points - if some of your web pages present multiple facts within a single section, lay out the content in point form to make it easier for your visitors to "digest" the information
• Bold text - use bolding or capitalization to draw attention to important words/phrases

2. Concise Copy

Avoid the urge to present every detail about your company, product or service. Approach your content from the perspective of your website visitor and (briefly) describe how you can help provide a solution to a problem they might have. When it comes to editing, a good rule of thumb is to take what you've written and cut the word count in half!

3. Simple Language

One of the biggest problems with many websites is the amount of "gobbledygook" that is used. Try to avoid the use of technical language, industry specific lingo and acronyms. Your visitors will appreciate (and pay attention to) straightforward descriptions of your company, products, services and solutions.

4. Keywords

Take some time to research the keywords that are applicable to your product/service before writing or editing you website content. Keywords are the words or phrases web users type into search engines i.e Google, Yahoo!, etc to find information on the internet. Having the right keywords throughout your site's content will increase the likelihood of potential customers finding you online.

Google offers a great tool that will help you come up with keywords and provide you with search statistics (how many times the keyword was used in Google searches over a period of time).

5. Great Content

Offering great content will make your website better - An obvious statement, but based on the content on many websites, easier said than done. It's important to understand the meaning of great content - it's not content you think is great, it's content your visitors will find exciting and useful.

• Write an article that solves a client's problem
• Write an e-book that helps visitors learn something new
• Start a blog to share your ideas - and invite people to comment
• Publish a white-paper on a topic or trend that is important to your clients/prospects

One last note - offer your content for FREE...making people jump through hoops and exchanging content for email addresses is not the best way to build your brand online. If you offer good content and goodwill, it will pay off in the long run.

Mark Smiciklas is a Vancouver Marketing Consultant. His firm, Intersection Consulting, helps small to mid-sized businesses address challenges in the areas of marketing, management and business development.

To find out more about Intersection Consulting, please visit http://www.intersectionconsulting.com

For more thoughts and ideas on marketing and management for small business please visit the Intersection Blog at http://www.intersectionconsulting.typepad.com

Web Designing - Make Your Online Presence Count

Web designing is not a simple HTML (Hypertext Markup language) or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), it is much more than it. Basically it is a conceptual process in which research, discussion, planning, implementation, and finally, evaluation of electronic media is done via various technologies such as markup languages like HTML which are interpreted and displayed by a web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or any other web browser.

The main purpose of web design is to create a website having interactive features and interfaces known as content that is presented to the end user as web pages when requested. Elements such as images (GIFs, JPEGs, PNGs), text, colors, tables and forms can be placed on the page using HTML, XHTML, or XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) usually requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Java run-time environment, etc.

Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic.

• Static pages are those which do not change structure, content and layout with every request unless a web master or a programmer manually updates the page.

• Dynamic pages are those which change their content and appearance depending on the end-user's input or interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) We can even change contents on the client side or on end-user's computer by using client-side scripting languages like JavaScript, and JScript, etc. Dynamic content is often compiled and executed on the server through server-side scripting languages like ASP, PHP, Perl, JSP, Python, etc.

Basic Aspects of Design

Depending on the goals of the website and the audience, the website's requirements and aspects of design changes. For typical commercial websites, the four main basic aspects of design are:

-What kind of content will be required to meet our goals?
The content: The substance and information on the website should be relevant to the website and should target the section of the public that the website is concerned with.

-What kind of look should the website have?
The appearance: the graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.

-What kind of visibility should the website have?
The visibility: the website must be easy to find via most of the major search engines and advertisement media.

What kind of usability should the website have?
-The usability: the website should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.

Accessible Web design

For accessible web design, web pages and websites must follow certain accessibility principles like:

• Use sitemaps for proper navigation through the website.

• Use semantic markup that provides a significant structure to the web page.

• Provide suitable hierarchy among different web pages.

• Use a valid markup language like HTML that is supported by all the browsers.

• Provide text alternates for any non-text components like images, multimedia etc.

• Use hyperlinks that make sense when read out of context.

• Use CSS file rather than HTML tags for design and layout.

The website is an information system whose components are sometimes classified as front-end and back-end. Front-end is the observable content e.g., page layout, user interface, graphics, text, audio while the back-end comprises the organization and efficiency of the source code, invisible scripted functions, and the server-side components process output from the front-end.

Greymindz is a leader in Search Engine Optimization and Web Designing and Development providing innovative and effective solutions to synergize your business strengths by enhancing your reach to a targeted global audience.

If You Build a Better Website Will the World Beat a Path to Your Door?

So much money, time and energy is being devoted to website design and optimization. But what do customers need to purchase your products or utilize your services?

They need a kiss. "KISS" means "Keep it simple -------!

A flea market has a very simple layout. Find a spot, lay your products on a table or on the ground and have a flood of people passing by.

The idea is that there is not a lot of time for bells and whistles. Some very not so good looking websites are making money. Why? Traffic.

Yes, build an informative and interactive website with content, subscriptions, a guest books if you like. But, no traffic no sale. Put something on a webpage that people want in a presentable fashion and they will buy it: that's if they see it.

Search engine optimization is good. Do it. Search Engines are very unpredictable. Today you are in the top10, tomorrow you don't show up in a search. They change their styles for obvious reasons. Yet you should still put some good relevant keywords in your meta tags and throughout your pages. If you show up at the top for awhile you could still make some money.

Promote yourself and your website. Tell people about your business. Hand out business cards. Hand out some flyers. Put your website address on your car bumper, some T-Shirts and any where else you could think.

Bottom line, build a better website and try to get people on the path to your door.

If you're looking for the *Best Rated* home business opportunities, the latest time saving tools and helpful support from an honest friend in the business, James Winston, come by and grab a F-R-E-E subscription today at: http://www.hothomework.com

How to Find the Perfect Web Design Company

Having an Internet presence will definitely do your company good. However, it would be better if you enlist the help of a web design company to achieve professional results. Your site visitors' first impression of your company is usually based on the web design and this determines whether those visitors would become your customers and remain loyal to you.

With a large number of Utah web design companies on the rise, it is becoming more difficult to select which company's services to avail of. You may look up for a web design company in online website designers directories. Just logon to your favorite search engine and type away. One simple click serves as your gateway to as hundreds of web design firms.

However, before you pick a web design company, you should first know the purpose for building a website. Having a clear notion of what you want your company site to accomplish is vital to finding the perfect web design company for you. Having your aim in mind will allow you to discern what characteristics you're looking for in a web design firm. Another tip in choosing the right web design company for you is to look for those who have experience in developing websites for those in your line of business.

Once you have a web design company in mind, the next step is to verify its credibility. Ask for referrals or do an online research to for comments regarding its performance. Also check how long the firm has been in business.

Next, check out the company's portfolio of works. Viewing its sample works will help you determine the quality of its services. Don't just look at the price. Check the quality of the work. Also know when exactly you have to pay - if it's before the work is finished or after. You should also know if you can view the end product before paying the company. Doing so will help ensure that you get the web design that you really want and need and help avoid the possibility of being scammed.

In general, web design companies ask for an hourly rate. How long they would work is based on several factors such as the complexity of the design, navigation, and interactive portions, the number of web pages, and the graphics. As mentioned earlier, cost is an important consideration, but you should not make it the sole basis for hiring a company.

Whatever your needs are, you're sure to find the right company for you. There are many Utah web design companies out there and you just have to patient in searching.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. With a large number of Utah web design companies on the rise, it is becoming more difficult to select which company's web design services to avail of. Just log on to your favorite search engine and type away. One simple click serves as your gateway to as hundreds of web design firms.

Your Image is Everything

You are walking down the street when you look on a wall and see a poster. On the poster the image of the "Golden Arches" logo says it all, and you want your business to develop an image that strong. It took many years for the image of most well known companies to develop. There are a few great ways to develop a positive business image.

Put Your Image Out There

One of the simplest ways to get started is with professional poster printing. Remember the example; it was not a TV ad that started the craze of image development. Most people need to understand the basics of image building and start out at the bottom and work your way up. Using custom poster printing or even flyer printing and hand outs can help build your companies image.

Four Easy Steps

The way to image super stardom can begin very simple. The world is full of recognized images and what companies they represent. Here is a quick list of ideas to help.

• Find what works best in your market. (Imitation is the best form of flattery and in this case the best way to make a quick impact.)

• Incorporate the use of modern technology. (Web-sites and e-mail are easy to set-up and use.)

• Live your image when you speak to people. (The sole purpose should be to constantly promote your products.)

• Utilize all forms of print media. (As previously discussed printed materials are what started the image building industry.)

Watch the Competition

Understanding your market is vital to success, and knowing the competition will help you to build a positive image. By knowing what your completion does right you will learn what you must do right. Then with simple research you can develop a strategy to innovate those things. When the research is done right you will learn what the competition has done wrong. Allowing you to cater to the needs of customers will help you build a more positive image.

Unleash Your Image

You read it right, do not be afraid to make a splash from simple beginnings of having flyer printing done or custom poster printing. Let your image be the pinnacle for your printed materials in words and image. Just remember your poster printing can be the start to your image building. Following these steps your business can build a great image that will last for years to come and help build your company. Your company will thrive with a more positive image than the competition as well as a plan to make a successful company.

Janice Jenkins is a writer for a marketing company in Chicago, IL. Mostly into marketing research, Janice started writing articles early 2007 to impart her knowledge to individuals new to the marketing industry.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:
Custom Poster Printing, Poster Printing, Flyer Printing.

Hire a Web Designer Or Go it Alone?

If you want your website and your business to make money, you need to decide whether or not you want to do it on your own or get some help from a web designer. Before you think that you'll do it alone, be sure to stop and think again. There is much more to an internet business than simply designing a website, and in order to be successful you have to make sure that you understand all of the moving parts involved.

In order to take your website and turn it into something that makes money you need to know how to do several things:

• process payments on your website, including credit card payments.
• keep track of your money
• ship your products
• gather more clients.
• build and maintain your website.
• capture email addresses.
• stream audio and video
• split test your pages to increase conversions
• track website traffic and analyze your website stats.

You can hire all of this stuff out for about 50 - 100 dollars an hour. However, even if you have only a little experience you should be able to figure out how to learn the things that you need for yourself, and get it done on your own. If you are going to learn, there are several things that you need to make money online:

• a good web hosting account
• a website builder
• an email auto responder
• traffic tracking software
• split testing application
• a merchant account

Remember, building and maintaining a website is something that just could take you several months to learn. You will also need to put in a lot of work to make sure that your business is successful, online and offline. Make sure that you follow the basic rule of spending no more than 10 percent of your time on the technology, and the rest on getting traffic to your website, and converting that traffic into money.

If you think that you can't handle it on your own, and you don't have the money for a website designer, there are still ways to get around it. You can find a complete "internet business in a box application" and use it to get yourself set up and started. This can save you a lot of money, and it can also save you a lot of time because it will truly allow you to do it all on your own.

Still not sure if you want to hire a web designer or do all the tech stuff yourself? Please visit my hub page entitled Do It Yourself, or Hire A Web Designer?

The Benefits of Banner Advertising

Banner ads first came on the internet in 1994. There are primarily two benefits of utilizing banner ads. The first of these is that a banner ad lures users to click on the banner ad through which the user reaches the advertiser's site. When this happens it is called a "clickthrough". The number of clickthroughs divided by the number of impressions is called the "click through ratio" or "click rate". It is easy to measure and what's more shows a direct measurement of a banner's effectiveness.

Each time this happens is called a "click through", and the number of clickthroughs divided by the number of impressions is called the "click through ratio" or "click rate". This is easy to measure, and provides a direct measurement of a banner's effectiveness. Secondly banner ads help build brand recognition. Although ad agencies may claim otherwise it is almost impractical to measure. Utilizing user surveys and market research this can be done but these maybe imprecise and abstract compared to the straightforward business of measuring clickthroughs and site traffic. An important fact to remember is that if you want your ads to be seen you have to make them compelling.

Banner ads may bring prospective customers to just within one click away from your business or products. Considering that a large majority of businesses adopt passive web strategies -building a web site and assuming that customers will magically find it. This philosophy of "If you build it, they will come" works in the movies, but doesn't in the internet. A strategically placed banner ad is a very cost effective method of driving customers to your website that turns in it to a "pro-active" tool for a business.

Name recognition also plays a vital part of any business. Even if viewers don't click through on to your banner ad they will be exposed repeatedly to your brand name, in context with your business message.

Banner ads are traceable. Have you ever thought whether people actually read your newspaper advertisement? Well with a banner ad you will actually know if people read it or not. You will not only see how many times a page was viewed but you will also get to know other customer response stats such as click through rates.

Bizymoms.com has been helping moms realize their work at home dreams for over 10 years. With over 5 million visitors annually, Bizymoms.com is now offering Banner Ads options on their popular homepage to meet the needs of any business opportunity, franchise or business support service.

Should We Switch to Online Ad Agency?

With the advent of online advertising and promotions via the internet, the world of advertising has undergone yet another revolution - this time it was different. While development and growth is definitely one of the key aspects of this revolution, but this time, we see a paradigm shift in the medium that is being used.

From various offline media, now we have moved on to online media or more commonly called - the Internet. And with advertising through online media taking birth, we see the mushrooming of different online ad agency and ad networks. An online advertisement agency is more like any other traditional ad agency; however they devise their strategy around a more powerful media.

What are offline ad agencies? Offline ad agencies are nothing but the traditional ad agencies that strategize and develop promotional measures around the offline media like television, radio, print media and OOH promotions. On the other hand, online ad agency is an agency that does the same thing but around a different media called internet.

When there is such a big shift in media, obviously the media plan does not remain the same. The main differences - payment model, the reach and penetration and the target audience. Is online advertisement more beneficial? Should we now switch over from our traditional agencies to online advertisement agencies? Well, the answer to this depends much on the message that you want to communicate, the product or service or the concept that you want to sell and also the kind of target audience that is your potential or existing customers.

Is there some sort of a competition between online ad agency and traditional ones? To some extent yes - as increasing part of the population prefers internet over the TV or radio (especially the working population, students and the young generations), offline media is slowly loosing the grip that they enjoyed till some time ago. But, there have been certain cases and projects, which displayed the right kind of media mix where all the media (offline and online) have been used in a way that not only has helped spread awareness of the product, but also brought the product to the target audience.

Meenakshi Wali is the co founder of Rupiz Media Ad Network, a leading online media buying agency. She is heading a team of experts, which is into online ad agency, internet banner advertising, online web site advertising, web banners.

Build Awareness of Your Company Logo Design and Be An Eco-Friendly Business

Whether your logo consists of words, pictures or both, it is an instantly recognisable part of your business. It has the power to evoke positive feelings in previous clients, and perhaps even curiosity in people who could use your services in the future.

So just imagine being able to put your business logo in front of your clients on a daily basis. What's more, this form of advertising has the potential to last an extremely long time, promoting your business for years to come for one initial price.

If that wasn't enough, you can also promote your business as an eco-friendly company that puts the environment's needs first, and makes a conscious effort not to add to the already overworked landfills.

You can use your company logo in plenty of creative ways, but for a long lasting promotion that has real value you should put your logo on items which tend to be kept and used again and again - such as tote bags, for example.

A tote bag is indispensable for many people, and has a variety of uses - from taking it to the beach on holiday, to carrying the shopping home. It's a fantastic item to have handy as it folds up conveniently and tucks away when not in use.

All in all it's a great item to have your logo and business name on. Every time the bag comes out to be used, there is your logo - ready to promote your business in a positive and dynamic way.

All of which means your logo will be constantly seen - putting your business in the minds of your customers over and over again. Even though reusable bags will cost more initially, the message they send to your customers is a powerful one.

Not only is your business portrayed as a caring one, it also places a high value on its customers needs by providing them with a useful reusable bag that will prevent plastic ones being used once and then thrown away. Now that is a powerful image to send out to your clients.

Don't forget, your logo represents your business, and if you are using it to build awareness in this positive and dynamic manner, it's important to make sure your logo catches the eye. It might be worth getting a professional design company to revamp your current logo for you, in order to convey a more dynamic image.

Logos are meant to be seen. They form a vital part of the whole marketing and branding area of your business. Buying reusable tote bags that bear your logo will ensure you make a good impression, both now and long into the future.

What other item promotes your business as eco-friendly and customer friendly at the same time? You'll more than recoup the initial cost and the end product is also recyclable when it finally does wear out.

All in all, it's the perfect message to give to your customers.

Environmentally friendly bags are a fantastic way to promote your business and build your brand... and with Smartbag, designing a promotional bag for your business couldn't be easier! For a quote or to make an order visit Promotional Bags.

Simple Logo Gets Success

Creating a graphic logo design is an important task and should be considered as important as any other aspect of business. The logo can be a character, shape, tool of the business, or just some text. Your graphic logo design is the first indication to customers of the quality and status of your business. The logo should have style and be designed to reflect the company. A great logo would have both excellent concept and execution. The style of the graphic logo design should reflect the business' purpose. Most important thing in designing a logo is that the design should be Unique and simple. Both the things Uniqueness and Simplicity is equally important. A simple but repeated design will get fail and the chances of getting success of a unique but a complicated design is also very low. So keep in mind that a logo should be unique and simple.

Simplicity is the Key

One should repeat the word "simplicity" while designing a logo all the time. The image of the logo need not be confusing and complicated. Logo design should include as few elements as possible or needed. Using many elements just to create beauty may take all it's present beauty back.

Do not go for a complicated design, always remember a logo is not a piece of art but it is a symbol for your corporate identity. It is Good to have an artistic logo if it is the demand of the business or client but making it complicated may affect the image of company badly. Complicated designs are difficult to remember and are not easily recognized. Also, if Company wants to use it on pen, pencils or on any small thing it may loose all it's beauty and remain no more recognizable. If you see carefully you will get that all the big and successful companies have a very simple logo design. So it is proved that simplicity is the key to success.

I am a Freelance Graphic Designer.
If you need a Design for yourself, you can visit me at http://paripoornarts.blogspot.com I will try my level best to serve you. Thanks

Logo Design Tips

Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a unique identification element to a business or product. Logos provide quick visual recognition of a Company which in-turn builds branding. Business owners and overly enthusiastic artists can often go astray in their efforts to design the perfect logo. There are too many examples of logo designs that look uninspired, overtly abstract or seem to be nothing more than whimsical art. Many of these logos are designed without forethought into usage, application or even cost impact upon a business. So how do you create a logo that makes business sense? Consider following a few simple guidelines:

Remember that your logo is a business tool. Your design concept should begin with a commitment to portray your business as professional and competent. A logo is not an art piece! Avoid using elements that may give a “dated” look such as those 1970’s flowers that were on so many Volkswagen Beetle cars. A logo design should take into consideration how, when and where the logo will be used. A logo has a cost impact upon your business from the day that it is introduced. There is more to designing a logo than simply hiring an artist or online art shop to assemble shapes and colors – it is a business decision.

Create your logo using vector graphics software. Simply put, images done in vector graphics can be resized and maintain design integrity. There is no loss in clarity, sharpness or definition and the file size remains constant. A common program for creating vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator. Software like Photoshop, which works in pixels, is better suite to working with photos and texture style areas. You can create your original image in any software but have it redone in a vector graphics format before you print or reproduce your logo. After all, a logo is all about sharp image.

Avoid complicated and intricate designs. A logo that is too intricate hinders rapid visual identification. The viewer is required to “study” the image in order to mentally process the image and relate its identification to a given company. Note the simplicity and high visual impact of the Nike “Swish”, an excellent image. Another reason to avoid complicated designs is that they do not reduce well. A busy, intricate logo on the side of a company truck may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink. Keep it simple and clean.

Limit color selection to a maximum of three colors. Ideally use one or two colors but never more than three. There are three main reasons for this guideline. One, your printing costs for printing business cards, letterhead, envelops, labels, etc. are increased for every additional color that you require. Your “cheap” logo design could end up costing you a lot of money. Reason number two, your visual impact or even identification could be diminished or completely lost in some mediums. Consider a logo that has overlaid images of different colors – looks nice, right? What about when you fax your proposal or letter and your logo is now in a black and white realm? Does the black and white (grayscale) version still provide distinction? An example of lost-in-translation logo is a peacock used to promote color and via fax it ends up looking like a turkey. A final note on color selection is to carefully consider cultural and marketplace standards. For example, red may be lesser choice for a medical company due to the negative association of red to blood/danger whereas green might infer safety or a positive status.

Consistency and control in font usage. Do not use over two font styles, as it may be distracting and confusing. Try to use a standard font such as Times New Roman, Arial, etc. as it makes commercial reproduction of your image easier. Any font style should be sans serif and typically non-script to improve clarity in small format reproduction. An exception is a logo/name where the logo is the script font such as the trade name of a popular soft drink in a uniquely shaped bottle.

Check Trademark and Registration Rights. While a new logo runs a low statistical chance of violating any trademark or registration rights of any existing logo it is not a bad idea to make some effort to confirm this before you publish your new logo. And after you have settled on a final logo design you should take the effort to register or trademark your own logo. If you need an example of why then consider the yellow pages “Walking Fingers” logo. The design was never trademarked or registered and has no copyrights protection – it could have been, but wasn’t – a huge loss of value for the original creators.

The author specializes in small business marketing services, advertising, logo and website design for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States. For more information on this or related topics please contact their offices at 770.654.3223.

9 Free Webmaster Tools You Can Fall In Love With

Webmasters and developers don't need a whole lot of money to spend on tools in order to work efficiently and be productive. Here is a list of free tools that help me run my everyday webmaster chores.

Notepad++

Dreamweaver and such designing tools might have become very advanced in the recent years but I am still far from satisfied with them. I prefer to do the coding with a simple text editor and be in total control of the code and not end up with unnecessarily long code. Recently I discovered Notepad++ which has the few bells and whistles that are desired by hard core programmers such as code highlighting, Regular Expression Search/Replace support, capability to extend functionality with plugins and nice depository of contributed ones. Worth your attention.

Filezilla

If you are like me and don't use WYSIWYG editors to do your HTML/CSS designs then you are probably need or are already using a standalone FTP client to upload/download files to and from your server. Filezilla is a free tool that I have been using for some time and has not failed me. New version 3 has lots of new features, if you are FTPing stuff often maybe you should check it out.

Xampp

XAMPP is an apache server distribution that integrates php, mysql, phpmyadmin and a bunch of other great open source projects into an easy installation. It can be used on production servers to host one's sites but I mostly use it locally to code and test my html/css/php projects. Its easier to develop locally because there is no need to upload files on servers everytime, and only upload when your project is complete. It can be installed on Windows/Linux and lots of other platforms and if you are serious about developing you should get it installed in your computer and start playing with it.

Google Analytics

Google analytics is a free website statistics package that anyone can easily integrate into their website in a few minutes. Analytics once installed on your website it gathers data and presents you with reports about which sites your visitors come from, what country they live in, how long they stayed on your site, which pages were more popular and a whole lot of reports that you will likely not need another statistics package for you site. Those statistics are vital to the progress of any site in order to understand a site's audience and find things that might need to be improved. You can create as many analytics accounts as you like (unlimited number of sites) as long as your total pageviews don't exceed the monthly allowance of 5 million.

Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is not only a great browser to surf with. Firefox was build with extensibility in mind and has given developers a way to extent its functionality with add-ons. Add-ons can enhance the capabilities of Firefox and enhance the browsing experience. There is a whole lot of add-ons in the Mozilla repository that can help you with task such as bookmarking, searching, social interaction, developing, news reading, downloading to name just a few categories. Some of the following favorite tools of mine are actually Mozilla Add-ons. Its definitely worth your attention.

SeoQuake

Seoquake is a Mozilla add-on that was created with the SEO professionals in mind. It will help you gather important statistics about a website or web page with the touch of a button. Such statistics include PageRank, indexed pages, Google backlinks, Cached date etc. One can also extend it/configure it to gather other important statistics from online services not already included in it.

Firebug

Firebug is yet another Mozilla Add-on; a webmaster tool that can help you understand and debug your javascripts. It has so many bells and whistles that I am thinking of devoting a whole article on it. I will just mention the features that I use myself; Inspecting and editing HTML and CSS on the fly, debugging and running javascript on the fly, monitor network activity but there are many others. Here is a video tutorial I recently found that will help you get started with firebug debugging

Gimp

Gimp is an open source image manipulation package that can help you with photo retouching, image composition, format conversion and animations among other things. Its not likely to replace adobe photoshop any time soon but its a free alternative that has found many followers and through its plugin architecture promises to built the only image manipulation tool you will ever need. Some of its features are presented in a way of a presentation but nothing can convince you better than to actually install it and try it on your own.

Drupal

Drupal is a content management system much like wordpress but a lot more extensible. Wordpress is a good CMS (content management system) for simple sites and even though it has many plugins to extend its capabilities I would not recommend building anything other than a blog with it. Drupal on the other hand was built in such a way to be extensible. A programmer digging in its code will appreciate its flexibility, code quality, and modular design and simplicity for writing a new module. Drupal is was build from the ground up a tool for building community sites, and as a result it has many features to support such sites but it is also capable for supporting standard websites. Its learning curve is quite steep but it pays off in the end. Worth more than a look from you.

Giorgos Kontopoulos is a web consultant from Greece. He is one of the authors of GeoLand.org where he can often be found blogging about issues related to web development and search engine optimization. This article on free webmaster tools was originally posted on GeoLand.org

When Outsourcing Logo Design, How Do You Know What Makes a Good Logo?

Outsourcing logo design is a wonderful way to get an expert eye on your company branding. But how do you know when the outsourcer has delivered you a good logo? To make sure you get the best work out of your designer, it's best to learn yourself how to identify a good logo.

Identifying a good logo first requires a solid understanding of the purpose behind having a logo in the first place. A logo is one of any company's most integral branding elements, and as such should be fundamental in developing your brand identity. Your audience may or may not have any familiarity with the character, disposition, and core values of your company already. It is therefore the role of your logo to exude that information to anyone who sets eyes on it. Most of all, a good and effective logo should make a strong and lasting positive impression on your customers, existing and prospective.

Merely glancing at your logo should make a person think of your business. How to accomplish this feat? Whether you lean towards a font-based logo (100% text), an illustrative logo (clearly illustrating what work you do), or graphical (giving an abstract representation of your business), the same key design principles apply.

When outsourcing logo design, you should look for the following qualities in the finished product you're delivered. It should be:

- Attractive, catching the viewer's eye and appealing to their sensibilities, drawing them in and making them feel good. Colors should be pleasing, text should be legible, and images should be clear. Contrast is one design technique that helps make a logo attractive.

- Recognizable, identifying your company by standing out and distinguishing itself from the pack. Your logo should be unique, like your business.

- Memorable, sticking in the viewers' minds even when they're not looking right at it. Your logo should spring to mind whenever a member of your target market has a need your business can fulfill. Meaningful, conveying your business's unique message, and indicative of the distinguishing characteristics and manner and type of work your company does.

- Flexible, able to be used in a wide variety of ways - on dark backgrounds and light ones, on packaging, on signs, and on letterhead, in color and in black-and-white, over a website or a fax. Your logo should be versatile, able to be printed large and small, with and without color, and on all different sorts of mediums - all while still retaining its original integrity.

- Simple, with the number of fonts and colors kept to a bare minimum, and special effects avoided altogether.

- Unified, appearing as one singular unit, rather than a hodge-podge of several elements mashed together.

A great logo is the foundation of a strong corporate brand identity. Now that you understand the qualities that go into making a great logo, you can feel confident in outsourcing logo design to a professional, knowing that you have proper tools with which to evaluate their work.

Learn more about Outsourcing Logo Design at http://www.StartOutsourcingNow.com

Logo Design

A logo is a symbol that represents a particular company or a brand. Logos are a very important since they help in attracting customers. Remember that your logo is a business tool. The logo you have represents your very company. How it appears tells the potential customers what kind of business you have.

Your logo design should be unique, functional, and effective regardless of the size and attractive regardless of the color. It should also represent the brand/company image well. The ultimate purpose is for the people to recognize your logo and associate yourself with it. Make sure that your chosen logo stands out in the crowd.

A company’s logo should avoid complicated and intricate designs. Too complex a design hinders rapid visual identification and thereby defeats the purpose of the unique identification associated with the company’s logo. A busy, intricate logo may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink. Keep it simple and clean. Also, avoid using too many colors, highlights, special effects, etc. Most companies wish to use their logo for more than just a single application. Complex designs and color patterns tend to cost more to reproduce and often need to have an additional simplified version created. Another added expense.

A Text-based design is often text only with exclusive typographic behavior. You should prefer a Text-Based design when funds are tight; your company’s name is logically distinguishing but not a household word just yet. Good examples of this are: Yahoo and Wal-Mart.

A Letter-mark design is similar to text but is either an abbreviation or a company’s initials. Good examples of this are: IBM and BMW. Another type of design is Icon-based. This usually involves an abstract piece of art or picture. Good examples of this are the “swoosh” emblem for Nike or the apple logo for Apple computer.

Designers should be aware of copyrights and trademarks, and should be very careful not to copy any other logo. Using a person’s face, clip-art, third-party fonts, imagery or photographs, and culturally suggestive imagery should be avoided as much as possible. The use of too many effects like shadows, glares, embossing and photo imagery is also not recommended. The logo should also be flexible enough to retain its shape when printed on certain materials that tend to crease or fold.

If you are interested in more information on this subject you can go to the internet and log onto: http://www.logotree.com

Finch is a graphic artist working in the field of logo design for 2 years.

Author hereby grants a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free perpetual and irrevocable right and license to copy, distribute, display, and perform this Work, in whole , and to incorporate the Work, in whole , into other works (the "Derivative Works") including publication of the subsequent work in both printed and electronic materials.

Nature Logos

Nature logos are best used by companies that offer services such as cleaning and environmental protection programs. They are also best for theme parks and resorts that are located away from the hustle and bustle of the city and aim to provide a relaxing and serene environment to people who want to unwind and rest.

As apparent by the name, they incorporate nature and natural aspects in their images and design that give a sense of being closer to nature and environment. They can also be called environmental logos as they both work for the same cause that is promoting the natural environment.

Nature or environment logos make use of images and symbols that include natural settings and give a sense of outdoor and freedom. The most frequently images used in this regard are leaves, trees, butterflies, mountains, oceans and wild animals that aptly represent the outdoor settings very beautifully. These logos are designed keeping in mind the role of outdoor environment in our lives and how nature can affect us.

Most of the nature or environment logos are used by companies and organizations that are fighting to preserve the nature and save it from destructive agents such as pollution, land mining, wars and other things can cause disrupt this harmonious balance. These logos aim to display the friendly nature and the alluring aspects of nature that beckon people to explore and discover it by coming to the companies that offer these opportunities. They also combine other land and natural issues such as landscaping, irrigation, agricultural business and farming. They can be for companies as well as individuals who work closely associated with natural environment.

When designing a nature logo, it is very important to keep the earthy tones in mind as nature and earth go together. In this regard, the choice of colors also becomes limited as not every color can be used for nature and earth. The most common and suitable colors are green, blue, brown, yellow and other pastels combinations that give a soft and gentle look to the logo keeping in mind the nurturing aspect of nature.

Nature logos look best in outdoor environments that show a natural side of things to give them a touch of reality. The theme of nature logos centers around nature, focusing on the line of business you are in. They focus on being more natural, inspiring as well as rouse feelings of trust and emotions that are very strongly associated with nature.

Combined with environment friendly theme and selection of light colors, nature logo designs can go a long way in motivating people to bring their business to you. In this regard, a large number of logo design companies provide pre-made as well as custom design logos. Apart from them, nature logo templates are also available that portray the fauna and fauna as well as the other natural aspects and can be used for designing your company logo.

These natural logos go a long way in promoting the resorts, theme parks and other organizations that provide services related to nature offering solitude and relaxation. A crafty and imaginative nature logo can help people relate to it and bring you more success in business.

For more on nature logos, please visit... http://www.logosnap.com