Image is everything (article)

According to a very popular soft drink commercial, image is nothing and thirst is everything. If your thirsty for something to drink, this may be true. If you are thirsty for online sales, this theory will leave you parched!

Online, image is everything. If your website looks homemade, takes ages to load, and doesn't display properly in almost everyone's browser, you are in trouble. Your sales will be slow or non-existent.

On the other hand, if you design a clean site, make it easy to navigate, display your products in an organized manner, and use professional graphics, your site will make you more sales and more profit.

But don't forget content. Content will bring your visitors back again and again. If your site doesn't offer something that your target market needs or wants, your image won't help you. Right now we are assuming that you have a site that offers valuable content. Now let's spice up your image.

Take a look at these simple techniques to improve the image of your website.

1. Consistency. Make sure that each of your pages has a red thread that ties them together. Your red thread can be as simple as using the same template for each page. If each page looks the same, you develop continuity throughout your site.

2. Font Style. Choose a font or fonts that are easy to read. There are some pretty fancy fonts on the market, which may look appealing, but are almost impossible to read. The majority of the surfing population won't stick around to decipher your message if it isn't easy to read.

3. Font Size. On screen, a comfortable font size is 12 pt. If you choose a smaller font size, you risk alienating the segment of your market that requires a bit larger print.

4. Graphic Style. This is the easiest way to create your image. An old-fashioned map and globe in a library setting creates a completely different image than a bikini clad surfer girl on a beach. Your choice of graphics must mirror your content.

5. Layout. A portal style site is an ordered chaos. A lot of information is presented in a minimum amount of space. An ebook sales site, on the other hand, has become a single page mini site that concentrates on one product. Your image can be at either end of the spectrum, but most likely somewhere in between.

6. Colour. Your colour choices are important to your image. A deep blue gives you a business feel, deep green gives you an executive, money feeling, red gives you a good stop effect, but is irritating to look at for long periods of time. Make sure you put some thought into your colour choices before you just pick a random colour.

These are just the basics, but they will get you started on your image check. Second only to content, your image is your greatest asset. A clean, clear image that mirrors your content will make you more sales.

Good luck and God Bless.

------------------------------------------------------------ Vitals: Terry Telford is the author of the popular ebook, Website Ladder, and the founder of bpc publishing, your resource center for online marketing and traffic tools. Visit http://www.bpcpublishing.com today! ------------------------------------------------------------

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When I first began attempting to make money on the internet, I fell into the trap of advertising my website with "get rich quick" promoters and products, thinking I'd get my money back immediately with their allegedly wonderful services. After wasting hundreds of dollars on marketing, I decided to take another route: I tried pay-per-click search engines and other conventional-but-expensiv. . .

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