Tips and Tricks for Web Site Design
Website Design
Do it yourself or hire a web designer?
Aug 3rd
There are many places online where you can create your own website for FREE or for very little cost. So why would anybody want to pay to hire a professional web designer?
My answer to this question is simple.
#1. You get what you pay for! If you want a cookie-cutter website template that looks just like thousands of others then go ahead and get a free one.
#2. If you would rather spend the time working on your website instead of taking care of your daily business needs then by all means, do it yourself!
Here at Web Design 4 Him we take the stress out of website design. We will design a crisp, clean website for your business or organization and we do all the updates for you! You can concentrate on running your business or organization and let us worry about the website!
Each design is unique, no cookie-cutter templates. We work with you throughout the design process to make sure the site fits your needs.
Once the website is launched, we are still there for you to keep it updated with fresh information. We believe in long-term relationships and service after the sale!
Our rates are very affordable and we pride ourselves on our customer service. We’re not satisfied until you are satisfied!
When it rains it pours!
Jul 18th
Seems like there are slow periods with hardly any work then all of a sudden I am buried with new projects!
I just completed two new websites and I have four more new ones that I am working on right now…when it rains it pours!
I’m not complaining…I love being busy! Here are the latest two websites I designed.
This website was bartered. www.enviraclean.com I designed and take care of his website and he cleans my carpet twice a year. Too few people take advantage of bartering…it’s a great system.
The second website, www.royalwelding.net was a referral from a client who was a referral from another client. Most of my business is from referrals and word of mouth advertising.
My Latest Website Project
May 2nd
Wisdom Work and Wealth, LLC. is a company that acts as a community bridge consulting firm addressing the needs of businesses. With our innovative approach and solutions, we seek to increase profitability. Wisdom Work and Wealth’s plan is to make businesses more profitable.
Wisdom Work and Wealth can help you with:
- Management Consulting
- Small Business Consulting
- Mid-size Business Consulting
They have a Speakers Bureau with many talented speakers on a variety of different subjects. You will also find information on their website about The Black Shopping Channel.
So take a few minutes to visit this informative website.
New Website Project – DHS Class of 1970
Apr 17th
This is the Fourth High School Alumni site I have done. This time I am trying a new format. The other three I built from scratch; however, this one I am using Class Creator.
Danbury High School Class of 1970
Here are the four High School Alumni sites I have done.
- Danbury High School Class of 1966
- Danbury High School Class of 1967
- Danbury High School Class of 1970
- Horton High School Alumni Association
Any way you look at it a High School Alumni site is a lot of work! It takes many hours to get it set up. All four of these sites were set up because of upcoming reunions and the first three I did were a big help in making the reunions successful!
This latest project will be interesting because the reunion is only six-months away! The biggest chore for any reunion is finding all the classmates. Without the Internet, I don’t know how anyone accomplished this in the past!
Due to the short time frame of the upcoming reunion for the DHS Class of 1970, I am using Class Creator because their format does much of the work for me. If you are thinking about building a Class Reunion site, I would highly recommend checking this format out.
Cost for Class Creator is $9.00 per month and $19.00 per year if you want your own domain name. The hardest part of this format is I had to type in over 500 classmates names, etc. to get it set up.
If you want a unique site and not a template then contact me for a price quote.
Most alumni websites are paid for via donations received. I have had pretty good luck with donations so far using PayPal.
Follow this blog for more articles about High School Reunions and Website Design.
My Latest Project
Apr 11th
60s Flashback
Here is my latest project; it’s a fun website remembering the 1960s. I’m just getting started with it so there is a lot more yet to come!
There will be music, memoralbilia, and information about the fads, fashions and fun of the 60s.
Stop by and check it out when you get a chance. There will also be store where you can purchase things like, “I survived the 60s” mugs, tshirts and other products.
Be sure to sign up for my 60s Flashback newsletter while you are there.
Any comments or suggestions on what you would like to see on this site please let me know.
Why You Need a Website
Feb 22nd
According to the U.S. Census Bureau the estimated population in the United States for 2009 is 307,212,123. Out of these people, 227,719,000 are Internet users! That means 74.1% of the U.S. population uses the Internet! I would have to say that’s a pretty good reason to have a website for your business or organization!
Source:
www.internetworldstats.com
World wide there are 1.67 billion Internet users as of June, 2009. Most Internet users speak the English language as native or secondary language, according to www.wikipedia.com. Another good reason to have a website.
Here are some demographics of Internet users from www.pewinternet.org.
- 93% of age group 18-29 are online
- 81% of age group 31-49 are online
- 70% of age group 50-74 are online
- 38% of seniors 65+ are online
So as you can see the people are out there surfing the web; if you want them to know about your business or organization you need to have a website.
Contact Mike Marinaro today for a FREE Quote on affordable website design. 919.374.9209 mmarinaro@nc.rr.com.
www.webdesign4him.com.
Rather Do It Yourself?
Feb 11th
If you would rather build your own website I highly recommend GoDaddy. I have been using them for several years and have been very satisfied with their service.
Domain names are available starting at $7.49 a year and you can even get one for ONLY $1.99 with the purchase of webhosting.
Webhosting plans start at $4.99 a month. If you don’t have html skills, no worry, GoDaddy has several templates to select from that will let you create your own site with “Website Tonight”.
Of course, I would rather have you contact me to design your website for you but if you just must do it yourself, check out GoDaddy.
Mike Marinaro
919.374.9209
Before You Build Your Website
Feb 5th
You have realized that your business or organization needs a website…so where do you start?
The first thing you should do before you build a website is ask yourself these questions.
- What is the purpose of my website?
- Who is my target audience?
- What content should be on my website?
- What is my competition doing?
- Do I really have the time to do this myself or should I hire a professional website designer?
Purpose
Is your site going to be mostly informational or are you going to want to sell your products or services online?
Target Audience
Who do you want to attract to your website? Define your target audience and that will determine the design of your website.
Content
Once you have identified the purpose of your website and defined your target audience, then it will be much easier to figure out what content should be on your site.
Competition
Chances are you are not the only one doing whatever it is you’re doing, so take a look at the websites that relate to yours and see what they are doing. Make a list of the features you like and dislike about their sites and use that as a guide when designing your own.
Hire a Professional Website Designer
Having a professional website designer do the work for you is money well spent! Do you really have the time to devote to designing and maintaining a website? Wouldn’t it be better for you to concentrate on the day to day activities of running your business or organization?
Answer the above questions then do yourself a favor and hire a professional website designer to do the work for you. The answers to the above questions will help guide the designer as your website is developed.
For affordable website design contact Mike Marinaro.
919.374.9209
Website Design Basics
Feb 4th
If you are going to design your own website, here are some website design basics.
Graphics
Large images are the primary cause of slow pages. Use small graphics on your website and be sure that the pages load quickly. Try to keep your graphics under 20k. There is nothing more frustrating then waiting for a web page to load!
Blinking or flashing graphics can be very distracting and annoying. You want people to stay on your website and read the content, so don’t turn them off with annoying graphics!
Layout
Keep it simple and appealing to the eye. White space is important in website design just as it is in print media.
Short paragraphs are much easier to read then long ones, so try to keep your paragraphs short.
It’s a good idea to use bullet points to highlight your important text. It will flow much easier than a long string of text seperated by commas.
Fonts
There are thousands of fancy fonts available; however, just because you have a favorite fancy font that doesn’t mean that everybody else also has it. Some web browsers won’t be able to see those fancy fonts. The standard fonts for web design are:
- Times New Roman
- Arial
- Veranda
- Georgia
- Tahoma
Advertising
It’s okay to place ads on your website; however, be sure not to overdo it! Too many ads will drive visitors away. Keep your ads relevant to the content of your website; if your site is about web design then you shouldn’t be advertising women’s shoes!
More articles about basic web design coming soon. Your comments are always welcome.
