Setting Up Your Website
Many people are overwhelmed by just the thought of having to create and build their own website. They may know how to surf the web and have basic computer skills, but they may believe that building an entire website is totally out of their league. They don’t know HTML coding or how to set up a web page. As a result they feel intimidated on how to even begin.
In truth there is a lot to know about how to build a website, but it isn’t all about just knowing the HTML coding either. There are other aspects that you need to take into consideration before setting up your website.
You have to consider the overall look of your website and how it will look to your visitors. You will need to know a little about design and what appeals to people. The best way to find out how you want your website to look and if it will be appealing to other people is to surf the net. Visit websites similar to the one you are thinking of creating and see what those sites look like and what they have to offer. See what appeals to you and which ones stand out the most in your mind. Chances are that the ones that most appeal to you will appeal to other people as well. Model your site after the ones you like the best.
You can also surf the web for information on market appeal or get a book from the library on what colors attract the most people or what font to use. There are strong color relationships to people’s emotions and reactions. Using the right colors on your website can make a difference to its visitor appeal.
To quickly go through the psychology for color-reaction: Black is for authority and power; white for purity and cleanliness; grey for practicality and stability; red is associated with energy, movement and excitement; blue is calming; green is for nature, growth and money; orange for fun, happiness and excitement; purple is for royalty, wealth and prosperity; and brown is related to friendship, reliability and stability. Gear the colors you use on your website to what you are trying to promote. For instance, if you are creating a website for money-makers, use a green background. A website about “Best Party Times” could contain a lot of orange.
Fonts used on your website should be easy to read. Changing fonts can be an attraction but should also be used in moderation. Too many different fonts or colors of fonts can appear too busy and will look unprofessional to your visitors.
When creating your website, you should also consider using graphics. A website with just letters or words is boring and may be tiring to look at. You will need some visual appeal. You can create the graphics yourself with your digital camera and import pictures to your website, or you can get graphics from graphic programs or websites on the net. The graphics should be relevant to your topic.
You will also need to include content on your website. Content not only attracts visitors, but continually changing content keeps visitors coming back to your website. And, adding and changing the content will appeal to the search engines. The content should be relevant to what your website is all about. If you have a website with a topic you are passionate about, it should be easy to create content to include on your website. If you do not feel comfortable writing the content yourself, you can purchase content articles from many sources on the web.
You also need to include your income earning devices on your website. This means including the things that will make you the money you are hoping for. They can be advertising banners or links to saleable products. They can include forms for subscriptions to lists, e-zines or newsletters. It is wise not to include too much advertising on your first page. You don’t want visitors leaving your site too soon. Give them a chance to immerse themselves into your pages.
Although it may seem a little intimidating with all the details you have to know in order to set up a website that will attract visitors, the good news is that there are many programs you can get to help you with all of that. And, there are also many existing websites that can give you templates where you just have to plug in your information and the website is all set to go. Some will even host the website for you as well. You can also seek the help of professionals who will design and set up your website for you.
Whichever way you choose to go, it is wise to know a little about what you need to look at when setting up your website. And remember that the most important thing is attracting people to your website. What appeals to you will most likely appeal to other people so go with your best instincts.
