Bass fishing

Here is a recap of the content of our first twoto find a source for revenue to pay for site
guidelines for getting a successful business started:development and ongoing hosting and other incidental
Step 1: DECIDE WHAT YOUR BUSINESS IS GOINGcosts. Make sure to develop open space on your
TO BEwebsite to allow for the inclusion of sold advertising
Step 2: CREATE A WEBSITEonce your site takes off. Always think ahead.
This article will extend the ideas for CREATING AYour website is something akin to a canvas just
WEBSITE. In the last article we talked about thewaiting for a brilliant piece of art to take shape.
design of the site which provides a critical firstCarefully map out the pages you will need for your
impression with your visitors. Remember, withsite. First, you need a homepage - then determine
website design it is better to have no online presencewhat other pages you will need.
than a lousy one.Your homepage should accurately explain and
As important as the design is, you must convincesummarize your websites mission. Work through the
your visitors that your site is worth a return visit.mission carefully to minimize words while maximizing
This is typically done through QUALITY contentthe clarity of the purpose statement. If you are
throughout your site.selling a product or service your homepage needs to
A quick tour through cyberspace will show that therecatch your visitors attention immediately. Dont make
are many good looking websites that contain nothingyour visitor search to discover what it is your site
of value for their visitors. These types of sites lackdoes its a game very few will play.
the longevity needed in todays cyber savvy culture.The following is a list of common pages visitors
Style and substance must go hand in hand.expect in a website:
Because content is a key to website development,Contact Us
you must determine whom your target audience is. IfAbout Us
your target audience is fishermen, it would make littleProducts
sense to include Grandma Sarahs recipe for apple pie.Services
It doesnt take long to visit a variety of websitesLinks
that contain advertisements for products that haveThese pages are often called by other names, but
nothing to do with the website. It is also easy to findonce you determine the primary categories for your
websites that contain content that, while interesting,home page you will want to divide your content into
have little to do with the products, goods, servicesappropriate pages. One of the cardinal rules of site
or information the site is expected to provide. Whendevelopment is to always make sure your site is
a website owner misses their target audience iteasy to navigate. What this means is that your
leaves the impression that they have little skill invisitors should be able to easily find what they are
providing the very thing the visitor came to thelooking for. If finding the material they need requires
website for the very thing you wanted them toa site search, you may have lost a return customer.
leave with.Dont make them search for content. On the other
Once you decide who your target audience is, youhand you should always provide a prominent link back
need to determine content and direction for yourto your homepage on EVERY page of your site.
site.When you place multiple ads, images and flashing
For example, if you are selling fishing equipment, youtext on your web pages, your visitor may leave
may want to have other content related to fishingconfused and frustrated. Keep things simple never
such as fishing tips or fishing locations, etc. You willover produce a webpage and make your content
want to provide content that will keep your visitorseasy to read. A key component to this objective is
coming back for more.to maintain a consistent and universally utilized font
Many site builders have discovered a message boardsuch as Arial or Times New Roman. Little known
to be an effective tool for bringing likemindedfonts may not display correctly for all visitors and
consumers together. You can make this happen onmay provide further frustration.
your website with very little time commitmentBE SURE there are no spelling errors anywhere on
required. Whatever the focus of your website, theyour site! Spelling mistakes make a website look very
message board should operate with a similar focus.unprofessional. It doesnt take long to load the
This can provide an additional tool to drive visitorscontent onto a word processor to check for
back to your site.common mistakes in both spelling and grammar.
Visitors can be consumers of either products orHaving someone proof your pages can also add to
information. If you are effectively catering to theirthe professional objectives you desire.
informational needs you can still derive a financialShould you require assistance in devising quality
return by providing links to shopping resources thatcontent for your site, you may want to consider
may benefit the visitor. It is also possible to create ahiring a freelance writer to assist in content
specialty shop of your own that caters to a specificdevelopment. It will be well worth the investment!
segment of fishermen. If you dont want to developWhen developing content for your website, keep in
your own shop, you can link with existing outlets thatmind that your text should be as search engine
provide a financial return for every sale directed fromfriendly as possible. We will talk more about this in
your site. You may not get rich from this approach,Part 4.
but it provides an added benefit for your visitor andPlease look for Part 4 of Building Your Way to Online
may be another means of encouraging their return.Success.
Unless you are independently wealthy you will need