Custom Website Design - 7 Steps to a More Professional Website
If you are trying to sell a product or service on your website,
then it is important to make your site as professional as
possible. You might think designing that your own website to
look like a professional did so is a rather difficult
proposition, however there are many tools online that will help
you achieve professional looking design.
Step #1 URL First of all, you want to come up with a URL that is
professional. This means nothing long, difficult to spell or
pronounce, or vulgar. What you want is a short and easy to
remember URL that has something to do with your website and one
that people will be able to share easily with others through
word of mouth. This might take some effort to come up with
because many simple URLs are taken, but with some thought and
creativity you will be able to come up with something that
works. NOTE: Don't even think about registering a domain unless
it is a .com!
Step #2 Design When it comes to design you want your page to
look professional. Fortunately, there are thousands of
professional web page design templates that you can either buy
or download for free. Then, all you have to is upload your
grammatically correct and perfectly spelled content and your
appropriate photos and graphics to have a professionally
designed site.
Step #3 E-mail You want to make sure that your web host supports
e-mail for your URL. This is an important design element that
makes you appear professional.
Step #4 Newsletter A weekly or monthly newsletter on your
website about current trends, need to know information, and the
like is a great way to appear professional and well put together.
Step #5 Secure Payments For a professional website you must be
able to accept credit card payments and they must be on a secure
server. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. If you do not
accept credit card payments and if your site is not secure you
can forget making any online sales. Be sure that your website
itself is as secure as possible and that the software you use
for credit card processing is safe and has extra security
measures build in.
Step #6 Testimonials Testimonials are another excellent way to
build confidence in your product and promote a professional
appearance. When you make a sale, simply send a follow-up e-mail
asking for feedback and permission to post what they have to say
on your website. Testimonials can really make a difference!
Step #7 Password Protection If you have a membership type site,
you'll want it to be password protected so you can save the
information of each member, allowing them to personally manage
their pages. This is very important and can really give your
website a professional appearance that will stand out.