How to Have a Website You Can Be Proud Of

For many years the public has been inundated with advertising in a wide variety of forms. From radio ads to television commercials, placards and billboards, and poster boards to newspaper spots, we are all familiar with advertising. And no matter what type of advertising is used, each method shares some common goals:

• To let others know where a business is
• To let people know what the business offers or can do
• To increase sales

Today's technology has added a new level of advertising potential. Now businesses, whether from New York City's Wall Street, Boston's downtown business district or start up businesses in New Jersey, can choose to have their presence known on the Web. After all, this is the age of technology. Where business owners where once limited to reaching customers via print or the airwaves, today you can utilize tools like social media and a website to increase your customer base exponentially. So, if you are considering a website for your business, or perhaps want the upgrade your existing one, here are 6 things you want your website to have:

1. Ease of use. Don't be so caught up in having a flashy design that you make purchasing your product difficult. Be sure to include features like and "About us" page, a "search" bar, and a simple to use "check out" or "contact us" page.
2. Don't blind your site guest. Having a webpage that uses every color in the spectrum is not only too busy, but it can also send the signal that you don't really know who or what your business is about. Keep the color scheme to 2-4 colors or consider a monochromatic theme. Along with this, be sure to pick a font and font size that is easy to read-"Curlz" or "French Script" might be great for party invitations but can be difficult to read for a website. A few basic font choices are Calibri, Ariel, Helvetica, New Times Roman and Georgia.
3. Don't use the phrase "click here" without giving an explanation of where the link will take them. With all of the Internet viruses people have become very wary of just clicking random links.
4. Don't have so many extra features that your site is slow to load up. Keep programming styles simple by using basic XHTML code, CSS style sheets, server side caching or external javascripts. Remember, the longer it takes for your site to load up, the more likely it is that potential customers will go somewhere else.
5. Have something unique to your website. Whether it is a special tool, an informative post page, contest, etc...having something unlike everyone else is a great way to keep others coming back.
6. Be sure that your site is rich in SEO and SEM writing and features. After all, without the effective use of key words, it is virtually impossible to get ranked in the top spots of a search engine pages.

For website design and development solutions visit 21 Thirteen Design. Article independently authored by Janet Slagell. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of 21 Thirteen Design. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.