Monday, January 17, 2011

How to Design Websites that Really Sell

Publisher: Earl Williams
The Affiliate Mini Mall

Designing a website can prove to be a challenge, especially if you are unsure what to include on your website. These days, customers are looking for more usability and less decoration – simple is better. Use the following tips to help design a website that will attract users and function well.

When designing a website, it is important to make a note of the aspects of the website that you want to shine through. If you are selling goods, you want to have a good layout for customers to access your products. Make sure you size your pictures small, but large enough to be shown. Because large pictures take longer to download, only make your pictures as large as they need to effectively showcase your products.

Avoid clutter. Too much information on one page will only serve to confuse your customers. This is not what you want to do. If your customers cannot navigate the website with ease, it is unlikely that they will purchase your products or service. It is also unlikely that they will ever return or recommend your site to friends and family.

Flash is not necessary. While attractive, it can take a long time to download and if your customers are running on dial-up you are talking several minutes. Many users will lose patience and move onto the next website in their list. If you like the look of Flash, offer it only as an entrance to your site, but also offer the option to skip the intro for those users who have slow connections.

Your content matters. If you sell products, emphasize why the products are so great. Draw your users in with catchy phrases and really sell the products to them. Avoid making your entire website sound like a sales pitch. Rather, leave the descriptions to the products and offer useful information on the rest of the website – such as articles, tips and recommendations.

Include color but do not overdo it. Colors really help a website to pop, but too many colors or obnoxiously bright colors can be a turn-off. You can have the best products in the world, but if your customers cannot stand to look at the website, you will not sell much. The same is true for services websites. If your website is distracting your users from the information, it will not be in your company’s best interest. It is okay to use color, but tone it down.

There are many tips out there to help you design an attractive website that will appease your customers. Keep it simple, yet attractive enough to draw viewers in. If you find that you are not happy with your results, it may be time to bring in a professional – make sure you hire one who enforces your ideas.


About the Publisher: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who is making money with his online marketing business using some of the largest Affiliate programs on the Internet. He uses the affiliate programs to setup Affiliateminimall.com where you can fine discount shopping along with great coupon deals. To learn more visit: www.shoptamm.com

Facebook Ads

Publisher: Earl Williams
The Affiliate Mini Mall

You would have to be living under a rock if you don’t know about popular social networking sites like Facebook. With its popularity, why not use it as a marketing tool? Here is the lowdown on Facebook ads and why they work.

If you haven’t been on Facebook then check it out. People have found relatives, old college friends and high school chums through the network on Facebook. You can create pages to be set up as a fan page for you, a forum-type page or some other idea you have in mind. What you want is to get your friends interested and then they can subscribe and interest their friends.

When you sign up for a Facebook account there are many different points of information that you can provide. All of these searching tools are up for grabs with your Facebook ads. Best of all, the traffic is already there. Millions of people flock to social networks. What you need to do is get their attention.

Here are a few steps to getting a Facebook ad going. First, create a page. You have to have a website promotion page, a fan page or something else that is owned by you. People can come and visit and learn things about your site.

You need an ad that says what you want and need to say. Keywords are important here but not the only consideration. Choose titles that are short and to the point. Use powerful and upbeat wording for the ads.

Here is the really fun part. You get to choose where you want the ads distributed. With Google ads, you can use relevant keywords to determine which search engine pages your ads appear on. With Facebook, you have many more variables based on information that is gathered by the site.

You can get as specific as you want with these ads for maximum target ability. Not just demographics or gender is considered, but relationship status, likes and dislikes. These ads will appear on pages that are relevant to your niche ads. Your ads will also appear on your page for your fans and their friends to see also.

Now, on to the price. How much you pay depends on what type of ad program you want. If you are paying per click, then you can evaluate how much business you are doing in relation to the amount you are paying for advertising.

You may not want to spend too much until you see how well your ads are doing. You will definitely get more visibility in a place where everyone congregates.

If you’ve tried Google, give Facebook ads a try. You might be surprised at the results. They can make your advertising dollars work smarter and not harder for you.

About the Publisher: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who is making money with his online marketing business using some of the largest Affiliate programs on the Internet. He uses the affiliate programs to setup Affiliateminimall.com where you can fine discount shopping along with great coupon deals. To learn more visit: www.shoptamm.com

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Boost Your Website Earnings

Publisher: Earl Williams
The Affiliate Mini Mall

Are you an online entrepreneur? That means you have a website set up. Every now and then it is good to evaluate how your marketing efforts are working with your website. This is one way to boost your earnings.

Is your website doing all that it can do for you? If not, then you may want to re-evaluate your website structure.

Ask yourself one question: Is my site relevant? If you are using SEO to create page titles, tag lines and anchor text within content, then you are on the right track. But, even an informational website can do more to pay for itself and create income for your business.

Here are some ways to boost the earnings.

* Affiliate programs – You can promote products that are complementary to yours on your website. Each time someone clicks on the links, they are directed to that site. You are credited based on the way the program is set up. Choose an affiliate program with a full toolbox of aids to help with your promotion and also incentives for top sellers.

* Create a newsletter – This encourages others to read and share your site. It is also one way to build your list of potential customers. Create an opt-in page where they can enter their name and email address in exchange for a free monthly newsletter in their inbox.

* Use clear navigation – Include a site map so visitors can see at a glance what your site has to offer. Use buttons that clearly tell customers what action you want them to perform. This way there will be no doubt in their minds. Your buttons can be a “call to action” for affiliate programs and your own products.

* Showcase your products – Create an online store or catalogue where visitors can see your products and read a description before they buy. Offer deals where they can get free items for buying certain products, or referral bonuses.

* FAQs page – This is where they can find out about you and your customer service. Use it to answer commonly asked questions so that you aren’t saddled with emails all containing obvious inquiries.

* Guest blogging – Agree to blog for others, in a complementary area of your niche, in exchange for links to your site. This way you can give their readers a taste of your style and what you have to offer. You can extend the same courtesy to the other blogger to create a mutually beneficial partnership.

* Look around – Find the sites that are the most popular in your niche and on the internet at large and see how they are using their website to maximize earnings. Try a few pages from their book and see how it works for you.

About the Publisher: Earl Williams is a real entrepreneur who is making money with his online marketing business using some of the largest Affiliate programs on the Internet. He uses the affiliate programs to setup Affiliateminimall.com where you can fine discount shopping along with great coupon deals. To learn more visit: www.shoptamm.com