There are approximately 346005573 websites being hosted at this very moment, so it is important that you build yours to stand out amongst the crowd.

Website design is a challenging task, there are so many things to consider and so many options to choose from, and it truly takes time and patience to master the art.

Attracting Visitors

It’s no good having a perfectly designed website, with well connected links and a stunning layout if you cannot get visitors to find your site. On the internet, you are just one website amongst the millions out there; however there are indeed a few tricks that you can use to move yourself up the Google ladder. SEO is a great way to divert visitors to your website, by utilizing keywords you can increase your visitation flow, thus giving you greater publicity as a website. SEO is well recognised among various search engines, and with a small investment you can gain priceless publicity, something that many websites desire. You can also link your website to other well known sites; the key to succeeding in this area is relevancy, and it is an easy task to accomplish. For example:

• A Shopping Website Linked To Dolphin Care

  Although the shopping website may receive thousands of visits per day, the company who provides dolphin care will not incur this amount because of one simple reason, it isn’t relevant. The chance of finding someone who has an interest in dolphins from a supermarket website is slim, incredibly slim to be exact.

  This is where most companies slip through the net, they make mistakes that can easily be corrected and they waste thousands of dollars in the process.

• Aquariums Linked To Dolphin Care

  People who visit an aquarium website expect to view sea creatures or water based equipment, what better place to advertise your dolphin care website than at an aquarium which hosts the same theme. People visit aquarium websites because they have an avid interest in sea life, so you are bound to find people who care about dolphins in this location.

Worldwide Sales

There are several ways to attract visitors to your website; however it is another thing to attract sales. You can increase the possibility of making a sale by supporting worldwide shipping. Why limit yourself by just shipping within your country, by opening the possibility of worldwide shipping you open your website to another 6 billion people. That means that’s a possible 6 billion sales you are missing out on by not supporting worldwide shipping, the idea alone is staggering. The truth is however, 6 billion people may not want to purchase your product, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.

URLS

Your website URL is the basis of your website, it should be simple and relevant to your content.

• Shopcrazy.com – References to a shopping website, the URL makes this quite clear.
• Gomonkeygreen.com – You couldn’t possibly guess what this website is for.

As you can see, by advertising your website in the right location, you can dramatically increase your client base. By having a short, catchy URL and a good level of advertisement, you can rest assured knowing that your website is a success.

When You Have Visitors

So you may have succeeded in getting visitors, but now it’s time to turn them into customers. Your online sales are what support your website; you not only need people to visit your website, but also to purchase from it. The techniques you use for selling will vary upon your product, if you are selling a form of software, a spellchecker for example then you may wish to provide the customer with a free trial, so they can test the product to see if they like it. Hosting free trials on your website is a great way to tempt people into buying your product, they can try it out and test the features that they may find useful, and make an informed decision upon that basis of whether or not they wish to purchase. There are two ways to host free trials on your website, option A, and option B.

• Option A: provide the software, with an unlimited time use with some features locked.
• Option B: provide the software, with a limited time use with all features available./li>

Some people may download your software, and use it at will without ever purchasing your product. They may be content with the limited features, so they will not see the need to pay out the money for the full version. However, if you provide the software with a limited time scale, you encourage the users to make the most out of it within that time limit. If the trial has a 3 day limit, then the customer will most likely use the program as much as they can within 3 days, this encourages them to pay attention to the program, increasing your chances of a sale. However, with this also comes disadvantages, if the customer uses it within those 3 days and is not pleased with the result, then you lose out on a sale with no second chances. With option A- although the customer may use the product all the time, you may not gain a sale, however you still have the continued chance of making one eventually. The strategy you use depends on what software you host, for complex programs such as mixing software a longer time limit may be necessary, you should consider this before hosting your product on your website.

Website Layout

Your website design will affect your sales, it is a common fact. An unprofessional website will not receive as many sales as a professionally done website; it is all down to customer trust, something that is hard to gain over the internet. Web Design holds the key to your online sales, and should be used effectively to make your business a success.

If your website is well designed, then you gain a level of trust. People are more likely to trust a professional company with their bank details rather than a small, Myspace looking shop. Depending on what product you are selling, people may rather visit another website to purchase it rather than buy it from yours, this is a disaster, and should be avoided. To avoid this, you can do one of two options, you can either choose to sell a product that nobody else is selling, or you can pay for a professional web designer to create your website. The more professional your website is, the more likely you are to make an online sale, and there are many ways in which you can increase your sales by using these few simple tips.

Reputation

Your reputation as a company plays a large part in your sales; if a customer has a bad experience with your company then they are more likely to tell family and friends to avoid you. Word spreads quickly over the internet, so make sure you treat every customer with the same respect and welfare as you do the first. Allow a commenting section on your website so other customers can read your company feedback, comments such as:

• “Great Sale- Fast Postage”
• “Very Efficient Service”
• “Very Good Product”

Will do wonders for your company, when choosing which comments to host on your website you should choose ones that cover every angle, choose one that compliments the postage, one that complements the price, and one that compliments the service. These 3 key areas are vital to your business, if the customer knows you excel in these points then you are more likely to make a sale.

You have to remember, the customer places their securest details in your possession. When you make a sale from them, they trust you with their bank details; you should respect this and use appropriate methods to dispatch the goods.

Postage

No customer wants to feel cheated by an online product company, with products such as software you may not need to worry about delivery rates, as you can send the software key over email instantly. However with other products you need to ensure you are charging the correct postage rates. Someone is not going to pay $17 for a T-Shirt to be dispatched, no matter how well you make your sales pitch. Respect the customer’s finances, and deliver them a product that they will be proud to own.

Checkout Options

Make it easy for the customer to purchase the product, instant payment systems such as Paypal have become a huge success over the internet, it allows instant payments saving time for both you and the customer. By supporting these instant payment methods you can increase your sale chances, a rigorous checkout process is diminishing to a customer, and again can lose your credibility.

Sometimes you may experience issues with your customers, such as if the product didn’t arrive on time, or not at all. You should be careful should this happen, if you provide a loyal, explanatory reason for the mix-up then you may still be able to keep them as a customer. Ignoring angry emails and being unresponsive gives you a one way ticket to losing a customer, and although one customer out of 100 may not seem like many, the last thing you need is them affecting your reputation.

Contact Us

Provide contact details on your website so the customer can contact you if they run in to any trouble, an FAQ system will work wonders for your website as well as it answers any questions a new customer may have about your website, for example:

• What Are Your Shipping Times
• What Are Your Postage Rates
• What Is Your Policy On Returns

An FAQ system can make a customer trust you more; it shows that you have considered their point of view on subject matters like the ones above, and that you are prepared to answer them. It also saves you time as a business, as you don’t have to spend hours sifting through emails consisting of a mass of customer questions.

Gaining a customer’s trust is the first step to making a sale, customers don’t buy from websites they do not trust and it is on you to make this happen. A well designed website is a key factor to making a sale, make it look clean, professional, and easy to navigate in order to provide the best service to the customer. Avoid harsh colours such as black, or dark grey as these provide a contrasting appearance, whites, light blues, and light reds are good colours to use, as it allows the site to stay light and welcoming, as well as adding an essence of colour.

If you follow these tips then your website should become a success, planning is the first objective to any web design. Ensure your website is planned out fully before you attempt to build it, or you may end up with problems along the way, inhibiting your performance as an online business.