10 Considerations When Designing a Web Site

1. Have a real physical address on your website. I have a public UPS box with a real address. My small box cost about $10/month. Some cost 2 or 3 times that especially if they think you will be receiving a lot of mail. I place a #110 at the end to indicate the box number. Homeland Security does not permit the use of the word ‘suite no.’ for these addresses anymore. You should have a phone number if you can afford $2/month for an 800 number or use the number of your fax line as I do.

2. Include at least three meta tag keywords in the website html. More is probably better for search engines and video spiders, but you are limited to 125 total.

3. Include some way for customers to contact you. And don’t do like Paypal does, i.e., My experience with Paypal indicates no method for acknowledging comments on ways to improve their system. You be all ears and listen to your customers. They will return the favor tenfold. And guarantees build confidence.
Some of the big boys have outgrown their britches. They will not communicate properly with the rank and file, especially with cancellations. Bad choice.

4. Know your customer demographics, i.e., do not try to sell refrigerators to Eskimos. In your sales letters and opt-in pages zero in on your customer’s wants and emphasize benefits. Sugarcoat PERCEIVED wants with sweet benefits.

5. Know your friends very well but know your enemies even better. Now competitors are not your enemies but if you are to beat them at their own game, you must know how they rank with Google and Yahoo. Research their mistakes and don’t repeat. Research the well-built sites. Emulate and duplicate success. You can simulate ideas, just don’t infringe on copyrights or trademarks.

6. Identify with the crowd. Blend in with the crowd with a blog, a forum, or a newsletter. Lead your customers with reports and articles VALIDATING that YOU are the expert in your field. Your have the advantage because you CONTROL the admin areas and you probably have an equivalent PhD (specialist first class in Phoolish Divintages relative to your niche) after spending all of those hours researching and studying your field of endeavor. I identify with that group.

7. Don’t be victimized by the overwhelming flood of endless information available on any subject under the sun. Be organized with a plan, a blueprint, a recipe for success. Keep your eye on the ball focused on each step of your checklist. Breakdown by priority, importance, and deadline. Take advantage of popup blockers and junk mail bins. Ignore foolish suggestions. Always have a backup.Outsource as much as possible. Solicit help and take advantage of good advice. Napoleon Hill said to work with a qualified team.

8. Have an affiliate system if you can justify it. This acts as a pump on the ole funnel of One-Time Offers and upsells in Aweber. Software managers for affiliate commissions, communications, and collections are nice. Password managers are essential.

9. Free memberships or signups are the going thing today. Have plenty of free bonuses. Charge double for the upgrades or for anything of high quality.

10. Finally things not to do. Do not use floating ads. They hide your message and make people mad. Peeling ads, drop-down ads, and exit splash are ok. Never take advantage of a captured audience. i.e., always have an escape door for the customer. Some poor designers leave out the NO THANKS links. Some have floating ads that cannot be closed. Your customers are no fools. They remember.

(The author is Alvin Sweet, a hard worker and a grandfather of five. Contact him at allhelp@comcast.net Anyway, if you need major help with your list, get a free Jimmy D. Brown report at http://whuis.sweetinfo.hop.clickbank.net )