Developing a successful web site takes a great deal of planning and preparation. An important part of your preparation is obtaining the essential tools of the trade.

HTML Editors


An HTML editor is a software program used to create and edit HTML documents.

Although some Internet marketers prefer to write their own HTML code, most prefer to use an HTML editor, as it can greatly simplify a somewhat difficult process. However, using an HTML editor has its disadvantages, as some editors have a tendency to add a lot of unnecessary coding and may not support the latest technologies.

Whether you will be writing your own HTML or using an editor, taking the time to learn HTML is very important. Not only will you gain your independence, but you'll also have the ability to add special effects that many HTML editors don't support.

Text Editors

A text editor is a software program used for editing plain text that doesn't add any special formatting.

If you're considering writing your own HTML code, you'll need a good text editor. Although it will certainly be more time consuming, your code will be much cleaner and can reduce your file size considerably.

In addition to using a text editor to write HTML, it can also be used to edit scripts and write articles.

If you have a Windows operating system, Note Pad is the preferred text editor. It should already be installed on your computer.

Although Note Pad is a great little text editor, it can't handle large files and is much better suited for smaller jobs. You may find that you'd like an editor that is more powerful, such as:

NoteTab Pro http://www.notetab.com/
TextPad http://www.textpad.com/


FTP

File Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP, is a procedure used to upload and download files to and from your web server.

Although many HTML editors will enable you to edit and transfer pages to your server, an FTP program is still an essential tool, as you must have complete control over the files on your server.

An FTP program will enable you to upload scripts, set file permissions, create folders and transfer files to and from your server.

In order to use FTP, you'll need to download and install a software program on your computer. The most widely used FTP program is WS FTP Pro http://www.wsftp.com

Graphics Editor

A graphics editor is a software program that will enable you to design and edit graphics.

Graphic design is an intimidating subject for many Internet entrepreneurs. However, most of us must learn some basic design techniques in order to avoid the high costs of hiring a professional designer.

The most popular program used by Internet marketers is Paint Shop Pro. This powerful program is the only program you'll need to design professional looking graphics.
 http://www.jasc.com/

Zip/Unzip Software

A Zip file is an "archive" of one or more files compressed into one file for easy distribution.

Zip files are used to compress and transport file archives over the Internet. It is the preferred method used for electronic file distribution, as rather than downloading several different files, you can simply download one Zip file. In addition, the download time will be minimized, as the files within the Zip archive are compressed.

Once a Zip file is downloaded, it can be easily opened and extracted (unzipped) with a Zip/Unzip software program.

Although there are many Zip software programs available on the Internet, WinZip is the most popular. WinZip makes working with file archives simple. It features an easy point-and-click, drag-and-drop interface for viewing, extracting, adding, deleting and testing archived files.

You can download a fully functional evaluation version here:
http://www.winzip.com/download.htm

Email

Although most Internet Service Providers include email accounts for their customers, these accounts aren't adequate for an Internet business -- especially if you get a large amount of email. Not only do the email addresses contain your ISP's name, but they are also very limited on features and options.

The two most popular email clients used online are Outlook and Eudora. These programs will enable you to download email from your server and offer features, such as sorting and
filtering, and will enable you to easily organize your email messages. What's more, your email address will be your own domain -- not someone else's.

Eudora
http://www.eudora.com
Outlook
http://www.microsoft.com/

Your webmaster toolbox will play an important part in your success. Take the time to ensure your toolbox contains these essential tools and you'll be well on your way to designing a professional web site.

Essential Web Site Components

Although the Internet has provided a wealth of opportunity for all of us, it has also created a breeding ground for scam artists. Internet users are very reluctant to make purchases online, and share their personal information.

For this reason, you must take every opportunity to convey your professionalism -- from your web site, products and services, to your customer service, each will play an important part in your success.

The moment your site loads, your visitors will have an instant reaction -- your site will either convey your professionalism or your amateurism. If your site doesn't look professional, your visitors may leave your site prematurely and never return.

If you're not confident in your ability to design a professional looking web site, it would be in your best interest to hire a professional.

In addition to having a professional appearance, a professional web site should possess the following essential components:


Domain Name

In order to establish credibility, you must be willing to invest in your own domain name and professional web hosting. Web sites hosted on free servers are not taken seriously and will suffer a serious loss of business. Your visitors may feel that if you don't have your own domain, you may not be a credible company. They'll simply take their business elsewhere.


Professional Logo

A professional looking logo is an absolute must. Not only will it give your site a more professional appearance, but it will also enable your visitors to recognize your brand.

Your logo should be displayed in the top left corner of each page of your web site.

Your web site should focus on a specific subject and provide a variety of information that relates to the subject. For example, if your web site focuses on dog grooming, your pages might include all of the following:

• Dog grooming articles
• Dog grooming ezine (newsletter)
• Dog grooming tips
• Dog grooming accessories
• Links to Dog Grooming resources
• Dog grooming news links
• Dog grooming photographs

Content comes in a variety of forms including news, articles, tips, horoscopes, weather and resource links. Although fresh, original content is preferable, there are a variety of free resources available on the Internet that will provide you with free content.


Email Capture

Collecting your potential customers' email addresses is an absolute must. Whether you publish an ezine, provide web site and/or product announcements or tips, you must take every opportunity to capture your visitors' email addresses.
Display a subscription form on every page of your web site.


Privacy Policy

Internet users are becoming more and more concerned with their privacy. However, there is something you can do to ease their minds.

Create a page on your web site called "Privacy" and let your visitors know exactly how you will be using the information you collect.

This page should include an explanation of all of the following:

• How do you plan on using their information?
• Is their information sold or shared with a third party?
• Why do you collect their email address and how will it be used?
• Why do you track their IP address?
• Let your visitors know that you're not responsible for the privacy issues of any outside web sites you may be linking to.
• Why do you use order forms and what do you do with the information acquired?
• Do you run contests and what do you do with the information?
• Do you have a discussion forum or message board? Let your visitors know that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and
that they should exercise caution.
• Do you have security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under your control? If so, let your visitors know.
• Let your visitors know how they can opt out of your mailing lists.
• Provide your visitors with your contact information should they have any questions about your privacy statement.


About Page

An "About" page is an essential part of a professional web site. Your potential customers want to know exactly who you are.

Create a page to add to your web site called "About" and include all of the following:

1. A personal or professional biography
2. A photograph of yourself
3. A complete description of you and/or your company
4. Your web site and/or company objectives
5. Your name, address, phone number and email address

It is very important that you include an "About" page -- especially if you're selling a product or service. You must do everything in your power to put your visitors' minds at ease.


Testimonials

A great way to build your credibility with your potential customers is to display your customer testimonials. Include your customer's name, email address and web address with
each unsolicited testimonial to increase believability.


Money Back Guarantee

To further increase your credibility, you must completely remove your potential customers' risk. Provide them with a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. This will put their mind at ease by building their confidence in you and your product.


Feedback

Many times, potential customers will have questions about your products and services. Instead of displaying an email address on your web site, consider using a feedback form.

Create a page on your web site called feedback and place a form on this page to enable your visitors to contact you.

Your personal response to your potential customers can literally determine whether or not you're going to make a sale.


Secure Server

If you're processing your customers' orders online, you must place your order form on a secure server. Not only will a secure server protect your customers' personal information, but it also provides him/her with added confidence in placing an order with you.


Copyrights

Display your copyright information at the bottom of each page. It's best to include both the word Copyright and the © symbol, as some countries don't recognize one or the other.

Your copyright might look like this:

Copyright © Year Company Name

By taking the time to ensure your site possesses these essential components, you will increase your chances of success considerably.

Creating a Web Page Template

When you begin designing your web site, your goal should be to create a template that you can use to create each page of your web site. This will give your entire site the same look and feel.

A template is simply a web page "shell" that contains your entire page design, logo, images, navigational links and a specific area for your content. However, your template won't contain any content, as each time you create a page with your template, you'll save it with a different page name.


Formatting Your Pages

I highly recommend placing your entire page content within HTML tables. Tables will enable you to have complete control over your content and how it will be displayed.

For example, you can create three tables, stacked on top of each other, for each section of content. The cellpadding, cellspacing and border attributes should be set to "0" to enable your tables to seamlessly flow together. In addition, the widths for each table should be the same. The top table would contain your page header content, the middle table would contain your content and the bottom table would contain your footer content.

As placing your entire page content within a single table will significantly increase your site's load time, stacking your tables will enable you to benefit from the powerful formatting capabilities of tables, while at the same time, keep your site's load time down.

If you've ever designed a web page without using tables, you know how limited you are as to how your content will be displayed. Your text will be displayed right up against the left border and will span across the entire width of your page -- certainly not a good way to design a professional looking web site.

Tables will enable you to display your content in sections like a newspaper, set up a specific number of rows and columns, and even place additional tables within your main content table to create special content sections with colored backgrounds.


Your Web Page Storefront

Your main page is the storefront for your business and should specifically let your visitors know exactly what you're offering. If your potential customer can't find your product or service, they definitely won't waste a lot of time looking for it. They'll go on to the next site and probably never return. They're visiting your site for a specific purpose. They want something your site offers. Provide them with what they're looking for and you'll reap the benefits.

Branding will play a major role in your success. Make sure you place your company logo and slogan in the top left corner of each page. This will not only assist your visitors in remembering your site, but it will also give your pages the same look and feel.

Instead of trying to cram all your content into your main page, consider creating sections. These sections can contain highlights of your information with a link to further information. You can set your sections up in tables with colored heading sections for information such as articles, products or whatever you'd like.

It's much better to keep your main page down to the most essential elements and link to the detailed informational pages.

A good rule of thumb is "less is more." In other words, keep your main page as small as possible and include your most important elements.


Web Page Navigation

When you begin designing your pages, keep in mind, your visitors may enter your site from pages other than your main. Make sure you include good navigational links on every page. Place your navigational links together at the top, bottom, left or right side of the page. Use tables to neatly align your links and maintain a nicely organized and uniform appearance throughout.

Try to keep the number of clicks required to get from your main page to any other page on your site down to three or four.

Web Page Fonts

One of the most important parts of a web page is text. The way in which you display the text on your web page will have a great impact on your success. It can make your page look very professional or very unprofessional.

When placing text within your web page, always be consistent with your fonts. In other words, don't use different fonts throughout your pages. The standard fonts used on the Internet are Arial and Verdana. The standard text size is 2. Arial and Verdana are the standard simply because they are the easiest to read on a computer screen.

Headlines, which require a larger font size, are a bit different. A popular headline font used is Georgia, as it displays nicely in the slightly larger font size.


Web Page Background and Text Colors

Use caution when selecting your background and text colors. Busy backgrounds make text difficult to read and draw the attention away from the text. In addition, always be consistent with your background theme on each page of your site.

Select your colors very carefully, as colors affect your mood and will have an affect on your visitors as well.

Bright colors, such as yellow and orange, cause you to become more cheerful or happy. Colors such as blue and purple have a calming effect. Dark colors, such as brown and black, have a depressing effect.

A good rule of thumb is to use colors based on the type of effect you're trying to achieve. However, it's always best for your text areas to have a white background with black text.

Above all else, you must take the time to educate yourself before you begin. I can't stress this point enough. If you don't, you're honestly just wasting your time. Although it may take a little longer, it will be well worth it in the long run.

Basic Web Design Guidelines

The appearance of your web site is one of the most important aspects of your success. Your product or service will literally be judged by the appearance of your web site.

Poor web design is one of the leading causes of small business failure. There are literally thousands of home-based Internet businesses struggling to make a living online. Most, make very little or no money and end up closing their site in defeat.

I have received many messages over the years from struggling Internet marketers wanting to know if I could look at their site and tell them what they're doing wrong. Most of the time, I can tell them the problem as soon as their site has loaded -- poor web design. They failed to take the time to learn how to properly design their sites -- how to design a professional looking site specifically designed to sell their products and services.

If you really want to succeed, you must take the required time to educate yourself.