Home Page Design -basics

Homepage Design Basics

Your homepage is the most complicated, most important page on your website. You need to incorporate all design components, while keeping a clean, simple feel. It must appeal to all visitors. Listed below are core elements included on most professional websites.

Site Identity & Mission – You’ll want to tell your customers who you are and what you do. You should express an attitude of professionalism but keeping a personable feel. You shouldn’t go into depth on your mission statement – this can be done on a separate page.

Search – The search bar should be clearly visible and easy to use. This will be a common first step for your visitors.

Teases – Teases are deals or promotions that just list enough of an image or description to interest you. These should always display a “call to action”, meaning they should always have a link or button next to them saying “Find out more” or “Buy now” etc.

Featured Promotions – It’s smart to list current deals or promotions. People love sales. Even if it’s a minor discount on a product, you can generate some sales just for the fact that it’s a sale. Similarly to teasers, you should always display a call to action.

Timely Content – Keep your content fresh and up-to-date. There are a lot of free news feeds you can plug directly into your website. Depending on the number of visitors and the type of visitors you have, you will want to update regularly (daily, weekly, monthly).

Starting Point – Even if you incorporate all of the strategies and tips, you will likely still have some people who find your site but don’t really know what they’re looking for or how to find it. Create an easy starting point or a few steps to help get them going in the right direction.

SEO Tips - Keyword Research

SEO Tips - Keyword Research

Key word research is where it all begins. Let’s cover some of the main points you should remember when you begin your keyword research.

1. Many new website owners make bad assumptions about the type of keywords they should use. Niche keyword phrases are what will give you the best chance in the beginning.  Good research will mean good market, which will mean good niche, which will mean good product choice.  Everything can be traced back to good keyword research.  

Many new website owners want to tackle the most common keyword phrases. It’s important to remember that there is too much competition for new websites. Example – if you are selling shoes then choose words like athletic shoes, or children's shoes.

2. When generating your keywords, don’t just guess at them. Use the "google" keyword tool to help you make the right decision. There are lots of options on the internet, but the most commonly used tool is probably Google’s keyword tool. It can be found by simply searching for “google keyword tool” in any search engine. This tool will show both local and global searches. It will also provide you with competition information.

On a Side Note - When you find a keyword or phrase, try and choose a domain name or URL with the keyword included, for example let’s say your keyword is “childrens shoes” so your URL would be something like childshoebarn.com this will greatly increase your ranking ability.

Choosing the "right product"

To be honest there are a bunch of product categories to choose from. The options are endless we have products for fun, entertainment, society, culture, etc. But if we look at the current trends the best product that I feel will definitely sell online will come from categories such as health, fitness, making money, dating, etc sell pretty well.

So if you are in the process of choosing the right product to sell online it would be advisable that you choose from those categories because those are the “in” stuff nowadays. Choosing one product from the categories I have mentioned is your first step to choose the right one.

Another thing that you should consider in choosing the right product to sell online is what market you are going to work in. Always remember that it would be in your best interest if you choose a market that has something to do with your hobbies, your interests, skills, etc.