STEP 2: HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR SITE TO LOOK?

The second step in developing a Web site is to choose a "look and feel" that is appealing and attractive, one that suits your message, enhancing the purpose of your site.

Here are some words you might use to describe the look and feel you want to convey.

Professional Slick Serious Fun Modern Flashy

Classy Polished Sophisticated Feminine or Masculine Earthy Pretty

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who will come to your Web site and what will appeal to them?
• How can you get your basic message across in the time it takes them to glance at your home page?
• What do you want your customers' first impression to be?

Web research has shown that people trust Web sites that are visually appealing. You have approximately three seconds to impress them. Web users who are presented with an unappealing site are likely to go back to a search engine and try again, finding a more attractive site that provides the same services that you do, even if those services aren't as good as yours.

A carefully developed look and feel is essential.

Think about a color scheme that supports the look and feel you've chosen. If you want a subtle site, bright orange & navy blue will probably not be an appropriate color scheme. If you want a fun, modern, or flashy site, it may be just the thing.

You can gain more information on this site about the use of color on the Web.

By selecting a Web template, you will be able to choose how your site will look with confidence. You will also save yourself a great deal of money. Large corporations have Web development teams who work with graphic designers and programmers to create their sites.

By purchasing a template and having it adapted to meet your unique needs, you can have a professional site for a fraction of the cost.

A high-quality template will run about $30 to $80 dollars. I recommend starting your search for a template with:

• AllWebCo. A reliable and high-quality Web template producer that provides highly customizable templates. Moderately priced.
• Template Monster
• Boxed Art
• 4Template

Most Web templates come with built-in graphics. To select additional or replacement graphics specific to your business, I recommend the following resources:

• iStock Photos. Provides thousands of royalty-free, high-quality images for use on the Web. You pay a one-time fee of one to three dollars for each image. Recommended for small businesses on a budget.
• Dreamstime. Provides thousands of royalty-free, high-quality images for use on the Web. You pay a one-time fee of one dollar for each image. Recommended for small businesses on a budget.
• Clipart.com. A subscription service to which you purchase access at a modest cost for a specified period in which you may download as many royalty-free images as you like.
• Royalty-free Images from Getty. An industry standard for photographs. Very expensive. Be sure to select royalty-free images when searching if you are on a budget.
  
  
  

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  Next is step 3: Writing for the Web