Right now, I’m in the middle of launching a new website for a design and copywriting services company I’m starting with some family and friends. Of course, there is a lot that goes into launching a new website, and like all other new companies, we want to get it up fast and hit the ground running once it’s up. In other words, we want to start seeing results!

With my years of experience in the internet marketing industry, I’ve taken part in a lot of new site launches, and I’ve learned quite a bit about how best to do them. With that in mind, I’m going to share some of my favorite tips for launching a new website.

1. Don’t rush it—If it was up to me, my new website would’ve been up the day we had the idea for it. But that’s just not realistic. Building a website takes time, and you want to make sure you do it right the first time. Otherwise, you won’t hit the ground running; you’ll just hit the ground period after you stumble out of the gates. So, give yourself time to create a strong design, write effective copy, edit and proofread your copy, and get everything set up just right.
2. Optimize your site from the ground up—Now is the perfect time to start optimizing your website. It’s easier to optimize from the foundation than to try to optimize an existing website. Do your keyword research, find a strong domain, optimize your copy, and do everything else that goes into designing a search engine friendly website.
3. Create a list of everything that needs to be on the site—Before you start writing any copy or designing your site, you need to figure out which pages you’re going to have. Make a list of everything you need on your website, and prioritize it so you can get the most important pages done first (like the home page).
4. Set the tone by writing your home page copy first—As a copywriter, I see the home page as the foundation for the rest of the website. It should include the top benefits of your products and services, key differentiators, strong call to action, and easy navigation that keeps the visitor moving forward. Write this page first so that the rest of the pages will follow its tone and style.
5. Know what you need to do after the site is up—Just getting the site up isn’t all there is to it. That’s only the beginning. You have to promote your website, update it regularly, tweak it to get more conversions, and so on. Make a list of all these website maintenance tasks, and keep on top of it.
6. Double check to ensure everything is working correctly on your site—The last thing you want is a website that’s broken from the start. Double-check all the links, contact forms, images, etc. to make sure all aspects of your site are running correctly.
7. Set a launch date and do your best to stick to it—Like I said, there is a lot that goes into building a new website, and there is always more work you can do. But eventually, you just have to get the thing up. Set a schedule for building your site, and stick to it.

What are some other tips you’d offer to someone looking to launch a new website?

As you may already know, I am doing a multiple post series on how to research keywords without buying software. If you haven’t already read the first post, then I recommend doing so. After you read it, I encourage you to stay tuned for the second post in the series coming up in the next few days. In the mean time, I want to offer some advice and guidance on building blogs and websites for profit.

Before I begin, I want to be clear about something. There are multiple reasons why people do keyword research. And as mentioned in my first post, the reason why I do keyword research is so that I can successfully build profitable sites that earn money. So, providing you with tips on building websites for profit go hand in hand with my multiple post series. In other words, it’s kind of pointless to learn how to research keywords unless you can successfully build sites off the topics you have researched.

That said, I have done quite a bit of digging in the SEO Hosting blog archives, and I have come up with a list of articles that will teach you some vitally important skills that you’ll need to learn if you want to be successful with building websites for profit. I have broken them down into two categories: Web Design Tips and Copywriting Tips. It’s important to understand that lacking strong skills in both web design and copywriting negates the whole purpose behind researching keywords.

Years ago, people were able to profit from building low quality sites. However, that is not the case today with the increased levels of competition and new sites being launched, as well as the constant adjustments search engines make towards fighting spam and controlling quality. Below are references to 16 articles previously published on the SEO Hosting blog that will provide you with concrete tips with copywriting and web design.

Copywriting Tips – The content you create has a huge impact on the overall success of your site. Writing the content can be tricky because it has to be written in a way that captures the attention of people, keeps them on the page, and delivers what is expected. It also has to be optimized so that the page can appear in search engines above other competing sites the cover the same topics.

1. The Importance of Research in the Copywriting Process
2. Pros and Cons of the Different Types of Content
3. How to Write Better Headlines
4. How to Improve Your Headlines Instantly
5. Tips for Using Bullet Points in Your Copy
   
6. 23 Copywriting Rules To Live By
7. How to Make Sure You Aren’t Keyword Stuffing
8. 5 Simple Tips for Proofreading Your Copy

Web Design Tips – Just like the content you create, your web design also plays an active role towards the success of your site. The inner workings of a properly coded website fortify the optimizations made to the content you create. It also captures the attention of people with the use of appealing colors, graphics, and styles.

1. The Anatomy of a Website: Which Pages Should Be on Your Website?
2. How To Be a Successful Web Designer
3. 5 Tips for Overcoming Web Designer’s Block
4. Tell-Tale Signs Your Homepage Sucks
5. Don’t Let These 8 Web Design Mistakes Kill Your Website
6. 23 Web Design Rules to Follow
7. How To Increase The Performance of Your Website
8. 8 Essential Website Maintenance Tasks

I believe that if you are serious about learning how to research keywords, then you will have a strong interest in developing, enhancing, or strengthening your copywriting and web design skills. I encourage you to read the articles referenced above. They will provide you with the highest level of advice and guidance.

Additionally, I invite you to ask questions and voice your concerns with past experiences. And lastly, I want to remind you to stay tuned, because in the next day or so I will publish my second article in the multiple post series that teaches you how to research keywords without buying software.

1. Clean and simple design is best

2. Clean and simple does NOT have to equal boring

3. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel with your navigation

4. Avoid using splash pages

5. Limit your use of Flash

6. Eliminate distractions that pull visitors away from the main message

7. White space is your friend

8. Focus on improving website’s loading time

9. Use images to break up long passages of text

10. Use images to add to the message, not just for placeholders

11. Test your website in different browsers to ensure consistent appearance

12. Test your website on different monitors and resolutions as well

13. Use easy-to-read fonts

14. Ensure text color doesn’t clash with background

15. Black text on white background is still the standard for readability

16. Optimize your ALT tags

17. Don’t have auto-play sounds or video

18. Web layout and design should be consistent throughout the entire site

19. Make certain the website is easy to scan

20. Don’t abandon proven design principles for the sake of being “creative”

21. Check every piece of your website for errors before publishing

22. Never stop learning about web usability

23. Follow the rules of SEO

Which web design rules would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the replies.

Check out other posts in the “23 Rules” series:

23 Copywriting Rules to Live By

23 Blogging Rules to Follow

Whether you’re launching a website for your new business or you’re looking to improve your current website, you want to make sure you get it right the first time. A great website gives visitors all the information they need about your business and products, is easy to navigate, and is laid out properly for the search engines.

Which pages should you include on your website?

• Home—Well, duh, of course you’re going to have a home page, but let me give you a few words of advice for getting the most out of your home page. First, don’t ever have an intro page as you’ll instantly lose new visitors. Second, don’t waste your time with a headline that says “Welcome.” Third, keep the navigation simple and the design clean so that new visitors can find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. And finally, don’t try to tackle every facet of your business on your home page; it will overwhelm and confuse visitors. Keep it simple!
• About Us—The about us section of your website helps give a face and personality to your business. Furthermore, it builds credibility as website visitors can see you’re a real person and a legitimate company they can trust.
• Products and Services—If you offer multiple products and services, break it down into one page for each product or service. Not only does this make it easier for visitors to find the information they’re looking for, but it also allows you to target more keywords for increasing your search engine presence.
• FAQ—I’ve noticed that a lot of website don’t have FAQ sections, and I think it’s a mistake. Here’s why: Your visitors will have questions. Some of them will email you their questions, but many won’t make the effort as they just leave your website. A FAQ section allows you to give them all the information they need, and it can keep you from having to respond to the same questions over and over again.
• Contact—I recommend placing your contact information on each page, but you should also have a main contact page too. You want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to contact you, and you also want to appear as professional and trustworthy as possible.
• Testimonials—This is another page you don’t always see on websites. Look, new visitors to your website aren’t going to trust you right away. Of course, you’re going to claim your products and services are great; ever company does. Testimonials give skeptical visitors an unbiased recommendation of your company from people just like them. Read my post on giving your testimonials more credibility.
• Guarantee—If you offer a guarantee on your products or services, there are probably some restrictions to it. Lay out the fine print of your guarantee on a separate page, and do so in plain language that the average consumer can understand.
• Site Map—The site neatly outlines your website for both visitors and the search engines.

Are there any other essential pages I left of this list? Leave a comment with your tips.

Recently a college student asked me for an interview for a school assignment. I felt like it would also make for a good blog post titled, How To Be a Successful Web Designer. If there is anything that you’d like to add, feel free in the comments below.

- What is your job title and what is the name of the company/organization?

I am a self-employed web designer. My legal business name is Garry Conn Sales.

- What are your responsibilities?

I am responsible for listening to and understanding what customers want their future or current website to look like and then executing what they vision onto the web.

- How long have you been doing this job?

I have been web designer for ten years.

- Briefly, can you let me know how you got to where you are today?

Ten years ago, my father had an idea for a web based business selling aircraft. He needed someone to help him build the website and asked me if I had an interest in learning how. I was interested in learning and taught myself how to do it by reading book and various tutorials on the web.

- What is a typical day like?

A typical day consists of me spending about half an hour checking email. I reply to any new clients or leads generated via the web. From there I spend three and a half hours working on client websites. I then break for lunch and return to check email for about half an hour. The next two hours I work on marketing and promoting my business, in addition to soliciting new business on social networking sites such as FaceBook and Twitter. The end of the day typically includes writing and publishing a helpful article on my company blog. My company blog draws in business from search engines and by the readers who refer their friends and family.

- What skills are required for your job?

In order to be a successful self-employed web designer, you need to be an excellent listener and interpreter of what customers need. From there you need to have the skills to take the customers vision and develop it into a website. The programming skills necessary to be a web designer include: HTML, CSS, PHP, MySql, and Perl. As the web continues to develop, understanding additional programming languages are recommended. Many social networks and search engines have open source API, which allow anyone access into their system architectural backbone. Quite honestly, the more you know, the more you’re able to help your customer.

- What activities do you enjoy doing the most? What are 3 things that you enjoy most about working at your company/organization?

The three things I enjoy most about my career are being able to convert ideas into something live on the web. I enjoy the personal reward. I enjoy the compensation.

- What is the greatest challenge of this job? What are the 3 most challenging aspects of working at your company/organization?

The three greatest challenges of my career are keeping up with the speed of the web and other online companies, keeping up with my continued programming education, and managing my time and keeping customers happy by delivering on time.

- What skills are the most important for you to learn to be successful in this career?

Anyone can be a programmer. Anyone can learn the programming languages needed to be a web designer. The most important element that allows me to be a successful web designer is creativity.

- If I wanted to start in this career area, how would you recommend that I go about it?

The best thing to do is to go to college. However, many people can not afford to go to school. In fact, many people seek web design careers because they need to work from home. If college isn’t an option then I recommend purchasing books at the store. Also, if you can’t afford books, endless information is available on the web. Once you have learned the programming languages, you need to work on promoting your business. Once again, I use the web for this. I use social networks, my blog, and the people who read my blog to gain business.

- What advice would you give to me in regard to my career direction? Or, if you had a chance to do it all over again, what would you have done differently?

I am unsure of what your career direction is. I can say that if I had the chance to start over with my career, the only thing I would do would be to invest more time learning in advanced rather than learning on the spot.

I have been using computers most of my life, and surfing the web for almost as long. One thing that I enjoy is finding old school websites. In most cases, these sites are very easy on the eyes because they don’t focus on styling HTML with CSS, and they provide very resourceful information. Also, most older sites I’ve seen that launched in the early to mid 90′s are simply cool, and even sites from early 2000. They all have a certain look and feel to them that are unlike any other. Maybe I’m just getting old? But I don’t think so.

That said, I ran across a really interesting site called thesitewizard.com. I have to say, this site has a lot of useful information, and the design reminds me of the style I enjoy most… 90′s! I found the site from a link on Eric Brantner’s site, one of the writers here on SeoHosting.com, and I am seriously glad I did.

To begin with, thesitewizard.com offers visitors with a resource of free online wizards. A wizard is referred to as an easy to use and automated program that creates customized CGI scripts, PHP scripts, or JavaScripts for your website. Simply answer a few questions and each wizard will generate the proper code for you to add to your website.

Some of the more popular wizards include the Feedback Form, CSS Navigation Menu Button, Drop-Down Menu, Frame BreakOut, and Article Syndicator.

The fun only starts there. In addition to free online wizards, thesitewizard.com has sections that include multiple articles on getting started with your website, web design, search engines, how to make money online, domains, web hosting, and even blogging. Additional sections include online tutorials on JavaScript, PHP, Perl / CGI, HTML, and CSS.

The entire site earns two thumbs up from me, but as a bonus, there’s one additional feature to the site that makes it even more amazing that it already is, and that’s the RSS feed. While older sites do appeal to me, one thing that does bother me about stagnant sites created in the 90′s is their lack of updates. Clearly not the case with thesitewizard.com.

Subscribing to their RSS feed will gain you up-to-date information, tips, tricks, and tutorials all that will enable you to become a better blogger or webmaster. I personally suggest you make thesitewizard.com one of your regular reads.

What other OLDER sites do you know of that are similar to thesitewizard.com? Share them with everyone else in the comments below.

As a copywriter, I know how frustrating writer’s block can be. It kills your work flow, and it makes you think you’ve lost your touch. But you can work your way through it and surprise yourself if you stick with it.

Web designers face this same struggle. Designer’s block occurs when a designer falls into a rut of building the same uninspired design time and time again or just can’t find the motivation to get the project started.

Thankfully, I’ve come up with a short list of tips that will help you slay web designer’s block the next time it rears its ugly head.

1.    Bust out the pencil and paper—When web designer’s block hits, you could end up staring at a blank computer screen for hours waiting for inspiration to kick in. Or worse, you could easily lose focus and start mindlessly surfing the web. Neither of these is a good option. Instead, take a step back from the computer, and start sketching. Sketch the basics of a bunch of different layouts so you can see what works and what doesn’t. Sketching can be done very quickly, saving you time and getting you back on track to a quality design.

2.    Look at the work of your favorite web designers—If you’re a serious web designer, you probably have a few designers you look up to. When you’re stuck, go take a look at some of their work. What is it they do that you like so much? What things do you think they could do better? This isn’t to say you should just rip off someone else’s web design ideas, but it’s good to get outside of your own head to see what other designers are doing.

3.    Go offline for inspiration—Sometimes, looking at other websites for inspiration just won’t do it for you. That’s okay. You can get inspiration for your website design offline too. Open up a magazine and look at the print ads. Watch TV commercials. This will help you identify color schemes you like, new typography ideas, and other design inspiration that will help add a new flavor to your web design.

4.    Is procrastination the issue?—I hate to admit it, but on more than one occasion, the root of my writer’s block was procrastination. It happens. You might be having an off day where you’re just not feeling it. Or the project might seem a little overwhelming or just not that interesting to you. Suck it up. Don’t let procrastination kill your inspiration, and don’t wait until right before your deadline to get started on your design, forcing you to turn in uninspired, mediocre work.

5.    Take a break (if#4 doesn’t apply)—If you truly are stuck and procrastination isn’t the issue, take a short break. Get away from your computer for a while and take a short walk. Or hit the gym. I don’t know why, but I’ve always found that I’m flooded with ideas whenever I start exercising. Sometimes, you just have to let go of it all to open the doors for creative ideas to enter in.

What do you do to overcome web designer’s block? Share your tips in the replies.

The right design and layout are necessary for the success of your website. Too many companies look for cutting-edge, “unique” designs that might look cool on the surface but end up performing poorly when it comes to attracting and converting visitors.

If your website isn’t getting the conversions you want, take a look at this list to see if it’s committing one (or more) of these 8 deadly web design mistakes.

1.    Using colors that make it difficult to read—You’d think this is common sense, but so many web designers seem to get it wrong. You want to use background and text colors that make your content easy to read for new visitors. Don’t throw yellow text on a blue background. Or worse yet, don’t place text on top of a patterned background. Stick with the basics (black text on white background or something similar) to make it as easy on the eyes as possible. Otherwise, your visitors will never know what you’re saying.

2.    Using generic stock photos—We’ve all seen websites commit this deadly sin. Throwing in a stock photo of a bunch of guys in suits huddled around a conference table is more than likely a waste of space, and just as importantly, it doesn’t contribute to your brand or add anything to the user experience. Compelling graphics are an integral part of effective web design, but never throw in a subpar image just for the sake of having one.

3.    Using entry pages and Flash intros—If I land on your homepage and see either “Click here to enter” or a 30 second Flash intro, you can bet I’ll click the back button on my browser every single time. Remember, new visitors typically give your website 8 seconds to capture their attention. Don’t waste it.

4.    Making links difficult to see—Users have come to expect certain things when browsing the web. One of these things is that unclicked hyperlinks are blue and clicked links are purple. Don’t change things up on them; it’ll only confuse your visitors.

5.    Navigation you have to think about—Again, users expect certain things online. This applies to navigation also. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel with your website navigation. There’s nothing worse than landing on some Flash-based site where you have to drag the mouse around all over the screen just to find the “cleverly” hidden navigation. Also, don’t use strange names for your text links. Your visitors should instantly be able to determine what each page is about by looking at the navigation.

6.    Overuse of Flash—Not only is this bad for SEO, but it’s also just annoying. Flash sites are typically nothing more than the designer patting himself on the back. When it comes to being user-friendly and converting visitors, most Flash sites fail miserably.

7.    Auto-play videos or music—When a new visitor lands on your site, they don’t want to hear someone babbling about your company or some useless background music. Whenever I come across a website that does this, I usually: 1) Get startled, 2) Mute my speakers, and 3) Leave the website.

8.    Ignoring white space—When it comes to web design, sometimes it’s what you don’t put on your site that makes all the difference in the world. Don’t clutter your pages with meaningless text, graphics, advertisements, widgets, and other wastes of space. Keep your design as clean and focused as possible. Your visitors’ eyes need to be immediately drawn to the important parts of the page (i.e. the call to action). If someone lands on your page and doesn’t know what they should be looking at, you’re in trouble.

Which web design mistakes annoy you the most? Share your pet peeves in the replies!

When thinking about SEO, we often discuss what you can put into your site to help it perform better. But sometimes it’s what you don’t put on your site that makes all the difference. Remember, conversion is the name of the game, and your website should always be geared to convert first and to rank well second.

That’s why I want to talk about the importance of white space in your web design. Contrary to what some so-called “SEO experts” might tell you, every inch of your website doesn’t need to be crammed with text that will help you achieve higher search engine placement. In fact, it’s these text-crammed websites that intimidate visitors and cause them to bounce to another website.

Why White Space is Important

White space is an important design technique for several reasons. Here are just a few ways a little white space can help your website big time.

• Cleans up your website- Simply put, white space cleans up the mess on your website. We’ve all come across the websites that have every square inch crammed with text or graphics. It’s overwhelming and confusing. It’s like walking into a home that’s filled from wall to wall with thousands of little trinkets. It’s just too much. A little bit of properly placed white space makes everything seem tidy and in order. In turn, this makes your visitors feel more welcome when they land on your website.
• Reduces strain- It’s important to remember that computer monitors aren’t the best format for reading. Trying to read long blocks of text can put a significant amount of strain on your eyes. White space reduces eye strain, and helps visitors actually read your content.
• Improves eye flow- By now, you’ve probably seen the online eye tracking heat maps from multiple studies. To summarize, online users tend to scan content rather than fully read it. To improve the scannability of your website, you need to incorporate white space whenever possible. White space improves the eye flow on your website, and it makes it easier to guide readers’ eyes down to your call to action. As a result, white space can improve your conversion rate (assuming your content is good.)
• Adds a sense of class- Upscale brands have been using white space for years in all forms of marketing collateral. It gives the impression of class and elegance to the piece. It’s hard to be classy when your website is cluttered with junk. Clean things up by using white space to your design. The appearance of elegance can add trust and value to your brand.

White Space Isn’t Blank Space

As it relates to SEO, it can be easy to confuse white space with blank space. Many SEOs are adamant about getting the most out of the real estate on their pages. But what they fail to realize is adding too much to a page diminishes the importance of the content and graphics within.

See, white space is more than just a background. It’s more than blank space. When used properly, white space is a tool that can be used to add importance to your content and to guide your visitors through the conversion process.

White space is your friend!