Secrets for losing stubborn stomach fat

Hello fitness enthusiast,
I receive hundreds of fitness questions every day from people all over the world, but by far one of the most common themes in these questions revolve around the struggles that most people are having with losing that flabby stomach fat that doesn't seem to want to go away no matter what they try.
Just recently I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow fitness professional named Mike Geary of TruthAboutAbs.com. Now Mike is a well-known expert who deals exclusively with the most effective strategies for losing stomach fat so that you can finally uncover those elusive six pack abs that everyone desires.
Some of Mike's strategies deal with nutrition aspects and others deal with training techniques, but I was impressed to see that Mike has put together one of the most comprehensive resources for dealing with all of the aspects necessary to finally get rid of that nasty belly fat for good.
The key is that Mike focuses on the REAL techniques that are going to get you lasting results, and teaches you how to avoid all of these "quick-fix" scams and gimmicks that are all over the infomercials and the internet these days.
Several of the mistakes that Mike see's every day where people are going wrong in their fat loss attempts are:
1. Most people are wasting too much of their time doing hundreds of reps of ineffective crunches, sit-ups, and other "abs pumping" exercises in their attempt at losing stomach fat.
Mike has discovered that there are certain highly effective exercises that stimulate your metabolism much better, and increase your fat burning hormone levels much more. These exercises that Mike outlines are the best of the best for getting a lean, chiseled body.
Surprisingly to most, the majority of these most effective exercises for stomach fat loss are NOT "abs-specific" exercises. Not only that, but Mike shows you how to combine and sequence them to get the best metabolic and fat loss results possible, changing the shape of your entire body.
2. Most people are wasting way too much time doing hours upon hours of boring monotonous cardio routines.
Mike has researched this topic extensively, including an entire course he's taken comparing different modalities of cardiovascular exercise. After all of this research, we've come to the conclusion that the majority of people out there are not doing the right types of cardio exercise. In fact, most people may actually be inadvertently decreasing their metabolic rate by doing too much of the wrong types of cardio!
The strategies that Mike reveals in his program go beyond "interval cardio" too.
3. Most people are failing miserably with fad diets.
Mike reveals exactly why most low-carb or low-fat diets are actually working against what your body needs to become lean and ripped and maintain it for life! Mike shows you exactly how to stop falling for the gimmick diets and finally develop a truly healthy eating style that you can actually enjoy for life without being overly restrictive. It's actually easier and more enjoyable than you believe!
Go to Mike's Truth about Six Pack Abs site today and discover the exact system that Mike is using to help thousands of his clients from all over the world get leaner than they've ever been before. This system will help you to lose that stubborn stomach fat that has plagued you for years, so you can finally get that sexy six-pack that you've always wanted. Here's the site:
TruthAboutAbs.com
Don't forget to visit Mike's site today, as he's giving away some great free bonus reports and other tools that might not be available much longer.
To being lean, strong, and healthy for life,
James Bergen

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business

Part ten of ten -- Your Internet Marketing Strategy

Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of
your Internet success.

Your plan must include both short-term and long-term strategies in order to
succeed.

Short-term marketing strategies are those that bring you a temporary boost in
traffic. Although these techniques are very important to your overall plan, they
are only a temporary traffic source and must not be solely relied on.

Short-term marketing strategies include:

• Purchasing advertising

• Bulletin Boards

• Search Engines

Long-term marketing strategies are those that bring you a steady stream of targeted traffic over time. These strategies will continue to produce results
even years down the road.

Long-term marketing strategies include:

• Opt-in Lists

• Freebies

• Content

By creating and implementing a balanced marketing strategy, using both
short-term and long-term strategies, you will drive a steady stream of targeted
traffic to your website.

Creating a successful Internet presence involves much more than designing a
great website or having the "perfect" product. Listing your website
with the Search Engines is your first step, however, you must not solely rely on
the Search Engines to bring you traffic. You must develop a complete promotional
strategy and work it every day.

-> Search Engines:

A significant amount of website traffic originates from the major Search
Engines. Most Internet users will go to a Search Engine, type in a keyword
phrase and look through the top 10 - 20 results. Most of the time, they'll find
what they're looking for in the first 10 results. The percentage of click
throughs is even smaller. Listing near the top and grabbing the attention of
your target audience is the top priority.

Your first step will be to optimize your web pages to the best of your ability.
Visit http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
for a complete overview of the Search Engines and optimization.

-> Opt-in List

As soon as your website is up and running, you should immediately begin building
an opt-in list. An opt-in list is a list or database containing email addresses
of individuals who have chosen to receive your email messages. Your messages may
be web site updates, product updates or an ezine. They provide you with a direct
line of communication with potential customers and enable you to
promote your products or services. For further information, visit the following web address:
http://www.web-source.net/ezine_basics.htm

-> Organizing Your Strategies

A good way to organize your promotions is to set up a web
page, for your personal use, which will contain your complete
strategy. This page should be stored on your hard drive and not uploaded to your
server.
Your page should contain four sections:

• Daily Promotions

• Weekly Promotions

• Monthly Promotions

• Miscellaneous Promotions

Each of these four sections should contain the appropriate information for each
of your promotional resources such as website name, user ID, password (if
applicable) and hyperlinked web
addresses for each website you plan to use for your promotions. This
will enable you to open your web page each day and visit the sites you have
listed.

-> Daily Promotions

Link Exchanges:

Exchange links with websites similar to yours, but not in competition.

Discussion Boards:

Visit some popular discussion boards and share your expertise. Although you may not advertise on discussion boards, you can include your signature file with
your post.

Visit the following web address for a complete listing of some of the top
discussion boards:

http://www.web-source.net/web/Discussion_Forums/

-> Weekly Promotions

Your weekly promotions should consist of placing a paid ezine advertisement
and/or arranging ad swaps with fellow publishers.

Visit the following web address for a complete listing of hundreds of publishers
and contact information for advertising.

http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=doe

To organize your ad placements and swaps, place the publication names, publisher
names, ad dates and hyperlinked web addresses within your weekly promotion list.

-> Monthly Promotions

Your monthly promotions should include writing an article in the area of your
expertise and promotional exchanges.

To organize your monthly promotions, place the names and hyperlinked web
addresses for each of your promotional resources within your monthly promotions
section.

Writing Articles:

Writing articles that may be freely published with your bylines is one of the
best promotional methods online. Your article may be published in hundreds of
ezines, on websites or even in magazines.

Visit the following web address for further information:

http://www.web-source.net/write.htm

Promotional Exchanges:

Cross promoting is a powerful technique used by many Internet
marketers to increase the exposure of their products, services or
publications. You simply decide what type of promotional exchange you would be
interested in and contact fellow marketers to discuss an exchange.

The most effective technique used in cross promotions is recommendations. By
providing each other with a personal recommendation you can increase your
response rates tremendously.

Here are some popular cross promoting techniques you can use to boost your business:

• Ezine Ad Swaps

• Subscription Exchanges

• Ezine Column Swaps

• Byline Exchanges

• Signature Exchanges

• Ebook Exchanges

• Private Web Rings

• Ride Alongs

• Upsells

• Free Bonuses

• Forum and List Moderation

-> Miscellaneous Promotions

Promoting your website offline is an often overlooked way to increase your
traffic. Your web address should appear on all of the following:

• Business cards

• Letterhead

• Envelopes

• Receipts

• Invoices

• Sales letters

• Brochures

• Flyers

• Post cards

• Fax documents

• T-shirts

• Pens

• Pencils

• Mouse Pads

• Phone book listing

• Voice mail message

• Newspaper/magazine ads

• Vehicle

Below, are several resources to assist you:

IDit Plates - Put your web address on your vehicle.

http://www.iditplates.net/new/2711/index.html

Magnetic Signs - Full size magnetic signs for your vehicle.

http://www.magneticsigns.com/

Visit iPrint for all of your printing needs.

http://www.iprint.com/

Place ads in newspapers, magazines, on the radio, or on TV. Visit the following
websites for a complete list of resources to assist you:

Gebbie Press
http://www.gebbieinc.com/

NewsDirectory Newspapers
http://www.newsdirectory.com/

Newspapers Online
http://www.newspapers.com/

For even more promotional products, PromoCity can add your logo to any one of
over 500,000 items.
http://www.promocity.com/

Press Releases:

CanadaOne provides a free interactive press release builder.
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/pressrelease.html

Gebbie Press provides over 10,000 links to print and electronic media on the Internet.
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/pressrelease.html

Dr. Kevin Nunley will write your press release and send it to 5,000 media
contacts.
http://www.drnunley.com/

Automated Press Releases will enable you to send your press release to over
10,000 media. You write your press release or they'll write it for you.
http://www.automatedpr.com/

Once you've created your promotional web page, open it within your browser and
add it to your favorite places or bookmark it for easy daily access. Set up a
specific day for your weekly and monthly promotions and perform your
miscellaneous promotions as needed.

Although these promotional strategies are far from complete, they provide you
with a basic overview to get you started.

Once you've implemented your promotional strategy and continuously work it each day, you'll be amazed with the results of your efforts. Consistency will be the key to driving massive traffic to your site.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part Nine of Ten -- Developing Your Credibility

An important part of building a successful Internet business, is developing your credibility.

Although the Internet has opened a whole New World of opportunity for all of us, it has also created a breeding ground for scam artists. Internet users are very reluctant to order online and share their personal information। For this reason, you must take every opportunity to build your credibility.

-> Domain Name

The first step in establishing a credible Internet business, is to invest in a domain name. This will instantly convey to your visitors that you take your business very seriously.

Websites 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.

-> Contact Information

It is very important that you provide your visitors with your complete contact information. This information should include your "real" postal address and not a Post Office box number. A business that hides behind a PO box loses credibility. It's perfectly acceptable to use a PO box as long as you also include your postal address.

A great way to display your information is to create an "About" page. Your "About" page should include all of the following:

• A personal or professional biography
• A photograph of yourself
• A complete description of you and/or your company
• Your website and/or company objectives
• Your name, address, phone number and email address

An "About" page is a very important part of building your credibility -- especially if you're selling a product or service. You must do everything in your power to put your potential customers' mind at ease.

-> Privacy Statement

A credible business should let their visitors know exactly what their policies are in regard to the personal information they collect.

A great way to disclose your policies is to create a "Privacy" page. Your "Privacy" page should include all of the following that apply:

• How do you plan on using your visitors' information?
• Is your visitors' information sold or shared with a third party?
• Why do you collect your visitors' email address and how will it be used?
• Why do you track your visitors' IP address?
• Let your visitors know that you're not responsible for the privacy issues of any outside websites you may be linking to.
• 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 caution should be taken.
• 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 in regard to your privacy policies.

-> Testimonials

A great way to convey your credibility to your potential customers is to display customer testimonials. Your testimonials should include your customers' name and web address. In addition, try to avoid using testimonials that you have to ask for. For example, instead of using a testimonial like this:

"John is a great web designer and I have been very happy with his services.

"Display unsolicited testimonials like this:

"John, your web design services are absolutely fantastic! My sales increased 200% the first day! Thank you so much for providing such an exceptional service.

"Can you see the difference? The second testimonial is much more believable and will have a much greater impact on your potential customers.

Make sure you always ask permission to use your customers' words prior to displaying their testimonial.

You can find a nice script that will rotate your testimonials each day here:http://willmaster.com/master/dailycontent/index.shtml

-> Money Back Guarantee

In order to put your potential customers' mind at ease, you must completely remove their risk. Provide them with a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. This will not only build your credibility and put their mind at ease, but it will also build their confidence in you and your product. In addition, you must honor ALL refund requests in a timely manner with complete professionalism.

No matter what you're selling or how great your product is, you will receive refund requests. It's just a part of doing business. Don't take it personally or try to argue the point with your customers -- simply give them a refund. You may be surprised to learn that the customers who ask for a refund may purchase other products from you in the future.

-> Feedback

Many times, your potential customers will have questions in regard to your products and services. To further build your credibility, provide your potential customers with an easy way to contact you. Create a page on your website called "feedback." Place a form on this page to enable your visitors to contact you.

It is very important that you answer any questions you may receive as quickly as possible. Your personal response to your potential customers can literally determine whether or not you're going to make a sale.

A feedback form will also enable you to gather testimonials and receive suggestions to assist you in improving your website, products or services.

-> Secure Server

If you're processing your customers' orders online, you must place your order form on a secure server. This will protect your customers' personal information, while at the same time, provides them with added confidence in placing an order with you. In addition, make sure you let your visitors know that their information will be processed on a secure server.

-> Share Your Expertise

Another great way to develop your credibility is to share your expertise. You can do this in a number of ways including:

• Writing Articles
• Providing Free Tutorials
• Offering Free Courses
• Writing Reports
• Distributing Free Ebooks
• Publishing an EzineSharing your expertise will enable you to promote yourself as an expert in your field. Not only will it assist your potential customers, but it will also develop your credibility.

By taking the time to build your credibility with your potential customers, you will increase your Internet sales considerably.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

http://www.webdesignmastery.com

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business
Part eight of ten -- Automating Your Business

Running a successful Internet business can be a very time consuming venture. Not only must you design and market your website, but you must also develop your products, fulfill your orders and answer customer support requests -- the list goes on and on.

Although there will always be daily tasks that you must handle personally, there are a number of your daily tasks that you can automate or at least partially automate.

For example, if you're receiving the same basic support requests or questions over and over again, there are two different ways you can automate your answers:

1) Create a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page for your website and/or products. Your page should include a list of commonly asked questions and provide the answers for each.

2) Create a text template for each of your frequently asked questions that contain the answers. When you receive a commonly asked question, simply open your text file and copy and paste your pre written answer into your email message. You can then customize your message for each recipient.

The above example will assist you in partially automating some of your daily tasks. However, there are some tasks that can be completely automated simply by placing your information within an autoresponder.

Autoresponders are one of the top promotional tools available online today. They are also known as mailbots, automatic email and email on demand. They were derived from the very popular fax on demand and designed to automatically respond to any email message sent to it with an automatic response.

Autoresponder programs vary from software set up to run with your desktop email program to a script that runs on your server. The script may run a web-based autoresponder system that utilizes a web page form, or it may run with your pop email account on your server. It is programmed to automatically send out a predetermined message when a message is received to a specified script address or email address.

Below is a list of tasks that you can completely automate:

=> Articles

If you're writing articles to promote your business, you can place them within an autoresponder. This will enable your visitors to quickly and easily retrieve your articles on demand.

=> Ad Rates

If you're selling any type of advertising space, you can place your ad rates within an autoresponder to enable your visitors to request them at any time.

=> Business Opportunities

If you're promoting a business opportunity, you can provide your potential customers with further information via autoresponder.

=> Free Courses

In addition to the standard autoresponder systems, there are also autoresponders that can send an unlimited amount of follow-up messages. These follow-up messages can be set up to automatically be sent out at predetermined intervals. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder to automatically send out a new message each day for as many days as you would like.

Follow-up autoresponder systems will enable you to set up a free course used to increase your sales. As you may know, it may take up to seven contacts with a potential customer before closing a sale. By setting up an autoresponder and offering a free autoresponder course, you can completely automate a portion of your marketing efforts.

The examples above can be set up with any of the following autoresponder services:

GetResponse
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=gr

SendFree
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=sf

AWeber
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=aw

In addition to autoresponders automating some of your daily tasks, there are also scripts that can be used to automatically respond to form submissions. For example, if you're processing your customers' orders yourself (with a merchant account, secure server, etc.), you can use a form processing script to not only process your customers' information, but to also do all of the following:

• Send out an order confirmation message
• Add your customers' information to your database
• Send out download instructions
• Send you a copy of the order

If you're using a third-party credit card processing company, there is a way you can automate your ordering process as well.

Third-party processing companies require that you provide a web address that is used to direct your customers to once their payment has been processed. This page is usually used to provide your customers with download instructions. However, you can use this page to collect your customers' information prior to directing them to your download page. Simply use a script like the one mentioned above.

Please keep in mind, there aren't many form processing scripts that will send out an autoresponse file -- most won't. However, the following form processing script will: http://bignosebird.com/carchive/bnbform.shtml

In addition to using a form processing script to automate your ordering process, you can also use a web based mailing script.

Instead of setting up your "download" page with the above form, place a subscription form within the page. This form will be used to collect your customers' name and email address. Once completed, your customers' information will be added to your database and an autoresponse message will be immediately sent out. This message should be used to thank your customer for their purchase, and provide them with download instructions.

The great thing about this technique is that you can personalize your autoresponse message with your customers' name. In addition, they are automatically added to a database, which will enable you to send out product updates or introduce new products.

Please keep in mind, not all web based mailing scripts will send out an autoresponse message or enable you to personalize your messages. However, the following scripts will:

1-2-All Broadcast
http://www.12all.com

A complete list management system including HTML or plain text newsletters, MySQL database, personalization features, automatic removal links and more.

AutoResponse Plus:
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=autoplus

Complete list management including unlimited lists, HTML or plain text mailings, MySQL database, customizable auto-personalization of messages, automatic removal links, unlimited folow-up autoresponses and more.

Automating portions of your Internet business is an essential part of your success. Not only will it lighten your workload, but it will also free up your valuable time.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

http://mrjamesbergen.com/recommends/wdm

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business
Part seven of ten -- Accepting CreditCard Payments through Your Web

Accepting credit card payments through your website is an absolute essential part of doing business on the Internet. If you're not accepting online credit card payments and processing orders online, you're losing a massive amount of business. Studies have shown, you can increase your online sales up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. In addition, by offering a combination of payment options, you can increase your sales even further.

With today's advanced technology, you can start accepting credit card payments through your website almost instantly (depending on the service you select). Preparing your website to process orders online can be as simple as pasting some HTML code within your web page.

Accepting Credit Cards

There are many professional companies online that will enable you to accept credit card payments through your website without a merchant account. These companies are known as third party payment processing companies and provide an invaluable service for homebased businesses.

Most companies will enable you to accept all major credit cards and electronic checks. Some companies will also provide telephone billing and recurring billing for paid subscription and membership sites. There may or may not be a set up fee and there are usually no monthly fees. Some companies charge a "percentage" and a "per transaction" fee. While others simply charge a set percentage fee per transaction. They will process your orders and send you payment for all your orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee.

Credit Card Reserve Fee

A reserve fee is withheld to cover any charge backs you may have. If you have no charge backs within a period of time, your reserve will be refunded to you. Each company has their own guidelines in regard to reserves.

Credit Card HTML Code

Once you've applied with a company and/or have been approved and paid the setup

fees, you can immediately begin accepting payment. You will then be provided with special coding to place within the HTML of your order page. When your customer clicks on your order link or image, they will be taken to the processor's secure server to process their purchase. Once their order has been processed, they will then be directed back to a page on your website that you specify. This page may be a download page, or even a "complete your purchase" page that you can use to collect your customers' name and email address and then direct them to your download page.

Once your customer places an order, you will instantly receive an email notification letting you know that you've made a sale. Your account will be instantly credited, minus the company fee, and you will be paid according to the company's payment schedule.

Third Party Credit Card Companies

Third party processing companies are great for startup businesses, as if you don't make any sales, you won't be charged a fee. You are only charged a fee when and if you make a sale.

The following third party processing companies will enable you to accept credit card payments through your website:

=> PayPal
http://www.paypal.com

PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email address to securely send and receive payments online. You can also accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover credit cards and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own website, or as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

=> ClickBank
http://www.clickbank.com

ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus credit cards and electronic checks.

They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that they'll enable you to run an affiliate program. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/

2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards. They also offer recurring billing and a free shopping cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 5.5% + $0.45 fee per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

Accepting credit card payments through your website is an essential part of your online success. Don't put it off another day. Take your time and select a company that will best suit your needs. It will be well worth your effort.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

http://mrjamesbergen.com/recommends/wdm

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business
Part six of ten -- Designing Your Website

When preparing to design your website, you must first decide on your website's focus.

If you're designing a mini-site, your website should focus on one particular product. However, content sites are a bit different. If you're developing a content site, your site should focus on a subject on which you have a great deal of knowledge. And, should relate to your products or services. In addition, your images, ezine and content should also relate.

Designing Your Site

When you begin designing your site, your top priority must be your products. If your potential customers can't find your products, you're not going to make any sales. It's that simple. Every part of your website should have one specific purpose -- to lead your potential customers to your products.

For example, if you will be providing your visitors with tutorials, these tutorials should relate to your products or services. They should identify a problem, provide instruction to assist your visitors, and promote your products as the solution.

Your Storefront

The main page of your website is your storefront. It should load quickly and provide your visitors with a complete overview of everything your website offers.

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

It's much better to keep your main page down to the most essential elements. You can then use links to additional pages to provide the detailed information. A good rule of thumb is "less is more." In other words, keep your main page as small as possible, while at the same time, include your most important elements.

Load Time

According to two surveys conducted by Forrester Research and Gartner Group, ecommerce sites are losing $1.1 to $1.3 billion in revenue each year due to customer click-away caused by slow loading websites.

The main page of your website should load within 8 seconds or less with a 56K modem.

There are many things that can cause a web page to load slowly including:

=> Large graphics
=> Too many graphics
=> Animated graphics
=> Too many banners
=> Special Effects
=> Large pages

Optimization

You can significantly decrease your site's load time simply by optimizing your graphics. This process will decrease your graphic's file size without sacrificing the graphic's quality.

You can optimize your images right online. Visit GifWorks for further information. http://www.gifworks.com/

Enhancing Your Site

There are a number of ways you can enhance your site without using a lot of graphics. For example, if you can use the same small images such as bullets or arrows, it will give the illusion that you're using a lot of graphics. However, your graphic will only have to load one time. This will enable you to "recycle" your images to keep your page's load time down, while at the same time, enhancing your site's appearance.

In addition, you can enhance your site by using tables with colored backgrounds instead of images.

If an image doesn't enhance your page in some way, you'll be better off to just leave it out.

Tables

If you'd like to set up your web page using tables, try to place your Heading text above your table code. If this isn't possible, make sure you include your most relevant keyword phrase within your top left table cell. This will assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engines.

Screen Resolutions

When designing your site, keep in mind, your visitors will have many different screen resolutions.

The resolution of a monitor refers to the total number of pixels. The higher the resolution, the greater the number of pixels. Higher resolutions present higher quality images.

To accommodate the majority of your visitors, use a standard screen resolution of 800x600 pixels.

Another way to ensure that your web page will look great to all of your visitors is to set it up using tables. Instead of using a fixed width within your table code, use a percentage. This will enable your web page to span a certain percentage of your visitors' screen size. For example, if you set your table width at 90%, your web page will automatically resize and span 90% of your visitors' screen size, no matter what screen resolution they're using.

Colors

Although there are an unlimited number of background and text colors you could use for your web page, a white background with black text will be your best option.

You must be very cautious when selecting your background and text colors, as reading on a computer screen is much more difficult than paper. You must make your web page as easy to read as possible.

You can add color to your pages using tables with colored cells.

Web Browsers

Before you begin the actual design process, I highly recommend that you download and install two web browsers -- Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. These are the two most widely used browsers on the Internet. Why download and install both browsers? So you can view your pages through both browsers, as they are not created equally. Your page might look great when viewed through Internet Explorer, but may not display well when viewed through Navigator.

Internet Explorer
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp

Netscape Navigator
http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html

It is very important that you take the time to design your web pages to accommodate both browsers.

In addition, you can also visit AnyBrowser to view how your site will look through different browsers and screen resolutions. http://www.anybrowser.com

Above all else, your product must be your main focus. Your product should be displayed above the fold of your web page. This is the top portion of your web page that is visible when your page is first loaded, without scrolling. This is the most important part of your entire page -- use it wisely.

Take your time and plan your website very carefully. There is much more to web design than meets the eye. Do your homework and learn how to design a website that sells. It will be well worth your time and effort.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

http://mrjamesbergen.com/recommends/wdm

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business
Part five of ten -- Planning Your Website Strategy

Developing a professional website strategically designed to sell your products or services is one of the most important factors in determining your success. However, it is only the first step.

Before you begin the actual design process, you must first determine your overall strategy and design your website accordingly.

Internet marketers have basically two choices:

=> Design a content website that includes not only your products and services, but also information and resources that will be of interest to your target market.

=> Design a mini website that focuses on just one product or service, with no other content of any kind.

Although both types of sites can be effective, your success will ultimately depend on your site design and marketing strategies -- both will play a very important role.

Content oriented sites are sites that provide visitors with content such as articles, tutorials, free ebooks and resources. This type of site attracts their target audience with incentives. Their products and services are mentioned on the main page with a link to further information.

Content sites usually profit by educating their visitors. For example, a content site selling pet supplies might provide a basic tutorial to assist their visitors in learning how to groom a dog. They provide this tutorial completely free; however, the main purpose for this tutorial is to educate their visitors. And in turn, plug their products.

When you provide your visitors with quality information that teaches and informs, you are not only gaining their trust in you by sharing your expertise, but you're also building your credibility, which is very important on the Internet.

Once you've gained your visitors' trust, they will be much more apt to purchase your products or services. However, above all else, you must never abuse their trust in you. You must be completely honest with your visitors and have a sincere desire to assist them. If your sole purpose in developing your own Internet business is for financial gain, your chance of success will be minimal.

The key to using this technique effectively is to provide content that targets your potential customer. This content is used to presell your visitors through education.

Mini-sites are different from content sites, as they don't provide any content. They usually contain one or two pages and completely focus on one product or service. Basically, the site is just a sales letter for the product.

A mini-site should be neatly designed in standard HTML with no Flash or fancy plug-ins and very few graphics. There should be no banners or outside links of any kind -- nothing that will distract your visitors' attention.

The sole purpose of a mini-site is to attract highly targeted traffic. The more targeted the better. For example, if you have a website that sells a number of products, a good mini-site would focus on one specific product instead of all of the products. You could create a mini-site for each product you offer.

No matter which type of site you design, keep in mind, your website is a direct reflection of you and your business. The appearance of your website is the most important factor in determining your website's value. If your site doesn't look professional or pleasing to the eyes at first glance, its perceived value will be low. The perceived value of your website will have a great impact on your success.

Not only must your website have a professional appearance, but it must also be specifically designed to sell. Everything within your website should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitors to take action.

Every part of your website must be strategically designed. From your overall design to your sales copy -- each will play a very important role.

Your website is the most important sales tool you have. A professional website should possess all of the following:

• Your Own Domain (www.yoursite.com)
• Quality, Dependable Web Host
• Customized Email Addresses:
- service@yoursite.com
- support@yoursite.com
- info@yoursite.com
- admin@yoursite.com
• Target Your Potential Customers
• Professional Appearance
• Professional Looking Graphics
• Quality Products/Services
• Effective Sales Copy
• Easy Ordering Process
• Automated, Personalized Thank You Letters
• Customer Database
• Personalized Follow-up Letters
• Opt-in List
• Well Organized
• Easy to Navigate
• Load Quickly
• Search Engine Optimized

Take your time and do your homework prior to designing your website. Look at the entire picture and plan each step very carefully. Your website is the storefront of your business. Make it shine.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

James Bergen

http://mrjamesbergen.com/recommends/wdm