chicago web design
RANDOM FLASH WEB SITE

web site design chicago


RANDOM WEB SITE

chicago web page design

RANDOM E-COMMERCE WEB SITE

 

Articles - Web Site Design
 

Web Business / Internet Marketing and Tools / Advertising / Ebooks / Success /Web Site / Opt-In Lists / FAQ's
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Web Business ***


Spam -- How Much Will it Cost Your Business?
According to a recent study conducted by Ferris Research, a
market and technology research firm specializing in
messaging and collaboration, Sp^m will cost U.S. businesses
over $10 billion in 2003.
| View Article

Top Ten Lessons Learned in Internet Business
Since starting my Internet business back in 1997, I have learned many lessons along the way. These lessons have played a major role in my success, and I'd like to share them with you.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part one of ten -- Soul-Searching
Developing a successful Internet business is the ultimate goal of the Internet entrepreneur. However, statistics show that most Internet businesses never make any real money.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part two of ten -- Tools of the Trade
An important part of developing a successful Internet business is setting up your office space. Whether you operate your business from an office building or out of your home, having your own "space" is an essential part of your success.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part three of ten -- Essential Software
An essential part of running a successful Internet business is quality software. Software will play a major roll in your success. You must be willing to invest in the software you'll need to assist you in running your business.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part four of ten -- Developing Your Business Plan
Developing a strategic business plan is an essential part of your success. Not only will it assist you in visualizing your business strategy, but it will also give you an organized approach to achieving your goals.
| View Article

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.
| View Article

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.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part seven of ten -- Accepting Credit Card Payments Through Your Web Site
Accepting payment through your website is an absolute essential part of doing business on the Internet. If you're not accepting online 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.
| View Article

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.
| View Article

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.
| View Article

The Birth of a Successful Internet Business Part ten of ten -- Your Marketing Strategy
Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of your Internet success.
| View Article

Increase Internet Sales with Free Trials
Providing your customers with a free trial of your products and services can dramatically increase your sales. This article provides resources and some ideas on how you can offer a free trial of your product or service.
| View Article

Creating Your Professional Image on the Internet
In order to have a successful online business you must develop a professional image. This article provides some basic guidelines to assist you in developing your image.
| View Article

Increase Sales by Building Credibility
The Internet has opened a whole New World of information and opportunity for all of us. However, it has also created a breeding ground for scam artists. For this reason, many Internet users are very reluctant to share their personal information and order products online.
| View Article

The Art of Effective Copywriting
Learn the art of writing effective Web Site sales copy specifically written to sell your products and services.
| View Article

Write Reviews to Increase Sales
Writing product reviews is a very powerful way to increase your sales. Learn how to write an order pulling review.
| View Article

*** Internet Marketing and Tools ***


Google AdSense Rewards Content with Advertising Revenue
If you've been looking for an easy way to increase your website's revenue, Google AdSense may be your answer.

Google AdSense is a phenomenal new advertising revenue program that is taking the Internet by storm. It was specifically designed to enable content rich sites to increase their advertising revenue simply by displaying Google AdWords ads.
| View Article

Networking Your Marketing Strategies
A network is a group of points or locations interlinked with specific paths. A network can be computers, people, web sites, or anything that is linked together to form a group.

Remember the old adage, "There is power in number?" You can utilize this power by developing a network of locations all promoting your products or services.
| View Article

Testing and Tracking Your Marketing Strategies
Developing and implementing a strategic marketing plan is an essential part of your success. However, unless you're testing and tracking your strategies, you may be losing a great deal of time and money.
| View Article

Pop-Under Windows - The Latest Pop-Window Trend
Although there has been a great deal of controversy over the use of pop-up windows, the fact remains; pop-up windows are highly effective. The latest pop-window trend to hit the Internet is the pop-under window. Pop-under windows are less intrusive than the pop-up windows and are believed to be even more effective.
| View Article

Write for Publicity
Writing Internet articles is one of the best forms of gaining free publicity. This article provides a basic formatting guide, tips on getting published and promoting your articles.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Email Basics
Part one of ten
Electronic mail, better known as email, is the most important tool used on the Internet. It's much faster than snail mail, less expensive and enables you to instantly communicate with your visitors and customers.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- FTP Basics
Part two of ten
File Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP, is a procedure used to upload and download files to and from your web server.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Zip/Unzip Basics
Part three of ten
If you're doing business on the Internet, sooner or later you will encounter a Zip file. A Zip file is simply an "archive" of one or more files compressed into one file for easy distribution.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Graphics Basics
Part four of ten
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.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Icon Basics
Part five of ten
An icon is a graphic image that represents an available function on a computer's graphical user interface. They look like a standard image file, however, to create an icon, you must have a special software program capable of creating and saving an image in ICO format.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- HTML Basics
Part six of ten
If you're doing business on the Internet, learning some basic web design skills is an absolute must. Not only will you have the ability to create your own web pages, but you'll also save yourself a great deal of money.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Text Editor Basics
Part seven of ten
If you've spent any time exploring your computer, you've probably noticed a program called Notepad. To be honest, I never really used the program prior to developing my Internet business, as I simply used my word processing program. Now, I don't know what I would do without it. Notepad is an excellent text editor that has a variety of uses such as writing HTML, editing scripts, and writing ezine articles -- just to name a few.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Autoresponder Basics
Part eight of ten
Autoresponders are one of the most widely used promotional tools on the Internet. They're 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 received with an automatic response.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Ezine Basics
Part nine of ten
One of the most powerful marketing tools used on the Internet is the ezine. An ezine, also known as an email magazine, online publication or electronic newsletter is simply a newsletter available via email and/or online. There
are hundreds of thousands of ezines on various subjects available on the Internet free of charge.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Tools -- Ebook Basics
Part ten of ten
One of the most powerful viral marketing tools used on the Internet is the ebook. An ebook is simply a group of files compressed into one downloadable file for distribution. This file can reside on your server and may be downloaded by your visitors an unlimited number of times. It requires no installation and will open on your visitors' desktop to display your information.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Three Step Formula
Part one of ten
Developing a successful marketing strategy is an essential part of your online success. In order to succeed, you must develop and implement a strategic plan. If you use this three step formula and excel at all three, you can literally guarantee your success.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Developing Your Product
Part two of ten
Developing your own product to market on the Internet isn't as difficult as you may think. Today's technology has opened a whole New World of opportunity for even the smallest homebased business owner. The knowledge you have within your own mind is all you'll need to develop a successful product.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Designing Your Product's Website
Part three of ten
Designing a website specifically designed to sell your product is an essential part of your success. Everything within your website should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitor to take action.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Writing Effective Website Sales Copy
Part four of ten
A professional looking website is a very important part of making sales. However, without effective sales copy your website will be useless. Words make sales, not fancy websites.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Accepting Payment Through Your Website
Part five of ten
If you're doing business on the Internet, accepting payment through your website is an absolute must. If you're not processing orders online, you're losing a great deal of money in lost sales.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Setting Up Your Affiliate Program
Part six of ten
If you're marketing your own product on the Internet, you can dramatically increase your sales with your own affiliate program.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Paying For Traffic
Part seven of ten
If you've been struggling with your website traffic and your sales aren't what you had hoped for, then maybe its time to start paying for traffic.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Purchasing Advertising
Part eight of ten
If free advertising ventures aren't providing you with the response that you had hoped for, maybe it's time to consider purchasing some advertising.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Building an Opt-in List
Part nine of ten
Developing your own list of targeted potential customers is the absolute most important marketing strategy you can use. No matter what strategies you're currently using, if you're not collecting the email addresses of your potential customers, you're literally guaranteeing your failure.
| View Article

Internet Marketing Strategies -- Customer Follow-Up
Part ten of ten
Following up with your customer, once you've made a sale, is an important part of providing good customer service. Not only is it an important part of developing a good relationship with your customer, but it will also enable you to introduce your new products.
| View Article

Maximizing Your Internet Marketing Strategies
Developing a successful Internet marketing strategy is the key to your online success. You must develop and implement both short- term and long-term marketing strategies to bring a continuous flow of targeted traffic to your web site.
| View Article

Cross Promoting With Recommendations
Cross promoting is a powerful technique used by many Internet marketers to increase the exposure of their products, services or publications. This article provides several cross promotional techniques to assist you in setting up an exchange.
| View Article

Autoresponder Courses: The Automated Marketing Tool
Autoresponder courses are a powerful method of automating a portion of your marketing efforts to increase sales. This article focuses on setting up your own autoresponder course.
| View Article

Autoresponder Etiquette
Autoresponders can be a wonderful tool for Internet Marketers and can save you hours of valuable time. However, if not used in a professional manner, can wreak havoc on the Internet community.
| View Article

Creating Your Website's Promotional Strategy
A guide to creating a complete promotional strategy to increase the traffic to your website.
| View Article

10 Marketing Tips For Success
10 easy steps for marketing your web site, products or business opportunity, free. Get the scoop on the hot marketing spots and techniques!
| View Article

Autoresponders: Put Your Business On Autopilot
An explanation of autoresponders, how they work, how you can put them to work for your business and some tips and tricks on keycoding your ads.
| View Article

*** Advertising ***


Secret Formulas for Writing Headlines That Sell
We all know the importance of a powerful headline. However, writing a great headline isn't as easy as it sounds. An effective headline will literally force your potential customers to learn more. It will instantly ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on.
| View Article

Increase Your Sales with a Highly Targeted Advertising Campaign
If you're looking for a low-cost, yet highly effective means of advertising your products and services, then Google AdWords may be your answer.
| View Article

*** Ebooks ***



Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 1 Writing A Successful Ebook
With today's advanced technology, it has never been any easier for anyone to self-publish their own ebook. What's more, you can create and market your own ebook (electronic book) for an unbelievably low price.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 2 Ebook Formats (PDF)
The most popular ebook formats used on the Internet are the Portable Document Format, better known as PDF, and the Hypertext Markup Language, better known as HTML.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 3 Ebook Formats (HTML)
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatted ebooks are simply a group of web pages compressed into one .exe file for distribution. HTML ebooks are completely interactive with the Internet and can be as simple or dynamic as you'd like.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 4 Ebook Design (PDF)
Once you have decided upon the best format for your ebook, your next step will be the design process. No matter which format you choose, one of the most important factors in determining your ebook's overall success is your presentation.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 5 Ebook Design (HTML)
When designing an HTML compiled ebook, you must create an HTML document (web page) for each page within your ebook. These pages should include all of the following:
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 6 Protecting and Registering Your Ebook
Once you've created your ebook, you'll want to take the necessary steps to protect your work. Although many ebook compilers will enable you to password protect your ebook, none can offer complete security.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 7 Accepting Payment
Once you've completed your ebook and have taken the necessary steps to protect your work, your next step will be to set up an online payment system.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 8 Setting Up an Affiliate Program
When you begin marketing your ebook on the Internet, you can dramatically increase your sales with an affiliate program. An affiliate program will enable you to recruit an entire sales force to market your ebook for you.
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 9 Designing Your Sales Page
Writing and designing a great ebook is an essential part of your success. However, it is only a small part of your overall strategy. In order to be successful, you must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following:
| View Article

Ebooks -- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 10 Developing Your Marketing Strategy
Developing a marketing plan is an essential part of your ebook's success. You must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes both short-term and long-term strategies in order to succeed.
| View Article

How to Create, Sell and Distribute Your Own Informational Product
With the rising popularity of the Internet, there is absolutely no better time than right now to develop your own informational product. Learn how to create, sell and distribute your own ebook.
| View Article

Dynamically Update Your Ebooks with JavaScript
Learn how to create a free ebook that you can update with just one file. No matter how many free ebooks you give away, you can update the content with JavaScript. This article is part two of a two part series.
| View Article

How To Create An Ebook
This article provides a description of ebooks, how to create one, where to get the software needed, suggested uses and more.
| View Article

*** Success ***


The Key Ingredients for Internet Success
The Internet has opened a whole New World of opportunity for even the smallest home-based business owner. There are countless numbers of new self-made millionaires that achieved their newfound success on the Internet. These new millionaires are no different from you and I. They started their Internet businesses from the ground up, found a niche and built their success one day at a time.
| View Article

10 Steps to Success in Direct Marketing
A motivational article for the new home-based business owner.
| View Article

*** Web Site ***


Bring Your Web Site to Life With PHP
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, better known as PHP, is a highly popular, server-side scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML coding.

PHP can do anything that CGI can do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic content, but PHP can do much more.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part One The Web Design Learning Process
The Internet has opened a whole New World of opportunity for all of us. With the vast amount of information available at your fingertips, it has never been easier to communicate your message to the world.

A web site will enable you to create your own home on the World Wide Web. Your home may be as simple or dynamic as you'd like and is only limited by your imagination.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Two Your Strategic Web Design Plan
There are millions of web sites on the Internet today with thousands more being added each day. The competition is fierce and in order to be successful, you must stay one step ahead of the game.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Three 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.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Four 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.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Five Essential Web Development Tools
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.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Six Search Engine Preparation
An important part of developing a successful web site is attracting a steady stream of targeted traffic.

A significant amount of web site traffic originates from the major Search Engines. A Search Engine is a web site that indexes web pages. These sites run software programs called "Spiders" or "Robots" that continuously crawl the Internet in search of new web pages to index.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Seven Web Page Optimization
Selecting the right keyword phrases for each page of your web site is the first step towards ranking high in the Search Engines. However, it is only the first step.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Eight Writing Effective Sales Copy
A professional looking web site is a very important part of developing a profitable Internet business. However, your sales copy is just as important -- each will play a major role in your success.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Nine Launching Your Web Site on the Internet
When you're ready to launch your web site, you'll need to make two very important decisions -- what your domain name will be and where you will host your new site.
| View Article

The Birth of a Professional Web Site
Part Ten Promoting Your Web Site
Creating a successful Internet presence involves much more than designing a great web site or having the "perfect" product. Listing your web site with the Search Engines is your first step; however, you must not solely rely on the
Search Engines to bring you traffic.
| View Article

Increase Your Traffic by Recovering Your Lost Visitors
If you spend any time surfing the Internet, you've probably encountered a few error messages.

Error messages have numerous causes, such as misspellings, outdated links or internal server errors. When an error is encountered, your server will display specific generic error pages according to the error. These error pages are not only dead ends, but they are also very frustrating for your potential visitors.
| View Article

Using HTML Tables to Format Your Web Page
Designing a professional looking web site involves much more than simply displaying text between your body tags. In order to organize your page, you must use tables.
| View Article

HTML Forms -- Back to the Basics and Beyond
Part One - Basic Forms Tutorial
If you've been on the Internet for a while, you've probably filled out a number of online forms. Forms are used to obtain information from your visitors right through your website. Your visitors can input their information into your form, click on a "submit" button and their information will be directed to a location you specify.
| View Article

HTML Forms -- Back to the Basics and Beyond
Part Two - Advanced Forms
In part one of this series we focused on setting up a basic form on your website. We discussed the Form Element Attributes and began the Form Element Properties. In part two of this series, we will continue with the Form Element Properties and move on to some more advanced form options.
| View Article

HTML Forms -- Back to the Basics and Beyond
Part Three - Form Tips & Tricks
In part two of this series, we continued with the Form Element Properties and moved on to some more advanced form options. In part three of this series we will focus on some great tips and tricks you can use to spice up your forms.
| View Article

Create Your Own "First Visit" Pop-Window
It's a proven fact that the use of popup windows is a highly effective marketing technique that produces great results. However, they can be very irritating to your visitors. How can you use this powerful marketing technique without offending your visitors? Compromise and use a popup window that only displays the first time your visitor enters your site.
| View Article

Pop-Under Windows - The Latest Pop-Window Trend
Although there has been a great deal of controversy over the use of pop-up windows, the fact remains; pop-up windows are highly effective. The latest pop-window trend to hit the Internet is the pop-under window. Pop-under windows are less intrusive than the pop-up windows and are believed to be even more effective.
| View Article

35 Deadly Web Site Sins that will Kill Your Business!
A list of 35 web site mistakes that will make your site appear to be unprofessional and ultimately cost you business.
| View Article

Selecting A Quality Web Host
If you're doing business on the Internet, having your own domain name is essential. This article explains the importance of having your own domain name and defines some criteria for selecting a quality web host.
| View Article

Mini-Sites -- Highly Targeted Sales Generators
Many Internet marketers are using mini-sites with a high rate of success. They are highly targeted websites specifically designed to rank high in the Search Engines and attract a highly targeted audience.
| View Article

Spice Up Your Web Site with JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language designed for use within a web page and/or on a web server. It is used to create special effects within a web page. Elements such as links, images and forms can be manipulated using this powerful technology. This article provides some great script resources you can use to spice up your web site.
| View Article

Use CGI to Automate Your Web Site
Common Gateway Interface, better known as CGI, is one of the most widely used server applications on the Internet. This software resides on your server and automatically performs specified functions on your web site. Learn how you can use this powerful technology to automate your web site.
| View Article

Syndicate Your Headlines Using RSS
Syndicating content is a powerful way to drive traffic to your web site. Top sites such as CNet, ZDnet, Wired and others use RSS (Rich Site Summary) to deliver their content and so can you. Learn about RSS and how you can use it to syndicate your headlines.
| View Article

Give Your Graphics A Professional Look without the Price
Graphic design is an intimidating subject for many Internet entrepreneurs. However, most of us must learn some basic design techniques to avoid the high costs of hiring a professional graphics designer. This article provides some useful techniques to assist you in creating professional looking graphics.
| View Article

Use JavaScript to Dynamically Update Your Website
Learn how to use JavaScript to display your web site's navigational set up for easy updating. This article is part one of a two part series.
| View Article

10 Website Essentials to Increase Your Sales
Learn how to create a web site specifically designed to sell.
| View Article

Is Your Domain Name A Trademark Infringement?
The trademark laws that apply in the hard copy world also apply on the Internet. This article explains some possible issues in regard to registering a domain name and trademark infringements.
| View Article

Steps to Optimizing Your HTML Codes
An article explaining methods of HTML optimization to help your site get a higher ranking in the search engines.
| View Article

The Secrets to Building a Successful Website
Advise and instructions on creating a successful, professional web site.
| View Article

*** Opt-In Lists ***



Developing a Highly Profitable Opt-In List
An opt-in list is the absolute most effective marketing tool available on the Internet. Not only do they provide you with a direct line of communication with your target market, but they also enable you to develop a trusting relationship with your subscribers.
| View Article

Secrets to Building Massive Opt-In Lists
The key to using an opt-in list effectively is to develop a large subscriber base. If you've struggled with increasing your subscriber base, this article will reveal some of the most effective methods used to build an opt-in list. If you're not using these methods, you're losing hundreds of new subscribers each week.
| View Article

Ezine, Discussion and Announcement List Etiquette
Information is delivered via email, downloads, newsgroups and forums just to name a few. In addition, there are literally thousands of ezines, discussion groups and announcement lists. This article provides some basic guidelines for using these groups effectively.
| View Article

An Ezine Publishers Survival Guide
Tips and techniques to assist you in publishing and promoting your own online publication.
| View Article

A Crash Course in Ezine Publishing
A mini tutorial that answers a lot of commonly asked questions in regard to ezine publishing.
| View Article

Creating, Managing and Building Your Opt-In Lists
Opt-in lists are a powerful way to continually reach your targeted potential customers. This article will assist you in creating a complete system to manage your opt-in lists.
| View Article

*** FAQ's ***


Frequently Asked Autoresponder Questions
Autoresponders are one of the most popular tools used on the Internet, as they will enable you to put a portion of your business on auto-pilot.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Internet Advertising Questions
If you're marketing a product on the Internet, developing a successful advertising campaign is an important part of your success. However, this is an area in which many Internet marketers struggle.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Web Hosting Questions
Congratulations! After much thought and consideration, you finally took the plunge and decided it was time to have your own web site. That's a great accomplishment in itself. However, now you're left with another daunting task -- selecting a quality web host.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Ebook Questions
Ebooks are one of the most popular products on the Internet. Not only are they easy to create, but they also provide your customers with instant gratification.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Internet Marketing Questions
If you're just starting out on the Internet, learning how to market your web site and products is an essential part of your success. However, this is an area in which many new Internet entrepreneurs struggle.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Web Design Questions
If you're just starting out on the Internet, learning how to market your web site and products is an essential part of your success. However, this is an area in which many new Internet entrepreneurs struggle.
| View Article

Frequently Asked Computer Security Questions
Working on the Internet provides Internet marketers with the opportunity to make a living in the comfort of their own home. However, as your business is completely reliant upon your computer, you must take the necessary steps to ensure your computer is safe.
| View Article