Angel's Affordable Web Design

Shelley's services were beyond compare! After a slight change of plan mid-project, she worked with me patiently until all details were finalized. Angel's Affordable Web Design is now in my address book...I know I'll be back. Thanks Shelley!

Beth Wheeler
The Birdhouse Chick

Shelley, I want to thank you for all your hard work on our web site. It looks awesome and I am sure we will be having you update and add pages to it. "Angel's Affordable Web Design" is the best, you work hard and fast and give an excellent finishing touch. Words can not say how much we appreciated working with you. Thank you so much for all you have done, We will be referring lots of our friends to you, your the BEST!!

Sandy&Tasha;
Pampered Pets&More


The best in the business--Follow up of Shelley's work Shelley designed my website back in May of this year, and she is still helping me with all of my needs. I wrote my original review back after my new site first went live. Shelley is still the best in the business if you ask me or any of her other clients. She works fast and efficient. She has helped me out tremendously. I have messed up things on my site, and emailed her--she fixed them quickly and has always been very nice to me. Just today she helped me out with a problem I created on my website. I strongly encourage any one needing a website or website redesign to let Shelley do it. You will not be disappointed, because her service does not end the minute your site goes live, she is always around to help you with your questions. I am giving her a second review, because everyone needs to know that she keeps up with her clients. Thank you Shelley. You are a true gem.

Sincerely, Marty Brown
Design Time Haven

Thank you so much for creating our site. I love it. It's clean and fresh and vibrant. I appreciate your patience with my indecisiveness and your help guiding me through this site's creation. I love it and I think it is perfect for our business. I wish I had something else for you to build. I wish you the best and I will be in touch for future projects and other maintenance. You are guaranteed to have me refer you to everyone I know. Thanks again.

Africa Green
Minute Maids Professional Services

Shelley, We would like to thank you for the great job you did developing our web site at deborderestorations. We are very pleased with the results. It has the look and feel we wanted. I personally appreciate your patience dealing with me. Having little experience with computers, I needed the guidance and support given. We will recommend you to our friends in the business community.

Sincerely,
Richard DeBorde
DeBorde Restorations

Shelley- Thanks, you did a great job on my web site. I will definitely recommend your service to others.

Julie Di Lorenzo
Paws Custom Beds

"Bar none the best online experience I've had in a long time. Shelley educates as well as creates right along with you. I'm not the savviest individual when it comes to web "things" but at no time did she make me feel like a ignoramus lol. Thank you for the excellent work and excellent customer service you provided. You get all my business and I will make sure my associates are well aware of your skill set, patience and understanding. I will be speaking with you soon, you're not getting rid of me that easy..."

Ron Lashley
Get Physically Fit

I love my new website! Shelly is fast, flexible, and easy to reach.

Maggie Kehoe
HoodSticker.com

Shelley did an absolutely wonderful job working with someone that had "web site phobia." Her patience in dealing with someone that wasn't sure what they wanted was remarkable. She gave me her full time and attention and created a web site that I am so proud of! The rates for her services were unbelievable considering her turn-around time and quality of work, and Shelley was both pleasant and professional to work with. If you need a web site, Shelley at Angel's Affordable Web Design is the person to contact - no doubt about it.

Cindy Smith
Evergreen Place Pet Cremation

Shelley at Angel's Affordable Web Design really added a lot of flair to my site. She showed me options I did not even know existed, and always responded to my design desires with respect and professionalism. Shelley always answered my questions and worked on my site as if I was her only client, but the truth is she had four or five other site redesigns she was working on at the same time. I would have never known that she was working with other clients as well had I not traveled to her site and seen the list of sites that were coming soon. She is not only professional, but she is a friendly person. She does not force you over budget, and she cares about making your site perfect for you. So the next time you are thinking your website could use a face lift look at my before and after screenshots, and let Shelley do it for you. She truly is affordable, and a real gem to work with.

Sincerely,
Marty (Nikki) Brown, owner of
Design Time Haven


It has been a pleasure working with you. You make it so easy to have a web site designed or have it updated. You have worked with me tirelessly, all hours of the day and night. You have replied to every email I've sent you a timely manner and you have done everything I requested to my greatest satisfaction. You make it easy to communicate using email, which I prefer. I will be recommending your service to anyone who will listen.

Craig Williamson
Home Computer Service

The response time and professional planning for my website was incredible! Angels Affordable Web Design helped me every step of the way. I really did not know "how" and "what" to do. Now I have my own website set up and I can work with Shelley to get the website the way I envisioned it. If you don't know what you want, she has the artistic talent to give you some choices and you won't be overwhelmed! It was a great experience and her calm nature helped me not to PANIC.

Kathleen A. Davis, M.A.,C.C.C./SLP
Norfolk County Speech Services

I would highly recommend Angel's Affordable Web Design. You will not find a more professional, hard working team at such competitive prices. I have tried other web designers and had been quoted higher prices only to be given a "generic" looking template. At last, with Angel's Affordable Web Design, I found a web designer that listens and individualizes the web page according to the client's needs, without charging astronomical amounts! Very flexible and dependable! I am very happy with my web page.

Saqib Siddiqui, CEO
Woodlands Spine Center

This Woman Is Amazing
My website was only functioning on 1 browser and looked pretty bad. I found Shelley through merchant circle. She redesigned my entire site, made it fully functional on all browsers, and made it look awesome!! Shelley did this in 24 hours. Her prices and turn around time are absolutely unmatched!!

Bryan Schmidt
877WeAerate

Shelley has made me a customer for life. I love my new web site! It's eye catching, it's warm. She's very professional yet warm when it comes to her work. She works closely with you until your web site is exactly the way you want it. She gets the job done in a timely manner and her rates are reasonable. She's amazing and I would recommend her to everyone. I look forward to working with her again in the future!!! I give her TEN stars!!!!

Rhonda F.
Earth Spirits

I connected with Angel's Affordable Web Design on Merchant Circle and was very impressed with the website, affordable services and informative web tools and tips. After conferencing with Shelly on services I would need to create a website designed for my business, I felt very comfortable that I had connected with a quality web designer, professional and proficient. There was always constant and timely communication on all decisions and requests. I was always kept in the loop on the status of my website and to be honest Shelly was always two steps ahead of me. She devoted long and dedicated hours to the needs of my site and on some days through the early morning. I commend her for her skills of web designing and the assurance she provides her customers for a professional design. I would recommend the services of Angel's Affordable Web Design not only if you need a website for you business but also if you need the enhance your site. Thanks Shelly for all your help

Andrea Davis
Harmony Blue

I am a very satisfied customer, Shelley is a very good and professional web designer. She is in my opinion one of the Best! And I would have to say for the money she is the best. I was most impressed with her getting the job done in a very short time. Thank you Shelley, I can't wait to get started on my other sites.

Thanks
Robert N. Ramey II
Entrepreneur's Online Solutions

Angel's Affordable Web Design has been very responsive to me in getting a site launched. Hope the relationship can continue to be a good one.

Thanks
Bonnie Skerkarich
DogJewelryEtc.com

Five Stars Are Not Enough! I have been working with Shelley on a new web site for my business. Wonderful, Superb, Amazing, Fabulous, etc. etc. I can not come up with enough descriptive words or room for them here. I cannot wait to publish it! All I have to say is for the price and quality, you can't beat "Angel's Affordable Web Design". Check Shelley's site out and see if she can help you too.

((Designer note: This part added a little later, after an update)) OMG, Shelley truely is an angel. She just updated my site for me WOW! Everyone who viewed it has told me how fantastic it looks, and I must agree. All I can say is put your ideas in her hands, and watch the magic happen! The rates are way to low for what you can do with a site, but I don't mind SAVING MONEY!

A true professional to work with. If you need it done she can do it, and probably better than you thought it would look. Thanks again.

Dave Phillips
Casual Moments Designs

My neighbor did his website as did my car salesman and a colleague of his, and each site was a nice one. It can be tempting to enlist an acquaintance to do a site but for the technology challenged as myself, it is a dire prospect.

Shelley provided professional guidance through each process, making the desired  destination a reality. She is strong in her problem solving solutions, her rapid follow up to queries and her timely completion of each passage to going "live".

'Meows like Cat' is meeting my expectations of a site professional, but still warm, polished and fresh. I continue to explore ideas to add relevance and spark, with Shelley every step of the way, ensuring these goals.

Dannie M.
Meows Like Cat

The “Angel” redesigned my poorly done, non-working, botched, inadequate website -- and in only 3 days before she went on vacation!! Thank you for your speedy work, necessary changes, reasonable price and terrific help for the non-computer illiterate. wonderbags.net thanks you!!!

Corinne Kuhn
KK Products

Not knowing the extent of creating a website would be a lengthy and a frustrating endeavor, Angel’s Affordable Web Design has been an outstanding experience to remember. For being extremely patient, responsive and professional with me throughout the process, my deepest thanks and appreciation for a quality and truly professional website that was developed for me. For a quality, truly professional, and for being extremely talented created, I highly recommend and welcome the opportunity to refer business their way.

Janice Sears
Creative Advertising Direct

Always Dependable, Always professional. I was lucky to find the right web designer for my business when searching the web. Shelley takes much pride in her work and has also been helpful with great advise. She is very professional and worked with me every step of the way. I feel that she gives 100% so that you are satisfied with the results. Her prices are more than fair and you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend Angels Affordable Web Design. You will not be disappointed and your business will benefit from that choice. Thanks Shelley.

Patti Galloway
Jewelry by Patti

Shelley, I'm just thrilled with what you have done--not overly stated, crisp and clean looking and very artistic--you made it truly mine! Thank you so much! I'll be proud to send people to this site--AWESOME job! It has been a joy -- thank you for the wonderful experience!

Debbie
The Pot Lady

"I have really enjoyed working with Shelley. She is prompt with changes and the communication lines are always open. I am a dog trainer, not a computer person. I didn't even know what I wanted except that I wanted a web site. Shelley picked my brain and then put together two idea's so that I could have something to look at. I made my choice and I love the results. Shelley gives you advise, but does not tell you how to do it. It is totally your own design. Thanks for everything!"

Deana Izzo,
Happy Tails Playhouse

Shelley did a fantastic job creating our website. She kept in touch with me throughout the entire process...from beginning to the end. Whenever I wanted something changed or updated, she did it right away! I recommend Shelley to anyone who needs a website done for their business. Thanks again Shelley.

Darlene Thomas
Sister Thomas Unlimited

Shelley, thank you very much for designing a wonderful web site for my business. You are an awesome web designer who deeply cares about her client's needs. You provided me with excellent, ethical and supportive service. Also, your ideas for my business were great! I am going to refer you to others. Again, thanks so much for your critical and artistic eye -- at an affordable price!

E. Tamara J.
Meet Me on the Moon Entertainment

Shelley did a wonderful job - she created pages very quickly and made sure that they met specifications. She's extremely conscientious about delivering exactly what her clients want - excellent value. I would not hesitate to use her again.

A. Sahoo,
KWE Medical Press

AAWD Does Whatever It Takes To Make Right! I have asked for things to be changed, flyer created, and add another page and every time she stayed on it until I was completely satisfied. Unlike other designers I could talk to her on the phone and wake up the next morning with things done. Her more than fair prices doesn't sacrifice on quality at all.

Darryl Stewart
Color Country Painting

Angel's Affordable Web Design is truly angelic. She is a pleasure to deal with, follows through promptly and delivers an excellent and quality service timely and without glitches. I highly recommend this service.

M. Adler,
www.themagiccow.com

I am very pleased with the service provided. I live in Australia and the design and hosting was done within 5 days without any inconvenience. I would not hesitate to recommend Angels Affordable Web Design again.

Regards, Annette
Green Cards For America

I could have done it myself: perhaps a couple of hundred frustrating hours of html coding, and ended up with a site that reflects my poor design skills...but I was smart: I worked with Angel's Affordable Web Design instead, and in an amazingly short time, and at an amazingly low price, I now have a site I can be proud of.

On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being the experience of working with a used car dealer, and 10 being an all-expense-covered visit to a do-everything spa, I rate my experience as a 9.999 - as close to perfect as one can get. Again, thank you, Shelley, for your excellent work!!

Charles Dittell,
Mountaintop Mall

1) Always be available for business:

You don't have to turn customers away when its closing time. A website can make any business 365-24-7. Which is better, leaving a note or voice mail saying your closed, ultimately sending them elsewhere, or letting them know they can find the information they need, or even make a purchase through your website. There is NO other medium that is always available, interactive, and this affordable. Websites allow companies to deliver their brand to anyone in the world at any time of day.

2) Save money on materials:

You can lower your printed material costs by making them available on a website. This not only benefits you with reduced printing and mailing costs, but your website visitor as well, now having instant access to your material anytime they need it. Other traditional materials can be handled online as well, such as job applications, contracts, training materials and much more!

3) Improves customer relations and perceptions:

Customers today expect an established business to have a professional website. Saying you don't have one “yet”, isn't a good signal to send. Beyond that, a website can provide news or details about your business, and special offers to its visitors, strengthening your name recognition and most of all your credibility. A website provides the unique opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve not only their trust and confidence, but their business.

Websites have replaced yellow page listings for many people. Not having an effective website is like having an unlisted number.

4) Provide convenience to customers and prospects:

A website can provide clients contact information, a source for feedback, complaint resolution, and even handle billing transactions. Making things convenient isn't only important to keeping customers happy, prospects need convenient access to information as well.

Websites often act as first point of contact (since many people now Google as step 1 of research) ensuring that the first information a potential customer reads about the company is branded appropriately and properly represents the company's mission.

An ever increasing number of shoppers use the internet for pre-purchase research. The most convenient way to do this is searching for products or services online of course. If your not there, you may be seriously missing out. How will they decide between you and your competitors.

5) Market expansion, and diversify revenue sources:

A website serves as a great place to refer potential investors. Growing your business yourself? The unique advantages of the internet has allowed businesses to break geographical barriers. Your business can go from local to reaching more people in your area, to nation wide, or even virtually any country in the world by potential customer with Internet access. You could also provide online only products and services, or sell ads on your site, or share your expert knowledge to diversify your revenue in addition to your traditional offline business.

There are few things more frustrating than entering a site and not being able to even figure out where you can go from the home page. Some sites take it to another level by making it difficult to get from interior pages to other interior pages or back to the Home page.

When someone comes into your site, and cannot move around logically from one place to another, they will leave. And they are likely to leave with the impression that your company is not too smart, and that it is disorganized about more than just the website.

Good navigation does not ever need to be complex. It should be thoughtful though. The most common navigation problems are:

   1. No way to get anywhere from the home page, or illogically named links from the home pages into the site.  
    
   2. No links on page to get from where you are, to where you want to be next.
   
   3. Inconsistent navigation - it changes from page to page.
    
   4. Badly organized navigation - some sites have links six or seven layers deep, in a way that is not logical, and there is no clue from the top level link that it is the one you need to click to get to the bottom layer links.

Navigation on a website is like the controls in a car. Imagine getting into a car that had the accelerator on the door panel, or the brake on the roof. I drove in a car once that had the windshield wiper control and the light switch right next to each other - driving at night, if it started to rain, you might just turn off the lights instead of turning on the windshield wipers! While web navigation errors are not life-threatening, they can be deadly to a business.

When your site offers confusion instead of intuitive ease in getting around, you make a bad impression on the visitor. You annoy them and complicate their life. Guaranteed that someone else out there has a site with substantially the same offerings you have, but which got it right!

Predictability is FAR more important than creativity in navigation!

Creativity is wonderful when you can do it in a way that does not leave the visitor feeling lost and confused, but if you have to sacrifice creativity for function, do it without a qualm!

There is nothing original in the navigation in 99% of the sites on the web, and there is a reason why. Because standard forms of navigation WORK. People using them know what to expect, and they are able to easily use it. It makes them feel like they are in a familiar environment, which makes them feel more comfortable about your website.

There are several standard navigation types:

   1. Single level interlinked. This site uses single level navigation, where every page is linked from the home page, and every page has a link back to the home page. This only works for sites with not much more than 50 pages. Google doesn't like more than 100 links per page. It is the fastest type of navigation for getting your site indexed quickly.

   2. Tree navigation. This means that the home page has a series of categories linked to it, and each category has links off of it into sub-categories. With this type, you often use interlinked navigation in the subcategories - in other words, within a sub-category, each page is linked to each other page within the category. You might see this as a main navigation bar in one location, and some kind of sub-navigation bar to interlink the subcategory pages. Sometimes site owners omit the interlinking of the sub-category, using just a link back to the main category page instead. There are MANY creative and logical ways to build sub-category links. It is best to not go more than three layers deep unless you create a new site section, in a sub-folder, which you can register in its own right - search engines reputedly don't spider very deeply unless you register a separate section deeper in the site.

   3. Ring navigation. This means the home page connects to one page, which links to the next, so you progress from one page to another in a specific order. This is appropriate for educational sites, or presentation sites where people need to see things in a certain order, but it is not appropriate for other types. You never want to lock someone into a ring navigation unless you have a reason that THEY can understand for doing so.

Many sites use a combination of these methods. For example, an online education site might use interlinked navigation for the home page and standard contact, policy and site info pages, with tree navigation for course section descriptions and choices, and then ring navigation for each individual course.

Each site should use navigation that is suited to the topics. I consider the number of topics that I will be addressing, how many categories or subcategories I'll be covering and how varied they are, the general feel and mood I need to create with the site, and the types of links that the site needs. Some sites need two nav bars, some need three, some need four. Some need descriptions with each category, some do not. Some will need preview links for navigation from the home page and category pages, some won't. The navigation I choose is always chosen for what I feel will be the best way to draw the visitor into the site, given the topic and items we are showcasing on the site.

The important thing is that it be obvious from the home page, which link to click if you want to find specific information. If I want to know the difference between standard snow tires and studded, then I would expect to find a link on the home page about "Tire Types", then a link for "Snow Tires". If I come into the site and find links for "Buy a Tire", "Why Our Brand is Best", and "Frequently Asked Questions", then I'm not really going to have a clear idea about where to go to find what I want, even if the site DOES have the specific info I want. I might have to flounder around a bit before I find what I want.

Generally, people will click ONE link level if they don't know quite where to find something. If they go through the links on that level and still do not have a clue where to look, they won't bother digging anymore. You are wasting their time. Make it clear, in some way or other, what the information is behind the link. Well chosen link names, and logical categorization of information can make a world of difference in how much time people spend on your site, and whether they return, or whether they buy.

Good navigation takes a little practice, and it takes a good understanding of the target audience. Impatient audiences need simple navigation with logical and well defined link names. Creative audiences will usually be willing to put a bit more time into figuring out a navigation standard, but when they do, it had better be consistent through the whole site!

There is nothing unique about the navigation on most of my sites. Usually I have three navigation bars, and while I may change the locations some, I often use a standard three-column layout with a horizontal navigation bar. The horizontal bar contains site related info links - links which do not specifically contain topical content. The left vertical sidebar contains site content related links - the information that the visitor really came for. This is because most people will look on the left side for what they really want first. The right sidebar contains off-site links, extra informational links, or occasionally, this is where I'll put sub-navigation links. This is because the right sidebar is where people look last for what they want - and because on a small monitor, that is the part that gets cut off. I rarely use a two column layout with just a right sidebar for that reason.

The important part about site layout in regard to navigation links is that the links be placed where people can logically find them, and then that they be grouped in logical groupings. Product or service listings should be in one place together. Contact, policies and about pages should be in a group together, even if they are next to the product or service listings. Informational offerings should be grouped by logical category. This applies even when the groupings are not labeled. People's brains work logically, and if they see a Contact link, they'll look beside it for an Email or About link.

Place the MOST important links in the most obvious navigation bar. Wherever that is in your layout, don't misuse the space! It should be for the most important site content - the stuff that the visitor is most likely to WANT to see.

Maybe it isn't creative, but it does work.

For sub-navigation, there are all kinds of options, all of which work well:

   1. Place the sub-navigation under the primary category topic, only indent it to set it apart slightly.

   2. Use different bullets with the sub-navigation than you use with main navigation.

   3. Place the sub-navigation in a horizontal navigation bar, or in the right navigation bar.

   4. Put the sub-navigation links above and below the content on the page.

   5. Nest the sub-navigation on the right or left side of the content, between the content and the main sidebars.

There are lots of other ways too. Good sub-navigation layout and links can make getting around in the site so much easier, and that encourages people to stay, and to come back.

Navigation on interior pages is critical, because search engines index each individual page in your site. That means someone may come in on any page - if you have no back links, no links to other pages, how will they look at any other pages in your site if they are interested?

Some people use a "breadcrumb trail" to show someone where they are. This is often shown as a simple text link trail at the top of the content, such as Home > Main Category > Sub-Category > Pagename. If your navigation is well laid out, a breadcrumb trail is not necessary. They work best for large and complex sites on which there may not be room to put interlinked sub-navigation bars.

Good navigation is perhaps one of the defining elements that separates professional sites from amateur ones. Learn how to do this correctly, and how to suit the navigation to the site, and your professionalism will skyrocket.

Navigation is a key element in overall site design and message. It is also a huge help in Search Engine Optimization if you get it right.

Good navigation standards for a website rank in my book as one of the least obvious, but most important aspects of good website design.

Everybody makes typos! Unless you are a major corporation with multi-level staffing where a site gets checked over multiple times by different individuals before going live, you are GOING to have typos! But there IS a limit!

When more than one word per paragraph is misspelled, when there are combinations of misspellings and grammatical errors, and when sentence structure and punctuation are jumbled, it makes reading the content and focusing on it very difficult.

Good spelling, grammar, and punctuation do equate in most people's minds with intelligence, and attention to detail. Those are good qualities in someone from whom you are soliciting service, products, or information.

When the overall content is high quality, and the message is one that the reader wants, they'll happily forgive the odd error. But when the text is riddled with errors, their estimation of your capability is seriously lowered, and the impact of your message is radically altered.

Each time they encounter a visible typo, it will register in their brain for a moment, distracting them from the content temporarily. If this happens three or more times, then it will gain importance, to where it begins to become the focus of the page to them, replacing the actual content as the element of primary focus. Enough typos, and by the end of the page they'll not remember what you had to say, they'll only remember how badly you said it.

You do NOT want them to go away remembering only that you were a bad writer! You want them to remember the substance of your message, whether it be product descriptions, information, service details, or instructions.

Most bad spellers KNOW they are bad spellers (and there are many who are very smart people). If you are one of them, then just make sure that you have someone competent review your text before it goes live. It is not that hard to do, and that extra step will really save you some headaches.

Spell checkers are helpful, but not completely accurate. They miss many spelling errors involving homonyms, and when you use "your" for "you're", or "then" instead of "than". 100% accurate by the spell checker may still be significantly flawed!

Typos are some of those little details that it pays to attend to.

Overlapping items are the result of bad, or improperly interpreted code. They typically occur from using browser specific code, or from using Site Builders or WYSIWYG software that does a poor job of creating compatible code.

When certain programs write code, they'll use code that is not standard, or which doesn't handle placement of elements well. The program which creates the code will show it in the way you wanted it to be, but when you view it in the Browser, the Browser interprets it in a different way. So when you are building the site, it looks fine in the software, but once you load it, it has problems online.

To further complicate the issue, sometimes the code will show up right in one browser, but not in another. This can happen for a variety of reasons, some of which are simple to repair, some which are not. And many sites which look great in Mozilla, will fail to display properly in IE, especially older versions.

When a program creates a container for each text block, requiring you to create a text box to put all text in, it usually causes problems. When the font type and size are not controlled in a way that works across all platforms, text can often overlap other text, or other objects on the page, because it can show up different sizes, or even with a different font, depending on the browser, the operating system, and the user preferences.

HTML Software that has the greatest problem with this is that which works most like desktop publishing software - it treats everything as an object. Now, this is not a condemnation of all of that type of software, just a warning that in general, the cheaper the software, the more of a problem it will be. Free web software that uses object oriented layout is the worst.

I recommend that if you use free software, you use the type that works more like a word processing program, instead of like a desktop publishing program. It works with text and elements a bit differently, and allows you the ability to view the code directly.

Always preview your site as well - Preview it in Internet Explorer and Mozilla. Those two will give you a good idea of whether the majority of your site visitors are seeing what you want them to see, in a way that looks good.

If it is not showing up right, then look for things like object sizes that need to be flexible width instead of set width, or positioning that needs to be relative (anchored to another object) instead of absolute (put in a specific spot on the page). Sometimes extra paragraph tags, or the absence of paragraph tags can mess things up. Sometimes the absence of a closing tag on an object or element can throw it all off.

One of the best pieces of advice I have heard about web design is that you don't have to get the design to look the same in all browsers. You just have to get it to WORK and not look BAD in them! And usually, if it works ok in Mozilla and IE, that is close enough to run with.

"Content is King" is not a new saying. But it gets said over and over because content is the purpose and the driving force of the web.

Content is the purpose of your pages, the meat beneath the gravy, the reason why people come to your site, and the reason why they will, or won't, come back.

Content can be images, information, software, instructions, a service, a product, or anything else that gives a site visitor something they consider to be of value. Content is the value in the website.

Flash design, links, headers and logos, site layout, CSS, HTML, PHP, SEO - none of those are content. They are merely a framework to hold the content.

Good quality content lives up to its promise. If you have a website about shoes, then someone interested in shoes should be able to enter on any page, and know that your site is about shoes, and that if they click a link that says it is about shoelaces, that they will find information about shoelaces, or products, or downloads, or whatever. But something they will value about shoes. If it fails to deliver on that promise, you just lost a visitor. Permanently.

Good quality content has impact. It may be the "ah-ha" factor, the "wow" factor, or the "YES!" factor. When you give someone the key to understanding something they did not previously understand, or impress them with the value of an item you have available, or express an opinion that they can strongly agree with, then you got them! Your site then has indisputable value to them.

Good site design will coordinate with and compliment the content - it is a seamless extension of the content if you got it right. Bad site design will not lower the quality of the content, but it can change the visitor's perception of the content. There is a whole lot of neutral ground in between the two extremes.

Many sites with bad content did not set out to be that way. They may have elevated design above content, or placed Search Engine Optimization as more important than high quality content. The sad thing about that is, when you have good quality content, SEO pretty much takes care of itself, and when you start with content, and design for the content, the site design comes together more easily too.

There is nothing more important in creating a high quality website, than starting and ending with high quality content. Offer people something of genuine value - it does not matter whether you are offering it free, or at a price they can see. Either way, it has to have solid value to them, and be recognizable as good.

I cannot think of a single instance where the use of frames enhances the user experience on a website, or in which it would make the use or function of the site more efficient.

Frames are usually used for the convenience of the web designer - when they do not wish to have to update links across an entire site, or when they want to show off that they can do it. Sometimes they are used in an attempt to conceal web code from the site user. They do not enhance the user experience in any way.

Frames also interfere with efficient indexing by search engines. This is especially key to shoestring startups, who need all the free traffic they can get! Putting your site into frames only creates another obstacle you will have to overcome in your marketing.

Some site designers make the mistake of making all links open into frames within the site - including off-site links. While this does keep your site visible, it also annoys the visitor when they want to get OUT of your site, or when they want to just see the other site without your frames around it.

Frames are rarely used by professional web designers. When they are used, it is only with a compelling reason for doing so.

They were sort of a fad about 5 years ago. The latest thing that someone could do, so everyone wanted to prove they could do it too. They allowed designers to produce a modular site design, where you could put site-wide elements into a section that you could update globally by just changing one file. A nifty idea, but one that caused problems in other areas.

The glow quickly wore off, as frames were found to be inconvenient, and since they introduced unnecessary complications. Most importantly, the search engines failed to index framed sites accurately, and a huge amount of SEO benefit was lost when using frames.

Today, EVERY HTML editing program has the capacity to produce sites with frames very simply. So simply that new site designers see it and just have to try it. There seems to be a compulsion in some new designers to make things as complex as possible, as though by doing so they can impress everyone by showing off their skills. Trust me, using frames is NOT the way to do it!

When you use frames in a site that could just as easily be designed using a simple template, no one is impressed by your prowess. It will make you look unskilled, rather than skilled. Even plain, unpretentious HTML pages with no frills look more professional.

Most HTML editors now have a way to handle global navigation, or to use "shared content blocks" or "global content blocks" so you can do rapid site-wide updates of key elements. There is no reason to use frames when you could spend the time setting up the time saving features that a program offers that will give you just as much design assistance.

If you want a modular site design that requires less updating, then take the time to learn to use a PHP based Content Management System. It will serve you better, be more flexible, and even be more search engine friendly in most cases.

Frames are another application of the rule for always choosing the simplest manner of creating a site. Use the least complex option to get the job done predictably and functionally.

Many web design clients fail to understand that one thing you do not want to do with a website, is put a sign up that says "under construction". I have had to explain this to quite a few clients myself - and they were all intelligent business people.

Under construction signs seem like such a logical thing to do. People figure they can get their site up, register it, get people coming in, and just put a sign on each page they have not yet finished. Bad Idea!

First of all, you gain no advantage by doing so. You are better off just adding the pages later, rather than putting them in before you have them finished. If you MUST put them up and finish them slowly, there are much better things to do.

"Under Construction" signs are a red flag to search engines, and to people. They tell them outright that you are not finished, and have nothing of value on the page. It is much better to put a notice like this:

"We have a lot of (name item) to put on this page, we request your patience while we get it ready for you. In the mean time, if you have questions, or need (specific item), please email us at (email address)... We'd be happy to help you personally."

This kind of notice lets your customers know what you have, and where they can get it if they want to email. It is NOT a substitute for real content, but it is better than a notice that tells everyone that you aren't prepared.

If you take this course of action, it is advisable to get real content into place as quickly as possible, even if it is just one or two bits - a paragraph or two if it is information, a product or two if it is a sales site. Any little bit will tell them you really are working on it, and it will help you get indexed by the search engines and bring you more traffic, sooner.

Avoid the "Under Construction" plague, it will just harm your business, both with people, and with search engines.

All Caps equals a perception of rudeness, and is the equivalent of shouting online. All Lower Case equals a perception of Low Intelligence online.

You see this more in emails than on websites, but some website authors still are too lazy to use the shift key.

All Caps is harder to read than standard text. You should not use it unless you need to for emphasis, or for shorter titles or headings. Use your shift key. Practice good typing.

If you fail to use the shift key when you type, in either direction, your site visitors will view you as lazy, and incompetent. They will not credit you with the attention to detail necessary to meet their needs. They will automatically lower your IQ in their minds by about 40 or more points.

So even if you are just producing information, it will not be viewed as RELIABLE information. It will be suspect, and your site will lack the credibility necessary to build trust. To site visitors who see high quality text everywhere else, your site will be viewed as low quality, before they have really even READ the content.

It's a small thing, that leaves a huge impression.

Being a new webmaster can be a challenge. There are a thousand different ways you can go and a thousand different things you can do. Here are five powerful tips to help you gain a good understanding of what you really need to do to make your website a success.

Tip One: Realize that your website is not a website; It is a collection of web pages. And each web page is an individual unit that should stand on its own. This sounds funny but it is very true, and very important, particularly for the new webmaster. The large search engines have made the web one big website. People search for things and will re-search and flip through websites with no concern for website loyalty. They are looking for answers to their questions and the search engines have made it easy to use the whole web as an answer finding tool. You will, over time build visitor loyalty but it will only come once visitors develop confidence in the quality of your website.

Tip Two: People will not click on your advertisements, product banners, or other affiliate sales stuff unless you give them a reason to. No need to put up pages with lots of affiliate links in the hope of making revenue -unless you give them good content that helps them make a decision to buy. If you put up recommended products for them to buy you need to explain to them the benefits, features, and the pros and cons of the product. Web customers come in two different types. The first type is ready to buy. And they will go directly to the big retailers. The second type and this is the type you are looking for, is gathering information that will help them make a good buying decision. Give them good information and give them the tools they need to make an informed buying decision. If they want to buy something they will just go to the big online retailers. Your role as a little webmaster is to enhance their understanding and help them in unique ways to make buying decisions.

Tip Three: This is the most important tip. One great page with good content is worth more than a thousand pages of junk. You can build up a website with all kinds of topics, navigation, buying pages and lots more; you can have a great structure with pages about all the sub-topics in your subject and it will all mean nothing if there is no terrific content there. Each page must be a standalone unit that informs your visitor or solves a visitor's problem. Don't focus your energy on building a website. Focus your energy on making one good web page. Then repeat that process with a new page. If you can manage to make one good web page a day you will, over time, have a very successful website.

Tip Four: The right psychology of having a website. Your website should be about a specific subject and you should have some expertise in that subject. Sit back and think about the questions people ask in your subject then do your absolute best to answer those questions. This will draw people to your site and over time they will transform from one hit visitors to loyal and frequent visitors who listen to your opinions and buy based on your suggestions and recommendations. Tip Five: The most important trait you should develop is the trait of persistence. It takes time for you to build a website. And it takes time for the search engines and other sites to notice you. You should develop a schedule of regular work where you add new content to your site on a regular basis -daily if possible. And don't give up. Just keep plugging away at your website even if you are getting no visitors. They will come with time. And the search engines will notice and appreciate your work. You will see that your pages climb in the search engine rankings. It just takes persistence.

Bonus Tip: Your website should be about a subject that you are either passionate about or have some expertise in. If you are passionate about the subject you are more likely to stick with it. And if it is a subject you have some expertise in you have a lot of great information and advice to give your web visitors. If you are both passionate about your subject and you have expertise in it you have a winning combination that will bring you success with your site.