Did you know by just changing the color of your copy can change your translations and sales? It’s true. Certain colors have the power to affect our emotions. This means choosing the colors for your website is not a black-and-white decision.

Matching Your Niche to the Right Color

You want your website to fit your niche and audience, right? Some topics lend themselves to certain colors. For example, if it’s a website about love and romance you might use red or purple colors on the site. Take a look at these colors below and the emotions they suggest:

Here is a list of some of the common colors and what type of psychological emotion they invoke in people:

* RED – Red colors are generally associated with love, passion, romance, danger, excitement, action, and adventure. Red is also a great color if you want to grab someone’s attention. It’s often used in the headline on a sales page. Studies have shown it generated a higher conversion rate than other colors.

* BLUE – Blue often represents calmness. It is often used to exhibit a professional image. It’s associated with trustworthiness and success. It’s a symbol of water, purity, and cleanliness.

* GREEN – Green often represents money. It also represents sustainable living, health, and nature. Green is another calming color that symbolizes life.

* ORANGE – Orange often represents or evokes creativity, celebration and fun.

* PURPLE - Purple stands for passion. It’s also commonly used to represent royalty, luxury and fantasy.

* WHITE – White is clean. It is simple and it is innocent.

* YELLOW – Yellow isn’t a color commonly used on websites. Yellow can cause people to feel irritated or anxious. However, it can also represent playfulness and fun. Many people associate pale yellow with youth.

* PINK – Pink is a soft color. It’s also a very feminine color. It’s great for love, baby girls, women’s health and even young girls’ fashion and interests.

* BROWN – Brown is an earthy color. It represents simplicity, matter-of-fact attitudes and nature.

* BLACK – Black, while it can be dark and mysterious, is also solid. It’s a color that leaves no room for doubt.

Do the colors on your website presently support the image you want to portray? Do they have the desired effect on your prospects and visitors? If you’re unsure, consider making minor changes and testing the results. Test the color of your headline, background, and forms and see if they make a change.

If you own a website you are likely looking for any advantage over your competition. RSS feeds may be the advantage you’re looking for. Here’s how to integrate them into your website.

What Is an RSS Feed?

An RSS feed is a type of program that publishes any updates on your website. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a type of feed format.

Benefit of RSS Feeds

The primary benefit of an RSS Feed is that your customers and prospects are instantly notified whenever you publish new content. You’ll stay front of mind with your customers. They receive the benefit of having your information delivered to their email inbox or reader.

You can deliver the following information to your subscribers, clients and prospects:

* Blogs posts

* Published articles and content

* Forum posts and activity

* Scheduled events

* News

* Special promotions, coupons and offers

A simple RSS feed can help you connect with your customers and potential customers on a regular basis. It helps you build a community and keep them informed and connected.

You can also use an RSS Feed to provide information about your industry from other websites. For example, if you’re a website that focuses on a financial investing position, it might provide value to your visitors to see an RSS feed that’s focused on the latest financial news. The information is presented right on your website for all visitors to benefit from.

Adding an RSS Feed to Your Website

The process of adding RSS to your website varies depending on your website platform. For example, if your website is built on a WordPress template then you likely already have RSS features and functions. You simply have to activate them and modify the settings to fit your needs.

On the other hand, if you have a Joomla or other CMS based website then you may want to register with a feed management service like FeedBurner (FYI – Google now owns FeedBurner). Register, provide the necessary information, and create your code. You’ll simply cut and paste the code into your page’s html and you’re good to go.

Note that some website platforms like Joomla also have plug-ins that handle this task for you. They create a nice “RSS Feed” button and place it in an obvious and strategic location. You can generally choose the button’s appearance and the location of the subscribe option on your website.

Other website design software programs may not accept RSS technology so easily. Investigate your website platform and the possibilities. RSS technology provides a number of benefits to your readers and to your bottom line. Investigate the possibilities today.

If your website goals are falling short, you may want to take a look at your landing page. Your landing page is the home page for your website. It’s the page most people “land” on when they come to your website. From your landing page a visitor can take many actions. They can leave your site or they can click on a page or link within your site and dig a little deeper. They can take action and fill out a form, or click to make a purchase. Ultimately your landing page is a decision-making page. This means it’s critical to your success.

Is Your Landing Page Captivating?

Does your landing page capture attention? Ideally it will have a compelling headline followed by keyword-targeted content that supports the purpose of the landing page. Also, your landing page shouldn’t be distracting. Everything on that page needs to support the purpose of the page.

What’s the Purpose of Your Landing Page?

Different landing pages have different purposes. If you have a theme-based website for example, then your page’s purpose may be to inspire visitors to dig deeper. You want them to get to the pages where your affiliate and PPC links are so you can make money.

You may want visitors to sign up for your opt-in form. If so, then make sure that’s the action your landing page copy and graphics support. If your landing page is designed to motivate a sale, then you want the page to sell a product or a service. Everything on the page needs to support that action. You don’t want to distract with opt-in forms or content links.

If your landing page is struggling, take a look at it and see if the entire page supports your purpose for the page. If not, rework it.

Do You Have a Call to Action?

Regardless of your purpose, your landing page needs a call to action. Visitors need to be guided to what to do next. If this guidance is missing, they may likely click away. Support your page’s purpose with a compelling call to action.

If you want them to sign up for your opt-in list, then ask them to do so. If you want them to dig deeper and read your content and information, then tell them to click through. If you want to make a sale, provide a number of opportunities for them to make that decision and take action.

Test and Track

Test and track various elements to optimize your landing page to fit its purpose. Test which headline works best. Test which call to action works best. Test where to place your sign-up form for the best results. Split testing is easiest. You can use PPC ads to drive traffic to two nearly identical landing pages.

Because your landing page is the page where most of your traffic enters your site, it’s imperative that it support your goals. Make sure your landing page has a purpose. Follow it up and make sure each element of your page supports that purpose. Eliminate element that don’t and get rid of distractions. Optimize your landing page and you’ll optimize your business!

When you’re creating a website there are many decisions to make. In addition to your budget and the creation process, there are features and functions to think about. There are so many fantastic technologies and options that the process can definitely feel overwhelming!

#1 What’s the purpose of your website?

This is your single most important consideration when designing your site. When you know your website’s purpose there are some design options that just make sense and will fall into place. For example, if you’re going to be an affiliate marketer and your website’s purpose is strictly to provide information, then you’ll likely want a CMS or a theme-based website. Remember, purpose first then think about the options!

#2 What’s your budget?

Believe it or not, you can design a professional-looking website on just about any budget. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars in order to hire a professional. A professional can help you integrate all of the design elements and technologies to get you started & make sure it is done right the first time.

#3 Who is your audience?

Your audience plays a very important role in designing your website. Not only do you want to make sure your site is easy to navigate, you also want to make sure it appeals to your audience. If they’re cutting edge, then you’ll want a modern design. If your audience is older, then you may want a more mature look and feel.

Does your website niche fit better with video content or print content? How are you going to connect with your prospects, visitors and customers? Your site's design needs to support your audience and their needs and desires.

#4 Efficiency and logic

The appearance of your website is important but so is your user’s experience. Everything should be easy to find and obvious. Your visitors won’t have to dig for information and if they are digging it’s because you want them to. This means:

* Logical content categories

* Relevant and easy-to-access pages (for example your about, affiliate, press and FAQ pages)

* Streamlined processes (for example shopping cart, opt-in and download processes)

Before you design your site or have someone design it for you, plan it out on paper. Know exactly what your site’s purpose is and create a plan to make it happen. Research other sites in your industry. Research keywords so you know how your prospects search.

Also take a look at the various technologies that can support your site and its purpose. Some website design services offer seamless integration. Keep your visitors’ experience at the heart of every decision and you won’t go wrong.

If you are developing a website for your business you may be wondering which is the best choice – website or blog. The answer isn’t as difficult as you may think. Here’s how to make the right choice for you and your business goals.

#1 Business model and purpose

Yes, both websites and blogs, can support just about any type of business model. If your business model relies on the publishing of timely information, then a blog is likely better. However, if your business is meant to sell a product or service, then a website may be a better choice.

#2 Maintenance and time

How much time do you have to devote to the upkeep and maintenance of your business? A blog still relies on consistently publishing content. Despite contrary “rules” about blogging, you don’t have to blog every day or several times a day. However, people who subscribe to blogs do expect regular updates of new content. You can schedule your posts but it does require a bit more maintenance on your end. A website can be left alone for a month or two without any issues.

#3 Personality and ease of use

Some of your decision will be based on your personality. What format do you prefer to use? A blog is very easy to update and utilize. You may need help to find, install and set up the right plug-ins. You may also need help customizing a theme or adding a custom header. However, by and large blogs are very easy to use.

Websites can be trickier for some. That being said, many website developers and design software make the user interface quite simple. You can modify pages and add content without needing to learn or understand a design language.

#4 Goals

Quite often a blog and a website work well together. A website sells. A blog drives traffic and brands the business. A blog can speak to a niche within your niche. For example, General Motors has a main website. They also have a blog that is basically car talk. It’s for car enthusiasts and its run by a head honcho at GM. He loves cars. The blog helps brand General Motors and it connects prospects and customers to the business. It builds a community.

Before you make a decision about whether a blog or a website is right for you, consider these points. What’s the purpose of your site? What will offer the best customer experience? What will be easiest for you to use and maintain? Finally, what will best help you achieve your goals? To your success!

One way to make sure you site is successful is through good content and making sure you have an abundance of content on your website. Without content there’s really no reason for anyone to visit your site. Here’s why content is crucial for your site.

Value

Your content is the single biggest value you offer prospects and visitors. Each time a new visitor comes to your site, they’re looking for one thing. They’re looking for information. Content is information.

Now, you don’t have to provide content in the form of articles or reports. You can provide audio content, video content or even snippets of content like tips and quotes. There’s a huge variety to the type of content your website can offer. Consider offering the type of content that your audience best responds to. Make sure it fits your business goals and provides value to your visitors and prospects.

Traffic

Content is what search engines look for when they’re indexing your site and how they know what your site is about. It’s also how many of your website visitors find you. They type into their search engine the keywords or the words that describe the information they’re searching for. The search engine provides them with a list of website results. They click on one or many of these results and they end up on your website. None of this would happen without content.

Sales and Profits

Regardless of your business model, content helps you make money. Content helps you establish credibility and authority with your visitors. This gives them confidence to buy from you. Content also helps you establish your brand. It helps prospects like you. Again, this is a buying trigger. People buy from people they like.

Content also helps persuade. When you present information that offers value, your visitors can make an informed decision. They can solve their problems based on the guidance and solutions you provide.

How Much Content Is Enough?

Honestly, as long as your content provides value and supports your goals and your visitors, you can never have too much. Create a plan to add content to your website on a regular basis. Stay in touch with trends, hot topics, your customers’ needs and problems.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how much content you have to have on your site. Create your content plan to help you meet your goals. Each piece of content you publish should have a goal and a purpose – even if the purpose is simply to inform.

Create a plan that matches your visitors’ needs with your own budget, time and goals. If you want your website and business to succeed, make sure to include content as part of your long-term strategy.

Every single feature you offer on your website needs to have a proven role and purpose and most of the time they aren’t very easy to identify. In general, if it doesn’t help you achieve your goal then it’s best to delete it to avoid excess wording & confusion for your customers. Here’s why:

* Most bells and whistles distract customers from your overall objective and purpose. For example, if you want a visitor to make a purchase then a flash graphic is generally nothing more than a distraction.

* Most bells and whistles slow your website down. A fancy graphic or internal program slows down the upload time. If it takes too long for your site to upload then you’re going to lose potential visitors. That’s certainly not good. If your website doesn’t upload in a matter of seconds, ten or less, it’s time to shrink files and eliminate heavy graphics.

* Most bells and whistles don’t offer tangible value. Think about it for a moment; what value does a fancy website graphic add to your customer’s experience? What value or benefit do they gain? If the answer is nothing, then get rid of it.

An add-on feature or function is good when it adds importance to your visitor’s experience. For example, a social networking feed can be redundant on some websites. However, if it helps build your following and create a community it can be a good feature to have. Some bells and whistles do make sense, but you just have to be careful to no overdo it.

Decision Time

So how do you decide if a feature is relevant for your website? How do you know if you should keep it or eliminate it? Ask yourself the following questions:

* Does it enhance your visitor’s experience?

* Does it help you achieve a business goal?

* Does it slow down your website upload time?

* Does it distract?

If you’re unsure, consider testing and tracking the data. Install the feature and then review the data. Take a look at how long people remain on your landing page. If they spend a short amount of time on your page, then the new feature may be the reason.

If possible, test the feature itself. Are people interacting with it? What do they do once they've interrelated with it? If people are staying on your website longer with the new feature, what action are they taking? Are they buying more? Are they signing up for your opt-in list? Are they reading more content?

Some bells and whistles offer value. They support business growth. Know your audience, your goals and the purpose of each add-on feature. Pay attention to the data & you will have a successful website in no time!

Is your website cool enough?
Your website could be lacking a “cool” factor. That’s why it is important to keep up with trends and technology. Visitors make a snap judgment when they visit your site. If it looks old and dated, it may discredit you. Here’s how to design a modern and cool-looking website to stay current and credible.

#1 When was the last time you updated your site?
This is the first and most basic question. If it was more than a year ago, chances are you’re missing out on the latest website trends. New technologies and website features are developed on a regular basis. You certainly don’t have to take advantage of all of them but you can freshen up and modernize your website at least once a year. 

#2 What features and functions do your prospects use?
Social networking is an easy example. Just about everyone from the age of 12 on up is using some social networking site. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace are just a few examples. If your audience is using these, then adding them to your site makes sense. It’ll help keep it up to date. It’ll also provide a connection to your audience. 

#3 What can you add or modify to enhance the experience?
Elements shouldn’t be added to your site just because they’re cool or cutting edge. They need to support your overall goals and purpose. Take a look at the technology offered today and how it might support your business. Explore how it might add value to your customers. 

For example:
* Do you use video on your site? Video is a growing trend and one that many prospects respond to.
* Are your prospects active on social networking sites? How can you add this behavior to your business model to add value?
* Can you take advantage of your prospects and visitors to add content to your site?
* Would a blog help you build or support your brand?
* Can social bookmarking build your traffic and SEO?

#4 Are your graphics, images, and colors out of date?
It’s important that your entire site create a complete image. This image should overall support your brand. Making huge changes to the look and appearance of your site can have a damaging effect. However, you can update the look of your site and still retain your existing brand image. For example, you can have a complete overhaul of your website navigation and retain your header graphics, logo and font.

Small changes can make a big difference. A simple adjustment of your font to a new and more modern-looking font can add “edge” and “cool” appeal to your site. 

If you haven’t updated your site in a while, take a look at how you can improve it. Base your considerations on your user’s experience. Make sure each change you make supports your customer and/or your business goals.

You want every single website visitor to have a positive experience while visiting your website. In order to make that happen it has to be accessible by everyone. Here are 7 easy strategies to make your website reachable.

1. CAPTCHA - If you use a CAPTCHA to verify that a user is a person and not a computer or a program, you may be eliminating some people from a user experience. Those who cannot read the CAPTCHA code may be unable to enter it correctly and they won’t have access to the information. You can add an audio portion to your CAPTCHA so visitors can hear the code and then successfully type it into their computer. You receive verification and they receive access so it’s a win for you both!

2. Tagging photos - If your images don’t load correctly or a user has them blocked, they’re missing out on part of your website. If you simply add an alt tag to your images, then everyone is able to understand your website fully. An alt tag tells your visitors what the image is if it cannot be displayed. The Americans with Disabilities Act dictates that all images must have an alt tag.

3. Small files & quick download/upload times - Large graphics and files slow a user’s ability to upload your website. Their system may simply not be able to access your site and if you have large files you're therefore making your site unreachable to many. Make sure your website images, files and graphics are all as small as they can be. Quick upload times are very much appreciated by your visitors.

4. Standard files - Make sure any content published or available on your website is available in an accessible format. For example, PDF documents are easily viewed by any system. MS Word files or WordPerfect files are not. 

5. Accessible navigation - Make sure each button, category, or action step is easy to find and understand. The more straightforward your website navigation, the easier it will be for each and every visitor to access your site’s pages. 

6. Label all form input elements - If you have a form for visitors to fill out, make sure each option of your form is labeled. This will confirm your visitors know what information is supposed to go into the form. 

7. Make links obvious - If you have links for visitors to click on, make sure they are obvious and work properly. Text links, embedded or otherwise, all need to stand out from the rest of the content. Consider bold, underlined or colored formatting to set them apart. 

The more accessible your website, the better your user’s experience. Make sure each and every visitor, regardless of their ability or technology, can experience all your site has to offer.