Animated graphics, who is guilty of those? I know I am, and it's understandable as they are cute and neat to look at. Or are they? Too many things flashing on your site is not appealing. Also, too many graphics will draw attention away from what is really important - and that is your text. Your text is your message to your visitors. If you insist on having them on your site then I suggest just having maybe one. Make sure your visitor focuses more on your text, not graphics.

Another point to keep in mind is “keyword rich text”. You want to mention your keywords throughout your website. Every chance you get mention your keywords. Work them into your sentences. When writing articles make sure you add some of your keywords to your article title. This also helps your website get noticed by SE (search engines).

I write this article because I want everyone to learn from my mistakes. I am guilty of all of above. It took a new computer to realize how loud my color was (old computer color looked dull) . After realizing how bright it was I panicked. It was like a slap in face because I thought what an awful color and if I thought that of my own site what were my visitors thinking? I asked advice of a good friend and thank god this friend is open and honest in her opinions. She helped me to take a step back and really look at my site. My only thoughts were, “What have I been thinking?”

I don’t even remember when or how my site got point it did. I felt like I had this whole other life I knew nothing about and that person was taking over designing of my site. But thanks to new computer and my good friend, I have taken control back of my site and since I have done so visitors to my site have actually doubled and length of visit has also increased. I am back on road to success.

Once you have your collection created or organized you can now work on information side of your collection. Assign your collection or product names, titles, or SKU numbers. Write up descriptions for each piece or group. Be as informative and descriptive as you can. Put yourself in consumer or viewer’s place and think about what information you would need to know in order to make a proper buying decision. You do not want to be vague here at all. Your description not only aids your buyer, but it also protects you as a seller. Describing your product or service honestly, prevents any likelihood of surprise to your buyer. As a result you should have less returns and refunds and more customer satisfaction.

Once you have developed your collection or product sheet, make a column for pricing. Pricing can often be most challenging task of designing a web front mainly because you are being asked to place a price on yourself and your own value. This is especially true if services you provide are rendered creative. A normal or typical marketing tactic is to research your competitors and get an idea of market value of your product. If you are working in a creative field or freelance field you can search for guilds that offer pricing guidelines.

After you get an overview or others’ pricing then you need to realistically figure out what it will cost you to perform your services. You want to consider amount of time you spend on a project, cost of materials, tax you will have to pay, and cost of shipping and or transportation. Your cost may be very different than your competitors. Pricing is a personal choice and decision, so base it on what you believe item to be worth. You want competitive prices, but worthy prices. The biggest mistake I see creative people make is under pricing themselves. Buyers believe they get what they pay for, so make your pricing valuable to them.

Develop a confidence in your work, but back that confidence with experience and knowledge. Believe that what you are creating has a value to more people than just yourself. Most importantly, be excited! Your enthusiasm will be conveyed in every area of your work. If you are not excited, then you need to go back to step 1 and reevaluate what your purpose is.

Your challenge for this month is to get organized in your personal and mental space, organize or create your collection, and then write effective descriptions for your works or products. During this process, continue to network and continue to learn and you will develop your path… your purpose.