You can also read this article about FrontPage, which contains a link to an online tutorial for learning how to use program. http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/FrontPage.html

Or, if you’d rather have someone else create your Web site for you, look in your yellow pages and find someone locally. Or, try Look Sharp Designs, which will create Web sites for a very reasonable price. And, their designer also knows how to create Web sites that are “search engine friendly,” which is a big consideration when looking for a Web designer.

http://www.looksharpdesigns.com

Web site design –

If at all possible, keep your Web site design very simple. Don’t use frames, excessive graphics, database-generated pages, Flash home pages, or lengthy JavaScript. Each of these design strategies can present problems for you when you’re trying to get a good ranking with search engines, which is where you’ll probably get majority of your traffic.

So, if you hire a professional Web designer, make sure he or she knows that you want design kept simple.

Let’s face it – when YOU go to a Web site, you would much prefer a simple Web site, wouldn’t you? You want to find what you’re looking for quickly and easily. You don’t want to have to spend time trying to find something. And, you don’t want to see a Flash movie that crashes your computer or that keeps you from getting into site where real content is. You want CONTENT!

In fact, one study shows that Americans experience “search rage” if they don’t find what they’re looking for within 12 minutes.

Keep that in mind when you’re designing your own site. Use simple, clear navigation. Include a site map that has links to all of pages in your site. This site map is valuable to both your users and search engines.

Keep graphics to a minimum, and only use them when you want to point eye to a certain location.

When you use graphics, here’s something else to consider.

Let’s say that you are a real estate agent, and your home page is covered with your awards, a picture of you, and maybe logo of your company. Do you think your visitors care about your awards or your picture? No! They want to see pictures of houses you’re selling! They want to learn about schools in that area or crime rate. They want to see a mortgage calculator. They want to see content! Put yourselves into shoes of your visitors, and think about what your visitors want to see, not what YOU want to show them.

If you use a picture of a house on main page of your site, use a picture that has a happy, smiling family in front of house, obviously pleased with new home that you’ve sold them. The visitors will automatically put themselves into picture with happy family, and they’ll be more receptive to becoming a potential home buyer. But, just a picture of a home on main page of your site doesn’t evoke those emotions.

Or, if you sell toys, don’t just have pictures of toys. Have pictures of smiling children playing with toys! Appeal to emotions of your Web site visitors.

Keep in mind another thing regarding graphics. The search engines can’t “see” graphics. So, if you have a page that is loaded with graphics, there’s no way that engines can know what page is about. Therefore, offer a paragraph or two of text above images that describes what page is about. Give engines something to index, and your pages will have a better chance of visibility in search engines.

Build valuable content --

When people come online, they generally aren’t looking to buy something. Instead, they are looking for information. Consider your own Web site. What information can you provide that would help attract visitors (and search engines) to your site?

Let’s say that you have a local store that sells TV’s. Could you create content that would be beneficial and possibly provide cost savings to your Web visitors? For example, are there any little tips you could offer to extend life of a TV? Or, could you write content that focuses on latest innovations in TV’s? What about a page that deals with history of television? The more content you build, stronger you’re making your Web site, and better chance you have that visitor will return. Plus, as a huge bonus, engines love a content-rich site, so you’re boosting your chances at better search engine rankings.

Remember that you’re also “introducing” your online business to these visitors. You’re creating name recognition and credibility. So, when visitors are in market for a TV, won’t they consider an online business that they can trust? Make it your goal to be that online business!

More to come later

As you can see, we’ve just scratched surface when it comes to having a successful online business. In next month or so, I'll cover more tips, which I hope will help you turn your Web sites into true online businesses that will make you some money.

In meantime, you may want to take some training that will help boost your chances at achieving online success. Here are a couple of choices:

Search Engine Workshops offers on location workshops in search engine marketing to both beginners and advanced folks. These workshops are held in various locations across globe. http://www.searchengineworkshops.com

The Academy of Web Specialists offers online courses in search engine marketing, where you can take beginning or advanced classes online in comfort of your own home. http://www.onlinewebtraining.com/courses.html

Copyright 2003 Robin Nobles. All rights reserved.

4.Add your site to Open Web Directory and major search engines. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to search engine submission. Forget about sales hype that tells you to add your URL to 300, 000 search engines. Only a few search engines and directories provide lion's share of Internet traffic. If your site is in good shape, no longer under construction, then go to www.dmoz.org. This is Open Web Directory. Find category where your site fits, and make a submission. If you are accepted here your site will appear in many search engines and local directories that use results from Open Web Directory. Inclusion in this directory usually takes time but it will help you a lot. Similarly submit your site to Google, Alta Vista and All The Web, these are remaining giants where you can submit for free.

5. Start a reciprocal links campaign - Once you have given yourself a link from your other sites or from your designer's page, you can go out and ask other complementary sites for links. As I mentioned, these incoming links will help your page rank in searches but they will also generate traffic. If you can find specialized sites or directories dealing with your particular product or service, then a link on one of these sites can provide a large amount of targetted traffic.

6.Write an article about your product or service - If you have a website chances are that you are an expert in field that your site is all about. Write an article about your product or service, or write an article related to subject matter of your site. Submit article online to various websites and e-mail lists dealing with your topic. The publication of your article in a big e-zine, or on a popular web site can get your new site off to a roaring start.

7. Promote Your Site Off-line - Now that you have a site, put URL on your stationary, on your cars and trucks, in your brochures, business cards, your newspaper and TV advertising, and circulars. You can also put it on hats, t-shirts, mugs and other items. The cafepress.com has a program enabling you to put your URL on these items and even sell them online.

If you follow all or some of these steps your new site will definitely receive visitors and within a short period can become an important asset to you.