http://guruknowledge.org en-us http://guruknowledge.org N/A daleking@guruknowledge.org Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:17:39 -0400 20 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1739/1/Basic-Web-Pages-Every-Site-Should-Have/Basic-Web-Pages-Every-Site-Should-Have.html For the past month I've been teaching a Do-It-Yourself Website Building workshop and right now we're working on content, so I thought I'd share some of the information I gathered for the class. We'll be focusing mainly on the basics: 1. the home/welcome page, 2. the "about us" page, and 3. the "contact us" page. Ready to start the "web waltz"? And a 1-2-3, 1-2-3... daleking@guruknowledge.org (Carmina Pérez) Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1728/1/How-to-Find-the-Right-Web-Host-and-Avoid-Costly-Mistakes/How-to-Find-the-Right-Web-Host-and-Avoid-Costly-Mistakes.html One of the most important decisions you'll make as a Web site owner, Internet marketer or Webmaster, is choosing a reliable Web hosting service. Sorting through a multitude of hosting companies and making sense of the various service plans offered, can certainly be intimidating. a8cha8ch@aol.com (Hermas Haynes) Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1698/1/How-To-Build-A-Web-20-And-Social-Media-Optimized-Site-Using-WordPress/How-To-Build-A-Web-20-And-Social-Media-Optimized-Site-Using-WordPress.html The most effective way to easily build an optimized site is with WordPress. So, if you've decided to build your own Web 2.0 and social media optimized Web site, this article will give you a few steps to follow to get started. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Deltina Hay) Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1694/1/Website-Readability-101/Website-Readability-101.html During the course of a day, I often visit many websites, both for business purposes and pleasure. More often than not, I find websites that have poor readability. What do I mean by poor readability? Here are the three most common faux pas I come across: daleking@guruknowledge.org (Dale King) Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1689/1/Site-Builder-Issues---Why-Shoeless-Joe-Was-Wrong/Site-Builder-Issues---Why-Shoeless-Joe-Was-Wrong.html Unfortunately, many people are living a perfect example of if you build it, they won't come. If you build your site with a standard site builder that doesn't allow for: daleking@guruknowledge.org (Jennifer Horowitz) Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1493/1/7-Deadly-Web-Development-Mistakes/7-Deadly-Web-Development-Mistakes.html Over the last few years, I've worked with several companies in the development of larger-scale, funded Web sites. During this time, I've seen some mistakes made that can totally undermine the success of the Web project. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Marnie Pehrson) Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1486/1/Is-Your-Website-Missing-These-5-quotMust-Havesquot/Is-Your-Website-Missing-These-5-quotMust-Havesquot.html We invest so much hope into our website: hoping it will bring in new leads, hoping it will turn visitors into clients, hoping it will make our marketing easier. But hope isn't what will make your website live up to your expectations. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Kendall SummerHawk) Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1466/1/Design-tips-for-your-website/Design-tips-for-your-website.html Good design will strengthen your brand and differentiate you from your competitors. Your website's visual appeal, ease of use and downloading speed will help your visitors focus on your message. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Henriette Martel) Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1438/1/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Website-Wont-Need-a-Do-Over/How-to-Make-Sure-Your-Website-Wont-Need-a-Do-Over.html It's recess time on the elementary school playground. A group of third graders is playing kick ball in teams on the grass. Suddenly, there's a big argument over whether the last point goes to the girls' team or the boys' team. The argument rages on for what seems like forever - almost a whole minute of precious recess time has been wasted! In third grade, wasting recess is a crime! And it must be stopped before time runs out. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Erin Ferree) Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1437/1/Time-to-quotGet-Overquot-the-Rainbow-in-Your-Logo-That-is/Time-to-quotGet-Overquot-the-Rainbow-in-Your-Logo-That-is.html Ah, rainbows. They're beautiful things, stretching across the sky, like Mother Nature apologizing for wet, nasty weather. It's no wonder that so many people love them. But, love can quickly turn to hate if you use a many-colored palette in your business brand. Rainbows belong in the sky-far away from your small business   daleking@guruknowledge.org (Erin Ferree) Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1434/1/How-To-Make-Your-Website-Structurally-Sound/How-To-Make-Your-Website-Structurally-Sound.html You've decided to build a website. Great! Your first step is to determine its structure-the pages you want to include and the information you want provide to visitors. But how to begin? Your first instinct may be to make your site different from everyone else's. After all, trying to differentiate your business is what you've been doing throughout your branding process. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Erin Ferree) Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1433/1/Signs-Its-Time-To-Redesign-Your-Website/Signs-Its-Time-To-Redesign-Your-Website.html Designing your first website is a stressful undertaking. It requires you to dig deep into your business in order to write the copy for your site. You need to work with a designer and go through the process of creating a site that looks unique and works well. Plus you'll end up investing a lot of time, energy and money. And finally, after all that, you're finished and it's time for the site to go live. What a relief! daleking@guruknowledge.org (Erin Ferree) Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1395/1/Do-You-Own-Your-Website/Do-You-Own-Your-Website.html Yesterday a very dear, long-time friend called me to ask my advice about a website. “Sara” (not her real name) is just finishing a naturopathic degree and thought it would be a good idea to have a website to market her services. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Dawud Miracle) Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1377/1/Is-Your-Web-Site-Missing-These-Crucial-Conversion-Factors/Is-Your-Web-Site-Missing-These-Crucial-Conversion-Factors.html Smart online marketers never guess. They base their decisions on precise testing. Unfortunately, 90% of online marketers never test at all. However, for those that take the time to test properly, they can quickly rise above the competition. Want to know how to increase your profits without increasing your web site traffic? Proper testing and tracking is the key.   daleking@guruknowledge.org (Kim Roach) Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1331/1/10-Website-Essentials-to-Increase-Your-Sales/10-Website-Essentials-to-Increase-Your-Sales.html If you are a serious Internet Entrepreneur, your top priority must be your website. Your website is a direct reflection of you and your business. Creating a professional website designed to sell will take a great deal of time and effort, as there is much more to take into consideration than design. You must look at a much broader picture and specifically design your website to sell. admin@web-source.net (Shelley Lowery) Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1330/1/The-Secrets-to-Building-a-Successful-Website/The-Secrets-to-Building-a-Successful-Website.html If you're doing business on the Internet, one of the most important aspects of your success is your web site. If your web site doesn't look professional, no matter what product you're offering your chances of success are minimal. admin@web-source.net (Shelley Lowery) Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1326/1/Expand-Your-Market-By-Improving-Web-Page-Readability/Expand-Your-Market-By-Improving-Web-Page-Readability.html The importance of a web site being easy to read was brought home to me through personal experience with my aging mother. As a hard core Internet junkie, I felt compelled to share the wonders of the Web with her. Unfortunately, her eyesight had diminished and reading on the Web was an unpleasant experience for her. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Christine Churchill) Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1283/1/Website-Evaluation-Form-Does-Your-Site-Stink/Website-Evaluation-Form-Does-Your-Site-Stink.html When I surf the internet, I'm absolutely amazed at how many bad or poorly-designed websites there are on the world wide web. And there's really no excuse for it. Nowadays, you can build a halfway decent website for less than $100. Your website is the very first impression people have of your business. You should want to make it a good one. In that regard, I've created a website evaluation form for you to evaluate and grade your own website.   daleking@guruknowledge.org (Dale King) Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1264/1/Website-Design-Color-Me-Blue/Website-Design-Color-Me-Blue.html Chris, a new consulting client, asked me to help him increase sales on his affiliate marketing site. As he was describing his site and the problem, I thought, "This is going to be a quick fix." How wrong I was! nospam@netprofitstoday.com (Rosalind Gardner) Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1200/1/A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Search-Engine-Friendly-Web-Page/A-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Search-Engine-Friendly-Web-Page.html In a previous article (which I cannot link to here) I wrote that a search engine friendly website is not the same as a search engine optimized website. I'm using that as a jump off point for this article on the topic of building a search engine friendly website. The purpose is to simply highlight a few of the aspects that comprise a SE friendly (not necessarily optimized) website. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Stoney DeGeyter) Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1199/1/20-Ways-to-NAVIGATE-to-Higher-Conversions/20-Ways-to-NAVIGATE-to-Higher-Conversions.html A site's navigation structure is extremely important in providing a rich, friendly user experience. Well designed and implemented navigation assists in the process of helping visitors identify sections and pages of the website that interest them and then in moving them in that direction. If you're able to implement a solidly developed navigation system on your site you'll also be providing strong visual cues to the depth of content you have available. This alone can be an immediate first-impression indicator of trust. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Stoney DeGeyter) Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1198/1/25-Ways-to-DESIGN-Your-Way-to-Higher-Conversions/25-Ways-to-DESIGN-Your-Way-to-Higher-Conversions.html During the design phase of building a website all too often we find that the end result is really nothing more than what somebody decided "looked good". In some cases it's a combination (or compromise) of what a handful of individuals have determined to be "good enough". What many fail to realize is that web design and visitor usability go hand in hand. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Stoney DeGeyter) Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1197/1/7-Ways-to-Make-Your-Home-Page-a-Home-Run-for-Usability/7-Ways-to-Make-Your-Home-Page-a-Home-Run-for-Usability.html Your home page is the single most crucial page of your site. This is the page that will be the primary entry point for a majority of your visitors. It is also the page that sets the stage for the rest of the site giving visitors a birds-eye view of who you are, what you're about, what you can do for them, what you offer, and how they get the information needed. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Stoney DeGeyter) Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/1173/1/Stop-7-Important-Questions-You-Should-Ask-Before-Buying-That-Website/Stop-7-Important-Questions-You-Should-Ask-Before-Buying-That-Website.html Thousands of previously-owned websites are bought and sold every day on the Internet. Sometimes they're good deals, but often they're not. Before you purchase a previously-owned website, there are seven important questions that you should ask both yourself and the seller: daleking@guruknowledge.org (Dale King) Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/970/1/Ssssh-The-Little-Known-Secrets-To-Affordable-Website-Design/Ssssh-The-Little-Known-Secrets-To-Affordable-Website-Design.html Affordable website design services are an important commodity in today's world of computers and technology. Businesses constantly need new websites created and updated. As such, a person with knowledge of this technology can offer affordable website design services to businesses. Many website design companies also offer affordable website designs to help small businesses create a web presence that their potential customers can enjoy. With many different designs, styles, and choices available, a company can find an affordable website design with a certain amount of research. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/969/1/The-Secrets-to-Using-Website-Design-Software-to-Your-Advantage/The-Secrets-to-Using-Website-Design-Software-to-Your-Advantage.html Website design software is a great way to create your own website design. Although it may look unprofessional, the website you create with website design software can be a temporary fix until you can afford to hire a website designing company. Either way, your small company needs to have some type of online presence in order to survive in the cutthroat world of business. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/968/1/Dont-Get-Caught-Out--What-to-Expect-From-a-Web-Site-Design-Company/Dont-Get-Caught-Out--What-to-Expect-From-a-Web-Site-Design-Company.html To have a professional appearance in the online world, hiring a web site design company is your best option. They have the experience and the expert skills needed to create a fun and imaginative website that will attract a large number of prospective clients. A web site design company will think of ways to make your website design stand out from the rest, too. You can also hire a web site design company to create a personal website for you, without a business purpose at all. With their expertise and flexibility, a web site design company will create any type of website that you need. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/967/1/Architects-and-Construction-Professionals--Ideas-to-Implement-Into-Your-Website/Architects-and-Construction-Professionals--Ideas-to-Implement-Into-Your-Website.html With a construction website, many more people will see your company as a reputable competitor in the construction industry. Not only can you expose your construction company to a wider audience in need of construction services, but you can also use it to market your materials in a faster and more cost-efficient way. Whether you are just starting out in the construction industry or you have been around for years, a construction website is an ideal way to bring in more customers. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/966/1/For-Your-Consideration---Custom-Website-Design-and-its-Benefits/For-Your-Consideration---Custom-Website-Design-and-its-Benefits.html One of the biggest advantages you can do for you business is to get a custom website design. Without a custom website design, potential customers won't even give your company's website a second look. For the best possible results, hiring a custom website design company or a custom website design freelancer to create your company's website is ideal. A custom website design will undoubtedly produce the best possible results for your company's profits. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/965/1/FAQ---Common-Questions-about-Website-Design/FAQ---Common-Questions-about-Website-Design.html Any business that has plans for success needs to have web presence. Even if it's nothing more than a simple website explaining your company, many customers will not even take you seriously if you don't have a URL that they can visit to learn more about your business. Luckily, you can find many companies and freelancers who will design a quality website for your company. In this article I am hoping to address several concerns and questions you may have about website design for your business. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/964/1/The-Advantages-For-You-In-A-Custom-Web-Site-Design/The-Advantages-For-You-In-A-Custom-Web-Site-Design.html A custom web site design is a great asset to any business, regardless of its size. It not only brings more customers to your business, but also makes people remember your company. To develop web site materials that are creative, unique and compelling, you are giving your business the edge it needs to compete with other businesses. A custom web site design also gives your business that professional appearance customers trust. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/963/1/Website-Design--Development-as-a-Career/Website-Design--Development-as-a-Career.html Website design development might be a boring and mundane career, but many business owners are in dire need of its services. With more websites added to cyberspace everyday, website design development is a safe career to pursue. If you are interested in learning about website design development, you can likely find classes at your local college or university. If school is not the ideal option for you, you can also find books and other resources that can help you learn more about the flourishing careers in website design development. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/962/1/Some-Little-Known-Facts-About-Website-Design-and-Hosting-Companies/Some-Little-Known-Facts-About-Website-Design-and-Hosting-Companies.html To start a website, you can either do it yourself or you can utilize the services of a website design and hosting company. Rather than looking amateurish, though, a website design and hosting company will create professional graphics and components for your website. This will help your appear more professional in the business world and cause website visitors to remember your page and tell others about it. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/961/1/The-Importance-of-Web-Site-Design-and-Maintenance/The-Importance-of-Web-Site-Design-and-Maintenance.html Web site design and maintenance is essential to continuously attracting new customers and retaining old ones. You can generally get website design companies to create and maintain your new website for a discounted package rate. This makes your website almost hassle-free, so you can concentrate on improving your products or services instead. With an attractive website, you can increase your customer potential and your bottom line. lee@leehopkins.com (Lee Hopkins) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400 http://guruknowledge.org/articles/838/1/ECommerce-Website-Design---12-Quick-Tips-for-Beginning-Webmasters/ECommerce-Website-Design---12-Quick-Tips-for-Beginning-Webmasters.html Effective ecommerce web site design is almost an art unto itself, but it can be managed by even the most rank beginner if a few underlying concepts and principles are attended. Whether starting from scratch with an HTML editing software, or with a ready made free web site template, it's imperative to work toward presenting a good impression on the first visit, especially on the Internet where those first impressions are made in a matter of seconds, and second chances are rare. Here are a few ecommerce web site design tips that will help to quickly gain a visitor's interest, and keep her browsing for more. daleking@guruknowledge.org (Dan B. Cauthron) Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400