Oops, you guessed it, there's nothing here. Too bad huh? Now you'll just have to stop what I'm writing and do it yourself.
. . . .
Hompage Connection - a home is what you make of it.
Now you can get custom build homepages, right here at Atom Space. Here's the deal:
1)Fill out the form below with your email address and a title for your homepage.
2)Fill in as many fields as you would like, first write down all the section names, followed by the links for the proper section. Then, once you've typed those in, choose the layout style from the previous step.
3)Finally, submit other information or comments that you would like to add to the design process.
4)When you've received you completion email, set your internet browser to your assigned homepage URL (Sorry AOL users). To do this in Internet Explorer, go... In Netscape Navigator... in Opera Speed Browser do...
PLUS) If you ever care to update, simply go here and add/change any features which you deem fit.
- It's as simple as writing an email, and as hard as making a list.
Most interactive marketing types, whether they are agencies working for/with clients or in house personnel typically just measure a company’s return for a specific process or period of time. Many never think to actively monitor what a company’s competitive position is vis-ŕ-vis Search Engines or Directory Listings, the number of links they have pointing back to their web site or what type of "net buzz" is being generated (positive or negative) via the Usenet/Newsgroup community - in short, its digital warfare and the fog of war is obscuring the battle lines.
By Lee Traupel from WebProNews
Other ideas in design
Search Engine Software For Your Web Site
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/resources/software.html
1. Design for Clickthrough
Once you’ve decided that you want you banner to attract visitors to your site, it’s time to design! There are many elements you can include to increase the number of clicks your banner generates.
Use prompting words:
Using words that prompt the user to take immediate action will have a positive effect on the results of a banner advertisement. Words such as "Click Here", "Click to Visit", "Visit Now!", and "Free!" are good examples, and can increase the likelihood of clickthrough.
Create a sense of urgency:
For a visitor to click on your banner, they must get the impression that the information on your site is more important than the site they’re currently viewing. To achieve this, you'll need to create a sense of urgency. Phrases such as "Hurry!, “Only while stocks last" and "Available for a limited time!" exemplify the kind of language that makes users click.
Keep it simple:
Keep your banners clear and simple. It’s the job of the banner to get the user to click through. And it’s the job of the Website to provide information about your products and services. So optimize your banner space with elements that generate clickthrough.
Format for success:
Your banner’s colour scheme is very important. Follow these guidelines to ensure a successful palette:
choose complimentary colours that grab the users’ attention
keep the colour scheme constant throughout the banner, especially if you’re using animation
ensure key words such as "Free" and "Click Here" stand out
Make your banner look interactive:
One technique you will have seen is to make your banner look like you can click on individual parts of it. You can do this by adding “buttons,” and other objects the user is familiar with clicking on. Banners that simulate the "Windows" environment have become quite common.
Target your audience:
Targeting is the key to effective banner design. Be sure to think about the kinds of things your target audience would be familiar with, interested in, and are likely to click on.
By: Brad Culbert @ sitepoint.com
--------------------------
What Killed The Banner Ad?
If you ask the Internet marketers of today, many if not most of them will tell you that banner advertising is dead. They say that it's expensive, the click-through rates are low and that unless you know exactly what you're doing, it is likely that you'll end up spending more money than you'll make.
Surprisingly, just a few years ago the same people were rushing to invest their money in banner advertising campaigns. In those happy days, the click-through rates were at least ten times as high as they are now. What has happened? Has the audience become more resistant to Internet advertising in general? Or perhaps the whole concept of banner advertising has become obsolete and we'll need to think of new ways of reaching people?
Perhaps, perhaps. There is certainly at least some truth to these claims, but they are hardly the only reasons behind the current crisis. Personally, I think that those responsible for planning the banner advertising campaigns are largely to blame for what has happened. The difference between the successful banner advertising of yesterday and the pathetic banner advertising of today is vanity.
Vanity? Sounds odd, but you'll only need to look at the banners displayed on a few popular sites to see what I mean. They have a nice-looking background, a beautiful picture or two, a professionally-designed logo, smooth animation and bright, pleasant colors. In a nutshell, those banners are works of art and that is exactly why they perform so badly.
More Marketing, Less Graphics
Unless you are trying to brand your business, your main focus should not be on what your banners look like. Pay attention to how many sales you make and how high your ROI is, forget the aesthetics.
Some readers may be worried that such an approach might damage their reputation in the eyes of the consumers. Unless the ads look good, they might affect the company's brand negatively. Large, well-known businesses definitely should worry about that, but if you're a small business, you shouldn't over-emphasize the importance of branding. You've probably seen hundreds or thousands banners in the past weeks, but can you remember what even twenty of them looked like and what company or product they were advertising?
Without any further ado, here are some tips on how to make your banners look worse but perform better:
Don't Camouflage Your Banners
Many banners co-exist in harmony with the design of the site they are displayed on. While this makes the site look better, it also prevents anyone from noticing what the poor advertiser is trying to say. Instead of allowing your banners to fade into the background, do everything possible so that they will stand out. Make it clear that your banner is something that should be clicked, not merely stared at.
In practice, this goal can be achieved by utilizing Windows-style navigational elements, notes instructing users to "click here" and colors that contrast with those used on the site. The result won't look like something you'd want to frame and hang on your wall, but it will be effective.
Easy With The Graphics
Pictures of attractive persons or tropical islands may be nice to look at, but they also increase the time it takes for your banner to load. If your banner is placed near the top of the page and doesn't appear instantly, the audience will scroll down the page and never see it. Images also take up quite a bit of space and may force you to limit the amount or the size of the text used in the banner.
A good rule of thumb is that unless the picture is somehow essential in convincing the user to click, drop it. When advertising a sweepstakes, adding a picture of a pile of cash can feel like a good idea. However, in many cases a text screaming "WIN $10.000" would be just as effective and would load up much, much faster.
Cut To The Chase
Banners are not TV commercials. You'll have to continuously fight to get the attention of your audience and you'll also need to fight to retain it. Long-winded advertisements that take ten seconds before even mentioning what is being advertised may work on TV, but not on the Internet.
Following these instructions, which essentially tell you to create banners that look simple and perhaps even a bit unprofessional, might seem foolish. But simple, straight-forward banners that stand out get clicked on.
Banner advertising is not a beauty contest. It's a sales contest. At the end of the day, what matters is whether your banners helped you make a profit, not how cool they looked.
About the Author:
Lauri Harpf runs the A Promotion Guide website, where he offers free
tips on how you can use banners, search engines and other methods to
promote your site. (MarketingProfs.com)