1. Ecommerce website design : Part I
How To Create Photorealistic Post-It Pop-Up
Have you seen one of those post-it pop-up? The one that looks so realistic, with awesome shadow
effect. If you don't know what I am talking about, try opening the following website:
http://myhobbybooks.com/wowpop
They look awesome don't they?
And something like this is always good for your web marketing campaign. One reason, it never gets
blocked by pop-up blockers. And another, it really grabs the attention of your web visitors.
This is good when you want to increase subscription rate to your ezine, or promote an affiliate program,
or even increase sales.
But you wonder, how do they do it? You thought that you can achieve similar result, and you try, and
try, and try... you tried GIF image, JPG image, none of those can get the job done.
But there's one thing that you just don't know. Many pro web programmers know this, but not the
normal web designers ... maybe even most web designers don't know how to do this.
The secret is in PNG image format.
PNG image format is the little-known image format that you can use on the web. PNG image format is
unique because you can do the Alpha effect with it. The Alpha effect is where you set transparency
factor on certain areas on the PNG image. That is what makes the shadow looks so real.

2. With the Alpha effect, you can set transparency factor from 0% to 100%. So it can be 30% transparent,
50% or even 79%. Have a look at the pop-up again, and take a close look at the shadow - Now you know
how it's done.
But there is just one problem - Internet Explorer don't really support PNG image format. While you can
still call PNG image format using the IMG tag, Internet Explorer ignores Alpha factor. In Internet
Explorer, PNG image just don't appear properly.
So how do we solve this ...
Luckily you can still call PNG image in Internet Explorer and have the Alpha reflected using a special CSS
command. It's the AlphaImageLoader().
But this will lead to another problem. Before you can call the PNG image, you first need to identify the
browser your web visitor is using. If the visitor is using Firefox, Opera, Netscape or any others, you can
call the PNG using the IMG tag. But if it's Internet Explorer, you need to use the AlphaImageLoader().
And of course, this can always be solved with a bit of Javascripting. And with a little more Javascript and
CSS, you can have the PNG image floating over your web content. You can even make the pop-up
disappear using the OnClick event trigger.
If you'd like a complete code and PNG image to your own photorealistic post-it pop-up, try visiting WOW
Pop-Up. Below is the URL address for WOW Pop-Up where you can get a free set of the code and the
PNG graphic.
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few
thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere
pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details!
Ecommerce website design : End of Part I

3. How to Create Your First One-Page Sales Web Site
Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter
Most one-page web sites (also called one-page sales letter web sites or mini web sites) have only one
purpose -- to sell a product. My conversion to the one-page web site strategy has been a reluctant one,
as I hate reading all the sales copy. However, the facts don't lie -- one page web sites written like a
lengthy sales letter are one of the most effective ways to sell you product online. Most people don't
actually read anything online. Instead, they scan a page, seeking out info that is bold, in a larger font
size, in a different color, or in a bulleted format. Consequently, Internet marketers have discovered that
the most important information about your product needs to catch the reader's eyes as they scan the
page.
Here's what you need to get started:
1. A niched product for an easily identifiable target market. One-page web sites work best if you have a
product for a very specific niche market, like an ebook on how to teach a parrot to talk, an ecourse on
how to start your own bead jewelry making business, or a set of CDs on how to teach yourself to play
the piano. You need to be able to identify and describe your target market, from determining what the
target market needs and what they'll pay for (as well as how much they will pay) to what publications
they read, what groups/associations do they belong to, and where they hang out both on- and offline.
Make sure you know something about your target market before proceeding to the next step.
2. A domain name. The domain name for your one-page site should mirror or closely resemble your
product name, or a prominent feature of your product. So, for example, if you are a hypnotherapist and
you have a podcast that you're selling on how to use self-hypnosis to lose weight, then you'd want to try
and get a domain name like LoseWeightFast.com. Try and get the .com version of your domain name if
possible, but if that's not available, seek out the hyphenated version of the .com domain name.
If you have an existing web site, your domain name can be forwarded and masked to an internal page of
your website so that it appears like a separate website without having to pay for additional hosting.
UltranetDomains.com is where I purchase all of my domains, and they offer domain forwarding and
masking as a part of their domain registration service.

4. If you don't currently have a web site, you need to determine what your online business needs will be in
the next few months to determine what type of hosting and website services you might need.
3. A give-away. You have two goals for your one-page web site: get the contact info from your visitors
and convert them into paying customers. The best way to obtain contact info from a visitor is to create
a related information product (ebook, electronic tips booklet, special report, podcast or other audio file,
ecourse, video, etc.) in which the content is so compelling that the visitor gladly parts with his/her name
and primary email address to obtain the free giveaway. You can also create a special offer, say a trial
period for $1, and offer access only to those who will give you their contact info. By giving you their
contact information, they have become a warm lead and you can start to develop a relationship with
them.
4. Your product. There are any number of products you can create to sell online. The ones that are
easiest to create and require little investment (other than your time to create them) and are available by
an electronic download include an ebook or special report, a podcast (audio recording of an interview or
telelcass), or an ecourse. Of these, you probably have almost everything you need to create an ebook. I
recommend that you format in ebook in a word processing program, like Microsoft Word. You'll then
want to format it into a locked PDF document so that it's more difficult to illegally copy. I also
encourage you to use a PDF program that allows you to create clickable links in your document so that
your buyers can easily click on web sites from your ebook. I prefer the Adobe Acrobat program to
create PDF documents, as Adobe PDF has both of these features, but there are a number of low-cost or
free programs available that will permit you to convert basic word processing files to PDF format.
To make your product more appealing, you need to have a cover created. This cover can actually serve
as the cover of the virtual product, and you can use it as an icon in emails and in your shopping cart as a
visual representation of your product. There are a number of graphic artists who create ebook and other
product covers, and there are several pieces of software you can purchase to create your own. I've
never been too happy with the results from software, so I hire Heather Colman of
CustomDesignCovers.com, who does an incredible job.
5. A merchant account. In order to collect payments, you need to be able to take credit card payments
online. I use and highly recommend Practice Pay Solutions,
http://www.profcs.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=127926, a company that works with many coaches,
consultants and speakers. Your merchant account company needs to offer a "virtual terminal", which
lets you enter and process transactions online and interfaces with your shopping cart program. The
most commonly used virtual terminal is that provided by Authorize.net. If you don't want to invest in a

5. merchant account, you can begin by using third-party processors like PayPal or ClickBank, but they offer
less flexibility than a full merchant service.
6. Shopping cart software. Ultimately, your shopping cart software will be a workhorse for you and
enable you to automate many functions of your online business. The cart that I highly recommend is
KickStartCart.com, http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?pr=31&id=5940, which offers a great deal of
flexibility in how you list and bundle products, gives buyers a 24-hour download URL for downloading
your electronic product, has built-in autoresponders so you can automatically follow up with your
buyers, and an email broadcast function so that you can send out special notices to the customers or
prospects on your list.
7. A squeeze page. A squeeze page offers the visitor access to some piece of information in exchange
for the visitor parting with his name and primary email address. The information has been "squeezed"
out of the visitor, hence the name of the page. On this page you'll want to have an attractive graphic,
compelling headline, a short list of benefits that the visitor will receive if the visitor gives you his contact
info immediately, and a form for the visitor to fill out to receive the information.
8. The sales letter page. This is the primary sales page of your one-page web site, containing a long
sales letter with benefits of your product and testimonials of others who've used the product, There's a
formula for writing an effective one-page sales letter site, and I use a program called Instant Sales Letter
Generator, http://www.ebookgenerator.com/cmd.php?Clk=1227194 that helps me by asking me a
series of questions that will enable me to create the copy for the page. The formula for a one-page sales
letter web site is generally an attention-getting headline, a strong opening statement, body of the letter
that outlines the features and benefits of what you're offering, the actual offer itself, and then asking for
the sale. Most pages are constructed very similarly. If you look at any of the web sites of the major
Internet marketers, you'll find this style used again and again.
9. Follow-up auto responders. The ability to continue to reach out and "touch" your prospective
customers is key in developing a relationship with them so that they move from a prospective customer
to a purchasing customer. I usually create a series of 6-10 or so autoresponders that are sent out over
the 3 weeks following a purchase to check in with the purchaser, or to interest the purchaser in another
item. The shopping cart service I use has autoresponders built in. Other reliable autoresponder services
include Aweber.com and GetResponse.com.

6. 10.. Traffic to the site. Because your site is only one page, it will be virtually ignored in the organic
search engine ranking process. There's simply not enough content to warrant a high ranking on any
ecommerce website design you might choose. The easiest way to drive traffic to a one-page web site is
to purchase ecommerce website designs, or pay-per-click advertising. Google's Adwords,
http://adwords.google.com and Yahoo's Search Marketing (formerly Overture)
http://www.yahoosearchmarketing.com are two of the best-known pay-per-click advertisers. Google is
probably the easiest with which to start.
Completing a one page web site won't happen overnight. However, with a bit of research, great
copywriting, and a marketing plan in place, a one-page web site can easily become a profit center for
your business.
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few
thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere
pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details!
Ecommerce website design : End of Part II
How To Design A Website From Scratch
How to design a Website!
So you know what your website is going to be about - how do you set out to design it?
You need to think of two things. What content are you going to have on your site, and secondly, what is
your site going to look like? And what will the layout of the pages look like, the colours etc.
Content

7. The first thing to think about is the possibilities that a website gives you. Even if your website is going to
be an online store, do not think about the site as a catelogue. The benefits of the web is that your
website does not have to follow a linear format - it is not restrictive like a book. The format of the web
means your visitors will be able to dip into your site at any point, and also be able to jump around to
those parts which are the more interest to them.
Don't, therefore, set your site out like chapters in a book, where later chapters rely on information
which has been picked up in earlier ones. Instead your pages should all be able to stand as items of
interest in their own right, and have links through to other relevant information your visitors might
need!
No one needs to start with a blank sheet of paper - there are millions of web sites already out there. The
first thing you can do is research. Look at what other people have done - no, you are not going to copy
their ideas, but you are trying to see what appeals to you, what you think works well, and what turns
you off completely!
So you've looked around, had a few ideas. How will you know that your ideas are going to work? How
can you waste hours of abortive effort?
What you want in three clicks.
Want to know the golden rule? You should make sure your site visitor can find what they want in a
maximum of three clicks! You should remember the three click rule when deciding how to set out your
pages.
A common suggestion is to use a story board approach but the problem with a story board is it makes
you think in a linear way - and as we discussed above, with a website you've got the ability to go
backwards and sidewards as well as forwards!
One method of thinking about designing a new website is to use a mind mapping process, or to draw up
a spider diagram.

8. You start with just your main subject in the centre - this will be your home page.
First layer
Next think of the main topics which people may expect to find in a site such as yours - on a retail site for
example, the first layers may well include the catelogue as a general heading. On a site about dogs the
first layer may be 'breeds'.
Second layer
You are now able to go further into each of your subjects. A catelogue for clothes may be divided here
into Men's clothing, Children's clothing etc., and the dog breeds may now be listed as Gun Dogs, Toy
Breeds etc.
Third layer
Not all of your first layer menu items may lead to a third layer, but some will. To continue our examples
above, Chidren's clothing may now be divided into boys and girls. The Gun Dogs will be divided into the
Retrievers, Spaniels etc.
By playing around with your ideas on paper in this fashion you can see where your topics fit best. It may
be that some third level pages fit under two second layer pages - no problem, you can link a page to
each, and have it appearing on more than one menu. It is what makes sense to the visitor that counts!
Having your site set out in a diagram also makes it easier to see how to link up your pages using
hyperlinks, i.e., but clicking on a word on your site, the visitor gets taken to a different page without
having to go back through the menus.
Colour scheme, templates etc.

9. Once you have the plan of what you are going to put onto your site you can start to think about
individual page layout and colour schemes.
Again, look at other people's sites, especially those you like. What looks good about them? Sites which
have a uniform layout on each page often look far more professional than those which experiment with
different colours on every page and different templates. This isn't to say that every page must be the
same, but have some consistency, for example, where you place the menu buttons, so that people know
they are still on your site. If the navigation menu buttons are always in the same place people will
quickly become familiar with the feel of your site, and be able to move round it a lot quicker, and
therefore take in a lot more of the information which you want to provide them with.
Making your site look professional is important unless you are just putting up a few pages to share with
family! Let's assume the reason you wish to make a website is to earn some extra money at home, or to
advertise your business or promote an activity. Apart from colour and consistency here are a couple of
other tips. Firstly, look at the size of font you use - don't mix it up too much, or use too many different
colours. Make your the type face you use can be seen clearly on the background colour. Secondly, is it
easy to get to the information
The most important person!
Finally, don't forget that YOU have got to like your site. You will be having a very close relationship with
it and it will be very demanding on your time, espeically in the early days. Take advice from friends or
colleagues, but at the end of the day, go with what you are happy with. If you are uncomfortable with
your site you will not have the same enthusiasm to work with it.
Your first pages
Now you have the schema for your website, you have chosen your colours and background, you can
start to put together your first pages.
Here are a few tips:

10. 1. Get a few pages together and get your site up there and published! It will take anything from a few
weeks to 7 or 8 months to be indexed by the search engines. The main search engines such as Google
like to give comprehensive listings only to mature sites. The sooner you get your site published the
sooner you will get good rankings in the search engines.
2. Do not use the words 'under construction'.
3. Get other people's opinion on your site - good comments will give you confidence. If your hosting
company has a forum you may be able to showcase your new website there to get advice from others
using the same software.
Conclusion
A website doesn’t just emerge – it takes a lot of work and an awful lot of planning. But if you make the
investment of time you won’t lose out. If you don’t have a website no one is able to tap into your
knowledge or see your creations. If you build your website badly your visitors may not be able to find
their way around, and a lot of what you do will be wasted. If you take that bit of extra effort and care
you will have a site that is very easy to use, and which will become popular because of that!
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back a few
thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop simple for mere
pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com for details!
Ecommerce website design : End of Part III