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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Kristy Taylor
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Article Title: Using Graphics To Increase Sales
Author: Kristy Taylor
Word Count: 1116
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=68478&ca=Marketing
Format: 64cpl
Author's Email Address: articlelists[at]ktphosting.com (replace
[at] with @)
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=68478
================== ARTICLE START ==================
If used correctly, graphics can add to the attractiveness of a
web site and also contribute positively to a visitor's first
impression of the site. However, the opposite can also be true.
If a web site is not very attractive, a visitor may be
negatively affected and may click away from the site, possibly
never to return.
Always use common sense when including any graphics on your web
pages. More is definitely not always better! Don't plaster your
site with every type of graphic imaginable. An unwarranted
number of graphics can make for slow page loading times, can
make the page appear cluttered, could possibly annoy your
visitors, and could make it complicated for a potential
customer to read a sales message.
Only use a graphic if it contributes something to the web site.
You may want to include a header graphic for site recognition, a
graphic representation of your product, arrows or check boxes to
draw attention to important sales points, and a button for your
payment link. A footer graphic, buttons for your navigation
menu, and/or a background image may also be added if desired.
If you include any other graphics, only do so if they add
something positive to your site or if they add a touch of
personalization. Personalizing your web site has shown to
increase sales by over 300%, so this option may be worth a try.
Use only JPG or GIF formats for your graphics as these two
formats are used universally on the Internet. Although PNG
format is starting to come into use, it is not widely used as
it is not supported in all browsers.
There are many places from which you can obtain images. You can
use images you've taken yourself, images that you've purchased,
or you can download free images from web sites such as Free
Images at http://www.freeimages.co.uk/ which offers over 2500
free photos or from Stock.xchng at >http://www.sxc.hu/ which
has over 100,000 free photos for you to choose from. There are
also numerous sites that offer graphics such as buttons,
arrows, clip art, GIFs, etc... Some of these are free, others
you must purchase. If you do decide to use a free image or
graphic, be prepared to spend hours wading through thousands of
images or graphics to find the one you want.
Personalizing, on the other hand, involves the inclusion of
hand-written graphics that attract attention to certain
elements of your site and make the customer feel as though you
are right there with them. As previously mentioned, this has
been shown to increase sales dramatically. You can create your
own hand-written graphics to include on your site, simply use
terms such as: special offer, bonuses, just for you, you should
enjoy this one, pre-launch special, order here, etc� The
possibilities are endless.
For faster page loading, you will need to optimize your images
and graphics by reducing them to their smallest size while
still retaining their quality. The larger the file size, the
more KB it will take up and the longer it will take to load.
Don't use any graphic larger than 30 KB on your web pages and
always include a height and width attribute in your image tag
for optimal download time.
You can optimize your graphics and images with one of these
tools:
1) Download PIXresizer, a free image resizer from Bluefive
software at http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm.
2) Dynamic drive offers a free online image optimizer for JPG,
GIF and PNG formats at
http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/imageoptimizer/.
Use JPGs for photos and GIFs for other graphics on your web
site such as buttons and arrows. JPGs can use a compression
method that does not reduce the number of colors in the image
which is why JPGs are good for photos. GIFs can only use a 256
color palette and are generally better for graphics containing
few colors. If you have a GIF with a lot of colors, you may
want to save it as a JPG to preserve quality.
The first graphic a visitor sees on entering your web site is
your header graphic so it should communicate what the content
of your site is about. A header graphic should be part of a web
site's identity so use it on every page of your site and tie in
the rest of your site by using the same color scheme
throughout.
Think of your header graphic as if it were the cover of a book.
A book cover is meant to grab the attention and curiosity of the
user and entice him or her to open the book. A header graphic
has the same kind of purpose. Your header graphic should entice
your visitor to stay on your site and have a look around. It
should convey the feeling that there is something worth further
exploring on your site.
If you are selling a product, include an image of the product.
This is especially important for ebooks and software that are
downloaded from your site. Since these products are virtual
products and not physical ones, your customer will feel more
secure about purchasing the product if they can see a book
cover or software box. A hand-written message directed at the
customer may also help them to order.
You will need some sort of button for your payment link. This
can be a simple "Pay Here" type button, a hand-written graphic
or a more complex one which includes images of credit cards
along with payment information. Use the type that best fits in
with the theme of your web site.
Your footer may be just a narrow colored strip or a miniature
version of your header graphic. It should always include your
copyright information.
Your background image, background color, the colors used in
your text, and the colors in your graphics shouldn't clash. The
components of your web page should harmonize. Look at how
everything comes together as a whole, not at the individual
graphics.
No matter how many graphics you use on your web site, they
should be appropriate for the theme of your site. If your site
is soft and romantic, use pastel colors and muted graphics. On
the other hand, if your site screams boldness, use bright
colors and brash images.
Graphics can be an important part of any web site design. Use
them correctly and they will become an asset to your site. Use
them incorrectly and they will become a burden.
About The Author: Kristy Taylor is a syndicated freelance
journalist with articles and short stories strewn across all
forms of media. To add personalization to your sales letters
with hand-written graphics without trying to create them
yourself, visit
http://www.coolscruffys.com/?usinggraphicstoincreasesales
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=68478
================== ARTICLE END ==================
For more free-reprint articles by Kristy Taylor please visit:
http://www.isnare.com/?s=author&a=Kristy+Taylor
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