Give Your Website Pizzazz with Flash Animation

When Flash was introduced in 1996, the face of the Internet changed completely. With Flash animations, webmasters were able to create websites that were more impressive to visitors. Why? Well, when a user goes to a website with Flash, they are seeing something much more elaborate than an animated GIF. The colors are more brilliant and the graphics are clearer. Additionally, Flash animations take up less space than videos.

However, creating Flash animations is not an easy process. Unless you’re a graphic artist, you might be limited in what you can design. And even then you have to learn how to use the software… a process that may take a few months. Indeed, mastering the creation of Flash animations is not an overnight process.

There’s also the issue of creativity. Just like writing, Flash animation requires a lot of artistic ability. A website with poorly designed Flash animations can result in visitors leaving quickly. They may believe that the amateur Flash animations must point to an amateur site… one that they don’t feel comfortable doing business with.

You can avoid these problems if you get a Web designer to handle your Flash animations. They can create professional Flash animations quickly and easily, saving you a lot of time. Additionally, if you need more work done, Web designers can help you create your site from the ground up. Work with a company that has years of experience creating a plethora of high-quality Flash animations.

A New Website Design Can Improve Your Business

A new website design allows you to re-introduce your company. Think of a company like Apple and how they are constantly seen as innovators of their market. One method for giving your business a boost in sales is to review your existing website.

- Does your website reach your target audience effectively?
- Have you reviewed your competition’s websites?
- Does your website reflect your brand identity?
- Is your website search engine ‘friendly’?
- Does your website design look professional?
- Have you budgeted for a new website this year?

Sales does not happen in a vacuum. If you’ve done your homework by creating an effective brand, then the next step is to build solid marketing support to reach prospects, warm them up to your product or service, and make the sale. The more qualified prospects you can get into the pipeline, the better the opportunity to improve your business. And the Internet is the most exciting playing field to plant your flag. Online, the world is your oyster.

That’s not to say that you can put up an average website. Your website needs to be the best. When prospects visit, you want them to stay, review and be excited about your product or service. The goal should be to get them to call or send for more information. On low-priced items, get them to place an order online. On higher ticket items, a salesperson usually needs to make the close. In either case a new website design can dramatically re-energize your business’ sales.

Website Design Process, Part I

Design is an important element in the development of your website. How a site looks and feels can determine if a viewer is interested or not in your product or service. Usually the visitor makes that determination within 3 seconds. That’s right, I said 3 seconds. That doesn’t give you a lot of time to get your message across.

The first step in the website design process is to define your target audience. If you say that ‘everyone is my audience’, then you need to go back to the drawing board and refine your answer. No product or service is needed by everyone. In fact, you could waste a lot of time and money finding that out the hard way. So do your homework now by clearly defining your target audience. Here are some basic questions to ask yourself:

- Who does my product or service help?
- Am I targeting consumers or businesses?
- Local or national?
- Is it men or women?
- What is the age-group?
- Do they buy my product or service online?
- How often do they buy?
- Who do they buy from now?
- What are my projected sales figures for the first year?
- What is the total market sales for my product or service?

Website design begins with knowing your target audience better than anyone. And most of the data is available on the Internet. Your competitor’s website can also provide a wealth of information. If you already have a website up and running, and you’re not getting the desired results, then redefining your target audience can help.

Keep in mind that the smaller the target audience the better the results. Just like in archery, many people can see the target, but the most successful hit the bulls-eye. Next in this series about website design, we’ll discuss how your competitors play an important role.