Ecommerce Website Design - The Pros And Cons For The Consumer

E-commerce is a boon to mankind on many fronts. Hence, ecommerce website design is a critical aspect in the global market. This is because the e-commerce websites are the actual connecting line between consumers from all over the world and the millions of sellers of products and services. Before the e-commerce came along, the consumer base was grossly limited by geographical borders and demographic reach.

What Are The Pros of E-commerce For Consumers?

With the help of today's advanced ecommerce website design and technology you can buy anything and everything around the clock via credit card/ debit card/ Internet banking/COD (cash on delivery). Among the top benefits you can expect from the advent of ecommerce website design technology are:

- Effortless checkout: no queues; no sweat; no trouble. Everything would be at the click of the mouse.

- Most competitive pricing for any product or service. All you need is compare the prices and you get the advantage of choosing from a global market.

- 24/7 shopping access: You can buy anything you want whenever you want. You can shop before you go to bed, in the middle of the night or during your lunch break. Any time is a good time That is what ecommerce website design offers.

- Everything is accessible: With one click of the mouse you can buy stuff across the globe and have it delivered at your doorstep.

What Are The Cons Of E-Commerce For Consumers?

There is, of course, the other side of the coin - the cons with the ecommerce website design technology.

- Cannot touch the products - Even though you can have clear photographs of the products, you cannot touch them and ascertain their real quality. Sometimes, the photographs could be deceptive.

- Highly addictive - The ecommerce website design and technology is created to enhance the pleasure and convenience of shopping. For many, this is such a wonderful experience that they get addicted to it and end up spending much more than they intended to when they started out.

- Risk of credit card information theft - Branded companies use in their ecommerce website design technology the latest encryption software to ensure that the credit card information cannot be accessed by anyone other than the intended party.

However, there are many false websites that use falsified ecommerce website design and convincing facades just to capture the credit card information. This is why you should always look for the "https://" ("s" stands for "secure") at the beginning of the url and the 'verisign' mark on the page before giving your credit card information.

With an Internet presence, you have the power to do business while you sleep. Your business is open 24 hours a day. Without a website, you are missing out on a lot of exposure. Affordable Web Design and Internet Marketing for Small Business http://www.springboarddesigns.com/

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How to Design a Good eBook

There are some eBook designs which are really worst looking and I sometimes wonder if the authors make any sale out of it. Even it comes free of cost; it may fail to appease the buyers. It may not be so easy to create good eBook design but with certain tips, you will surely fare well in the market.

You may argue that you lack in creativity and so less likely want to dabble in eBook design. But believe me, in spite of poor design skill, it is possible for you to come up with something of your very own. And it will not be so bad that you have expected. What you really need is to follow some useful step-by-step guidelines.

Knowing the taste of your audience is the first and foremost condition of a successful eBook design. The design must be appealing to your customers otherwise they will not waste their money to make a buy. Before starting with design creation, take time to do a little bit of research on your competitors' eBooks, especially those who have curved a niche in this business. It will help you understand which types of designs are a current trend and favorite with the eBook readers.

Do you find their eBook designs quite interesting and inspiring? If it is 'yes' then pay attention to every detail such as images, colors, headlines etc. which when harmoniously blended result into a good design. Make sure not to copy the style as these designs may be copyrighted. Try to create something on your own. Everyone is endowed with creativity only in varying degrees and make the most of it.

There is a large pool of eBook readers and in coming days, the number will only shoot up. The readers belong to different brackets on the basis of their taste and age group. Crime thrillers and romantic novels are favorites of the teenagers while books on serious issues go well with the taste of the aged booklovers. Sell for books and manuals for weight loss, diet and healthy living is on the rise. The most popular niche is off course the make-money fast niche. There are thousands of eBooks in this category and the designs really matter for the success of the product. The whole point of this saying is that there is not one-fits-all solution in case of eBook design. However practice makes a man perfect and once you spend some valuable time in this field, you will know what the customers find attractive.

S John is a skilled designer himself and have created hundreds of eBook cover designs for his clients. You can check some of his sample designs here: http://www.ecoverexpert.com/portfolio.html

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Building a Playhouse - How to Design a Playhouse for Your Kids

Before you can build a playhouse for your kids, you obviously need a plan. Without a plan you'll stumble along, making random cuts and wasting your time and money on wrongly cut lumber. But how and where do you get a design and a plan?

Let's face it, most of us are just regular guys or gals without a degree in architecture, right? So how do we design and build a playhouse?

One way to get your creative juices flowing is to study other playhouses. Whether online or in person, look at and study as many playhouse designs as you can. If you are lucky enough to see some in person, take a measuring tape with you and physically measure the height and widths. Get a feel for how big a playhouse should be and how big you want yours to be.

As a good rule of thumb, an average sized playhouse should be about 50-100 square feet in floor area. The walls need not be over 6' tall, as most children are about 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall.

If you're a novice woodworker, keep the design simple. A square or simple rectangle is the safest bet. Don't try to get all fancy with an overly elaborate design. You may get bogged down halfway through and give up. Better to keep it simple and complete it.

Design your playhouse with a gable roof. A gable roof is the easiest to build and still looks good on a simple structure. The pitch or angle of the roof should be 1 to 2. In other words for every 12" the rise should be 6". This makes it easier to figure the ridge height.

For siding, use T-111 plywood turned horizontally. This gives the impression of lap siding, but is quicker and cheaper. When using this method, keep your wall lengths 8' or less, as plywood siding comes in that length standard.

Build a front door out of either thicker plywood or 1x6 boards. You can get some basic strap hinges from a hardware store to allow it to swing. If you design the walls 6' tall, make the door 5' or 5'-6" tall.

Don't try to use a regular door knob for the playhouse door. They're made for a standard door which is thicker than the door you'll be building. Just use a hasp or slide bolt. Or you could opt for no knob at all!

Finally, design your playhouse with a few windows. Make them about 18" square as this will look better as far as the proportion to the rest of the playhouse.

So you need to check out other playhouses, and take notes. Sketch your ideas on some blank paper. I like to use graph paper with 1/4" squares. Spend some time tweaking and perfecting your design. Once you get it the way you want it, you're ready to start building!

I sincerely hope this article encouraged you to design and build your own playhouse. If you do your homework and spend some time looking at other playhouses, it can be done. If you'd like a little more help and some cool design ideas, visit my website Building a Playhouse. You will get additional help and tips on how to build a simple playhouse. Check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/building-a-playhouse

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Using Ecommerce Design to Enhance Online Businesses

Given today's trend of doing just about everything online, the field of competition makes ecommerce design extremely important. Success primarily depends on a strong web presence that is easy to find and access. Another important feature is to establish a good business reputation with clientele. Finally, stay on top of what is on the site so it is not outdated or incorrect. Many tools and rules of thumb discuss online business site methods. Some of the most common ones steer you in the right direction. Others are mistakes that can drive a business right into the ground, whether it is a brick-and-mortar or online company.

Few things are lonelier than a website with no visitors. The most important thing to do is make sure that people know it exists. Never denounce or doubt the honor of word of mouth advertising, but do accept that there are billions of people around the world. Internet businesses require something more to catch a hit from someone searching the web. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a remarkable tool for promoting websites. Google, Bing, and Yahoo are among the top search engines available, with more trying to beat at least one of them to the top. The more engines the business is associated with, the more likely it is to receive hits.

Give viewers a reason to come back once they find your business. Whether they arrived through SEO or a direct URL target, it is necessary to keep page content fresh. Ecommerce web design should bolster business rather than stagnate through lack of follow through. When people go to a website, they want to see new items and information. Mix up the display and provide the options that the public wants. Rather than specializing in a few items, have a wider variety to increase interest.

Keep your web page user-friendly because negotiating difficult to impossible sites causes customers to leave and shop elsewhere. Make the site easy to navigate so customers will return often. Have several people test the site before it goes live. Check to be sure it is presentable and that all the features are operational. Above all, make sure that hyperlinks work and take the person to the right area. Find the balance between clutter and boring, as either situation will discourage customers from shopping and send them somewhere else.

Make the font large and clear enough so directions are easy to find and follow. It is vital that visitors know which buttons to click and what it takes to order something from your site. Make payment options visible so they have the right information handy when placing their order. Various online services offer linked payment sites and make ordering convenient. Graphics and pictures, including logos that show which cards are accepted, should relate to your site and be relevant to clientele.

One of the most important steps is confirming that your ecommerce design makes it easy for site visitors to know how to contact your company. Phone numbers, addresses, or an online help support tool is a great way to do this. Make your presence known and keep customer satisfaction a top priority.

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