The Secrets of Registration Forms That Produce Big Attendance
Your first task is to cover the basics that every registration form needs to cover. Here are the basic elements of any registration form: Your logo Date & title of the event Location of the event The cost of registration The agenda for the event An indication of how long the registration process will take (for paper forms, this would be a pagination number like 'Page 1 of 5', for online forms it is a completion timeline) It can be difficult to include all of this on a paper registration form (a great reason to go paperless!) but it should definitely be included within the registration materials packet.Once you have the basics covered, there are several extra items you can add to a registration form. Each one of the following helps provide your potential attendee with extra motivation to register. Try these out for your next event: Add a money-back guarantee For online forms: add indicators of security like a Hackersafe logo, and a privacy policyenes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. Marketing through website is different and at the same time not very different, in so many ways to other forms of Marketing. It is different as the medium requirements are different. But it is similar as the principles remain the same and of course the objective is the same - to make people buy.

When marketing through web you should remember the acronym AIDAS

AIDAS - Attract, Interest, Desire, Action and Satisfaction

Your website should be able to fulfill all the words above and you will be able to not only entice surfers to your site but keep them there and make them customer.

In the following pages there are many tips which if followed will help you put up a winner.

Web site design is more than simply finding a photo you like and a color that works with your logo. It incorporates readability, functionality, usability - all of which boil down to one simple concept: good web site design practices make your web site work for your business.

ONLY AESTHETICS MAY NOT TIC Most of us think about web site design in terms of our aesthetic preferences, but good web site design incorporates some fundamental elements that will make your web site work for your business and your customers.

ITS ALL ABOUT READABILITY Make "readability" a fundamental part of your web site design If you want a professional-looking web site design that encourages visitors to read about your business, products or services, the first thing to do is to make sure visitors can, in fact, "read". Stay away from all capitals in your writing and use common fonts that are easy to read.

LET THE LOGIC PREVAIL Organize content into logical sections. Make it a snap for visitors to find information.

BROWSING NOT READING Incorporate headlines into your web site design. Web users will browse more often than read.

Use headlines and subheadings to give customers a quick idea of what your page has to offer. Someone in a hurry should be able to read your headlines and subheadings to quickly understand what products, services, and benefits they will get. Put your most important phrases in bold letters, too.

BULLETS WILL HIT THE RIGHT PLACE Include bold words, bullet points, section titles and short paragraphs. The visual experience on a web site is quite different than on a printed page.

NO BACKGROUND NOISE Never (really, we mean never) use patterned or distracting background images as part of your web site design. Your content will be "lost" in the noise.

EASY ON THE EYES

Eliminate bright background colors with bright text. Make reading easy on the eyes. Basic colors and a white background do best with the many different ways your page will look on different monitors.

CONSIDER COLOUR-BLINDS Good web site design considers colorblind visitors. Certain combinations of colors may be invisible to some of your most potentially valuable customers.

NO GRAPHIC MODE Consider visitors with graphics turned off (yes, they can do that to your beautiful web site design). Use ALT tags to label graphics with descriptive text.

JUST RIGHT FONT Use an appropriate font size. Find a happy medium between too big and too small.

STRUCTURED APPROACH Make "Structure" an integral part of Good web site design.

It's a good idea to map out the pages of your site; in effect, design the sitemap first.

Find the most logical, most direct way to link your pages to one another. Think like your customers - if you were visiting your site, how would you want to find information? Better yet, get your customers to tell you!

PLAN BEFORE PLUNGE Good web site design practices start with good planning. Do not develop a single graphic until you've set up a skeleton site and done some real-world testing to see if the structure makes sense. Sit your employees or customers down and see if they can navigate your site easily and locate information quickly.

BE CONSISTENT A good web site design will always (yes, we mean always) use navigation consistently. That means that your common navigational elements will be in the same place, and will have the same look on every single page of your site.

STANDARD PRACTICE Sometimes, good web site design is simply following standard practices. Keep your logo in the upper left hand corner of the page and use it to link from your interior pages back to your home page.

And use common names for things - "home" for home and "about us" for a page about you. If you have a search field, put it prominently near the top of your page. Most people have grown accustomed to these basic web site design principles.

WHEN "MORE" IS NOT ALWAYS "BETTER"

It's a safe bet to say that all businesses want an effective web site. But what's "effective" and what's "excessive"?

When it comes to good web site design, more is not always better.

Yes, your site can flash, blink and sing, but there are reasons not to add that extra feature.

By "extra features" we mean things that do not improve your sales, make your business more efficient or advance your goals, but are simply surface enhancements. Music, a twinkling star, graphics that fade in and out.

HAZARDS OF SHOWING OFF TOO MUCH All of these things may impress you but they may not impress your visitors. Extra features can:

• Slow your site down so that people with slow Internet connections might never get through your opening animation.
• Stop or inhibit search engines from listing your site.
• Annoy visitors so that they leave your site before learning anything, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Flashing-blinking-singing things can be distracting, repetitious or detract from the real purpose of your site.

That is not to say that these elements should never be used. Each has its place and can be an integral part of good web site design. But any enhancement should advance your business goals, and your animations and music should come equipped with an "off" button. Remember, the purpose of a web site is to convert visitors into customers.

USE THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE On the technical side of web site design.

So far, everything we have mentioned has some visible effect on your web site. But there are other "behind the scenes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. Co read.

LET THE LOGIC PREVAIL Organize content into logical sections. Make it a snap for visitors to find information.

BROWSING NOT READING Incorporate headlines into your web site design. Web users will browse more often than read.

Use headlines and subheadings to give customers a quick idea of what your page has to offer. Someone in a hurry should be able to read your headlines and subheadings to quickly understand what products, services, and benefits they will get. Put your most important phrases in bold letters, too.

BULLETS WILL HIT THE RIGHT PLACE Include bold words, bullet points, section titles and short paragraphs. The visual experience on a web site is quite different than on a printed page.

NO BACKGROUND NOISE Never (really, we mean never) use patterned or distracting background images as part of your web site design. Your content will be "lost" in the noise.

EASY ON THE EYES

Eliminate bright background colors with bright text. Make reading easy on the eyes. Basic colors and a white background do best with the many different ways your page will look on different monitors.

CONSIDER COLOUR-BLINDS Good web site design considers colorblind visitors. Certain combinations of colors may be invisible to some of your most potentially valuable customers.

NO GRAPHIC MODE Consider visitors with graphics turned off (yes, they can do that to your beautiful web site design). Use ALT tags to label graphics with descriptive text.

JUST RIGHT FONT Use an appropriate font size. Find a happy medium between too big and too small.

STRUCTURED APPROACH Make "Structure" an integral part of Good web site design.

It's a good idea to map out the pages of your site; in effect, design the sitemap first.

Find the most logical, most direct way to link your pages to one another. Think like your customers - if you were visiting your site, how would you want to find information? Better yet, get your customers to tell you!

PLAN BEFORE PLUNGE Good web site design practices start with good planning. Do not develop a single graphic until you've set up a skeleton site and done some real-world testing to see if the structure makes sense. Sit your employees or customers down and see if they can navigate your site easily and locate information quickly.

BE CONSISTENT A good web site design will always (yes, we mean always) use navigation consistently. That means that your common navigational elements will be in the same place, and will have the same look on every single page of your site.

STANDARD PRACTICE Sometimes, good web site design is simply following standard practices. Keep your logo in the upper left hand corner of the page and use it to link from your interior pages back to your home page.

And use common names for things - "home" for home and "about us" for a page about you. If you have a search field, put it prominently near the top of your page. Most people have grown accustomed to these basic web site design principles.

WHEN "MORE" IS NOT ALWAYS "BETTER"

It's a safe bet to say that all businesses want an effective web site. But what's "effective" and what's "excessive"?

When it comes to good web site design, more is not always better.

Yes, your site can flash, blink and sing, but there are reasons not to add that extra feature.

By "extra features" we mean things that do not improve your sales, make your business more efficient or advance your goals, but are simply surface enhancements. Music, a twinkling star, graphics that fade in and out.

HAZARDS OF SHOWING OFF TOO MUCH All of these things may impress you but they may not impress your visitors. Extra features can:

• Slow your site down so that people with slow Internet connections might never get through your opening animation.
• Stop or inhibit search engines from listing your site.
• Annoy visitors so that they leave your site before learning anything, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Flashing-blinking-singing things can be distracting, repetitious or detract from the real purpose of your site.

That is not to say that these elements should never be used. Each has its place and can be an integral part of good web site design. But any enhancement should advance your business goals, and your animations and music should come equipped with an "off" button. Remember, the purpose of a web site is to convert visitors into customers.

USE THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE On the technical side of web site design.

So far, everything we have mentioned has some visible effect on your web site. But there are other "behind the scenes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. ppropriate font size. Find a happy medium between too big and too small.

STRUCTURED APPROACH Make "Structure" an integral part of Good web site design.

It's a good idea to map out the pages of your site; in effect, design the sitemap first.

Find the most logical, most direct way to link your pages to one another. Think like your customers - if you were visiting your site, how would you want to find information? Better yet, get your customers to tell you!

PLAN BEFORE PLUNGE Good web site design practices start with good planning. Do not develop a single graphic until you've set up a skeleton site and done some real-world testing to see if the structure makes sense. Sit your employees or customers down and see if they can navigate your site easily and locate information quickly.

BE CONSISTENT A good web site design will always (yes, we mean always) use navigation consistently. That means that your common navigational elements will be in the same place, and will have the same look on every single page of your site.

STANDARD PRACTICE Sometimes, good web site design is simply following standard practices. Keep your logo in the upper left hand corner of the page and use it to link from your interior pages back to your home page.

And use common names for things - "home" for home and "about us" for a page about you. If you have a search field, put it prominently near the top of your page. Most people have grown accustomed to these basic web site design principles.

WHEN "MORE" IS NOT ALWAYS "BETTER"

It's a safe bet to say that all businesses want an effective web site. But what's "effective" and what's "excessive"?

When it comes to good web site design, more is not always better.

Yes, your site can flash, blink and sing, but there are reasons not to add that extra feature.

By "extra features" we mean things that do not improve your sales, make your business more efficient or advance your goals, but are simply surface enhancements. Music, a twinkling star, graphics that fade in and out.

HAZARDS OF SHOWING OFF TOO MUCH All of these things may impress you but they may not impress your visitors. Extra features can:

• Slow your site down so that people with slow Internet connections might never get through your opening animation.
• Stop or inhibit search engines from listing your site.
• Annoy visitors so that they leave your site before learning anything, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Flashing-blinking-singing things can be distracting, repetitious or detract from the real purpose of your site.

That is not to say that these elements should never be used. Each has its place and can be an integral part of good web site design. But any enhancement should advance your business goals, and your animations and music should come equipped with an "off" button. Remember, the purpose of a web site is to convert visitors into customers.

USE THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE On the technical side of web site design.

So far, everything we have mentioned has some visible effect on your web site. But there are other "behind the scenes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. t to say that all businesses want an effective web site. But what's "effective" and what's "excessive"?

When it comes to good web site design, more is not always better.

Yes, your site can flash, blink and sing, but there are reasons not to add that extra feature.

By "extra features" we mean things that do not improve your sales, make your business more efficient or advance your goals, but are simply surface enhancements. Music, a twinkling star, graphics that fade in and out.

HAZARDS OF SHOWING OFF TOO MUCH All of these things may impress you but they may not impress your visitors. Extra features can:

• Slow your site down so that people with slow Internet connections might never get through your opening animation.
• Stop or inhibit search engines from listing your site.
• Annoy visitors so that they leave your site before learning anything, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Flashing-blinking-singing things can be distracting, repetitious or detract from the real purpose of your site.

That is not to say that these elements should never be used. Each has its place and can be an integral part of good web site design. But any enhancement should advance your business goals, and your animations and music should come equipped with an "off" button. Remember, the purpose of a web site is to convert visitors into customers.

USE THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE On the technical side of web site design.

So far, everything we have mentioned has some visible effect on your web site. But there are other "behind the scenes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. enes" design elements that can help to make your web site the best it can be. A good web site design professional will take care to be sure that:

• GRAPHICS ARE OPTIMIZED FOR DOWNLOAD. Visitors should be able to get to your web pages quickly, even on slower Internet connections.
• COLORS ARE "WEB SAFE". Some browsers display a limited color palette. Visitors should be able to view your site in all its glory, whatever their browser.
• VISITORS USING LOW RESOLUTION MONITORS CAN SEE YOUR PRIMARY CONTENT WITHOUT SCROLLING. It's usually best to design for the "least common denominator" so that your most important content is immediately visible on all types of monitors.
• YOUR SITE WILL WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE BROWSERS, ON MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS. Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and so do their web tools. People using a Mac, or IE 6.0 or 7.0 should be able to see your site as well as someone using a PC, or Firefox 2.0.

PROOF OF THE PUDDING Include testimonials from your customers and suppliers. Nothing builds trust with customers and prospects like good words about you from people who know you and have done business with you. UPDATE OFTEN Make sure you update your important info often. Search engines, just like customers, check back often to see how your site is progressing. Lots of helpful articles, tips, and a question and answer page will give customers all the information they need. Also include links to other recommended sites like yours. Try to get those sites to add your link as well. Customers will see you as an authority in your field and will appreciate your ability to help them in a variety of ways.

OWN YOUR WEBSITE Your own domain name will make your business look bigger and your Internet effort more serious. Yourname.com looks a lot more impressive than freewebsite.com/10101/yourname