37 Most Common Misspelled Or Misused English Words!

Since we are all building our BRAND using Social Media these days, it's important that we SPELL correctly and use good Grammar!  I found this article and wanted to SHARE it with YOU... Be sure to share and post, as often as necessary!

Guy Kawasaki even has publicly admitted that no matter how many times you read your book or how many editors review it, chances are there will be a few errors that you miss.

It’s one thing to have a few errors here and there; it’s a completely different one to have a book trifled with obvious grammatical errors.

One of the biggest challenges for people who are writing books and who didn't go to writing or journalism school are words that sound alike, but have very different meaning.

The reality is that if you want to use a book as a way to boost your authority, credibility and influence, you’ll want to be careful of grammatical errors because they could turn off your audience.

Hiring an editor and a proofreader is essential if you want to publish a quality book as a self-published author. It’s true that if you get a book deal, your publisher will take care of getting your book professionally edited, but I still firmly believe that as authors, we need to master the basics of good written English.

As I was writing my books, I realized that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings and if you spend enough time on social media, you’ll notice that a lot of people aren't aware they’re misusing or misspelling words.

In order to help more self-published authors become better at editing their own books, I've compiled a list of 37 common misspelled or misused English words and added the correct spelling and a short explanation so as to give you more control on the quality of your writing!

37 Common Misspelled Or Misused Words:

1. Accept and Except

To “accept” is a verb. It has several meanings:

a. To hold something as true. Here’s an example: “I accept she may have been tired, but that’s still no excuse.”

b. To receive something willingly. Here’s an example: “I accept this award on behalf of the whole cast.”

The word “except” is most commonly seen as a preposition.  However, it can also be used a conjunction and very occasionally as a verb. Here’s a great quote that clearly shows how to properly use the word “except”: “I can resist everything except temptation.  (Oscar Wilde)

2. Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb that means, “to influence”.  A good example is: “your ability to deeply relate to your clients will affect your authority”

Effect has a completely different meaning. Effect is a noun and refers to “result” or “the result of.” A good example is: “the effect of junk foods on our youth is devastating”

Effect can also be a verb and in that case, it means “to bring about”, “to cause”, or “to achieve”. A good example is: “You will effect these changes on Monday.”

Here’s another example that puts both words in the same sentence: “A situation may AFFECT you, while someone might have a huge EFFECT on you”.

2. All Right vs. Alright

I’ll be honest and admit I didn't realize people misspelled “all right” and used “alright” instead. As I was doing this research, I found out that people use “alright” in their day-to-day conversations like so many people write on email as if they were texting. Alright is incorrect.

Alright is the lazy man’s all right. You should do your best to refrain from using “alright” in your day-to-day life in terms of writing. It’s and not widely accepted in the grammar world (even though it isn’t even corrected anymore with spell check). However, say it aloud however you like. It doesn’t really make much difference in that regard.

Easy way to remember: “Alright” is not all right.

3. A Lot or Alot

It’s simple, if you’re writing “alot” in a text, then you’re automatically making a mistake. It’s pretty much black & white.

The phrase “a lot” (when used as a noun) means “a large extent, a large amount, or a large number.” Even as an adverb, it means “to a great extent.”

This is a simple rule to remember, a lot is ALWAYS spelled in two words!

4. Anyway vs. Anyways

This is an easy one, there isn't a “s” at the end of “anyway”.

5. Assume vs. Presume

To “assume” something means that you suppose it to be true, especially without proof. When you “presume”, however, you are taking something for granted as being true because there is no evidence to the contrary.

Basically, you are smarter to “presume” than “assume”.

6. Appose vs. Oppose

These two spellings originally meant the same thing, but now they have different meanings:

a. “appose” means to place side by side or in close proximity

b. “oppose” means the following:

* be against; express opposition to

* fight against or resist strongly

* contrast with equal weight or force

* set into opposition or rivalry

7. Blond vs. Blonde

This word derives from French, which means it has masculine and feminine forms. Quite simply, “blond” refers to a man, and “blonde”refers to a woman.

8. Breath vs. Breathe

“Breath” is a noun referring to the air coming in or going out of the lungs.“Breathe” is a verb referring to “the act of inhaling and exhaling.” It’s not complicated, yet the two words are often confused with one another when written.

9. Capital vs. Capitol

“Capital” refers to money and “capitol” represents the buildings and monuments that represent the country.

10. Compliment vs. Complement

“Compliment” is something nice someone one says about you to which you’d normally respond “thanks”.

“Complement” is something that adds to or supplements something else. A good example is: “this scarf complements the color of this dress”.

11. Could of vs.Could have

This is another tricky word combination because we usually pronounce “could of” as opposed to “could of” when we speak.

The problem is that when you’re writing, you need to use “could have” instead of  “could of”, as the latter is grammatically incorrect.

The same applies to should have (NOT should of) and would have (NOT would of), which are the correct ways of writing.

That said, you can legitimately contract these words. You can use could’ve, would’ve or should’ve!

12. Disinterested vs. Uninterested

If someone is disinterested, it means that they are “impartial or unbiased about something”. However, if they are uninterested, it means that they simply “have no interest in it.”

Here’s a good example: “A judge need be disinterested, but never uninterested”.

13. Definitely or Definately

Definitely doesn't have an “a”. You might pronounce it with an “a” when you speak, but when you write it there should be only two vowels: “e” and “i”!

14. e.g. vs. i.e.

Although neither of these are words, they are both used incorrectly quite often. “e.g.” stands for the Latin exempli gratia, or “for example”.“i.e.” is Latin for id est, meaning “that is.” Therefore, you only use it if you are giving the only example(s) to qualify your statement.

Here’s a good example: “The photo was signed by the last surviving ‘Golden Girl,’ i.e., Betty White”.

15. Elicit and Illicit

The verb “elicit” means to call forth or bring out. The adjective “illicit” means unlawful or not permitted.

Here’s a good example to understand the meaning of each word: “the song elicited deep emotions, but the illicit lyrics kept it from pop stardom.”

16. Farther vs. Further

The word farther refers to “a physical distance,” while further simply means “more”. You could also think of it as “an extension of time or degree”.

Here’s a good example:

“How much farther do we have to go?”

“It’s just a mile further.”

17. Fewer or Less

“Fewer” refers to quantities you can count, such as items in your shopping cart, while “less” refers to quantities you can’t count, such as a liquid.

Obviously, you can measure amounts of a liquid, but not if you are just drinking it out of a bottle.

For instance, you’d ask someone for “less” soda if they gave you too much, not “fewer” soda. On the flip side, you’d ask for “fewer” apples instead of “less” apples.

How to test? “10 items or less” should really be “10 items or fewer.” Don’t even get us started on “greater than or less than.”

18. Imply vs. Infer

To “imply” is to express something indirectly.

To “infer” is to surmise or conclude, especially from indirect evidence.

Here’s a good example to understand both:

Thus, what a writer may imply, a reader may infer.”

(Adrienne Robins, The Analytical Writer: A College Rhetoric, 2nd ed. Collegiate Press, 1996)

19. Insolate vs. Insulate

To “insulate” something means to enclose it in something that holds in heat, sound, or electricity. It can also mean to generally protect or isolate a person or thing.

To “insolate” something means to expose it to sunlight.

20. Irregardless

Please, stop using irregardless. Yes, it is technically in the dictionary, but it’s listed as non-standard, which means it’s in wide use, but not proper. You should be using “regardless of” instead.

21. Its vs. It’s

Its is possessive, much like “my” or “your.” It means “belonging to it.” A good example would be: “this course has its merit.”

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” A good example would be: “it’s a chair”.

Here’s an easy way to remember the difference: If the word you are trying to say isn’t short for “it is” or “it has,” then the word is most likely “its” with no apostrophe.

22. Judgement or Judgment

Judgement is British spelling. Although, Brits were also using “judgment”, judgement has gained ground over the last couple of centuries and is now nearly as common as judgment.

Americans and Canadians tend to use judgment more.

23. Lay vs. Lie

The English verbs “lay” and “lie” are commonly confused by even native English speakers.

a. “Lay” is a transitive verb, which means that it must be used with a direct object. The past tense and the past participle of lay are both laid.

Here’s a good example: “Please lay the books on the table”.

b. “Lie” is an intransitive verb, which means it cannot have a direct object. The past tense of lie is lay and the past participle is lain.

Here’s a good example: “I just want to lie in bed all day”.

c. “Lie” (past tense lied) means to say something untrue.

Here’s a good example: “Don’t lie to me”.

24. Lose vs. Loose

This is another tricky combo.

“Lose”means the opposite of winning or it can mean misplacing something. Here is a good example: “Did you lose your glasses?”

“Loose” means not tight enough. Here is a good example: “these jeans are too loose”.

25. Literally or Figuratively

We’ve gotten a little annoying as a society with the word literally.

Most people use “literally” in sentences when they should be using figuratively.

“Literally” means EXACTLY what you say is true.

So the next time you’re hungry and say “I could literally eat a whole cow”, that means you actually would eat a cow.The word we are looking for most of the time is figuratively, which means metaphorically or as a figure of speech.

Perhaps using “figuratively” might be a better way of saying it – “I could figuratively eat a whole cow”.

26. Maybe vs. May be

This is a common mistake made by people learning English and sometimes native speakers too!

The simplest explanation is:

Maybe = perhaps
May be = is possibly

Here’s an example combining both: “Maybe” it will stop raining soon and we “may be” able to have our picnic on the deck.

27. Me, Myself and I

To check if you should use “me” or “I” when you need a pronoun to complete a group, ask yourself if it sounds correct when you remove the other noun or pronoun.

Here are a few examples:

Ex. #1 Justin and me saw dolphins in Bahamas. (Incorrect)

This example is incorrect. If you removed Justin from the sentence, it would read “me” saw dolphins.

The sentence should read: Justin and “I” saw dolphins in Bahamas. (Correct)

Ex. #2 The Parker twins splashed water on Tina and I. (Incorrect)

This example is incorrect; you would not say the Parker twins water on “I”. “I” should be replaced by “me”.

Ex. #2 The Parker twins splashed water on Tina and me. (Correct)

“Myself” is only proper two ways:

28. Non-fiction, non fiction, nonfiction

You’ll notice “non fiction” written in 3 different ways on the Internet. I referred to my literary mentor on this one and the proper spelling is “non fiction” – two words and no hyphen.

29. Principal vs. Principle

“Principal” means the highest in rank. As an adjective it means the most important on a set.

“Principle” is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, law or standard.

30. Prospective vs. Perspective

“Prospective” is an adjective meaning 1. likely to happen, or 2. likely to become.

Here’s a great example: “Some of the best preparation for the interview occurs when you research the prospective employer”.

“Perspective” is almost always a noun. It refers to 1. a view, 2. the angle from which something is viewed, and 3. the proper appearance of objects in relation to each other.

Here’s a great example: “From a fan’s perspective, it was a great game to watch”.

31. Than vs. Then

As a rule, “then” is an adverb signifying time.

How to test?Then and when rhyme, and both refer to time.

“Than”is used to compare two things. A good example is: Tom is older than James.

32.Their, There, They’re and There’re

This is one of those really tricky ones for people learning to speak English and even for people who have been speaking English since birth.

Let’s break it down:

a. “Their” is possessive and often related to an object belonging to others. A good example would be: “I went to their house in Rome.”

How to test? Replace “their” with “our”.

b. “There” is referring to a location. A good example would be: “I’ll be there this afternoon.”

How to test? Replace “there” with “here”.

c. “They’re”is a contraction for “they are”. A good example would be: “They’re coming to the party later on.”

How to test? Replace “they’re” with “they are”.

d.“There’re” is another contraction of there are.

Here’s an example:

Q: “Do you have any towels?”

A: “Yes, there are some in the closet.”

Contraction: “Yes, there’re some in the closet.”

Easy way to remember: We don’t think you’ll forget. These words, particularly their and there, are just easily mixed up if typing too quickly. Just make sure to slow down and double check.

33. Through vs. Threw 

Threw is the past tense of the verb “throw”. Here’s a great example: “Gina threw the ball to her team-mate”.

Through is never used as a verb: Here’s a great example: “I can’t believe all that Dina has been through this year.”

34. To vs. Too

“Too” means also or a lot of something.Here’s an example: “the couch is too big to fit through the door.”

If you remember the meaning of “too,” then “to” becomes easier to distinguish.

35. Your vs. You’re

“Your” is possessive pronoun. You’d use it to express something belongs to you. A good example is: “your car”.

While You’re is a contraction for “you are.” A good example is: “you’re driving your car”.

36. Weather vs. Whether

“Weather” refers to the temperature. You turn on the television to determine the “weather”.

“Whether” introduces choices: I don’t know “whether” to laugh or cry.

37. Weird or “Wierd”

The best way to remember how to spell weird, is to remember the order of the alphabet –“e” come before “i”!

...courtesy of www.NakiaEvans.com and 

http://www.bookpromotionhub.com/6074/37-most-common-misspelled-or-misused-english-words/ 

5 Inspiring Custom Logo and Graphic Design Ideas

...by Angela Willis

Many people think you need to be creative all the time to be in a creative field. I don’t believe so. I know I do pretty well and I don’t think that creativity is seeping out of me. I think I’ve just become good at developing ways to find inspiration when I need it so I can create great custom graphics and logos for myself and my clients.

So here are five sources of web site graphics design inspiration you might not have thought of:

1. Down The Road - When you’re driving down the street have a look at the logos and colors you see in the businesses as you drive by. Most of these businesses will have hired a professional to create the graphics you see on display and they are great sources of ideas for your next product. Have a look at the shapes, colors, fonts and the feeling you get when you view each image. Consider taking out a video camera and video taping as you drive by with your own commentary (as long as you’re not also driving the car, of course!).

2. Newspapers & Magazines - I was at my local library the other day and I picked up a couple of local magazines. One was the town activity guide about local living. Each had plenty of graphics and ads that I could peruse for ideas and inspiration. Collect your favorite magazines or a selection of different types if you serve clients and you’ll always have plenty to draw from when you’re stumped.

3. Popular Websites - Of course you’ll want to look online for sources of web page graphic design ideas. If you’re working on a particular product then look up keywords related to your project and see what sites come up. Pay attention to the colors and the logos you find on these sites. Also many popular sites have ads that you can look at. The great thing about looking at ads is that people often have these professionally designed as well so they’re often great sources of quality ideas and inspiration.

4. Nature and the Outside World - Sometimes being stuck at a computer isn’t the best way to get inspired. Nature is filled with beautiful shapes, colors and materials. If you’re needing a new idea take a drive or go for a walk, you’re sure to come up with new ways to design web graphics that you never would have thought of without drawing from natural beauty. Now, you can also go to a city and draw on your surroundings for colors, shapes and of course plenty of marketing you see.

5. Your Graphic Design Inspiration Book - One thing I’ve wanted to do for a while is to create a binder filled with graphics that inspire me. Also, in this book I’d add a section for all the design techniques I can use to create different effects. You see, there are so many ways to create graphics that sometimes we forget certain techniques when we need them. I know that’s how it works for me, anyway. My suggestion is to get a binder and a bunch of clear sheet protectors and then just start collecting graphics you like. Organize them as you go into different categories to suit your needs.

Inspiration comes from lots of places and the five listed above are a good place to start. I’m sure as you become aware of your need for inspiration you’ll start seeing new ideas as you go about your daily life. Good luck and have fun!

Graphics shouldn’t just be beautiful, they should also be profitable! Join me as I teach you through live weekly webinars, email coaching, video tutorials, templates and more how to design web logos and graphics that get clicks and sales for your business.

What You Need to Design Your Business Website

   By Angela Wills

So you’re ready to build your own website on the internet. Congratulations!
You’ve made a smart decision by researching just what you will need. You see, it would be a mistake to just take the advice of the first person who tells you how to build a website. You likely have a relative or friend who knows how to make a site but that doesn’t mean it’s going to suit your needs.

Let’s find out exactly what you need to design a website.

1. A Business Plan – You might not think of a business plan as an essential website design tool but it absolutely is. The first thing you need to know before you do a domain name search is what you intend to do with your website. You see, websites can do a lot of different things.
A website is kind of like a puppet. It’s up to you to pull the right strings and make it do what you want it to.

Here are just some of the duties a website can perform:

Online Brochure – Maybe your business is pretty much offline and for now you want to keep it that way. Your website can be nothing more than an online brochure that directs people to pick up the phone and call you for your products or services.

Ecommerce – Maybe your business plan is to have a full blown ecommerce site selling physical products through an online shopping cart.

Information Products – Maybe you want to offer digital ‘information’ products through your website.

Services – Do you want to sell services online? This is another function a website can perform.

2. A Domain Name – The next thing you need to do to design a website is get a domain name. It’s important to choose a domain name that fits your business and that is easy to remember. It’s almost always best to choose a .com domain name because that’s what people remember and type in most.
Before you buy a domain name, it’s also a good idea to do keyword research to find out what people are typing in to find your business in the search engines. Then you can create a domain name that closely matches what people are looking for.

3. Website Hosting – Once you have a domain name you will need to host your website somewhere. It’s kind of like paying rent for the space your website occupies on the internet.
Find a host with a good control panel that offers you easy to install software programs and also good website statistics tracking.

4. Website Software or Coding From Scratch – Now the final step is to actually build a website.
This can be done in a number of ways:

• From Scratch – Unless you want to spend a lot of time studying, creating and editing coding forget this option!
• Website Builder – A website builder is a piece of software that is included with some hosting companies and allows you to build your website online. These can be good but some have limited options.
• Website Software – There are many different programs out there that will help you build a website without having to know the coding behind it. Programs like Dreamweaver, Microsoft Expressions and NVU are a few. My favorite is a blogging software called WordPress that allows you to create blogs and websites through your hosting control panel.

Finally, building a website is a process. Break it up into various steps if you have to but remember that it’s not going to be perfect from the start. Accept that, get going and give yourself permission to fix it as you go.

Here is a resource that shows you through online videos, webinars and an email coaching program just how easy it is to design your own business website.

Ask the Marketing Team: Website or Facebook?

Which is better for your business?
Written By:
Randall Rozzell, iContact Creative Designer & Developer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recent Ask Marketing question:
I am preparing to start my own business, and I’m unsure of what to use to promote myself. What would you say are the advantages of having a website instead of Facebook?

Take a look at the answer here:
Ask the Marketing Team: Website or Facebook?

Social Media Buttons; which one works?

Social media is an extremely valuable tool for promoting your great marketing content. But with so many social media platforms providing their own individual content sharing and follow buttons, it's often difficult to differentiate between which social media button to use for what purpose.  
Read more....
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Creating Social Media Buttons

Want to Start a Blog? First Things First. You’ll Want a Great Web Domain Name!

By Nicole Dean

More and more moms are getting into the blogging scene. Some for fun, some for profit, and some for both. Why not make money while you’re blogging about your favorite stuff, right?
It’s easier than ever to get started blogging. But the first thing you need before you begin is an idea for your domain name.

What is a domain name?
It’s the “www (dot) SOMETHING (dot) com” that people will type in to get to your blog. It’s like your address.

How do you Know What is a Good Domain Name?
There are some standards for what is a “great” domain name verses one that makes you wonder what on earth that person was thinking!
In order to help you to come up with a great web name that you’ll love for years, here are my unbreakable rules for choosing a domain.

1. No hyphens. Avoid dashes and hyphens. I’ve been there. Done that. Regret it to this day.

2. No numbers. Do I spell it out “seven” or is it the number “7??

3. Avoid words that are difficult to spell. Although I once was really excited about using a domain with the word “catalyst” in it — I found that no one could spell the darned thing.

4. Domain should end in .com. I don’t bother with other endings like .info or .biz. People tend to type in .com at the end of everything, so it’s usually best to stick with a .com ending.

5. Domain must NOT have any copyright names in it. I would not recommend using “Starbucks”, “Disney”, or any other company name in your URL or you may get a “cease and desist” email. Yes, even though you’re starting as a little mom blogger, eventually you might get huge. So, it’s best to plan for success in advance and avoid using trademarks in your URL.

6. If I’m looking to sell your blog down the road, it must be generic enough. For instance, I wouldn’t buy “NicoleKnowsFootball.com” to talk about my favorite football team if I planned to sell the site ever, because I’d have to find someone named Nicole to buy it.  And my big, bad unbreakable rule.

 7. It must pass the Oprah test.


Nadine Thompson, CEO ~ Soul Purpose Lifestyle Co.
and Oprah Winfrey

What exactly is the Oprah test? Well, I picture Oprah saying it out loud. “Today I have with me, Nicole Dean, author of Blah blah blah and owner of NicoleontheNet.com”. Is it memorable? Easy to spell?

You can’t do that with MyNumber1-BestHome-Remedy-Treatments4New-Mothers.net.

Why is this Important?

A difficult domain is actually wasted opportunity and wasted traffic slipping through your fingers. If you’re promoting via audio or video (maybe on podcasts or on YouTube) – you need a domain that is EASY to remember. It has to make it into the person’s ears and to his brain and stick. Heck, even if you run into an old college friend and say “Stop by my site www (dot) somethingcool (dot) com” – you’ll want her to remember long enough to actually come to your blog, right? So, make it simple. Make it memorable. And you’ll be glad.

Plus, honestly, it’s a credibility issue. Would you really buy something from MyNumber1-BestHome-Remedy-Treatments4New-Mothers.net? I hope you wouldn’t even think of getting out your credit card for a site like that. SCARY. And would you feel comfortable referring it to your friends? Not a chance.

How do you get a domain name of your very own?

You can get a domain at https://www.momwebs.com which is also my recommendation for Web Hosting. As you sign up for your domain, you can get hosting at the same time. And… they’ll even set up your blog for you for only $10. Plus, there’s a phone number that you can call if you have any questions.

 With all of that help, there’s nothing stopping you from setting up your first blog.

I hope this has been helpful. And, I really look forward to seeing YOU on Oprah!


Nicole Dean is co-owner of Mom Webs Hosting – https://www.momwebs.com where you’ll find the host with the most. It offers everything a mom blogger needs – reliability, unlimited hosting, and customer service that never makes you feel intimidated — all at a price you can afford. MomWebs.com was created to help overcome the technical hurdles that may be preventing moms from sharing themselves with the online world. Check out the free training at MomWebs.com

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8 Important Features of Professional Website Design

By Angela Wills

 

Many people who are just getting started online want to create a free professional website so that they can prove to themselves that it will make money before they spend hundreds or thousands on a full blown web design. That’s usually a smart move.

You will, however, at the very least want to pay for hosting so that the content you post online is yours. If you post to free website hosting sites then you are often giving up your authorship rights and your control of the website. If at any time, for any reason, they decide to shut down your website you will have no recourse or ability to get it back.

With that in mind, it is entirely possible to create a free website that is both professional and profitable.
Here are some features you’ll want to include to ensure your website is a success:

1. Includes an ‘About’ Page – To new visitors you are a stranger and they don’t trust you yet. An about page will start to build that trust so that you can make offers they will respond to. All good websites must include an about page.

2. Includes Contact Information- Now imagine your visitor is ready to buy but they just have one quick question they need answered first. They look around but can’t find your contact information anywhere! Don’t let this happen and make sure your website has full contact information including phone number, email and mailing address so your potential customers can choose their preference.

3. A Clear Call to Action – No matter what the purpose of your website is you must let your visitors know and call them to action. Are you looking for them to call you, order a product, sign up for a free consultation or hire you? Tell them in clear, direct words so they don’t miss the entire point of your website or individual pages.

4. High Quality Graphics – I once heard a colleague say that it’s better to have no graphics on your website than have poor quality graphics and I completely agree! Make sure any graphics, logos, backgrounds, etc are of the highest quality.

5. Easy to Read Font – The worst websites are the ones that nobody can read. The best font color for reading is black with a white background. Don’t put a barrier between you and potential customers by making your website hard to read.

6. Free Newsletter/ Ezine or Giveaway -A large majority of first time visitors will never buy from you and never return. What you need to do is catch their attention before they leave by offering something free, a sample that shows them what you offer. Do this in combination with an opt-in form so you can build your list and build the trust that is so important to future sales.

7. Privacy Policies, Website Disclaimers and Copyright – Again, trust is huge. The online world of marketing is very easy to break into and that means there is a massive problem with scammers and thieves. Show your potential customers you are not one of them by having proper disclaimers, privacy policies and protect yourself with copyright notices.

8. Well Thought-out Website Navigation – You want your visitors to find what they are looking for quickly. If they can’t find it in short order, they will leave. Make sure you have a well thought out website navigation that isn’t overpowering with too many links. It’s better to make sub-pages than to give your reader too many options right on the home page.
WordPress has many great free and paid templates available that let you create professional websites quickly.

So there you have some of the most important features of a professional website design.
If you want to learn how to make your own free professional website, join me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating professional website designs with WordPress.

Seven Qualities of a Good Website

By Angela Wills

What are the qualities of a good website?
It’s a lot simpler than you think!

A good website is simply a site that provides it’s target market with what they desire. Now this wouldn’t be a very long or useful article if I left it at that so I’ll expand on this idea by providing you with seven tips to reach your target market with your website:

1. Easy to Read -Don’t make it hard for your visitors to read the information they’re looking for. Use a font that is large and easy to read. Also don’t make the background of your writing dark and your actual writing light. For example white text on a black background is terrible for reading, so are bright reds, pinks, greens, etc. Don’t mess with this or you’ll lose readers. Keep your text black on a white background for the easiest readability.

2. Easy to Find – Don’t hide the good stuff. Make sure your website navigation makes sense and makes it easy for your visitors to find what they need. It’s best not to have a huge selection on the main  page of your website. When faced with too many decisions people usually choose none. Make main categories and then drill down to deeper pages if you need to.

3. Lead Them Through – Don’t expect your visitors to find their way through your site. Take every opportunity you can to lead them through and show them the way.

4. Provide Basics – The basic pages most websites will need are a ‘Home’, ‘About’, ‘Contact’ and ‘FAQ’ page. Most people expect these pages on a website. Provide them.

5. Have a Clear Purpose – Do people know what your website is about when they hit the main page? Is the purpose clear? Make sure your visitors know what your website is about and how it can help them. Don’t make them search for this information or they might end up going somewhere else.

6. Offer Solutions – Are people coming to your website with a problem? Don’t just offer information, make sure to offer solutions. If you are providing information be sure to lead them towards the next step. This will help connect your visitors to what you want and allow you to make more money.

7. Test, Track and Tweak – No website is perfect in the first go. Think of your website as a brand new baby and stay by it’s side as it learns to talk, to walk, to ride it’s bike.  Make sure you pay attention to your website and watch as it grows and you’ll be amazed at how intuitively you will be able to make decisions as time goes by.

There you have some qualities of a great website.
Knowing how to best build your own website is how you build a strong, unshakeable foundation for your online business for years to come.

Join me as I teach you in this online video, webinar and email coaching program everything you need to know about creating websites and blogs with WordPress.