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  • Add You - Website Content & Usability

    Finding Your Niche on eBay
    Finding your niche on eBay can be a long and tough road. The most important thing to remember about finding what you will sell on eBay is that nobody can tell you what to sell. My job is to point you in the right direction, and inform you of what I know. I am very experienced in the field of eBay and have helped many people get on the right path to starting a career on eBay. I never once claimed that any specific eBay path would work for any specific person. Finding your eBay niche must be done within yourself. Nobody knows you like you do. If you have absolutely no interest in antiques or art then why would you attempt to become a specialist within this niche. Think about something that you really truly have a high interest
    n if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rul

    Exchanging Links – Get The Right Sites To Link To Your Website
    Why is it important that other sites link to yours? It can be seen as a sort of confirmation that one site values the content of another site. When you find a site on the net that is useful because it has good content that you are interested in you normally save it as a favorite. The same principle applies to website links. The more sites link to your site the higher the perceived value of your site on the net and that has a direct impact on your site’s ranking.There are many sites on the internet that exist for only one reason and that is to show webmasters how they can improve their search engine rankings by using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques. I do not want to comment too much on SEO sites except to say that
    Writing for the web is totally different to writing for printed matter. We tend to scan content on the web hunting for the information we're after, as opposed to reading word-for-word. As a result of this, there are certain guidelines you should be sure to follow when writing copy for your website:

    1. Use clear and simple language

    Reading from computer screens is tiring for the eyes and about 25% slower than reading from printed matter. As such, the easier the style of writing the easier it is for site visitors to absorb your words of wisdom.

    Some techniques for using clear and simple language include:

    - Avoid slang or jargon - Get your grandmother and ten year old nephew to read your site - if both can understand the page content you've done well!

    - Use shorter words where possible - ‘Begin’ rather than ‘commence’, ‘used to’ rather than ‘accustomed to’ etc.

    - Avoid complex sentence structures - Try to include just one idea or concept per sentence

    - Use active ahead of passive words - ‘We won the award’ is shorter and easier to comprehend than, ‘The award was won by us’

    2. Limit each paragraph to one idea If you assign just one idea to each paragraph site visitors can:

    - Easily scan through each paragraph

    - Get the general gist of what the paragraph is about

    - Then move on to the next paragraph

    All this and without fear that they'll be skipping over important information, because they will already know roughly what the paragraph is about.

    Limiting each paragraph to just one idea is especially effective when combined with front-loading paragraph content.

    3. Front-load content

    Front-loading content means putting the conclusion first, followed by the what, how, where, when and why. The first line of each paragraph should contain the conclusion for that paragraph, so site visitors can:

    Quickly scan through the opening sentence

    Instantly understand what the paragraph is about

    Decide if they want to read the rest of the paragraph or not

    Because each paragraph contains just one idea, users can do all this safe in the knowledge that if they jump to the next paragraph they won't be missing any new concepts.

    Front-loading also applies to web pages, as well as paragraphs. The opening paragraph on every page should always contain the conclusion of that page. This way, site visitors can instantly gain an understanding of what the page is about and decide whether they want to read the page or not.

    Unfortunately many websites don't adhere to this guideline and end up writing page content in a story-format. On each page there's an introduction, middle and conclusion, in that order. Unfortunately, when scanning through web content we don't tend to read all the text nor read all the way to the bottom of the screen. As such, you may easily miss the conclusion if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rule

    Looking For A Job?
    In a world where unemployment is high and competition for the few jobs available is stiff, one needs to know about the different ways of finding a job.Before you look for a job, though, you need to assess your strengths and weaknesses. You have to make sure that you are fit and equipped to deal with the demands of the work to be undertaken. A few additional skills will also help you become an asset to your future employer so you should get some training in other tasks if such is possible. Anyway, once you deem yourself ready to look for a job, here are the different ways by which you can do so.Use Your NetworkFinding a job should start with a little research. Find out from acquaintances if they know o
    oth can understand the page content you've done well!

    - Use shorter words where possible - ‘Begin’ rather than ‘commence’, ‘used to’ rather than ‘accustomed to’ etc.

    - Avoid complex sentence structures - Try to include just one idea or concept per sentence

    - Use active ahead of passive words - ‘We won the award’ is shorter and easier to comprehend than, ‘The award was won by us’

    2. Limit each paragraph to one idea If you assign just one idea to each paragraph site visitors can:

    - Easily scan through each paragraph

    - Get the general gist of what the paragraph is about

    - Then move on to the next paragraph

    All this and without fear that they'll be skipping over important information, because they will already know roughly what the paragraph is about.

    Limiting each paragraph to just one idea is especially effective when combined with front-loading paragraph content.

    3. Front-load content

    Front-loading content means putting the conclusion first, followed by the what, how, where, when and why. The first line of each paragraph should contain the conclusion for that paragraph, so site visitors can:

    Quickly scan through the opening sentence

    Instantly understand what the paragraph is about

    Decide if they want to read the rest of the paragraph or not

    Because each paragraph contains just one idea, users can do all this safe in the knowledge that if they jump to the next paragraph they won't be missing any new concepts.

    Front-loading also applies to web pages, as well as paragraphs. The opening paragraph on every page should always contain the conclusion of that page. This way, site visitors can instantly gain an understanding of what the page is about and decide whether they want to read the page or not.

    Unfortunately many websites don't adhere to this guideline and end up writing page content in a story-format. On each page there's an introduction, middle and conclusion, in that order. Unfortunately, when scanning through web content we don't tend to read all the text nor read all the way to the bottom of the screen. As such, you may easily miss the conclusion if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rul

    The Small Retailer's Survival Guide - Part 5 - Home Delivery Costs
    As part of a series of articles on how to survive as a small retailer, this article and the article that will follow are about how a small retailer can set up a home delivery serviceHome delivery was once the preserve of large department stores and some small local retailers. Now, thanks to the internet and improved global logistics, virtually anything can be delivered to anywhere. Does the fact that home delivery is now commonplace mean that small retailers should not bother with it? Well, of course, most small retailers didn't deliver in the first place, so will they be jumping on a band wagon that is already overloaded? Possibly. However, the costs of setting up home delivery may not be as overbearing as you may at first t
    formation, because they will already know roughly what the paragraph is about.

    Limiting each paragraph to just one idea is especially effective when combined with front-loading paragraph content.

    3. Front-load content

    Front-loading content means putting the conclusion first, followed by the what, how, where, when and why. The first line of each paragraph should contain the conclusion for that paragraph, so site visitors can:

    Quickly scan through the opening sentence

    Instantly understand what the paragraph is about

    Decide if they want to read the rest of the paragraph or not

    Because each paragraph contains just one idea, users can do all this safe in the knowledge that if they jump to the next paragraph they won't be missing any new concepts.

    Front-loading also applies to web pages, as well as paragraphs. The opening paragraph on every page should always contain the conclusion of that page. This way, site visitors can instantly gain an understanding of what the page is about and decide whether they want to read the page or not.

    Unfortunately many websites don't adhere to this guideline and end up writing page content in a story-format. On each page there's an introduction, middle and conclusion, in that order. Unfortunately, when scanning through web content we don't tend to read all the text nor read all the way to the bottom of the screen. As such, you may easily miss the conclusion if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rul

    Jim Mack
    Anyone heard of Jim Mack? If not, Jim Mack is a very successful business and internet expert. He has had wild success in many internet ventures including the 1 Step System. Jim Mack has teamed up with Bryon Howell to create an exciting opportunity for internet business seekers called the Wealth Magnet System.Jim Mack really knows his internet marketing as he is already involved in several systems that produce him a very nice income without having a regular 9-5 job. The main reason for his massive success is his incredible mentors. There is no better way to be successful in an internet business than to find someone like Jim Mack who is already successful and learn all you can from him.The Wealth Magnet system which
    p to the next paragraph they won't be missing any new concepts.

    Front-loading also applies to web pages, as well as paragraphs. The opening paragraph on every page should always contain the conclusion of that page. This way, site visitors can instantly gain an understanding of what the page is about and decide whether they want to read the page or not.

    Unfortunately many websites don't adhere to this guideline and end up writing page content in a story-format. On each page there's an introduction, middle and conclusion, in that order. Unfortunately, when scanning through web content we don't tend to read all the text nor read all the way to the bottom of the screen. As such, you may easily miss the conclusion if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rul

    Common Misconceptions with an Online Business
    When searching the internet for a work at home business you will find thousand of opportunities. Most of these will sound too good to be true. A lot of times they are just that, too good to be true. Promises of instant wealth without lifting a finger sounds great but we all know it is virtually impossible.Many times it is believed that online business programs are a way to get rich quick. That is very far from the truth. When entering a business on the internet it is best to be realistic about the earning potential. Just like any business, it takes time to develop and become profitable. Some do not look at these programs as their own business, but it really is.It takes time to get your name and website out there on the
    n if it's left until the end.

    So remember, conclusion first, everything else second! For a great example of front-loaded content, just read any newspaper article. The opening paragraph is always the conclusion of the article.

    4. Use descriptive sub-headings

    Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about. The main heading on the page provides a brief overall view of what page is about, and the opening paragraph gives a brief conclusion of the page (because you've front-loaded the page content). Within the page though, there are various sub-themes which can be quickly put across with sub-headings.

    There's no hard and fast rule for how frequently to use sub-headings, but you should probably be roughly aiming for one sub-heading every two to four paragraphs. More importantly though, the sub-headings should group on-page content into logical groups, to allow site visitors to easily access the information that they're after.

    5. Bolden important words

    Another way to help users locate information quickly and easily is to bolden important words in some paragraphs. When site visitors scan through the screen this text stands out to them, so do make sure the text makes sense out of context.

    Bolden two to three words which describe the main point of the paragraph, and not words on which you're placing emphasis. By seeing these boldened words site visitors can instantly gain an understanding of what the paragraph is about and decide whether or not they want to read it.

    6. Use descriptive link text

    In the same way that bold text stands out to screen-scanning web users, so does link text. Link text such as ‘click here’ makes no sense whatsoever out of context so is useless to site visitors scanning web pages. To find out the destination of the link, site visitors have to hunt through the text both before and after the link text.

    7. Use lists

    Lists are preferable to long paragraphs because they:

    - Allow users to read the information vertically rather than horizontally

    - Are easier to scan

    - Are less intimidating

    - Are usually more succinct

    8. Left-align text

    Left-aligned text is easier to read than justified text, which in turn is easier to read than centre- or right-aligned text.

    When reading through justified text the spacing between each word is different so our eyes have to search for the next word. This slows down our reading speed. Right- and centre-aligned paragraphs slow down reading speed even more because each time you finish reading one line your eye has to search for the beginning of the next line.

    Conclusion

    These eight guidelines are nothing revolutionary nor are they difficult to implement. Yet so many websites structure their content so poorly to the detriment of their site visitors. Have a quick look over your website now - how does it do with regards to these content guidelines?

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