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Easy MistakesThere are some mistakes I see people making repeatedly, and then they complain that they don't get any visitors. Here's a few of the major ones so you can avoid them.Nobody visits my site so I keep making new ones, changing the name and changing the address. This sounds like a reasonable thing to do, but it's the reason why your site will never become popular, as your visitors will never be able to find you! And even if they do, the chances are that they won't recognise you. There is nothing more annoying than having to bookmark different URLs every five minutes and update link buttons. So don't move your site or change the name unless you really have to. No site gets lots of hits when it's first created, so stick with it! People complain that they can't view my site properly, but it looks fine to me. This is more of a problem if you have a higher screen resolution (i.e., everything looks really small lol). This is because, although if you make a layout to fit an 800x600 screen, people with a higher resolution can still view it, although it will look small. If you make your layout suitable only for high resolutions however, in many cases other people won't be able to view parts of your site. So be careful, and try to check your site in as many resolutions and browsers as possible so that it looks user-friendly. I can't install CGI guestbooks or PHP forums or anything!! Help!! Ever heard the expression 'don't run before you can walk'? Well, it applies to webdesign. You can't just wake up one morning and suddenly know how to write PHP scripts. It takes ages to learn even the fundamentals of HTML, so I suggest you start with that before anything else. There's no point trying to use div layers before you can even change your font colour. Be patient, and don't rush through things. You will find it a lot easier if you know the basics off by heart before you move on. I don't have any good graphics programs like Paint Shop Pro, I can't make a layout. That's not true. Use a basic program like Paint which is on all PCs along with free programs like giffy and also the site gifworks.com to make good images. You can always use backgrounds from graphics sites etc. as long as you follow their terms and coniditions. In some ways, just having Paint is better because it allows you to focus on more specialised areas, such as drawing complete characters with the pencil tool rather than being distracted by fancy effects. I can't make good layouts, but people have criticised me for using free ones from other sites. It doesn't matter. I would say that you should keep a good layout on your layout that's simple and easy to navigate. Meanwhile, keep practising and getting used to graphics programs before putting up one of your own layouts. You will get there. On the whole, it's better to have free layouts up that look good rather than have a crappy layout up, as this is the first thing people notice and it will put them off. I've tried everything, but I can't seem to get more visitors. I'm just going to close my site. Now that's not the sort of attitude to have. If you quit so easily, you'll never get anywhere. You need to make a site because you feel inspired to or you want to show off your creativity, not for a popularity kick. Over time, you will get more visitors if you keep at it. Remember to keep adding content and updating regularly, as well as tagging and signing at other sites. What content should I put on my site? What else can I add? I get asked this question frequently, and usually by people who have less than 20 pages on their entire site. It's up to you what you add, I cant tell you what to type or what pages to put up. If I did, then what would be the point because everyone's sites would be identical?! Don't expect to have hundreds of ideas flooding in all the time. Just write yourself a note whenever you get inspired, and surf the net for new ideas. Back | Forward Advertised |