Unfortunately, those Web marketers who churn out dozens of low-quality, cookie-cutter pages can give all search engine marketers a bad reputation. That's why you often hear the term doorway page and spam in the same sentence. Doorway pages should be nothing more than a page designed to provide valuable, highly relevant content to a search query. It should do this while conforming to the rules of the search engine so that the page will achieve one or more high rankings.

The reasons for creating top quality pages are many. First, it does you no good to gain a top 10 ranking and then serve up a page that is completely devoid in value. Why bring a prospect to your Web site if you're going to do a poor job of selling them on your product? They'll quickly hit their browser's back button and move onto the next Web site.

Secondly, all the major search engines claim to favor pages with high-quality content. They claim that to rank well on their engine that you simply need to create relevant, high quality pages. Unfortunately, it's a little more complicated than that, however, improving your site's content and design can do nothing but help your rankings and your sales. This assumes that while you're creating these pages that you take a few minutes to also mimic the key elements of top ranking pages. That's what the WebPosition Page Critic will help you do. In addition, it will try to warn you before you accidentally trigger any spam filters or do something that would reduce your rankings.

With this in mind, I'd like to offer you some tips and resources you can put to use today to make your Web site the best it can be. There are many pitfalls to Web site design that you'll want to avoid. In addition, there are many simple steps you can take to dramatically increase the number of visitors who convert to paying customers. Getting visitors to your Web site is only half the battle. If you don't convert enough of them to paying customers once they arrive, you'll soon find yourself among the growing number of "dot com bombs."

I founded FirstPlace Software ten years ago and since then we've experienced exponential growth. In fact, Deloitte & Touche ranks us among the nation’s fastest growing technology companies. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that I'm often asked what my secret is.

There are many factors that go into creating a successful business. However, one of the most important factors to success comes from your willingness to learn. Read all you can about subjects that will help your business rise above the crowd and win in the world of e-commerce, sales, marketing, and customer service. You'd be surprised how much difference a few hours of research can make upon your bottom-line.

First, learn how to write effective marketing copy before you even start building that Web site. A Web-based business lives and dies by its ability to convey its message effectively and persuasively to its visitors! Fancy graphics and Java scripts might help, but what your Web site says and how it says it will be the determining factor. If you simply have no talent for writing and do not have the time or willingness to learn, then at least invest the money and hire someone who does. Or, if you have no money to invest, find a friend who's a skilled writer whose willing to lend you a hand.

There are entire books on writing effectively. If you have the time, order some from Amazon.com or from your local bookstore and study them. If you're time is limited like many of us, at least invest a few minutes reading articles like this one and committing their advice to memory:

"Seven Keys To Writing Powerful Marketing Copy" by Scott T. Smith

\Once you write anything, print it out, re-read it and compare it to the advice in the above article. Are you meeting those objectives as effectively as possible? If not, re-write and revise until you do meet those goals.

Although the "Seven Keys to Writing" is a good start, you really need to devote at least a couple hours to other resources such as the many great articles found at:

Clickz.com: "Writing Online"

Most importantly, find someone who can proof read your work and give you a second, unbiased opinion. In fact, seek out as many opinions as you can. I have six to eight people who proofread my newsletters before they go out. Every one of them finds errors or room for improvement, making the final product even better. You will never grow as a writer unless you solicit the honest feedback of others who are not afraid to be critical of your work.

After you've honed your writing skills, integrate that new marketing copy into a Web site designed to both sell and solve a problem. Most people can look at a Web site and within 5 to 10 seconds come away with an impression of whether it’s clean, professional and worth their time, or whether it looks like it's run by a 14 year old kid out of his mother's basement.

Many elements go into designing a great Web site and a number of today's top companies miss the boat on this one. You don't have to know VB scripting or be an HTML guru to create an effective Web site. You only have to know what makes a Web site user-friendly, accessible, and ultimately, one that "sells."

The following article includes 28 tips from the pros for designing drop-dead layouts, finding the right colors, speeding page load times, and more. Your Web site may look great to your eye, but if you're not pulling the sales you want, how does it really look to the average Joe?

"Great Tips from CNET Designers" http://www.builder.com/Graphics/CTips/index.html

Marketing can be defined simply as perception. You may have a great product and the most in-depth information on your topic bar-none, but if the user perceives differently, then you're wasting your time. They'll move onto someone else's site that does a better job solving their problem, at least as they perceive it.

If you have questions about HTML, using FrontPage, creating effective site navigation, or any of dozens of other Web site building topics, see CNET's Web site builder's resource page at:

http://builder.cnet.com/webbuilding/0-3881.html?tag=st.bl.3880.dir.3881

Whether you already have a Web site designed or are looking to create a new one, choose your overall design carefully. A poor design will turn off a visitor before they even have a chance to read your marketing copy. Learn the pros and cons of various design approaches before choosing one that works best for your Web site:

Clickz.com: "Site Design"

http://clickz.com/column/sd.html

Lastly, be sure your end product not only passes the visitor usability test, but passes with flying colors. If your Web site is a pleasure to use, your visitors will respond in kind by purchasing far more of your products and services. If it forces them to stop and wonder where to click next, you'll often see them backpedaling to their favorite search engine before they give your site a real chance. Therefore, take the time to read this article to help you achieve this goal:

"ZD NET--Users First: Web Usability"

http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/stories/articles/0,4413,2137433,00.html

Once you've created first-class content to be proud of, make sure it's search engine friendly. Run it through the WebPosition Gold Page Critic to find out exactly how to make your page more appealing to each of the major search engines:

http://www.webposition.com/product.htm

What's the point of having the best Web site in the world if nobody can find you? Don't succumb to the rhetoric that you can't obtain top rankings while creating great content. The two are not mutually exclusive. Many people do it everyday, and there's no reason you can't as well.

The key, as I'm so fond of saying, is knowledge. You don't have to have a Masters degree in marketing to do it. I have a degree in computer science but I've taught myself the ins and outs of Web marketing without any formal training. Invest a little time each day to learning the skills you need to succeed. You'd be surprised how few people take that extra step that truly will make all the difference in your career.

Courtesy of Market Position