{"id":3885,"date":"2012-07-12T15:10:04","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T22:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yola.com\/blog\/?p=3885"},"modified":"2013-09-06T14:57:37","modified_gmt":"2013-09-06T21:57:37","slug":"5-ways-to-make-your-website-stand-out-from-the-crowd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yola.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-make-your-website-stand-out-from-the-crowd\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Make Your Website Stand Out from the Crowd"},"content":{"rendered":"

650,000,000.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a website owner, this number should give you pause. That\u2019s the number of websites worldwide (as of February 2012) that you\u2019re up against. There are hundreds of millions of sites out there trying to attract eyeballs and competing with you for search rankings and viewership.<\/p>\n

Before you give up and resign yourself to internet anonymity, take a second look! The internet is growing because demand is growing. The customer base is huge! This is your opportunity to become \u201cthe next big thing\u201d, if you can execute successfully. Here\u2019s a 5-step plan to make that happen:<\/p>\n

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      1. Plan for the Audience<\/strong> – Too many sites aren\u2019t audience-centric. In other words, the site builder doesn\u2019t consider who his or her target audience is and what those visitors really need. Take time to create a content strategy which outlines who you want your site to reach, what their interests and needs are, and how you can differ from your competitors in meeting those needs.<\/li>\n
      2. A Logo is Your Calling Card<\/strong> – If you\u2019re like me, as soon as a new site loads in my browser, it\u2019s the logo and design that often determines whether I stay or go. A professional logo design presents a polished, \u201cwe\u2019re for real\u201d look that undergirds all the rest of your site. Not only that, but a logo helps brand your social media presence and product in a way nothing else can do.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n

        \"7b278c040a7a145f51311f074da06f76_400dpi\" \"974888903277d48c013d6e48cc9574eb_400dpi\" \"b4d182300a5b91e4194b811913a1fc83_400dpi\" \"cb88e96fc4b6069b1f1f6f808b73060f_400dpi\"<\/p>\n

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            1. Better Design, Better Results<\/strong> – A good logo sets the stage; the site\u2019s design convinces a reader to keep looking around. A well laid out site uses readable typography, plenty of white space and a color scheme that won\u2019t induce headaches. The navigation should be simple and direct. The content should be laid out so that what\u2019s most important is most easily found. Never overload your audience with too much information and never force them search for the essentials.<\/li>\n
            2. Make \u2018Em Wanna Come<\/strong> – Once you\u2019ve got the framework built, it\u2019s time to plug in the content. This step is extremely important. Everything (and I mean everything) on your site must directly benefit your audience. It\u2019s got to be compelling, it\u2019s got to fit your strategy and it\u2019s got to be of real value. No fluff and no SEO junk. If you can successfully execute on this step, you\u2019re likely to quickly move to an upper echelon of sites that make the \u201cbookmarked\u201d list.<\/li>\n
            3. Keep Mobile in Mind<\/strong>\u00a0 – More and more users are accessing the web through their smartphones. That\u2019s why you\u2019ve got to design your site so that a mobile user can navigate easily. Yola Silver members can publish a mobile friendly version of their website using our mobile publishing feature<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n

              Establishing an outstanding website is really no different than developing a game-changing product. It\u2019s all about meeting a customer need, creating a thoughtful design and providing an excellent value. If you can make it happen on all of these levels, your website will automatically set itself apart from much of the competition. So get out there and get designing. And here\u2019s to never settling for second best.<\/p>\n

              Dylan Mazeika is an online writer with a background in marketing and small business. He enjoys writing articles and guest posts on the latest business and design trends, and helping small business owners with Free Logo Services<\/a>, the online logo maker.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              650,000,000. If you\u2019re a website owner, this number should give you pause. That\u2019s the number of websites worldwide (as of February 2012) that you\u2019re up against. There are hundreds of millions of sites out there trying to attract eyeballs and competing with you for search rankings and viewership. Before you give up and resign yourself… Read More5 Ways to Make Your Website Stand Out from the Crowd<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":472,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[226,256,249,258,259,257,45,253,255,254],"class_list":["post-3885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-bloggers","tag-content","tag-design","tag-logo","tag-mobile","tag-mobile-publishing","tag-results","tag-small-business","tag-stand-out","tag-target","tag-target-audience"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n