Copy or Design: Which Is Most Important For A Website?

In a word:  BOTH.  Quite simply:  no website can thrive on copy alone.  It's the marriage of professional copy and compelling design that will give you the click-throughs you want.  Here are some points to consider:

*Start with the planning and navigation.  If your prospect can't locate the information, you've just lost a sale.

*No font should be less than 10 or 12 points.  None!

*A menu of links to key pages should be on every page.  You want to make it as easy as possible for your visitor.

*Keep the background either white or light unless there's a VERY good reason to do otherwise. Every page on your site should be consistent with the home page.

*Excessive graphics slow down a website's loading time -- and also a visitor's patience.  There should be a good ratio of graphics to copy.

*Internet Explorer is the browser of choice for most visitors, but Firefox, Safari, and Navigator Net are also gaining popularity.  Make sure your website is browser friendly.

How Are E-Newsletters Really Read?

So you're ready to launch an e-newsletter.  And you're committed to making it very readable and intriguing to your customers or clients.  Here are some facts to keep in mind:

*The average time allocated to a newsletter after opening it is only 51 seconds.

*Only 19% of newsletter is likely to be fully read;  for the most part, readers scan.

*One third of the time, readers only skim a small portion of the newsletter before moving on.

*Most readers totally skip the introductory "fluff" text (67% move right to the "meat").

When writing an e-newsletter, keep it short.  Keep it simple. Keep it meaty and interesting.  And resist the urge to add lots of meaningless filler copy that is likely not to be read.