Monday, December 3, 2007 

Private Practice Strategies: How to Develop Multiple Streams of Psychology Income

Mental health professionals have a wealth of valuable, even crucial, information and expertise in which many people are in need.

One-on-one therapy is only one way we can deliver this expertise and help.

There are a number of possible ways therapists can create revenue streams while sharing their talents, expertise and skills with people in need.

Some of these ways are traditional and common, but others are rather innovative ways therapists are beginning to put their abilities to good use. In doing so, they are creating revenue streams.

Traditional Services

Although its time for therapists to think out of the box and develop new services that creatively meet the felt needs of niche markets, there is a place for the traditional therapeutic services.

These include psychotherapy for the DSM diagnoses, psychological testing and evaluation, marriage and family therapy and behavioral health care.

And, yes, people will forgo managed-care reimbursement and pay out of pocket for services that are of higher value because they are higher quality, offer real privacy and are truly customized for the individual needs.

One of the frustrations I hear from mental health care service consumers is that they cant find a specialized therapist in their managed-care insurance network.

Its as if managed cares philosophy is, Well help you obtain access to psychotherapy, but we dont care whether the therapist we connect you with is a specialist. A generalist is fine.

Set yourself apart and demonstrate your true value in the marketplace through specialization. Many people in the market for therapy value specialization.

Getting Published

A book is a powerful way to affect lives. It is also a good way to establish credibility, highlight your practice and services and position yourself in your niche.

And, its easier than you think if you self-publish. It has become very affordable to do so, and it puts you in charge of the content, price and reprints.

It can actually be more profitable, too. You keep every dollar above your costs. If you went through a major publisher who sells a few thousand books, you would only receive the authors fee. You can make as much selling a few hundred copies of a self-published book yourself.

If your book is successful, you may even attract a large publisher to take over your book.

Writing a book opens doors to speaking engagements, media opportunities and a reputation in your niche market.

It also helps you to crystallize your thinking and enhances your effectiveness as a practitioner; its a great exercise in that sense. You will learn a lot both in breadth and depth.

Take the opportunity now to brainstorm ideas for a book thats inside you.

It doesnt have to be long. One hundred pages is plenty.

Teaching

Teaching courses part-time at a local college or university can be an attractive stream of income.

I have been teaching as adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program at Widener University outside Philadelphia for several years and find it both rewarding and enjoyable.

Think about areas of special interest on which you could teach a course. Courses that adjunct faculty teach can be core curriculum in a graduate program, an undergraduate course or an elective.

I find that part-time professors who are practioners have a lot to offer because they are immersed in what they teach. Students seem to appreciate this as well.

E-books

E-books are another medium in which you can package and share specialized information.

And e-book is a written piece of information that is distributed via the internet electronically. It is offered free or for a cost (typically $10 to $30) on a web site.

You can also submit an e-book to web sites that list hundreds of e-books to make them available to the public.

Tens of thousands of e-books are downloaded each year, and are changing lives for the better.

Perhaps you can make yours one of them.

Do you have a solution to a specific problem or can you research the answers?

The best e-books share answers to a specific problem.

E-book topics I have heard of recently include: how to write a eulogy, how to cope with a hysterectomy and the topic of recovering from fibromyalgia.

These are e-books written by non-mental health professionals. Imagine what information psychotherapists can offer in this just-in-time format.

E-books cost very little to produce and nothing to distribute. You can attach the file for an e-book to an email or make it downloadable from a web site.

A great e-book is not long. Many of the best are 10 to 35 pages long.

E-books offer short answers to problems readers want to solve, and are available to people quickly.

Good e-books are specific and do not contain general information. The key to marketability is communicating your precise answer to a specific problem.

E-Courses

E-Courses are similar to e-books, but they may be lengthier and delivered to readers one segment at a time. As the name implies, these can be formatted as guided self-study programs.

E-courses allow for the content to be integrated over a specific period of time. Each lesson can be a simple article or more in-depth with guided self-study. Write between five and 10 lessons, and you have a good e-course.

Written by a professional, a good e-course can bridge the gap between a reader learning new information and the reader applying that information to his/her life and making a behavioral change.

Personal Coaching

In sports, coaching is important to help an athlete develop a winning strategy, develop skills and execute the plan. The coach knows how the athlete can progress and move forward. He/she urges the athlete to set high goals and provides motivation, support, focus and encouragement.

Over the past 10 years, the field of professional coaching in personal development and business arenas has grown tremendously.

What is coaching? Personal coaching is a one-on-one professional relationship in which a client is assisted in achieving a personal, business or career goal.

What is the difference between coaching and therapy? Although coaches sometimes assist people with challenges and problems of various kinds, they do not try to help people overcome problems related to diagnosable conditions as found in the DSM.

Rather, coaches assist well-functioning people to attain greater levels of achievement and satisfaction in their personal lives, businesses or careers.

While therapy is remedial and restorative, coaching is developmental and growth-oriented.

Therapy heals mental and emotional infirmities, while coaching helps healthy individuals achieve more or reach important goals.

Personal coaches work with clients on a wide range of issues, such as coping with a problem or crisis, focusing their efforts on achievement, making career transitions, living more fulfilled lives, achieving life goals and building better relationships.

Other coaches assist people with business development or managerial or leadership development. These coaches are called business coaches or executive coaches.

While coaching is not always based on psychology, it often is. And many of the skills a coach uses are the skills in which therapists are trained. So, there is considerable overlap between coaching and therapy.

This is why many psychologists, counselors and therapists have found coaching attractive and transitioned into coaching either entirely or as a part of their practice mix. I am one of them.
In many ways, therapists have an ideal background to be coaches. But the differences between coaching and therapy are significant and important to keep in mind.

Therapists can make great coaches because of their insights into human motivation and behavior, their understanding of human development and life transitions, their communication and relationship skill and their sense of professional ethics, knowledge base and experience in helping people.

Live Workshops, Retreats, Trainings

Presenting live events such as seminars, workshops, retreats and training programs can be a very lucrative stream of income.

And, it can be a powerful way to affect peoples lives.

The group setting allows learners to engage with your material and benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the group.

Live programs can also be an introduction to your other services. Brief programs, such as a lunch and learn, can be delivered for free as a solid marketing vehicle for your practice.

As a therapist, if you have developed and packaged your message into a program as recommended earlier, you have the makings of a great seminar or workshop.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Promoting a workshop or retreat is promoting your practice at the same time and may be psychologically easier to do.

Consider adding a post-training element to your program. It could be a follow-up mini-workshop, a series of workshops or one-on-one work.

You can leverage the energy of a live event in many ways for additional revenue streams.

And, it is likely that some participants will choose to work with you after the event is over.

You will want to casually present your other offerings at the event. You may make it easier for them by having a sign-up sheet.

Teleseminars

A teleseminar (also called a teleclass) is a seminar held over the telephone, like a conference call.

The advantage of a teleseminar is the convenience. No one has to commute and the consumers dial to a bridge line at the specified time. No physical accommodations need be arranged; you only need to rent a telephone bridgeline.

Teleseminars can include people from all over the country, even internationally, at the same time.

Classes are typically 60 minutes long, but can vary. Often teleseminars are offered in a multi-class series.

Teleseminars are another way to offer your packaged content and introduce people to your services. Teleseminars can be offered for free to attract prospective clients and let them sample your services.

See www.TeleClass.com for examples of what various professionals are offering. Or, do a search on Google for teleseminars or teleclasses. There are hundreds to browse and attend.

To get a better feel for how to conduct a teleseminar, attend some yourself.

Consulting

The goal of this book is to help mental health practitioners build thriving managed-care free private practices.
One of the themes I hope I have conveyed is that psychology is not just for DSM diagnoses.
While we have discussed ways to market traditional services, diversification is important, as it increases the chances we can generate sufficient income to operate outside of managed care.
Multiple streams of psychotherapy income can be developed in ones practice.

When I decided to build a manage-care free practice, I gave considerable thought to how

I could provide private-pay services. I explored how I could use my skills in ways that people would readily pay.

Many psychologists and other mental health professionals are successful in consulting in the workplace for the benefit of employees and employers. Business consulting can be a very lucrative income stream.

Like many practitioners, I found my skills could be applied in the business arena. Today, through a business I started called Leadership Concepts, I offer services in the areas of business consulting, executive, business and career coaching and seminars and workshops for businesses. This has proven to be a solid and growing income stream for me, and it is work I really enjoy.

Other ways to diversify into consulting include behavioral medicine, forensics and sports psychology.

Consulting is a very broad and diverse area, so I wont scrape the surface of the possibilities here. But perhaps I can give you good directions for exploration.

If this area is new for you, you will be surprised to find out the many valuable ways our psychology and mental health expertise can be of benefit to people in the workplace.
Our background makes us capable of assisting businesses with many different barriers to productivity.

To familiarize yourself with this terrain, I suggest you do a Google search using the keywords business, consulting and psychologist and browse the web sites that come up.

Forensic Consulting

Another specific type of consulting is worth considering separately.

Forensic consulting has to do with psychological or mental health service specifically related to the court system.

Often times, a court has to deal with issues that impinge on mental health issues.

Some of these include:

Criminal cases
Competency to stand trial
Mental status at time of offense
Mitigating factors in offenses
Risk assessments, violence

Civil cases
Emotional damages in personal injuries
Assessments for malingering

Family cases and other
Child custody evaluations
Court-ordered psychological evaluations

In addition, attorneys often need help sorting out the issues when questions of a psychological nature occur in their cases. They retain psychologists and other experts to review files and help them prepare for depositions or cross-examination of experts.

Psychologists and other professionals can inform the court on issues, perform assessments and testify as experts.

Consultants in this area testifying as experts typically receive $1,000 to $2,000 for their testimony.

I find that this niche is an attractive one for several reasons:
It is completely managed-care free
It is interesting work
It makes good use of our background
It is lucrative
It is a specialized area that many professionals find intimidating,
which means less competition.

If you find this an interesting prospect as a part of your practice, then I encourage you to begin taking some training workshops to familiarize yourself with the terrain.

Web sites

Revenue streams can be active or passive. Therapy sessions, therapy groups, workshops and consulting services are all active forms of revenue streams. You exchange your time and skills for a fee.

Passive revenue is revenue from streams that do not involve service delivery, but once set up, occur automatically 24/7. A common form of passive revenue is income from products sold on a web site.

Can you see the advantages of passive revenue? Can therapists develop passive revenue streams? You bet!

Therapists can productize their most useful expertise and offer information products to benefit others.

Some of these we already looked at, like books, e-books and e-courses. These can all be offered on a web site for web seekers to obtain and utilize to fill their needs.

There are other possibilities as well, such as licensing programs.

As an example of a passive revenue web site effectively offering information products to a specific niche, see TeachMeTeamwork.com.

Passive income streams utilizing the internet via web sites are a burgeoning area for many service professionals, but few mental health professionals are taking advantage of the potential so far.

This will be changing soon.

Active income streams can also be marketed on the internet.

Web sites can also be effectively used as a marketing tool for your fee-for-service practice. More and more therapists are putting up web sites and for good reasons.

A web site is your practice brochure, available any time, day or night, to seekers on the internet. People you meet, people who hear you give a presentation and people referred to you by another professional, can be directed to view your web site, find out more about you and, hopefully, be stimulated to contact you.

A simple, attractive, intriguing postcard sent to a mailing list can direct your niche market to your web site. Or, your yellow page ad in the phone book can include your web address.

A web site is much more than a brochure. It is also a potentially powerful marketing vehicle, when combined with internet marketing strategies.

If you decide to have a web site for your practice, or for a particular niche service, make it full of resources (articles and free information) that will attract people to it and make them want to spread the word.

Although beyond the scope of this article, internet marketing strategies can be developed to drive people to your web site.

Increasingly, people are beginning their search for products and services on the internet.

The yellow pages are not the first choice for many.

Are you effectively represented on the Internet?

Licensing Programs

After you have developed effective structured programs for your niches, you can license the use of these programs to other professionals.

Other therapists have been doing this for years. Psychologist Dr. Daniel Dana, a conflict resolution specialist, certifies mediators and licenses his program at MediationWorks.com.

Another example can be found at DifficultChild.com, as we mentioned previously. Howard Glasser, M.A. offers a parenting approach and program, as well as other materials, for ADHD children. His program involves a book, a training program for parents and a training and certification program for therapists.

His program is called Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach.

One of my coaching clients is certified in this program and speaks highly of it.

Howard Glassers web site actually models several streams of income, including a book, workshops, training other professionals, licensing or certification and internet marketing for all the above including his practice.

These programs in a box are typically complete turnkey therapy, counseling or consulting programs that therapists can purchase. They are usually complete, including the structured program itself, instructor materials, workbooks and also include marketing pieces you can use to generate business.

For those of you who want to do niche marketing but prefer not to do the creating part, you may want to find out whether someone has developed a program you can utilize to serve your niche.

Someone may have done the work for you.

If you can find a program suitable for your niche market, you could be a few days away from having a marketable service in your repertoire.

Training Other Professionals

When you have developed an effective program, you can leverage it by training others in your approach and methods.

Innovators in therapy have been training others for years. If you develop a specialization, program or niche service in a growing area, you may find many other therapists would like to learn from you.

Sometimes the innovation is mainly in how a service is packaged.

You can train other professionals via live workshops, self-study program packages and teleseminars.

Diversification by developing a number of streams of psychotherapy income increases the chances you can create sustainable income and can be rewarding in other ways too.

William D. Morgan is a psychologist, author, and private practice business coach. He coaches human service professionals and others who want to build thriving practices. For more helpful information and tips, visit http://www.TodaysPrivatePractice.com/membershipinfo.html This is an excerpt from his NEW BOOK Today's Private Practice: Strategies for Building a Thriving Managed-Care Free Psychotherapy Practice, http://www.TodaysPrivatePractice.com.Make Money At Home Surveys
Apply Online For Governmentt Small Business Loans
Make Money On The Internet 3
Ebook Hypnosis
A Make Money On The Internet
Business Home Internet Marketing Mlm Network Oppor
Advertising Promotion Site Software Web Webmaster
How Can I Make Fast Money Not Online
Blogger Template Oscommerce Free Web Hosting Bridal
Make Fast Cash Money
Doing Make Money Online Survey
Home Jobs Online Survey Make Money Work At
Google Ebook Adsense Make Money With Adsense Xtsafelistcom
Seo Consultant Increased Search Engine Traffic Web Site
Affiliate Internet Make Money Online Program
Apply Online For Business Credit Cards
Free Bingo Money Start Off
Free Content Affiliate Marketing Programs
Work At Home Moms Business Idea
Bangalore Search Engine Optimization Seo Submission
How To Hire Bloggers
Free Site Submission Search Engines
Alcohol Advertising
Computer And Security And Spamming
Google Adsense Affiliate Review
Pay Per Click Search Engine 1secondcom Mega Ppc Advertising
Make Money With Adsense Growing Profits Triple Your Income
Web Site Advertising Domain Registration Network Marketing
Google Pagerank Promote Submission Web Site
Best Video Search Engines
Free Online Credit Report Without Credit Card Or Money
Earn Money Online Survey Credit
Video Search Engines
Engine Optimization Promotion Search Site Site Submission
Small Business Online Advertising
Free To Join Affiliate Programs
Free Ebooks Angels And Demons Dan Brown
Make Money Online At The Home Job Shop
Adwords Marketing Google Adsense Information
Adwords Make Money With Adsense Xtsafelist Com Google
Money Cash Dollar Make Tjana Pengar Snabbt Fast Easy Online
Hispanic Tv Advertising For Ophthalmologists
Blogging To The Bank
Easy Ways To Make Money In Astonia
Ways To Make Money Credit
Cjbmgt Clickbank Hop Net Noadware
Marketing Realtor Site Strategy Web
Easy Ways To Make Money With A Law Degree
Get Paid To Take Surveys Reviews Clickbank
Free Money Online
Ways To Make Money On The Internet
Pay Per Click Search Marketing
Doing Research World Wide Search Engines Websrch
Insurance Affiliate Program
Make Money Online With Money Making Affiliate Programs
Cash Fast Make Money
Search Engine Submission Web Site Promotion Seo Se
How Can I Make Extra Money At Home
Make Money At Home Imoms
Quick And Esy Ways To Make Money Fast
Filling Make Money Online Survey
Seo Seo Ebooks Search Engine Optimization Seo Soft
Badges On Blogger How
Marketing Optimization Site Web Anguilla
Credit Card Add Debt Free Affiliate Programs
Colorado Internet Marketing Strategy
Site Web Search Engine Submission Seo Marketing Ecommerce
Internet Marketing Seo Economical Search Engine Optimization
Seo Services In India
How To Make Big Money At Home
Best Internet Marketing Strategies
Travel Search Engines
Search Engine Optimization Specialist Internet Marketing Seo
Home Based Business Work From Home Online
Earn Money Fast Internet
Pay Per Click Meta Search Engine Submission
Canada Marketing Promotion Site Web
Pay Per Click Websites Software
Online Marketing Home Based Business
Canon Usa Consumer Products Digital Cameras
Home Business Ideas Sfi Affiliate Program Internet
Make Fast Money Online
Internet Based Business
Ways To Make Money Online Loan
Book Search Engines
Make Money On Ebay Auction
Make Money Online With Computer
Administration Business Degree Master Online
Become A Webmaster
Searches That Use Clickbank
Digital Equipment Corporation Products
Clickbank Portal Software
Search Engine Optimization Services Program
Free Make Money At Home
Yahoo Search Marketing Overture Pay Per Click
Make Extra Money On The Internet Loan
Make Money Business Opportunities Online Business
Hosted Affiliate Programs
Network Marketing Mlm Companies Agent
Internet Marketing Strategy Worst

 

Creative Tips for Throwing Amazing Parties

Weve all been to parties that have that certain something-special that makes them stand out in our memories as being truly fabulous. Of course, to have a great party, you need to start with great guests. Assuming you have that part covered, often it comes down to all of the little party details to really make a party special.

Here are a few fast but fabulous tips to put your parties on the map:

- Freeze strawberries or raspberries, then pop them into glasses of white wine or champagne for a dash of "bling". The berries will kick it up a notch with a splash of color and class, and will inject an element of unexpected surprise.

- If the lavatory your guests will visit during the party has a bathtub, glam things up by filling the tub with water, then float the heads of oodles of large scented flowers in it. Roses, gerbera daisies, mums, and carnations are all good choices. The stunning visual impact of this will knock the socks of your guests - and the room will smell amazing.

- Pick up simple store-bought cakes at the local grocery, then give them the high-end, lavish look of expensive custom cakes by embellishing them with fresh, non-poisonous flowers such as roses, pansies, or naustrusium.

- To encourage mingling at a cocktail party, limit the number of seats so that guests dont just plunk themselves down in one spot for the entire night. Some seating is, of course, necessary for those with weary feet, but there should be substantially fewer seats than guests if you want to keep things lively.

For more lots more terrific ideas for entertaining and party planning, visit http://www.CreativeHomeStyle.com OR head over to http://www.SuperWeddings.com for creative wedding planning ideas, inspiration and how-to advice.

Linda Kevich is a leader in lifestyle arts. An internationally recognized wedding expert for the last 15 years, Kevich is often cited in the national and international media and is well known for showing couples how to have the weddings of their dreams through her popular web site SuperWeddings.com (http://www.superweddings.com) . Now, through CreativeHomeStyle.com (http://www.creativehomestyle.com), Kevich, with her killer sense of style and academic background in design, takes her followers to the next step - beyond the wedding - inspiring them with ways to inject creativity and style into life at home.Clickbank Hop Mp3advance Net Sirly1
Make Money Fun And Easy
London Clubs Internet Marketing Strategy
Best Income Opportunity Residual Make Fast Money Online
Ways To Make Easy Money 3
Business Voip Mlm Network Marketing Msn
Latino Advertising For Cosmetic Surgery
Travel Insurance Affiliate Program
Web Site Promotion Internet Marketing Tool Mlm
Internet Web Site Marketing
Legimate Work At Home Jobs
Free Seo Reports Software
Beginners Guide To Golf Ebook Free
Top Ten Ways To Make Money On The Internet
Home Base Internet Business
Profit From Clickbank
Internet Marketing Strategy Redwood City
Free Affiliate Program Internet Marketing Strategy Internet
Make Money Online Business
Costa Rica Seo Consultant
Ebay Free Make Money
Based Business Home Internet Opportunity Product
Montana Search Engine Optimization
Seo Development Ny
Control Bad Habits Learn Hypnosis Ebooks
Calgary Web Site Marketing
Daily Internet Marketing News Seo News
How I Make Money With Google Adsense
Web Site Online Marketing Internet Consulting
Search Engine Google Pages Site Adsense
Mlm Network Marketing Los Angeles
Mp3 Search Engines
Ancient Ways To Make Money
Engine Optimization Optimization Search Site Web
Washington Make Money At Home
Web Hosting Affiliate Program
Home Business Internet Marketing Opportunity
Quick Ways For Kid To Make Money
Affiliate Marketing Network Programs
Make Money Online Work At Home Business Home
Free Bingo Money Prizes
Affiliate Make Money Online Program Ways
Internet Home Work Income Business
Search Engine Optimization Web Site Submission Seo Software
Types Of Advertising For Students
Youth And Blogging
Good Internet Marketing Strategy International Internet
Great Blogging Sites
Free Ebooks Downloads
Seo Consultant Bosniaherzegovia
Best Offer Work At Home Make Money
Work At Home Business Opportunity
Latino Radio Advertising For Dentists
Network Marketing Voip Service Provider Wireless Voip Phone
Make Section Members Vip Clickbank
Network Marketing Resources Mlm Home Based Businesses
Based Business From Home Home Internet Marketing Online Work
Marketing Network
Home Based Business Idea And Free Work At Home Jobs
Bulk Email Marketing Web Site Hosting Services Hum
Seo
Buy Cheap Easy Ways To Make Money Fast
Byron Bay Seo
Search Engine Optimization Reviews
Engine Marketing Promotion Search Site Web
Google Adsense Keywords
Corporate Internet Marketing Strategy
Make Money Working From Home
Blogger Reader Comments Text
Computer Ebook Free Programming
Teenagers Ways To Make Money
Make Money Online Start Making Money At Home
Al Photo Pour Webmaster
Internet Business For Sale
Click Conversion Pay Per Search
Advertising Services
How To Make Money In Eq In The Free Online
Seo Tool Submission
Search Engine Optimization News From Michigan Seo Consulting
Business Consultant Internet Marketing Small
Advertising Affiliate Program Site Web
Seo Solution
Seo Consulting
Home Business Ideas Sfi Affiliate Program Internet Marketing
Seo Secret Search Engine Marketing Free Traffic Search
Based Business Home Making Money Online Opportunity
Ways For A Teenager To Make Money Fast
Payday Advance Affiliate Programs
How Make Money On The Internet
Adult Webmaster Submissions Page
De Google Page Rank
Learn Internet Marketing Home Based Business Opportunity
Dish Network Affiliate Programs
Webmaster Forums Discussion
The Impact Of Internet On Marketing Strategy
Future Of Seo
Online Ways To Make Money Online
How To Make Money Ebay Affiliate Program
Internet Marketing Seo Macao
Christmas Extra Make Money

 

10 Terrific Tips for Web Design Beginners.

When embarking on the daunting journey to web design enlightenment it can be hard to know where to start. This short article is intended as a roadmap, outlining the significant tips all aspiring web designers should be made aware of. If you follow each of the following tips you will be well on your way to web design nirvana. However, you may possibly be an intermediate, or, hold your breath, advanced web designer well if that is the case, be humble my good friend, peruse the following tips and you may surprise yourself and pick up a thing or two. So saddle up to your computer chair, make yourself a coffee, drink some chai tea if it tickles your fancy (it s certainly not my cup of tea), assume the full lotus position and prepare to be digitally enlightened.

-- TECHNICAL TIPS --

1. LEARN XHTML - Extensible HyperText Markup Language.

If you dont already know, XHTML is the markup language that every individual web page is made out of. Right click on your screen, and click on view source. Feel like Neo already? Yes, thats right folks; every web page you view is simply a plain text file full of code stored on some dudes computer (sometimes otherwise known as a web hosting server).

Dont be scared, XHTML is quite possibly the easiest programming language you can learn, so easy in fact XHTML isnt technically classed as a programming language. Dont take the red pill and learn Dreamweaver it may seem the easier option at first, but being completely honest once you learn XHTML you can create web pages in half the amount of time than it takes to in Dreamweaver, and you have more control over the final layout. Additionally, Dreamweaver adds quite a lot of unnecessary code and as a result increase the file size of the page, slowing down the loading time for all those poor sods still on dial up Internet. You can write XHTML code in a plain text editor, such as notepad, or notepad++ ( my favourite), however word processors such as Microsoft Word are entirely unsuitable.

If youre rich, unlike me, pick up a cheap ( recent) XHTML book, otherwise browse Google for XHTML tutorials, or head over to http://www.w3. org/MarkUp/Guide/ for a brief introduction to writing XHTML by Dave Raggett.

2. LEARN CSS Cascading Style Sheets.

Stop torturing you with all these programming languages you say? Dont fret my friend, CSS is only a little more advanced than XHTML and most books on XHTML also cover CSS. CSS is the language that controls things such as the colour, background images, font attributes, and so on. The beauty of using CSS is you can control the aesthetic features of multiple web pages with a single CSS file.

If you would like another wonderful online tutorial, head over to http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/ Guide/Style for a brief introduction to CSS, by Dave Raggett also.

3. LEARN PHOTOSHOP.

All web designers know how to use Photoshop. I was actually born with a Photoshop watermark on my upper left thigh. If you are aspiring for a web design career you are going to need to learn Photoshop, hell even my Nan knows how to use Photoshop. So Google away for Photoshop tutorials, or browse your local library to spice up your Photoshop skills.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to make up all of your web page designs in Photoshop first. Once you are entirely happy with the design start slicing and dicing your photoshop file for the images you will need, and coding the web page in XHTML and CSS. This saves stuffing around with markup code unnecessarily; its much easier to make changes to layout and colours, etcetera, in Photoshop first.

4. USE CSS INSTEAD OF TABLES FOR YOUR DESIGNS.

If you already know a thing or two about web design you are probably sick to death of hearing about using CSS instead of tables for your layout. Well Im going to give it a brief mention anyways for all those web design n00bies out there. Use CSS to control your layout, dont use HTML tables for your design. Tables add tons of unnecessary code, are time consuming and expensive to make changes to once the site is completed, and only affect the layout of the single page you are working on as opposed to using a single CSS file that affects the layout of any page you want. Dont bust your knuckles by typing the same code over and over again.

5. USE VALID XHTML AND CSS.

Valid XHTML and valid CSS is code that validates with the World Wide Web Consortiums coding rules. There is plenty of information on how to ensure your code is valid over at http://www.w3.org. It is important to keep this in mind, as most web design employers will not touch web designers with a ten-foot clown pole unless their code adheres with the standards of the W3C.

-- THEORETICAL TIPS --

6. LEARN ABOUT GRID THEORY.

Grid theory is basically the design theory that suggests that works of art are more aesthetically pleasing if they adhere to some sort of grid that controls its layout. Additionally, the rule of thirds, which is a theory that is related to grid theory, (its sort of like the relative that no one wants to speak to at family functions because of a foul and unpleasant body odour), suggests that designs are even more aesthetically pleasing if their visual form can be divided into thirds. When designing web pages in photoshop, I always start with a grid first to ensure my layouts align to the grid.

7. LEARN ABOUT TYPOGRAPHY.

Typography can be defined as the study of fonts. Learning about typography will teach you when and where to use fonts. Learning about letter spacing (kerning as they like to call it), line height, the serif and sans serif font categories, and more, youll have a truly lethal understanding of fonts in your web design arsenal.

It is important to keep in mind that there is only a small range of fonts that will display in peoples web browsers, so dont rely on primarily using custom fonts in your designs, unless you plan on saving them all as images which can drastically increase the file size of your web site. Site visitors arent going to download custom fonts just to view your website the way you want them to, even if you are super polite. If you stick to using the following fonts for the actual text in your web page, you will be safe: Arial, Arial Black, Comic Sans MS, Courier New, Georgia, Impact, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, and Verdana. If you want to be an extra lame nerd like me, you should print out all the variations of these fonts (in bold, italic, different sizes, etc) and stick it on your wall.

8. LEARN ABOUT COLOUR THEORY

Before I continue any further I must offer one small piece of advise. Please please please do not email me and tell me that I have spelled colour wrong. If you do so, I will slap you with a salami. Every time I write one of these articles I seem to get at least one email from a silly sausage that doesnt realise words such as color and optimize are spelled differently in different parts of the world. Well, on with the show.

Colour Theory, is, well, the theory of colours. There are many theories on how to choose a nice colour palette, and these will help ensure your web site wont have the appearance it was designed by a colour blind blind-man. Without getting into too much detail, one nice colour scheme to use is a monochromatic colour scheme. A monochromatic colour scheme is a selection of colours that features a colour (lets say cerulean blue), tints of that colour (cerulean blue with more white), shades of that colour (cerulean blue with more black), black and white colours (yes black and white are classified as colours my learn-ed friends).

A nice little tool to help you choose your colour scheme can be located at http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html. Mmmm, free tool.

9. GET INSPIRED

Browse the net for good web designers, dont steal their designs, but analyse their designs and try to figure out what fonts, colour scheme, grids, and photoshop techniques they are using. A simple way to use this is search for web design in Google, and browse the portfolios of the top web design companies that come up in the search results. Digital art and poster websites also serve as good inspiration.

However you dont need to restrict your sources of inspiration to the Internet. On the rare occasion when I venture out of my web design cave to eat something other than baked beans on toast, I like to analyse what grid, colour scheme, and font types that restaurants like to use in their menus. But hey, put me in a sack and throw me down a river if you think Im just crazy.

10. PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE

I shouldnt have to say this but practise whenever you can. The more you practise, the sooner writing XHTML and CSS code will become a second nature to you, and you should also practise utilising the information from the various theories I have just mentioned too.

A good tip would be to make one web page template a week and submit it to http://www.oswd.org and other online free web page template directories. Its a great way to improve your skills, and develop a nice little portfolio too.

Well thats just about it for today, my avid readers. I hope the useful tips in this article have helped you well on your way towards web design enlightenment. If you need more information on any of the topics I have mentioned please dont forget that Google and Wikipedia are your friends. And finally, please, never let yourself forget There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.

This article was written by Justin Daniel, who operates his small web design business- NFX Web Design http://www.nfxwebdesign.com.au, located in Newcastle, Australia. This article may be reproduced and published if it contains a link back to NFX Web Design, but not edited in any way without the permission of its author.Top Casino Affiliate Programs
Free Downloads Of Graphic Ebooks Novels
Deni 3 Three Column Blogger
Make Legit Money On The Internet
Free Online Money Making
Panda Software Affiliate Bank
Free Make Money Online
Good Internet Marketing Strategy
Music Business Courses Online
1 Internet Marketing Online Marketing Web Site Promotion
Affiliate Programs Fitness
Affiliate Email Sign Up Programs
Home Internet Business Opportunity
Website Search Engine Optimization
Play Free Bingo Now An Earn Money
Atlanta Seo Marketing
Web Site Traffic Marketing Gabon
Engine Optimization Ranking Search Seo Services Site Web
Web Marketing Resource Search Engine Optimization
Online Business
Internet Marketing Online Promotion Site Web
Online Turnkey Business Opportunity Make Money At Home On
Free Make Money At Home Information
Earn Money Completing Survey Online
Internet Marketing Consulting
How To Make Money Online Without Having To Pay Anything
Seo Tool Seo Consulting Economical Search Engine
Dark Blogger
Make Money Leasing Exotic Cars
Company Web Site Hosting Campaign Click Pay Per Webmaster
Ways To Make Money On The Internet 16k
Pay Per Click Search Engine Promotion
Automated Money Free Advertising Marketing Resource Internet
Malaysian One Stop Blogging Site Where Everything Also Have
How To Make Good Money At Home
Blogging Disadvantage In Marketing
Google Pagerank Checksum
Internet Marketing Strategies
Definition Of Blogging
Seo Wolverhampton
Bruceclay Com Internet Marketing Strategy And Philosophy
Earn Money Online Survey Taking
Pay Per Click Advertise
Local Search Engine Optimization Services
How To Make Money In The Retail Buiness Online 3
Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity Insane Income
Christian Search Engines
Blogging For Teens
Jedi Quest Ebooks
Webmaster Resource Free Web Site Submission Webmaster
Credit Card Affiliate Program
Work At Home Moms
Debt Consolidation Blogging
Sentinel Garupa Blogger
Media Advertising
Money Make To Ways
Increase Google Pagerank
Get Your Free Toolbar Search Clickbank
Free Easy Ways To Make Money Credit
Making Money Online How To Make And At
Web Design Webdesign Website Design Flash Seo Marketing
Free Quick Ways To Make Money Online
Earn Extra Fast Money
89 Search Engines
Internet Search Engines
Make Money From Home On The Internet Loan
Make Money From Surveys
Latino Tv Advertising For Law Firms
Free Texas Holdem Ebooks
Adult Cam Make Money Web Credit
Network Marketing Company
Website Promotion Affiliate Programs
Make Money At Home Business
Blogger Beta Static Page
Targeted Traffic Internet Marketing Pagerank
Seo Portfolio
Textbook Search Engines
Google Adsense To
Engine Marketing Online Optimization Search Services
Make Money Fast Online Business Int
Search Engines Optimization
Usa Affiliate Programs
Nexium 2 Advertising
Engine Optimization Search Seo
Online Business School Austin Internet Marketing Strategy
Home Business Opportunity Online Internet Home Based
Make Money Taking Online Surveys
Cheap Blogging
Download A Full Free Learn Hypnosis Ebook
Make Money Online And Work At Home Earn On Online
Illegal Ways To Make Money Fast
Biz Lead Marketing Mlm Network Opp Phone
Webmaster Wwf
Earn Money At Home Search
Blackhat Seo
Web Site Design Development And Internet Marketing Services
Make Money Quick
Home Based Business Affiliate Program Internet Marketing
Free Internet Links Marketing Site Submission Submission
How To Make Good Money At Home

 

Investing In Keyword Research Tools

When marketers start tinkering in search engine optimization (SEO) or in paid per click (PPC) advertising the lure of "free" draws in new search marketers like moths to a flame. The most well known "free" tool out there is the Yahoo/Overture Inventory tool. Aaron Wall of SEOBook.com has also has an expanded version of the Yahoo! tool, by adding in the subjective search totals from Google and MSN via a calculation of roughly twice the number of searches in Yahoo! for the Google total, and 1/2 the number of Yahoo! searches for the MSN total.

These tools are great to give a general idea for keyword research and at first, seem like the best source of information out there. They are also a great way to find alternative keywords that you might not have thought about. If you are a search marketer who is just starting out, these tools are a great help in helping your clients, whether they are internal or external, figure out just where it is they want to go keyword wise.

At some point, search marketers have to move beyond the lure of the "free". Why? Skewing of the keyword is why.

The best example of skewing with the free keyword tool from Yahoo! is the term "Halloween Costume". If you started to build a site for your Halloween Costume store back in February and started planning for your PPC budget in February and you were utilizing the Yahoo!/Overture tool, you could be highly disappointed come August, September and October. You will likely have blown through your budget if you based it upon the search numbers from February and March since no one is "searching" for Halloween Costumes at that time of year.

This is the primary reason for subscribing or purchasing a keyword tool that can give you a full picture of the traffic keyword produces in searches. I've worked with a few tools, and no one tool is going to give you exactly the data from all the search engines, however, the tool that comes closet is Trellian's Keyword Discovery tool.

Keyword Discovery is by far the best tool out there to give you a year's worth of information on a keyword. You can see the trending, the peaks and valleys, and also which engine the keyword is strongest in. KWD also allows you to see views of keyword performance in EBay and shopping engines like Bizrate, Froogle, Nextag and more.

By investing in keyword tools, you can punch up your value to your clients as you can understand a keyword's life cycle. You can also understand they nature of the keyword's performance in the various engines and shopping sites with tools like Keyword Discovery. Utilizing these two powerful tools can put your far ahead of other search marketers, because in the same amount of time they are utilizing the free tool and calculating "projections", tools like Keyword Discovery have given you at least 3 times as much information. In today's world it is all about working smarter, and smart is investing in the tools to get the job done right.

Liana (a.k.a Li) is the creator and main contributor to Search Marketing Gurus (http://www.searchmarketinggurus.com). Li has an extensive I.T. and marketing background, holding degrees in both Public Relations and Information Systems. In a prior life, Li was a database and visual basic programmer who "found the light" with search marketing back in 1999.Make Real Money On The Internet Loan
Pay Per Click Google
Free Money Making Online Survey
Webmaster Tool
Work At Home Business Opportunity Internet Online
Direct Mail Advertising
Earn Money Fast Free Make Online
Webmaster Inman United Methodist Church
French Search Engines
Cheap Ways For Kid To Make Money Loan
Seo Program
Home Make Money At
Different Search Engines
Work At Home Company
How To Make Fast Money Information Online
Health Search Engines
How To Make Money Quick Online
Affiliate Builder Internet Marketing News Site Traffic Web
Search Engine Ranking Optimization Seo Training Marketing
Marketing Adwords Information Google Adsense
Wordpress Auto Blogging
Pedophile Blogger
Wbr Ways To Make Money Online
Seo Search Engine Marketing East Timor
Blogging Collaborative Pr Bosotn
Ebook Advertising
Professional Seo
Affiliate Askfrogger Click Pay Per Program
Flash On Blogger
Fast Make Money Online Quickly Turnkey Business Opportunity
Advertising For Adult Webcam
Seo Ekspert
Google Launched Adsense
Internet Marketing Seo Haiti
My Exchange Server Is Spamming
1 Internet Marketing Promotion Services Site Web
Business School Online Internet Marketing Seo Direct
Work At Home Make Money
Internet Based Businesses For Stay At Home Moms
Currency Exchanging Internet Home Business My2gindex Html
Make Serious Money On The Internet
Mlm Network Marketing Insider Magazinehtm
Adsense Marketing Google Information Adwords
Web Site Optimization Internet Marketing Seo Seo Tool
Practical Ways To Make Fast Money
Earn Money Making Signature Tags
Affiliate List New Program Site
Network Marketing Opportunities
Seo Consultant Sri Lanka
Free Online Ways To Make Money
Affiliate Directory Program Program
Consulting Internet Marketing Seo Services Site Strategic
Web Site Marketing Article
Hun Webmaster
Environmental Affiliate Programs
Blogger Hottest Blogging
Web Site Rotator Generate Traffic Internet Marketing Website
What Is An Ebook
Free Home Based Internet Business
Adsense Google Information Adwords Marketing
Education Online Work At Home Business
Algeria Seo Consultant
Web Marketing Strategy Internet Business Make Mone
Locate People Search Engines
Affordable Pay Per Click Advertising
Make Money Spamming
Pay Per Click Tool
Easy Ways To Make Money For New Zealand Residents
Free Grant Money For College
Money Cash Dollar Make Tjanna Pengar Snabbt Fast Easy Online
American Blog Blogger Bloggers Blogging Blogosphere
Advertising And Promotional Products
Online Application For Free Money For College
Political Blog Blogging Teen Blogger Tool Photo Blogging
Internet Marketing Resources
Make Money On The Internet Information
Business Computer Home Independent Internet Money
Marketing Director Discovery Network
Quizzes For Blogging
Work At Home Home Business Make Money On The Internet
Revenue From Google Adsense
Car Search Engines
Pagerank Backlinks And Saturation Seo Search Engine Tool
Pay Per Click Keywords
Business Internet Marketing Solution
Tips On How To Make Money Online
Make Money Working Online
Aerial Advertising
Effective Advertising
Business Home Online Opportunity Work How To Make Money From
Kansas Make Money At Home
Payday Loans Affiliate Programs
Recursos Webmaster
Marketing Internet
Make Money Online At Home Work From Home On The Internet Htm
Free How To Make Money Online
Internet Marketing Ebook Home Based Business
Make Money On The Internet Makemoneyontheinternet
Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity Business
Seo Internet Promote Internet Marketing Internet Promotion

About me

  • I'm sdfsfdsqfg
  • From
My profile
Powered by Blogger
and Blogger Templates