Using Tables as a Strategic Sales Tool

By Candice Pardue

Tables and the two-column web page

Tables and sales

Why Design with Tables?

Tables have helped me to do the following while designing my website:

• Establish organization.
• Create sections on my web pages that are neat and uniform.
• Build a unique sales presentation with direction.
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With tables, I've been able to build an effective site that gets results, and you can too!

Below are a couple of table tips to help you design a customer-oriented site for web success:

Table Tip One - The Two-Column Web Page

What I mean by "two-column" is to divide your table into two columns - one for your text writing, and one for your navigation bar.

Which side your navigation bar will be on is up to you, but it is recommended that your side navigation bar be located on the left for the best results.

The reason for this is that a person's eyes are generally drawn to the right of a page (even when online). So, you can see why it would be wise to have your "headline" and sales presentation to the right.

However, if you're operating a site that's very similar to a mail order catalog with many products, you'll want to place your side navigation bar on the right. Have you ever noticed that most mail order catalogs have their listing indexes on the right-hand side of the pages?

And, since your site will attract the same type of customers, you'll want to keep your web page looking close to what they're accustomed to seeing in the catalogs.

Table Tip Two - The 600 Pixels Rule

What's the 600 pixels rule? It's very simple. I discovered quickly that my web pages did not appear the same on every computer system available. And, because I have no control over which system my "potential" customers will use to view my site,

I changed my table sizing to be "system" friendly. By making the overall "width" of your table 600 pixels, you'll have a much better chance of your website looking decent on various computer systems.

Some people online use big screens, some small and some have special set-ups where space is limited for online viewing.

A safe table width size for your web pages is 600 pixels. This size will help prevent your site from looking distorted on systems that are different than your own.

I haven't had any complaints since I changed my table sizes to 600 pixels. But, before the re-sizing, I had several people to email me with complaints about my site's design.

These two tips alone have helped my website tremendously! I've tried other techniques of design, but found that these methods get positive results. Give them a try!

If you're just starting in the world of web design, perhaps you'd like to learn how to design your own website using tables. Go here for details about the Web Design Training Course for beginners...

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Article written by Candice Pardue, freelance Internet article writer and owner of Online Success for Internet Business. Go here to learn web design from start to finish. This one's for beginners...

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