Why Isn't My Website Working? (2)

OK...

Number #2 on my list is poor design, specifically poor first impression.

Keep in mind, the bar on this Internet marketing thing keeps getting raised and one way it does is when your competitor bites the bullet and goes out and gets a professional designer to design a new website for him/her.

When your website leaves a poor first impression, when a bride has visited four other websites... she's probably looking for something BETTER.

Good design means it looks very professional (not home grown), it has colorful, eye-catching graphics, with happy brides and grooms, with easy-to-read text that delivers a strong marketing message.

Good design means your page loads very quickly, with no hesitation or errors (which can spook a bride into thinking you're doing something to her computer).

There is a lot of bad Internet marketing advice going around and too many Internet marketing myths to keep track of, frankly.