In creating a website designed to sell a product or service, there exist two vitally important, and mutually dependent factors that will either serve to make, or break, your sales pitch. The first of these, as you probably know, is your copywriting skill. Without professional, persuasive copy, your project simply won't get an inch off the ground.

But while copy is the number one ingredient to a successful sales website, the second factor: the aesthetic factor, runs a close second. Simply put, if you have compelling copy and an ugly or visually distracting website, your whole business is going to suffer, and suffer big time! It stands to reason that the best option for you and your online business, is to harmonize the copy into the visual design so one supports the other, and vice versa. Some key pointers are provided here to assist you in doing just that.

We are going to be looking at three essential visual features of web page design for your sales letters: 1. Use of color, 2. Choice of font, and 3. Layout.

1. Use of color

Be sure to take into account effective use of color while designing your website. This rates as highly important because people subconsciously relate different emotions to different colors. We don't use phrases such as 'to see red' without good reason.

But the bottom line is this: you really can make your product or service more appealing by making a careful choice when it comes to color combinations on your sales site. Following you will find a basic guide:

Black and white looks very business like and exudes authority (however it can be hard to read if your site uses a lot of text, so do consider this factor too.)

Blue inspires trust and confidence.

Neutral shades such as browns and greens tend to put people at ease and make them feel more comfortable.

Reds can be highly effective for drawing attention to headings and other areas of your website you wish to make stand out and trigger action. However, they also can trigger subconscious warning messages, so be careful how you use them. Examine the most successful marketers websites, and see how and where they use red, as an example to follow.

A final point on the subject of color: Don't make the pages hard or even impossible to read by using a dark coloured font on a dark background, or bright coloured font on light

background. You would be surprised how many designers do this, oblivious to the detriment it is having on their overall web-marketing success.

2. Choice of font

Resist the temptation to use that fancy new font you just downloaded because it will not necessarily be installed on everyone else's computers. Putting-non standard fonts on your web page doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will be able to see them. Their browsers will revert to a standard font, already installed, which can ruin your layout making your site, and consequently, your service or product, look instantly unprofessional and third-rate. Away clicks your potential customer, never to return!

The rule here is simple: Stick with the standard fonts that everybody already has such Arial, Courier or Times New Roman. Georgia has also become a popular choice on websites in recent months. However, if you want a fool-proof solution, use Verdana because it was specifically designed by Microsoft to be read via the computer screen comfortably. A final point on fonts: Remember to set the font size so it can be read easily on different monitors.

3. Layout

The final component we will look at here is a feature of layout - page width. In a nutshell, don't make your visitor scroll left to right to read your page, because he or she will tire of it very quickly and leave! It smacks of amateurish design and probably worse, lack of sensitivity to the needs of the visitor. Avoid this by setting the page width to a maximum of 600 pixels, and you should have nothing to worry about.

Incorporate these features into your web design and you will be off to a good start, avoiding three of the basic errors that scream, 'Amateur!' on so many sites on the Web, and that drive visitors away before they even look at what you have to offer