How long have you been on the Internet? If you started in the early to mid 1990s, then you've see it change many times. At first, users were so fascinated by the concept of a 'website' it didn't really matter what it looked like. Now there are so many websites it really takes a lot to stand out from the crowd.

But you can. There are some basic things to think about in these modern days of the Internet. First, most everyone (I believe its somewhere in the 90%) has high speed Internet. Dial-up is a thing of the past, so do not try to optimize images for your website. In case you don't know, companies would 'optimize' any images on their sites by making them very poor quality because they would load faster. With faster Internet speeds, this is unnecessary. Just don't use big file types if you can keep from it.

Also important, people's computer screens are getting much bigger. Almost all computers see resolutions of 1024x768, and 1280x1024 is becoming more and more popular. The point here is, the standard size for websites used to be 800 or 780 pixels wide. You have a captive audience that came to YOUR website. Fill up the page! Use the new standard of 980 pixels wide to fill your screen with content. This is NOT to say you need to add more content to the bigger area, try a clean look. By putting the same amount of buttons, words and images in the bigger website size, you're bound to have a less cluttered and clean website look.

By using images from iStockPhoto.com, Corbis.com or for FREE stock images go to my favorite, www.sxc.hu site, you can get a really professional look and feel to your website (if you're on a budget and can't afford a web designer). Using our free web templates could be the perfect starting point for you to make a beautiful web presence.

There are lots of things to consider when it comes to your website such as your market, your product or service, how you want to advertise for it, and the main purpose of the website (an opt-in or sale). Check out all our articles on website design to get off to the right start.