I am working on a web site for my Positive Motivation speaking… Positively Female. I have found a couple sites I like but want something very flashy, feminine, upbeat, colorful, and of course motivational. I am looking for something personal without a corporate feel.

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Jay’s Answer: The best websites are the ones that both reflect your values and successfully attract traffic (and ideally sales/conversions).

Top traffic doesn’t arrive because of the look of the site, it comes because of the content of the site. Therefore, first focus on the value of the browsing experience. Who should find your site? Why would they want to hire you? What problems would they have? What would they need to feel comfortable hiring you? How can you show them what you can do for them without them contacting you?

Once you get your copy, then focus on your image. The images/colors/layout should reflect your target market. Corporate sites tend to look very different from micro-business’. I wouldn’t go with “flashy” or “over the top” unless your target market responds well to it.

Given you’re starting up, don’t spend a lot of $ on a flashy website until you’ve clearly done your marketing strategy homework.