The first step, of course, is to go over the contest rules and requirements. From there it gets a little more complex.

Go Over the Project Brief

First and foremost, whether you’re participating in a contest on Designhill or deviantART, go over the project brief. The host o the contest is obligated to provide all participants with as much detail as possible with regard to what they want to see, so if you haven’t received a detailed brief don’t hesitate to contact the client or host and ask a few questions.

According to Method & Class, a website design brief should contain the following information:

• Introduction: this includes information about the company, including industry, products, size and reach.
• Previous versions: if the client already has a website, they should provide a link or a screencap of the site with details on what they like and don’t like about it. This should include color and styling, as well as details on when the site was built and who is responsible for current upkeep.
• Browser compatibility requirements: this only applies if the design is also a matter of development, which is often the case when it comes to contests. Clients should provide a maximum of five web browsers they want the site to display properly on, including version and operating system.
• The aims of the new website: from traffic to sales leads, you need know what the new site has to do in order to make the client happy. If it’s part of a rebranding effort, this section should also include what about the previous branding style needs to change.
• Preferences: asking a client to link to some competitors’ websites might seem a bit strange to some, but this is the best way to know what kind of design style they prefer that’s compatible with their industry.
• Look and feel: including color, major design elements and even typefaces, the brief should provide detailed information on what elements the new website should integrate that the old one is lacking.
• Budget: while this may seem like the most important aspect of a design brief from your end, it should always come second to understanding the client’s needs. However, if the final prize for the contest barely scrapes your going rate for a basic website, with the client requesting full flash intros and splash pages, it may be best to seek out another competition.
• Continuation requirements: more common in contracted work than design contests, the brief should also include whether you’ll be expected to continue maintenance of the site over time, and the budget allocated for this work if applicable. If the brief doesn’t mention this at all, ask the client who they intend to have upkeep the new site—you may just land some steady residual work in the process.

Mockups First

Whether it’s a website design contest at Designhill or a web development competition hosted by Apple themselves, never move forward with complex design before submitting a mockup. Make sure that you’re capable of the design and development as needed, of course; a beautiful mockup might win you the contest, but you’ll end up defaulting if you can’t make it reality after the competition comes to a close.

Even the simplest design mockup should never be a plain static image, however. As shown in Hubspot’s fantastic design manager user’s guide, planning a site design requires some additional material to be truly professional and cohesive. Always assemble a color key, including hex codes, to present with the main page mockup. List out your typefaces, with proper example sentences; using “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” is preferred, but “grumpy wizards make toxic brew for the evil queen and Jack” is another clever example. Avoid so-called “lipsum” text in this section.

Be sure that your mockup shows the difference between an inactive, active and hovered link, navigation and search features, and any animated or pop-out elements you intend to use. Don’t let your mockup drop down menus cover up any important design elements; instead, include multiple mockup panes, showing content at different stages of use.

May the Best Design Win

As a designer, you’ve already heard your fair share of design tips, but that doesn’t mean you should just tune them out as you get started on your most recent contest entry. Creative Bloq in particular offers some excellent tips for web designers, from using garish outlines in development to locate and change specific CSS rules to naming your layers wisely in your mockup in order to more easily make modifications as the client requests. Never outright flatten your design, avoid image compression when submitting mockups, and try to be as concise as possible in detailing your color, typeface and other design choices.

Now get out there and get started—may the best design win!

To get some design inspiration you can download this flat ui design kit.

Affiliated Marketing

As search engines like Google form the basis for navigating the web, many retailers are aligning themselves with organizations who understand the nuances of the complex systems used to direct traffic. Affiliate marketers help direct potential customers to retailers through a variety of methods. Primarily, search engine optimization helps bring the desired results to the forefront of viewership. In tandem with this technique, many such marketers also incorporate keywords into content to promote redirects of browsers back to the client’s page. These keywords can be found in banner ads, sidebar ads, and even directly ingrained within the content of the participating web page.

Social Media

One of the more potent eCommerce marketing strategy systems calls for the use of social media. In this plan, the services and products of the client are promoted via Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and other social media websites. Often, companies will hire individuals or organizations to run these pages, optimizing the opportunity for direct consumer contact. Deals, coupons, and giveaways are sometimes incorporated into these social media ad campaigns to help bolster likes, retweets, and follows. As more users enjoy your content, they will naturally spread the word to others via the sharing tools located on these sites. This new form of word of mouth advertising can be a powerful asset in your online marketing strategies.

For those looking for slightly more extensive social media integration, combining these resources with Youtube can help promote a powerful response. Many Youtube personalities and popular channels garner millions of subscribers and views. Aligning your product and promotions with these entities can be a potent weapon in gaining an advantage over other virtual retailers. If you or your organization simply wish to found your own channel on Youtube, this can be a great avenue to upload commercials, promotional videos, and viral marketing campaign pieces.

Joint Blogging and Content Creation

Working with established bloggers can be a strong asset to your marketing package. Often, these sites and individuals will be willing to review and comment on your products and services. This agreement usually entails free or trial variations of your wares to help facilitate the blogging process. In some scenarios, these blogs will do sponsored promotions, allowing for the client to post on the page and work together with the blogger to help maximize exposure to the site’s viewership. Finding a blogger who covers your target audience is essential to ensuring the success of this type of online marketing initiative.

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So the first lesson in any internet marketing course should be about finding profitable markets.
Now, despite how intimidating this subject may sound, it’s actually quite easy to pull off. All you need is an idea. Yes, like one of those eureka moments. This idea can come to you at any time… while watching a movie, for example. Or while reading the morning papers. Or while viewing the billboards by the road your way to drop off the kids at school. This idea may also be inspired by your current or previous profession, or a passion you nurtured when you were still enrolled as a student.

It is always advisable to carry a small notebook with you, so that whenever these ideas pop up, you could write them down so that they won’t have to fade from memory. If you have a personal digital assistant (PDA), the better it would be for you.

So how would you know if the idea that enters your mind is the right one to build a business for?

This wouldn’t be difficult to figure out. Surely, an idea would entail thoughts of various possibilities you do with the same. An idea about dog grooming can make you think of a dog grooming service, for example. Or an idea about pest control can make you think of a do-it-yourself pest control eBook.

Once you have an idea, it’s time to determine its profitability. For this, you would have to use the tools found at: www.inventory.overture.com &
www.nichebot.com

Simply type in the idea you have in mind, and press the submit button. You will then be presented with a list of keywords and key phrases that are related to the subject you have entered.Each keyword or key phrase would have an indication of the number of searches that they have gathered from internet users. The number of searches made for a particular keyword or key phrase is a good barometer of the demand for the same.

Naturally, you would want a keyword or key phrase that has gathered many searches, right?
This shouldn’t be the case. Demand is just half the battle. You would also need to determine the number of competition you would have for that particular market. To do this, you just have to run a search using the particular keyword or key phrase you have selected. Look at the number of web pages catering to the said subject. If this number is less than the number of searches made for the same, then you have a profitable idea indeed!

Let’s illustrate.

Your idea is about dog grooming. So you use the tools mentioned above, and type in the phrase “dog grooming.”

You’d immediately get some keywords or key phrases like “shih tzu dog grooming” or “dog grooming cases.” The searches for these terms are greater in number than the web pages catering to them. As such, you could consider them as highly profitable markets. These markets are what many people call as niches. Finding a niche is the first integral step in making money online.

Once a niche is determined, focus on it. If you’re not familiar with the subject, do some research. Build a website that would provide accurate and educational information about the topic. Employ marketing strategies to give it the exposure it deserves.

It all starts with finding a niche. The sooner you discover one, the sooner you will realize the many promises that the online world can offer.

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