While it is true that the Internet is primarily about the
dissemination of information, it is still in the best interest of a site, no matter what its product, in order to initially attract customers and potential buyers, to maximize its
all-around potential, and to be as eye-catching and visually - appealing as possible, without sacrificing load time. And, after all, in the music industry, since the introduction of video, we ARE in a visually arresting industry as well, aren’t we?

This will place your business yet another step above your competition. Ultimately, it is the edge that serves to enhance sales...which is, after all, the bottom line. Your online/visual presentation can spell the difference in a trickling number of sales and a worldwide blow-out.

Perhaps, one of the reasons that many indie artists or labels shy away from focusing on themes or graphics, aside from their recording’s cover art, is their fear of slow-loading pages. While once a warranted concern, today there is graphic compression software to eliminate this concern without sacrificing visual quality.

Another reason may be the amount of time that is also
required to locate the proper or desired FREE archives of
graphics or icons on the Internet in order to produce the proper theme. While it is true that you can spend a great deal of time searching for "the right stuff" to get just the right ‘look’, ultimately, it is worth it.

For example, one of my sites, "The Information Restaurant," is an extensive web site of self-improvement information. (this site is used as an example only, so please be forgiving of the inoperable auto responder links). But, instead of simply providing pages upon pages of text-based information, I decided to compare it to food.

Yet, instead of food for the body, I "themed" the site as ‘food for the mind’. Still, the site reminds one of being in an actual restaurant. There are appetizers, main courses, and desserts (anyone getting hungry?). If you visit the site, I believe you will get my point.

Also, since I also recently created sites for a science fiction novel, I decided to follow the same method of "theming" with the book as well. The guest book visitors give credence to the sites’ visual appeal. Likewise, the sci-fi sites have won 6 Top Internet site awards.

So, after all is said and done, there is something to be said for visual appeal and glitter. Just make sure you also have "substance" to back it up, or vice versa.

Kenny Love, the author of numerous music and business-
related articles, as well as the author of several books, now
adds Web Page Design to his repertoire. Contact him about building your web site as well. You can visit his
"themed" web sites at: