What's the first thing you normally see on a website? Go on, I'll give you one guess (cryptic clue - the thing on top of your neck + the other half of 'his and').

Got it yet - OK (secret hint - header). Well done, you're there!

AND - because the header is always 'above the fold', it has to be considered as prime real estate. It's the Millionaire's Row of any website.

So we want our header to:

• Stand out from the Crowd
• Invite the viewer into the site
• Preview the site content
• Be Search Engine friendly
• Look Professional

Stand out from the Crowd

Well, this really goes without saying. Your header should be eye catching and immediately deliver your message to the viewer. It could use a logo or photo combinations. Text to reinforce the message and tell the world what your website is about.

Invite the viewer into the site

You have your eye-catching logo or photos. Try using a leading statement starting with 'How to' or 'What if'.

An example would be 'How to easily create header graphics in 3 mins' or 'What if you could create header graphics in 3 mins'

You could use the the secret word ( it's a secret, but the secret word is .......SECRET). 'Get the secret to.... Grab the secret to.......

Preview the site content

This should be the same as the viewer invite.

Be Search Engine friendly.

Search engines spiders cannot read graphics, so always give them some alt text which uses your main keywords. Try to use your main keywords in the title of your header and also in the domain name that you have chosen.

Look Professional

Your header has to look and be professional. The quality should jump out of the screen at the visitor. It is the first thing that they see to create the right impression of your site.

What is your header going to be used for?

• Static website (sales page and some content)
• Dynamic site (blog)
• Mini site (1 sales page)
• Membership site

How are you going to create your header graphics?

• Outsource
• High end graphics software (e.g. Photoshop)
• Limited function graphics software

Outsource

Outsourcing is fine but you should bear in mind that if you are going to require more than a couple of graphics then the costs can start to mount up. For the sake of argument let's say that a header, footer and product box or Ecover will cost $100.

You also need to find a graphic designer who has a good reputation for quality, price and delivery.

Typical delivery times for one set of graphics may be about 7-10 days, including any required modifications.

High end graphics software

The upside of this kind of software is that you can develop exactly what you want, assuming that you have an eye for design.

The downside is that the software is expensive and tends to have a very steep learning curve. Well, you would expect that from something as complex as Photoshop, that is capable of producing stunning graphics. Of course there are plenty of tutorials available, but you are going to be spending a lot of time learning and practicing if you ever want to get knowledgable and quick.

Limited function graphics software

These sort of graphic tools are usually inexpensive and easy to use. They can be powerful tools but will always have limited functions compared to the high end graphics software.

This type of software is very useful if you want to turn out quick graphics for numerous sites and you can also use it for creating saleable graphics. Because they are easy to use, you can be selling low cost headers and product covers to buyers who cannot afford to pay $100+ for their graphics.

The market leader for this sort of graphics creation tool is GFX Writer

It's powerful, inexpensive and can be used to create header graphics and product covers for Ebooks and boxes.

I use it myself and although you can create a header from scratch, I prefer to use blank header graphics then add some text and maybe another graphic or photo. A realistic timeframe to make a professional looking header, using this method, is about 5 mins or less.

You will have to source some blank header graphics, but that is easily done with a search for "plr header graphics" or "free header graphics". It just takes a bit of time to search through the dross to find some good quality blank headers. But once you have got 100-200 header blanks then you are up and running.