For many poker affiliates one of the most frustrating aspects of getting started in the business is trying to learn web design. I could probably end this article with the following statement; If you’re not a web designer, don’t attempt to become one overnight.

In all seriousness though, mastering the art of html, CSS, php, proper coding, etc. can take just as long as it takes to master being a poker affiliate. After all, you’re reading this article because you want to make money as a poker affiliate marketer, not a web designer.

Good clean web design is important for many reasons. Regardless of what method you are using to attract visitors to your website, first impression is critical. If a visitor shows up at a website that looks like it was built during the 90’s in wordpad with 15+ flashing banners on the homepage, well let’s just say they may be clicking the back button rather quickly.

Poorly designed sites do not convert well, plain and simple. Another important reason to have your web design done professionally is for proper code. If you have bloated code, which you probably will if you don’t understand what the term “bloated code” means, then it’s more than likely that your site may struggle in the search engines once you begin your marketing efforts.

In web design there are several different types of languages. The most common are html, php, cold fusion, jsp, asp, and a few others. To keep this chapter simple, instead of discussing the features and benefits of each language (that could be an entire article in itself), we will discuss the two most common languages and forms of languages used by poker affiliates.

Raw HTML - (HyperText Markup Language) The first language is html. Most poker affiliate sites that are designed with html are often built with some sort of WYSIWYG editor. (what you see is what you get). The most common editors are Microsoft Frontpage and Dreamweaver.

With an editor like frontpage, it uncomplicates the process of learning html. You simply construct or paste your content into a window, and it automatically writes the html code for you. Likewise uploading an entire site or even new web pages is very simple. The downside to using html however is that it can be a hassle when sitewide changes need to be made. When you want to do something as simple as changing a button or the name of a page, you will need to run a find/replace tool on the entire site. This can be very cumbersome as your site matures and grows.

CMS - (Content Management System) Using a CMS has quickly become the most popular form of web design and management throughout the poker affiliate market. The benefits of a good CMS far outweigh that of raw html. A CMS gives you a database driven and web based system to manage your sites content. Most content management systems are written in php. PHP is a more sophisticated programming language. PHP is server-side scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML coding. If this sounds like foreign language, don’t worry. It is to most new webmasters. Although PHP may sound confusing, once you have a content management system in place for your website, it will make your life as a poker affiliate much easier.

If I had to suggest either to a new poker affiliate, hands down my suggestion would be to start with a good content management system. This will allow you a great deal more flexibility down the road.

Over the past year one of the most popular CMS’s being used by many poker affiliates is wordpress. Although wordpress was once thought to just be a blogging platform, it’s popularity as a CMS has skyrocketed.

Here are a few reasons I suggest wordpress to both new affiliates and experienced affiliates:

1. It’s Open Source and Free - How can you beat free? And being open source, it means there are literally hundreds of easy to install plug-ins that will allow you to have a fully functioning CMS up and running within a day or so. Did I mention the part about it’s absolutely free!

1. It’s Easy To Use - Forget about all the php and coding confusion you may have just read about. Although wordpress is a php content management system, it can be installed with a few clicks of the mouse. Once installed it is also very easy to manage your content and make changes.

1. Customization & Plugins - Because the platform is open source with so many plugins, building a site with wordpress will allow you to customize your site in a variety of ways. Although there are several free wordpress design templates, you can usually get a custom designed poker template for around $100. Some of the plugins that are available will amaze even the most savviest of webmasters and designers.

1. Search Engine Friendly - Another great feature of wordpress is that the code is very search engine friendly. And if that is not enough, you can even install a plugin (with the click of a mouse) that will allow you to edit your keywords, title. And meta information for each page. Most poker affiliates have found that when using wordpress as a cms for their site, they are indexed and rank very quickly in the search engines.

After reading that, one would think that I worked for or was being paid to promote wordpress! Not at all, I included the information above because wordpress is by far the easiest way to build and manage websites. Unless you’re a web designer yourself or have a team of developers, you would be crazy not to at least experiment with wordpress. In fact, I can’t imagine any reason to build a new website using archaic html methods like Microsoft Frontpage when such a terrific CMS platform exists.

Other Articles

• Ethics – The Expectations Of Poker Affiliate Managers
• The Benefits Of Blogging For Poker Affiliates
• Beginner Search Engine Optimization for Poker Affiliates
• Choosing A Poker Affiliate Niche And Having Strong Calls To Action