On other hand, include a bit of individuality in your site. Make it stand out from norm - otherwise, your site will just blend in with every other site and will not be remembered for anything.

Use whatever color scheme you want, as long as text can be easily distinguished from background. And guess what, your pages don't need to match each other - in fact, you can make every single page different if you want. This is especially true for personal web sites - don't worry about conforming.

Sites don't need to be symmetrical, they don't need to balance and they don't need to match anyone else's criteria of "good". All they need to do is communicate something. Most of time (since by far most web sites are personal home pages of some kind) they are communicating something about an individual or group.

Black text on white backgrounds are for sissies; Try dozens of different colors until your site looks exactly like you want. Having a perfectly proportioned navigation system exactly same on every page is boring. Come up with something that gets your users from place to place without being same as everyone else's system.

Use image maps all over place - these are great ways to visually show your user how to get around without same old boring links. Use graphics as you see fit to make your pages shine. Yes, you should worry about image size, but don't worry that much. A few extra seconds of load time is fine (just don't go overboard); people will wait if they feel excited about a site. They will not wait if site is bland and boring.

Don't even try and add all of those extra doo-dads that so many sites seem to be using these days. Believe me, your site does not need a news feed - every one else already has one and you will not attract any new visitors with them. You don't need to include cute little quote-of-the-day buttons or ticker or weather map. These just tend to make your site look cheap.

Spend your time writing your content, designing your site and working on your graphics. If you do include plug-ins, concentrate on those that build a community such as forms, guestbooks, message boards and even online games. These are things that attract people - being able to communicate with other people.

And a note to those who judge awards - please take off blinders. There are many wonderful sites which communicate exceptionally well which deserve gold 5.0+ awards, even though they do not have perfect HTML, even though every page does not match every other page and in spite of a glaring color scheme. I have seen site after site loose major awards simply because some robot is sitting in judges booth, matching site against a fixed set of criteria (a way of turning off a judge's brain) instead of really looking at what's important - is site communicating effectively?

My advice is simple: create a web site which YOU like and don't worry about awards. If your site communicates something of value to your visitors, then you have succeeded. If not, then regardless of how many awards you've won, you've failed.

6. Write articles and free reports. Writing short articles on Internet Business and Web Development is a great way to get your name out and generate new clients. You can submit articles to your local print media, Chamber of Commerce, and business publications. You can also syndicate this content online for online publications and websites. One short article can go a long way in generating new business.

7. Focus on a niche. By narrowing your focus it will be much easier for you to find new web design clients. It's tough to be everything to everybody. Look at your existing client base and think about industries your best clients come from. Pinpoint best two or three and then focus your effort to only those types of businesses. It's easy to get leads for specific industries from list brokers such as Info USA (http://infousa.com) and others. You can then contact similar businesses and let them know you specialize in creating websites just for their type of business. Tell them about specific tools you can install to help their business increase profits, save money, and gain an advantage over their competitors.

8. Smile and dial. Telemarketing can be a great way to find new business clients when done properly. The best way to do it is to start with a free offer that will help you qualify lead. For example, if you create a community directory, you can then simply call businesses in directory and let them know they are entitled to a free listing. This will give you an opportunity to chat with them and see what their needs are. You can then email or fax them a brief form asking for a description of their business to post on community website. Let them know when it's up and then send them full details on your web development services. From there it will be easy to set an appointment.

9. Send postcards. Direct mail using postcards can be a very effective and cheap way to get word out about your services. If you use full color postcards you can even showcase screen-shots of some of sites you've designed. Always offer some type of free offer on postcard, such as a "FREE Website Analysis," "FREE Search Engine Readiness Review," etc. in order increase response.

10. Follow up. Follow up. Follow up. There is an old adage in marketing that says it takes at least seven contacts before a prospect will purchase. This is as true in selling web design services as it is with anything else. No matter what marketing tactics you use, remember that you must relentlessly follow up with people that have expressed need for your services. If you keep in touch, a good percentage will eventually become clients.

There you have it, ten of best ways to find new clients and increase your Web Development business this year. But remember, none of them will work unless you use them. So stop fiddling with your computer and get marketing!