At some point or another, youve likely come across a website or two that boasts (among other things) the winning of an award for its web design. Have you ever wondered if such an achievement is possible for your web design?

These web design awards are, after all, a very nice reward for the work and the care that you have put into creating your web design. Even if you havent won one yet for the most spectacular web design, its not too late. You just havent spoken to the right people. After all, its not as though the judges for these web design awards spend their time surfing the entire world wide web in the hopes that theyll find someone who is award worthy. Instead, you actually need to seek them out and submit your site to be judged.

You wont receive a web design award if you dont apply for one! The other sites that youve seen have already applied for theirs, so its time that you picked yours up if your site wins, that is.

There are a number of different sites out there, each offering their own type of web design award. Many of them are legitimate, while others are more like under-cover link exchanges. You need to be prudent while looking for an award site, so that youre not just advertising for someone else.

When you do find a web design award website, make sure that your site fits their rules before you apply. For example, some sites permit only non-commercial websites to apply, while others welcome everyone up to corporate websites. Similarly, some web design awards sits accept only those without frames, and some wont allow a site that contains java-applets. Dont miss out on an award simply because you didnt read the rules for applying!

Of course, prestige isnt the only thing that youll gain from winning a web design award. These are also very good ways to drum up some extra traffic to your website. If you have a fantastic site that is, one good enough for an award it will commonly be showcased on the award sites homepage, frequently leading to more hits on your site.

Dont be discouraged if you dont win the first time you submit your site for a web design award. Think of it as a fun addition to the joy you already get from web design itself. It will challenge you to keep improving your skills and your web designs until they are better than the other competitors.

To help you along, use the following tips to assist in getting an award:

Dont over-do the requests to an award site Dont submit adult sites Make certain that the site youre submitting is entirely finished, without any under construction or coming soon pages Make sure that your loading time is fast. The award judges wont wait forever for your site to load. Check your graphics and ensure there arent any broken ones. Nor should there be any 404 errors. Focus on your content. Its just as important in everything else in your web design.

Overall, use your common sense to make sure that the site is fully functional, and is appealing overall. It has to make sense, be useable, and be pleasant to visit. Everything else is completely up to you!

To get you started with your web design award appplications, try the following reputable award sites:

Coolsiteoftheday.com Awardsites.com Netguide USA Today Lycos Top 5 Goldenwebaward.com

There are many other award sites to which you can send your web design award application, but these are just a few of the more reputable ones; ones that will get you better hits, and increased recognition.

When you do win an award, dont forget to include it in your web design by posting it somewhere on the winning site. This is very appealing to many visitors, and looks good for the credibility of the site. Furthermore, dont forget to include the award among the achievements youve accomplished in your professional resume, and in your web design portfolio. Theres nothing more convincing than an award for a prospective client! Best of luck!