Do not let Flash take toll of your web site.

Do not let Flash take toll of your web site.

Flash as the latest fad in web design

The use of Flash has picked momentum in recent years and web has started to look more visually appealing and trendier than ever before. The growing acceptability of Flash to enliven web site is not only restricted to designers alone but it is increasingly finding its lovers across all displines of web technology. In sphere of web design professionals, beginners as well as considerably experienced web designers are trying their hands on Flash to showcase their creative potential and design skills.

Some pundits from the industry predict that with this kind of extensive use of Flash in web design, that day, in fair possibility, is not far off when World Wide Web will transform into some sort of web multimedia show. Here at this juncture in future Flash will lead to such a possibility where people gradually dumps HyperText Markup Language (HTML) as this is not compatible with a colorful web experience.

Whatever be the possibility of this prediction to come true, Flash is afforded a warm and cozy embrace by one and all at the moment. It remains to be seen how long this fad will continue to reign. Or people will be gradually lured to some another trend in that is yet to hit the web space?

Nonetheless, this fad has made an impressive number of web sites artistic and good looking giving opportunities to web designer to express themselves the way they have always wanted. Thanks to this technological fade which has brought yet another feature of World Wide Web: the repository of art and design in web sites.

What promotes the popularity of Flash use?

Flash helps a great deal in getting a web site which is vibrant in color, graphics, animations and sounds. There are all the more reasons why people will not be captivated in its persistent use. Even the users, on the face value, do get a great look and feel factor. The thing which is even more important in the popularity of Flash use is the fact that when web sites all around boast of charisma of design with the use of flash, people tend to follow suit.

This is understandable that why people should not refrain from giving their web site a stroke of creative touch especially when this trend is in the air. Probably this is an instance of how craze of a trend develops and how it influences collective behavior of masses; this time around it is about a bulk of techies from web design.

How does Flash design affect user’s experience and accessibility of your web site?

Undoubtedly, Flash design makes a web site look great. However, what just follows this so great component of the web site is annoying user experience. In cases where Flash has been used in extremes in a creative endeavor, user experience turns out to be profoundly terrible.

Apart form beautification aspect, Flash just does not value add to the user experience. Flash web sites take considerable time to load, and hence put users patience to put. The condition is further aggravated with the fact that still most of the users have slow Internet connection. As is pretty clear up to this point that Flash is not at all bandwidth friendly.

Worse still, since Flash files might contain not only moving images but moving text, and not all browsers are compatible to read Flash files. This is not all. This fact can also not be overlooked that not many people have got Flash player installed on their PCs.

One interesting observation on the human behavior is that the same folks who feel wow on the visual appeal of web site do not feel the same once they are there on the net as users and seeks certain information. They no longer cherish the beauty of web site, and loading time begins to be disgusting for them. Interesting enough, they switch to another web site or wish to hop off to other web site where they not are subjected to the tyranny of wait and watch.

Moreover, Flash is fundamentally used to bring in pleasing visual effects in web site. What web folks forget to realize that there is a considerable number of people who are visually disabled, and therefore, can not relish such beauty. They are annoyed by slowing down of their machines due to Flash web sites; certainly this is something web designer can take a lesson or two.

In short, Flash generated hiccups together make user experience on the Internet time consuming and a little unwholesome for information retrieval.

Flash: An enabling web tool vs. designer’s obsession

Flash web sites are a matter of excessive use of a particular technology and technology per se cannot be blamed on any counts. Like other web related tools, Flash is definitely an enabling tool where it is used in the right context and in the right measure needed.

The instances where Flash has been used with impunity smell of designer’s obsession to prove his mettle in domain of design specifics. These web sites are really wonderful in design perspective but unfortunately Flash takes a heavy toll of usability and accessibility of such sites.

Probably those who designed such sites forgot to realize that the purpose of a web site is much, much beyond mere visual pleasure. Web sites have got informative and commercial values. Mindless use of Flash renders the system slow; and given the short attention and patience span of online users, users hardly bother to tolerate waiting period, which might be irritating or even frustrating to them.

How to use Flash to your optimal advantage

It has been often seen that people tend to use Flash with a view to conceal the lack of content on their web sites. This is some thing that is based on false premises because people come to web sites looking for content or information. What’s more, this is content which pursues users to come back again to the web sites.

That is probably the reason why there is a plethora of beautiful web sites which are not faring well in terms of user retention and business statistics. Remember this inference has nothing to do with such web sites where Flash happens to be content and it is a case more of a necessity than over use of it. Say for instance, web sites which thrive on online games, jokes, maps, graphs etc.

However, this does not necessarily mean that use of Flash is solely beneficial for sites heavily dealing with games, jokes, maps, graphs etc. Its use transcends over such sites and is really helpful provided it is used in moderation and in strategic consideration.

Let’s have an idea how Flash can be used in strategic consideration so as not to hamper usability and accessibility of your web site.

- Don’t be tempted to design your web site in Flash alone. Use a good mix of HTML and Flash in a user friendly way to tap maximum traffic.
- Keep it etched in your memory that Flash can never be a substitute for the content on your site. Use Flash only to enhance the value of your content, not at all to replace it.

- Information retrieval could be a disturbing experience for your users if you display content in Flash files. Do change such practice in favor of your users.

- Optimize your Flash files to an extent which helps you serve your users better rather than drive them away unpleasantly.

A lesson in Flash

Make sure on your part that you use Flash in proportionate amounts to enliven your web site and hence Flash does not take toll of meaningful information retrieval.

Driving Your Website Through Google Sandbox & Emergent Marketing- Website Conversion, Usability & SEO

What is Google Sandbox?

Google Sandbox is applied on new websites, it determines the timing of site inclusion as well as ranking in Google search engine results (SERPS).

This process could take up to 6-8 months, which could be against your plans causing frustration to webmasters.

The question is what is to be done during the time in which websites are in Google Sandbox?

Do not waste time on checking your website listings in results page instead emphasize on SEO methods to accelerate your listings & improve status of ranking results.

Also make efforts to appear on other major search engines such as MSN & Yahoo since they do not have sandbox like Google, this will help drive traffic to your website while waiting for Googlebot to index your pages.

Link building strategy is another important issue not only will it improve ranking but also it will help Googlebot spider to find your pages easier while it’s in the sandbox instead of repeatedly submitting your website every time.

Content is king

Main part for ongoing development of your website is to add new content on continuous basis since the most thing search engines are after is good quality websites with relevant content.

Conclusion at the end is that waiting for Google Sandbox is nothing but a waste of your precious time; instead do some useful efforts on developing your website with relevant content & adding inbound links as a part of your linking strategy to make Google happy with what it sees as well as your target visitor.

eMergent Marketing- Website Conversion, Usability & SEO

eMergent Marketing of Cleveland, Ohio is a bright, young search engine optimization company emerging in an industry surrounded by hype and cynicism. eMergent Marketing has expanded its SEO arsenal by offering Web site usability testing and conversion services to its clients, in order to improve the likelihood that their Internet marketing efforts have the greatest impact on consumers.

eMergent Marketing represents a whole new way of thinking about Internet marketing and eCommerce strategy. It’s no longer good enough to just focus on driving Web site traffic. With growing competition and increasingly savvy online consumers, it has become critically important to attract the right site visitors in the most cost-effective manner. By offering a more complete service than most traditional search engine optimization (SEO) firms, eMergent Marketing delivers more value to its clients by leveraging the in-house usability expertise as part of the search engine optimization and search engine marketing processes.

The eMarketing experts at eMergent Marketing have been studying and practicing search engine optimization since the late 1990’s. Their proven optimization methodology has helped countless companies improve their search engine visibility in the natural search engine listings and attract potential customers to their sites.

While eMergent Marketing continues to experience rapid growth, they remain focused on providing the highest levels of customer service and communications. According to Paul Elliott, President of eMergent Marketing, “The search engine optimization industry has historically been plagued by unethical providers and those who simply do not understand the complexities of search marketing. At eMergent Marketing, we go the extra mile to ensure our optimization clients know exactly what we are doing, when we are doing it, and the results our services will produce. While no ethical search engine optimization firm can guarantee first place rankings, eMergent Marketing has achieved outstanding results for all of our organic optimization clients – a fact our clients will be happy to share with you.”

If you are currently looking for an SEO company that provides leading edge results and customer service, eMergent Marketing is the logical choice. Their combination of experienced Internet marketing professionals with Web site usability and conversion experts creates the new standard for the Web marketing industry. Contact eMergent Marketing today to learn more about the Search and Conversion Methodology for improving the return on investment (ROI) from your site.

Business Web Content Writing Success: Scan-Ability

Scan-ability is a measured, objective, scientifically proven criterion of successful written web content. While making content easier for users to scan rather than read word-for-word involves a number of factors, simply re-structuring web content into sections and lists can yield stunning improvements.

Proven Web Content Success Factor: Scan-ability

I’ve found that scan-able content written with web publication in mind seriously out-performs content that was written as though for print:

* Greater conversions (sales or leads).

* Fewer visitors leaving the web page as soon as they arrive (“bounces”).

* Longer average visits.

* More reprints (of distributed content), meaning greater exposure and links–especially impressive considering that most reprint article directories only allow plain text, meaning that the formatting features that help to make content scan-able are not available.

User tests have repeatedly demonstrated that a majority of web users scan the page rather than read word-for-word. In such tests, optimizing content for scan-ability has been proven to make web content more successful–at least, for a few measurable criteria, mainly reading speed, comprehension, and retention (recall of what was read). While humor, style, empathy, persuasiveness, and other classic characteristics of good writing can’t be objectively measured, the scientific evidence shows scan-ability is a strong foundation on which to build strong content.

Based on the evidence, the web usability expert Jakob Nielsen wrote guidelines for successful web writing in the mid-late 1990s. Today, those guidelines are still the basis for most of what’s written about web content writing, including this article.

Scan-able Web Content Example

Look at the two versions of the same content, below. Ask yourself: which version would you be more likely to pay attention to if you came across it?

———————–

Version one (traditional text mode):

Who scans website text? A large majority of web users prefer scanning for main ideas over reading word-for-word. Nearly all fully literate users scan–and web users disproportionately tend to be fully literate. Even highly literate users who are inclined to read a page word-for-word will scan it first to make sure it will repay their investment of reading time.

Less-literate visitors (i.e., those for whom reading is a slow chore) cannot scan content because they simply cannot parse text (i.e., make sense of it) fast enough. Yet I firmly believe that scan-able content will usually be easier to read word-for-word than traditional writing. Scan-able content places important ideas first, so someone reading word-for-word will comprehend more even if he or she doesn’t make it all the way to the end of the text. Scan-able content avoids superfluous niceties that would waste a slow reader’s time.

————————–

Version two (scan-able mode especially for the web):

Who Scans Website Text?

A large majority of web users prefer scanning for main ideas over reading word-for-word:

* Nearly all fully literate users scan–and web users disproportionately tend to be fully literate.

* Even highly literate users who are inclined to read a page word-for-word will scan it first to make sure it will repay their investment of reading time.

* Less-literate visitors (i.e., those for whom reading is a slow chore) cannot scan content because they simply cannot parse text (i.e., make sense of it) fast enough. Yet I firmly believe that scan-able content will usually be easier to read word-for-word than traditional text-style writing.

* Scan-able content places important ideas first, so someone reading word-for-word will develop greater comprehension even if he or she doesn’t make it all the way to the end of the text.

* Scan-able content avoids superfluous niceties that would waste a slow reader’s time.

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Scan-able Web Content Structure: Sections and Lists

In the above example, the differences between version one and version two, which use the exact same text, are purely structural. There are other features of scan-able content, such as keywords, sentence structure, and word choice, but that’s for another article. For now, just look at the powerful improvements in web content you can get simply from structural improvements, which take two basic forms: sections and lists.

* Sections. Any web content longer than 250 words should be divided into sections based on main ideas, with each section having a descriptive heading. Even briefer content can be divided into sections, though most commonly, the simplest way to organize shorter content is with lists. Content over 500 words can put one or two sections each on separate web pages.

* Lists. Multiple facts, ideas, items, or any multiple anything that have any kind of logical relationship among each other should be placed in unordered (bulleted) or ordered (numbered) lists if they have any importance at all. For instance, this list of features of scan-able web content merits a list, while “facts, ideas, items, or any multiple…” was less important and so was just written out.

The most exciting part of optimizing content with sections and lists is that you can optimize existing content without changing a word: no pencil-chewing over the right word to use, no consultation with the legal department, no readjustment of keyword densities (though adding headings might shake things up a bit).

To make content as scan-able and successful as possible, you need to go deeper into issues such as logical organization, keywords, sentence structure, and word choice. But slimply re-structuring content into sections and lists will provide a big boost.

Website Usability: is This Important for Your Business?

Introduction to Website as an Interface:

We can define the interface as a space where is an interaction between:
– user who performs an action
– goal, which he wants to achieve
– The tool they need to achieve the goal and then carry out the operation.

If we apply these concepts to the world of the Web can say that in implementing the project Internet is necessary to consider:
– the user, which interacts with the site
– the task / objective: that he wants to achieve
– The instrument, so the Internet site that allows him to do this and achieve its goal.

The website can stand in the way between the company and its customers and in many cases is not only a showcase static but represents a real opportunity for interaction with the undertaking that involves elements emotional, cognitive and rational. The website has assumed economic importance of such proportions as not to allow a development of Web projects which does not take into account the principles of Cognitive Psychology, Sociology and ‘Ergonomics Science.

When you spread the first tools usability was not regarded as a problem because the software products were intended for designers themselves or who had similar skills. The patterns of cognitive and coincided designer and attention was completely devoted to the medium, the computer and not in order, that is coordinating the activities of persons for the use of the product.

In the seventies develops a new market where the consumer becomes a customer and you switch from mass production to a process of customizing the product. The competition moves on new factors such as size and specifications of use and begins to emerge the need to follow a design philosophy based on the interests and needs of the end.

The prerequisite for the development of a quality is knowledge of, its information needs and its socio-demographic characteristics. A project should always be conducted in the manner of ”User-Centered Design” that is putting the user at the centre of the project.

The development of a product centered about is a process that begins considering the user and their needs rather than technology. Develop a product centered about requires the involvement of a multidisciplinary team that includes representatives of marketing, technology sector and experts from cognitive psychology and usability. He was born the Human Computer Interaction (HCI), a science that brings together these disciplines.

Website Designing plays an important role in developing business and generating best online marketing. So get a website now…

Effective Web Design Tips

There are multiple aspects behind designing a successful website. Perhaps you own a business and you want to advertise, promote, and sell your products and services. Maybe you just want to design a website just for people to look at or maybe you just want to create a site to let others know a little more about yourself. On thing is for sure with all these different ideas, you want people to notice your site. That is why effective web design is crucial in the promotion of your business, yourself, and your website.

The first thing people notice when they visit somebody´s site is its appearance. Its important to make sure the content on your site is clear and legible so there won’t be any confusion about where to find information. That will save visitors time, and can mean the difference between them continuing to look at your site, or just finding another one like it. Loading time is probably the most crucial part of web design. Just because you have a great looking web site does not mean others will see it if it takes too long to load. Remember some people are not as patient as others. The design you choose should be optimized for the web, and it should take no more than 15 seconds to load. If the load time is longer than this, people are likely to click on another site instead. While pictures, graphics, and sound can definitely make your site more appealing, they can take a while to load, so you don’t want to have too many on you front page. The same goes for each individual page on your web site. If a particular page takes too long to load, the person perusing your site may decide to go elsewhere for the information.

Clear navigation is another vital aspect of good and effective web design. If your site is easy to get around, users are less likely to become confused. If information is too difficult to find, they will most likely go elsewhere to find it. Be sure the links and information are placed so that they make sense to those visiting your site. Design your site in terms of percentage, not pixels. This is important because of the many different screen resolutions available for computers today. You want to be sure yours will work for these various resolutions so that more people will be able to access your site and view its contents.

There are many numerous other features you can add to your site to make it more appealing. Keep in mind that the people who visit your site will come from a wide variety of computer backgrounds, and will own different computer equipment. Be as diverse as you possibly can, and remember that the web is constantly changing, so keep up and know whats going on.

Web Designing Tips

More and more people are getting fond of web design. Whether for work related purposes or for personal-use purposes. Some people get short courses to study web designing and some rely on e-learning and get web designing tutorials on-line. For people who works as a web designer, they know the do’s and dont’s of web designing, for most of them at least. For those who don’t, especially those who are new in the field, here are some basic tips that would help in enhancing your web designing skills.

Keep your index page short

For the convenience of your visitor, don’t place all your content on the index page. Remember that you can use several pages on making a web site. Having a single-page site with all the contents there will make a visitor dizzy and confused.

Create a toolbar or menus easy navigation

This will make your visitors stay in your site longer. After reading the content of your page, it is more likely that your visitor will look for other pages on your site that would interest him. Using short, clear and precise words will also help the visitor know the content of the page where your link is going. I suggest to place the navigation menu on top and the other main links on the right hand side menu. You can also use a drop-down menus if you have many links.

Clean layout design

Align the contents of the page properly. You can use as many tables as you need to be able to insert the images or whatever you need for the page. Beginners tend to put as much images as they can, thinking it would be nice to look at, but it is advisable to put minimal photos. For a safer design, you can also use templates.

Use uniform fonts

As much as possible, use only two to three kinds of font face and the suggested sizes are ten to fourteen points. Just use different font styles, italics for instance, to emphasize keywords. Also, use a font that is available on all computers to prevent having a messed up design.

Cross browser compatible

Keep in mind that there are other internet browsers other than what you are using. At least make sure that your codes and design are compatible to the major browsers like Internet Explorer 5+, Mozilla Firefox 1.0, Opera 7.0 and Netscape Navigator 6+ .

These are just basic tips and suggestions on web designing but are guaranteed useful. These can be used as guide on building your own site but still the overall design is in your hands.

Flash Web Designing: Sometimes Looks is not Enough

If you are involved in some business which requires online cash transaction, then you must be concerned about security of your transaction. If you want to buy one of the latest gadgets, then you must be concerned about the services provided by the website. If you want to interact online with your friends, then you must be concerned about the usability of the chat program. Now, whatever you do online, you would like to have the website to be more user-friendly apart from being attractive. A good flash web designing company has a big role in that.

If a website is beautiful as well as with good usability then the credit for it goes to some softwares. These softwares make sure that a user finds a website attractive as well as friendly. The user must get what he/she wants. If it is a product website then the products must be displayed in nice manner. A flash web designing company can provide useful web design softwares to make a site full of useful content. Some of these softwares are HTML editor, flash photo gallery and flash form builder. These softwares improve a website in terms of usability, looks and features.

The features of a website must relate to its products and services. If it is a song download site then it must have proper navigation buttons. User must know clearly where to click. Useful navigation buttons, images, links, boxes and many other features can be added in your website to make it useful. A professional flash web designing company can build websites with integrated title and meta data also which are mandatory for the effective search engine ratings. As you know that it is not enough for a website to be beautiful only, search engines must know it. It must be available when a prospect wants it to be available.

Therefore, if you have a website then give it a new look. Opt for a flash web designing company. The company would take full responsibility of your website and would endeavor to make it crispier and more user-friendly.

The Top 10 Thingies That an Awesome Web Design Team Must Posses to Get Things Rolling

 

Our world, as we all know, has become a very competitive and fast paced world, especially in the business world.

Because of the growing popularity of advertising or marketing on the internet, many professionals, specifically those that has anything to do with art and creativity, have turned their profession towards it.

But things aren’t also as great with those that can ride those waves, even those that can even do some tricks on it. This is because of the growing competitiveness in the world of business, and because of those hiring dudes getting smarter and smarter by the minute, which make’s landing a job, including web design, far more complicated than ever.

There are several traits that companies look at when hiring web specialists or designing team, and this includes a team that can come up and write copy, a team that can plan smart a site structure, a team that will help in getting a domain registered, files uploaded, e-mail accounts set up, and other technical details.

But aside from that, there are other thingies that companies look at when looking for an “awesome” web design team. And here’s a list of them, starting from number 10.

10.) Your Availability

Availability is one of the top 10 most important thingies that customers want from a web design company. Your team may have the best design skills but if your clients can’t get hold of you, then it’s practically useless for them.

9.) Getting the Best Service

As a team, we try our best in providing our best services as much as possible, but there will come a time that we might need another help from another entity or person. Such as installing a particularly complicated shopping cart or a site requires some heavy database programming, it is reasonable to expect that we might need some assistance. But we have to remember that we are getting paid to do what they expect us to do, it is our cost as they say. If we cannot provide the service that they want from us, then they will have no other choice but to sack us.

It shouldn’t matter if you have to outsource or if it will cost you money. The important thing is that you deliver a flawless service. If you don’t earn profit now, you’ll surely earn from a repeat project or a referral from the client in the future.

For a world-class web development service, outsource your requirements to a Philippine Web Design company.

8.) Communication Skills

We all know that you are the “God” of all webmasters and the Artist’ of the Artist’ when it comes to designing a website, but you don’t have to talk to them in languages that only R2D2 can understand just to show them how good you are. One of the most important traits that those dudes from the hiring department wants from us are our communication skills. It is important to them that we are able to convey words, or understandable words, that an ordinary person can clearly understand.

You must have that kind of skill because when your team is on the field, and that you cannot communicate properly with your client, these could cause major misunderstandings between you and your client, including the business itself. So it wont even matter if you are the chosen one that will bring peace back to the galaxy, if the only language that you speak is that of R2D2, it just isn’t gonna cut it.

7.) Project Timeline

Aside from being a team, bringing the results on time is also one of the most important thingies that they are looking for in a web designing team. It is important to them that we can provide a complete list of references of how good we are in meeting deadlines with our previous works or projects. This is to give them an insight on how efficient we are in this field. We don’t need to become The Flash just to impress them of how fast we are. All that they needed is that we work in a timely manner and meet certain deadlines on time.

6.) Your Cost

It is important that what you offer them must be in correspondence on what they pay you. We need to list down anything that is included on what services that we can provide them. The more you offer them, the more that they can pay us. The more services that we can provide them, the higher our cost. The important thing is that you can deliver quality product on time.

5.) Marketing Expertise

One of the best ways to show how good you are in marketing is to show them your portfolios. In here, you must be able to show them the things that they need to know about your marketing expertise. One of which is the usability of your portfolios. One of the traits that clients are looking for in your portfolio is the navigation. It is important that you ensure them that they can find whatever they’re looking for on our site quickly and effortlessly and that they can do the same on some of the sites in your portfolio.

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4.) Creativity

Now here is where you must excel the most – creativity. It is the nature of your business, the core of our strength and the sun that gives us the necessary energy that you need to create your masterpiece. But creativity in designing websites is not the only thing that they are looking for, but also creativity involved in the conceptual process. A web designing team must be able to provide them help with some of the most important questions such as in marketing, copy writing, and how to generate traffic.

3.) Originality

You always have to come up with original copies or graphics. You must be able to demonstrate knowledge of page layout, have a way with color and know how to place elements on a page for best appearance and web site performance. This is what makes web designers awesome.

2.) Customer Orientation

It is important for you to update your clients on the progress of your projects. This is necessary as to assure them that their projects are in good hands and will be completed on time. This trait is among of the 10 most important things that those hiring guys want the most. This is to assure that if your web design team is too busy to answer e-mails or phone calls, will they be able to keep the production schedule? Communication always plays a key role in production, so we must exercise to communicate well with our clients.

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1.) Experience

This is what they are looking for. This is the most important thing that clients are looking for. Like I said, these guys want someone that can provide all the things that they needed in a team, all packages in one as they say. Knowledgeable in protocols, web markup languages and coding utilities: HTML, XML, CSS, PHP and so on.

All of these came from experiences from some of the most “Awesome” web designing teams out there. But the only tip that they always say amongst all of these is that we should always believe in ourselves and on our team. Believing in one’s self is the main weapon in these guys when they are tackling something new. It is the foundation of their teamwork, and it is what makes their team, “Awesome”!

The Importance of Web Usability in Search Engine Optimization

Not only are you in competition with the millions of other Web sites owners who sell the same product/service as you, but you are also competing for users’ time and attention. While search engine optimization and submission can bring you the traffic you need, only you can ensure that visitors will stay on your site by giving them a reason to want to stay. That is where Web site usability comes in.

What is Web site usability?
The International Standards Organization (ISO) defines Web site usability as the “effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment.” In simpler terms, usability is how efficiently and effectively users can accomplish what they are trying to do when they visit your Web site.

Now that you have an understanding of usability, we’ll explain the basics of what a Web site should include to make the most of the user experience:

Content is key

Let’s face it, people visit Web sites for content — they want information. Sure, it helps if your site is visibly appealing as well. But, without the right content, the results of the user experience can be fatal to your business. They simply won’t come back.

Here are a few tips to remember in regards to content:

Always be concise. Research shows that reading from a computer screen is about 25% slower than reading from paper or other print medium. To that end, you will want to edit your writing to say the exact same thing in half the words it would take if you were writing on paper. Also, think back to the last time you came to one of those really long-winded Web sites where the content may have been great, but you still had to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to the end. It can be a nuisance. So, keep your pages short.

Make your content scannable. When people use the Internet, they are looking at mass amounts of information. Help them get to the core of what they want by using bulleted items, short paragraphs, and subheadings to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for.

Write without error. There is no excuse — absolutely none — for poor grammar, typographical errors, and misspellings. If you own a computer, you have access to spell-checker and grammar-checker technologies. Use them. These small details will reflect upon your site. If you don’t convey professionalism on your own business, how will you be conveyed to potential clients? Can they trust you with theirs? Before uploading any new content, proofread it. Then, turn it over to someone else for their input.

Write as if you were a Public Relations pro. Granted, many of us aren’t PR exec’s, but you should know how to market your business. Use the lingo that is most appropriate for your business. While you want to provide information, your main goal is still one thing: to sell. So, write to sell.

Maximize your keywords. As part of the search engine optimization process, you went to great lengths to select keywords and phrases that are most appropriate for your business. Be sure to use them whenever possible (without being overtly redundant) in your content.

Refresh, refresh, refresh. Web sites should be updated on a regular basis — don’t let them go stale. Add new products/services, update users with new information and tools, do what you can to change your content and keep users coming back for more.

Know your audience. Since most audiences vary in terms of experience level with both your product/service and their experience level with the internet, you will want to simplify things more than ever. You don’t want to talk to yourself – make sure potential clients understand your product/service. The best way to do this is to create content that is informative, yet simple to understand for even the newest of the newbies.
Web site design

Secondary to content is the actual design of your Web site. While the user comes to your site specifically for information, they also will want to enter an area that is simple to use and visually appealing. Here are some usability tips regarding Web site design:

Avoid long load times. While the latest technology for Web sites is incredibly interesting and fun, lots of graphics, Flash images, and audio can create long load times that make the user wait. And, if customers have to wait too long, they may leave — and never come back. As a guide, users will generally wait for a site to load for ten seconds before vacating.

Make your pages simple to read. A common error in Web usability is the incessant need to create the prettiest Web site that ever existed. We’ve all seen them – every color from the Crayola box of 64 has made its mark on these pages. And, with a little bit of color usually comes a lot of cute little images that dance across your screen. In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this. Not only will it hoard a lot of memory, but it will drive your users crazy. Black text on a white background is the easiest to read. If you really want a colored background, stick with a lighter shade, but remember to use black text.

Create a well-organized site. Maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout your site is critical. The navigation you use on the home page should be carried out throughout your Web site. Clear navigation can either make or break your site. You are basically providing your users with a road map to your products and services. Don’t let them get lost along the way.

Consider your space. Content should amount to 50-80% of your page design, with navigation takey up approximately 20% of the space.

Stay consistent with design elements. Select one or two (maximum) fonts and stick with them throughout your site.

Have a secure and automated server. Amazingly only 20% of current Web sites are secure.

What can you do different? This is probably the most important thing to remember when designing your site. Think about your business and your competition. What are you doing differently that will make users visit your site? Once you find out what that is — whether you offer the lowest prices, have a special widget that no one else sells, or have reputable customer service — capitalize on that one thing by incorporating it in your design elements.

There are good sites on the Internet and there are an equal number of bad sites (if not more!) out there. The good sites provide for a smooth user experience – simple navigation and simple-to-find information. The bad sites are slow to load, difficult to navigate and leave the users frustrated before they can even get to the information they initially needed. If you’ve already invested the time and effort into developing a Web site, you should take a serious look at the usability of your site. Here’s an simple homework assignment: Some day, when you’ve got a few hours to spare, surf the Internet and make note of sites you think are good and which ones drove you absolutely crazy. Investigate the qualities of those sites and what made them good or bad. Pretty soon, you’ll start to see some patterns that you can learn from and implement into your own usability strategy. Remember, usability is all about creating a unique and enlightening user experience. Usability is the name of the game — isn’t it time you started playing?

Web design tips: Fitting all monitor resolutions – Part 1

Is the web developer understood how long people will visit the website?

Whether we are new or Internet marketing experience, we need to understand the best things about the website, design a part to the success comfort.

The following tips for the success of a web:

1. Navigation

We have been working on the design of this article on the website navigation. When people come to our website they generally find something special. The prescription for diet low, and the search for healthy and prepare it for less than a few minutes, or what is best for starting a business online.

Regardless of the visitors want, we must have answers for that. So we ask, why people come to our website? When we knew then we must make them easy to find what they are looking for.

2. Graphic

If we run a professional site, and do not use nice image, then please do not hope that people will want to see our website. People come to our website to find information. Not to click on an ad or sharpen the brain only.

Create a website to be enjoyable environment for visitors to enjoy. Think as we go to the mall. We want to enter a warehouse / store that are clean, which is prepared, have a good service to the customers and products that are being sought. Website we need to reflect this. If there is what we expect as the shopping experience, visitors will enjoy what they are looking on our website

3. Color

Color is a personal choice, but studies show that color has a influence on public emotion.

If we have a financial investment location, Select colors conservative. Or if we sell the materials coast, then choose the color of soft.

4. About Us

People generally want to know basic things before they do business with us. Who are we, how do they get a grip of us, what products we guarantee or warranty, when they will get the product, and others. We must answer this question to create a trust between us and potential customers.

5. Sitemap

Assume we have a lot of resources and a page or product. Sitemap help visitors to find what they are looking for quickly, without having to comb the entire site.

This website is very useful for large-scale, as the search for help to know what is around quickly.

6. Loading fast

No more bad than loading pages that are slow. We can optimize the charts for the website. People hate to wait. You can check the page and the page classified burden on Alexa.com. Slow page equivalent for the death of a business online.

7. Shopping Cart

If we are selling services or products, we need a better organized and can be trusted. We see some websites have a lot of the product and sign up for email bookings.

What is a nightmare! Yes, we demand a shopping cart for payment, but it is very valuable to handle the transaction. There are many nice change carts are available and we will research, based on business needs.

8. Templates

People often think to have a website designed will be worth thousands. So they choose and arrange the location of templates. Is not an exception to this approach can depict the difference between what the call “canned” site and what created since the beginning. While we do not think a website using the templates will reduce the visitors, we may not think interesting.

9. Customer service

Ok, so from that how a customer service website designed? Well, customer service must be in writing our location, from tips, free reports, insurance, and to accelerate the shop / shop. People want to know more about what we discussed and send the goods they want. Give a little and give a guarantee we will get ten times.

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