Posts Tagged ‘website design’

6 Website Design Mistakes You Should Avoid

November 5th, 2009

The most beautifully crafted website can still have major design flaws that will drive your visitors away. The following are 6 website design mistakes you should avoid when creating your website.

If you want your business to grow then you need to remove the negatives from your website design. The window of opportunity to catch and then keep visitors is very small. Everyone has their favorite websites that they visit often. Why? Because you have confidence that you will get the information they want without wasting precious time hunting. They have a ‘relationship’ with their favorite websites and you want to build that type of ‘relationship’ with your visitors.

Maybe the biggest design flaw is no focus. The biggest problem with a lot of websites is that the visitors really have no clue what they are supposed to find. The home page should be direct and show exactly what value website holds. It needs to be alluring and entice the visitor to hang around and look at more pages.

When the pages are weighed down with text, that is fine but the length of the paragraphs has to be short and to the point. The text needs to have headlines and sub heads, short focused paragraphs, numbers and bullets, graphics and photos that are strategically placed with enough white space. Make the information you share relevant to the website’s home page or start-up page. There cannot be anything confusing about the content or the layout because your visitor has a very short attention span and you only have a few seconds to get their attention.

The look of the website must be easy to read and see. Fonts that are too hard to see on the backgrounds are not acceptable. The fonts need to be easily read like Arial or Verdana or any that have clear cut letters that are an automatic part of Windows. Fancy fonts may not be visible on every computer.

Avoid clutter on your site. Even if it is organized, having long segments of copy, animation, promotional offers, extra unnecessary stuff, and sales pitches all equal noise. Visitors do not want to go wading and all these things will slow your start-up page.

Using advertising that is too demonstrative will turn off your visitors. Pop-up ads are acceptable and still used a lot but they run the risk of making your visitor irritated. Most people use blockers to prevent the pop-up ads so even if the information is really important in the pop-up most will not see it anyway.

Proper navigation issues are a big deal. If you visitor wants to see more but cannot reach your other pages you have lost them. Use a site map so your visitor can quickly see what they want to visit without wandering through unnecessary screens.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


Appreciating Website Design What To Do First

November 5th, 2009

Appreciating website design means that coming to the realization that a website to be used on the Internet for some purpose such as marketing will require that a few issues be addressed prior to the actual website being designed. The end goal should be a website that is attractive and does a few things for its owner and the visitors to the site.

As with anything to do with the Internet, it will first of all be necessary to carry out some research to correctly identify the market or niche that the website is going to be targeted at. Any website entrepreneurs should keep in mind that the site should be relevant to the interest group. That’s why the site is going to be about automobile tires shouldn’t give the impression that it is about bicycle tires, to use an example.

Along with work being done to identify an exploitable market or niche that the website will target, there is a requirement that the final product — which is the website itself — be logical to the users that are visiting and that the website can be easily navigated through. Tensions between design of the website and the usability of a website should be resolved in favor of usability under almost every circumstance.

Those hopeful website owners and entrepreneurs who don’t get that poorly designed or unusable websites (from the visitor’s perspective) generally end up owning websites that load very slowly and require the use of multiple plug-ins that users must download, which is something many users detest. Studies have shown that Internet visitors move on very quickly when the site they are visiting is slow to load or use.

As reinforcement, the above factors should be more than enough reason for website designers and entrepreneurs to spend the time on some research about markets and website requirements that can be utilized correctly in order to make the site be highly usable. Black text on white backgrounds seem to be very usable, by the way. If a background is needed, go with plain colors or very subtle designs.

A common downfall when it comes to initial website design is that many entrepreneurs and designers fail to take care that the text itself is in a printable color. This is yet another selling point in black text’s favor, though any color that will print well and doesn’t give users a headache when they view it is acceptable.

When looking at things logically, appreciating website design what to do first factors means that the person who will be owning or designing the website will engage in prior planning for not only market research but also in order to ensure that the website itself is very usable and will not scare away visitors who happen to land at it.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


SEO And Website Design Overview

November 5th, 2009

Many businesses are finding that the need to market to an expanded target audience is no longer possible using the marketing strategies that have always worked. It is necessary to expand marketing strategies to reach a more global audience and speak to individuals through means that will reflect the mission and vision of a company. This can best be accomplished using an SEO and website design.

By maximizing the strength of SEO (search engine optimization) on a website design a small business can be viewed by individuals who may be looking for products and services offered using keywords that may not appear strategically on other websites.

The effective use of SEO in the url title of a business and the website can quickly increase the ranking of a business on several search engines. An increased ranking on a search engine results in more traffic to a website, which in turn results in more sales for that business.

There are several methods available to get the highest SEO on a website. Many companies offer programs, software, and website designers who specialist in SEO and the intricacies of the programming codes that are required to create a SEO and website design that will generate maximum traffic.

Some businesses choose to hire an individual on a permanent basis to maintain the website and update the site to maintain its ranking on the search engine directories. This is important due to the fact that keywords change regularly and website designs are, for the most part, fad driven.

A great deal of planning goes into creating an effective and content rich SEO and website design. A business owner must be able to convey the purpose of their company as well as accurately describe their products or services using a body of words and phrases which will enhance the likelihood that the word will be searched and selected by a person shopping on the Internet.

Even when focusing on SEO a website must be easy to navigate and be created using the basic principles of website design. These include providing a combination of information and embedding subtle text within the content to encourage the visitor to navigate through the entire website and purchase the product or service that is offered.

A well thought out website can provide a marketing tool to businesses that is extremely effective and produces a broader customer base than would be available in the local market. By incorporating educational components in the site an SEO and website design can provide the ability for a business to grow and thrive beyond the borders of a state or nation.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


Growing An Internet Business With SEO And Website Design

November 5th, 2009

Deciding to incorporate SEO and website design in a marketing plan has only recently been a viable option for many small businesses. As the world has become smaller and customer bases have grown many businesses have been forced to search for ways to reach their wide audience in a uniform manner.

A problem that has occurred with the increased use of websites by individuals, businesses, and organizations is that search engine directories are overwhelmed with submissions. This, coupled with the fact that any given key work typed in by a customer can elicit thousands of listings for businesses, makes strategic SEO critical to the success of a website.

A business using SEO and website design in tandem rises rapidly on the list produced by a search engine. By being placed closer to the top of a search engine list a business is more likely to attract the maximum number of individuals searching for their services.

The ability to incorporate SEO strategically and effectively in a website requires the specialized skills of an expert in this area. These individuals usually have both the tools and knowledge to increase the ranking of a website on a search engine through the use of additional programming code and content.

Very few businesses have staff available who have the expertise to accomplish effective SEO and website design. Many businesses may hire someone to maintain a website after it has been created. But the critical time to create a strategic marketing tool lies in the development and installation of a website.

An SEO and website design company spends a lot of time with business owners and other stakeholders before creating a website. They want to make sure that every aspect of the website will reflect the company, meet the company objectives, and portray the products that the company wishes to sell accurately. The goal of the SEO and website design team is to help a company to achieve the maximum productivity from a marketing tool that they may not be wholly familiar with.

Website designers make sure that a site is easy to use and will provide visitors with both quality content and product information. The SEO specialists insure that the content will meet the standards required to reach the highest point on a search engine that is possible.

The use of SEO and website design teams allows a business to expand their potential sales territory. This can be vital for growth and success when a company has a product that can be used throughout the world. The incorporation of this marketing tool is a relatively inexpensive way to create a sustainable customer base and provide services to individuals who would otherwise not be aware of the products or services that are available.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


How To Choose Website Designers – Mystery Solved

November 5th, 2009

If you have the right information you can easily learn how to choose website designers and logo designers before you made a commitment to them. Once you understand how to make a good choice you will be able to avoid unnecessary problems and possible save a lot of money as well.

So, here we go. What do you need to know determine if you are choosing the best website designer for your company’s needs? The first thing is to examine their website for their business. Their website should be professional and have more than just a template kind of design. It should have been one that they made unique with a lot of customized work. Are you impressed with the portfolio they offer of the work they have done? Is there a ‘Live Chat’ or at least a ‘Contact Us’ page?

The second consideration is how easily it is to reach the company by either email or preferably Live Chat. Calling them on the phone will not give you the best feed back because a person can answer a phone anywhere, not just their office. A good website designer has to be at their computer to complete the design work and should be watching for either the Live Chat or email. The time it takes them to respond will give you a good idea how they will be communicating during the design phase of your website.

Any prospective designer should be more than willing and capable of answering any of your questions. You need to know how their designing process will work and how they will design the logo.

For instance, do they use a questionnaire to get the information about their clients? If they do not then how are they going to be able to know how to create a design to meet all your needs? If they have no idea what your preferences are, how can they provide a complete representation of your business on a website or logo design? They should be able to draw necessary information from you and help you express all your expectations.

The last consideration is going to be the pricing. If you are comfortable with how it fits into your budget and with the service they promise then you have a good choice.

However, when considering pricing you need to remember that just because the designer may offer the lowest pricing for their designing service, does not mean they are your best choice. Sometimes the headaches and time involved working with them will not compensate for the money you may save initially. Be sure that you have thoroughly investigated the credibility, integrity and reliability of the design firm. Take some time to check out a few of their satisfied customers by calling them and talking with them personally.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


Website Design Cost: Factors To Consider

November 5th, 2009

Website design cost depends greatly on the business or individual who is having the website designed. There are many options and variables that can affect the cost of a website design. Among these is the functions that an individual wants on their website, how interactive the website will be, and how often the website will be updated.

When comparing website designers and the costs they charge it is important to have an idea of what the end product should look like. Many individuals enter into contracts with website designers with only a faint idea of what they want and continually make changes to the initial website design. While the website design cost will normally be charged as a project, the changes and alterations will be added to that cost and can change the final cost of the design a great deal.

With a clear vision of what the end product should look like and be able to do, the business owner gives the web designer the opportunity to offer advice and provide some functions to enhance their website that may have not been thought of previously. By collaborating and working with the web designer as a partner an individual can receive an effective and efficient website for a minimal investment.

After explaining the end use of a website a web designer can advise an individual on which type of platform will be most cost effective and efficient for their use. A static website is one that has each page created individually and is more appropriate for a website that will not need updated information added regularly. A dynamic website is one that is very mobile and versatile and is automatically updated by the information from a database that feeds the templates of the website information continually.

The web designer will also be able to advise on the best design for the website. Some guidelines regarding the most effective marketing strategies on a web layout. The product or service that an individual has will dictate the type of layout that will be most effective and one of the six basic designs will be the foundation upon which the website is built.

After the final website design cost has been paid the web designer may be added to the business family as a contract employee who will return at regular intervals to update and make changes to the website depending on the trends that occur in the website market. Websites change regularly and when a new trend becomes popular the website designer will be able to make the adjustments to an existing website fairly easily to keep it up to date.

By using a company that has both a website developer and designer on its team a business can see a cost savings as well as an effective and efficient progression of their website design. Website developers have the necessary programming expertise to create certain functions that may not be available to individuals who cannot program a system to do the function. Web designers however have the expertise and knowledge to create a website that will increase a business’ value and marketability on the Internet.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


How To Choose Website Designers Is Not As Difficult As You Think

November 5th, 2009

Learning how to choose website designers is not difficult at all when you have good information. It is just common sense really and if you follow the ideas presented here you should have no problem finding the right designer for your needs and hopefully save money in the long run too.

There are a few simple considerations that will help you determine which designer is the one for you. Spend a little time looking at the website of the designer you are considering. If their website looks like it was just a simple template design then this does not say much about their capabilities as designers. Their website should include factors that make it look unique and professional. Also, when you look at the portfolio they offer to show examples of their work you need to check them for creativity and professionalism. If you do not find one that you think you would like for your business then this is also not a good sign of their capabilities. Finally their website should offer a way to contact them live or at least by email.

Speaking of being able to contact the designer, this is an important consideration. Try to make contact with them using either their live talk or their email and see how long it takes for them to respond. A designer needs to spend a lot of time at their computer because designing takes a huge amount of time. If they are not sitting at their computer how are they going to have the time to finish your website in a reasonable period of time? If you use the phone number to contract them remember they can answer the phone from any location. They do not have to be at their computer to answer the phone.

A good designer will encourage you to ask questions and will certainly be able to answer anything you ask. They should e willing to explain how their design process works.

Usually the designer uses a questionnaire form that will help them get a full picture of what their customer want incorporated to their website design. If they do not have a way of finding out this kind of information how do they plan to create a complete website? They are the experts and should be able to draw out of their clients all the things that will make the website design comprehensive.

Finally money is the last area of concern. The price that is quoted needs to be one that will be comfortable with your budget and also you will need to feel comfortable with the quality of their service.

Remember that the company you choose should have been able to prove that they are dependable, professional and credible. If their pricing is really low but their performance is not acceptable then the lower prices is not actually saving you money. Take same time to call a few of the references they provide of satisfied customers and see for yourself what these people have to say about their personal experience with the designer.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


Concepts Of Website Design What To Do First With A Website

November 5th, 2009

What to do first with a website come into play whenever a person has the desire to create a website and place it out on the Internet, generally speaking. Those who are interested in the design aspects should understand that there are a few things that one should do first of all in getting the website looking good and operating well.

It’s usually a good idea to conduct a bit of research on website design and what will be required before even starting on the project. This means that the hopeful website entrepreneur will find the correct market that the website is going to be aimed at exploiting. Make it relevant and about what is going to be talked about or sold. Don’t confuse bicycle tire with motorcycle tire on a website that is aimed at selling automobile tires, for example.

Something that goes hand-in-hand with the determining the proper market or niche that the website will be relevant for is the need to ensure that the final product makes sense to a website visitor or user and then it also is easy to navigate around. There is always some tension between design and usability, which needs to generally be resolved in the usability factor’s favor if the website is going to be successful.

Website entrepreneurs who fail to understand that usability should be the number one issue when it comes to a website usually end up with sites that are very slow to load or that require a lot of plug-ins to work properly, though they really look extremely good. Unfortunately, most Internet users tend to move on very quickly from a website that does not download quickly on their computers.

All of this just highlights the need to accomplish a fair amount of research on the market or niche and then plan how the design of the website fits in with its need to be very usable. To start, plan for a website that uses black text on white backgrounds when possible. If a certain background is needed, try to make sure it is plain color or very subtle in its designs.

Another thing that website entrepreneurs and designers seem to forget sometimes is that the text itself must be printable. That’s why black text on white backgrounds seem to work the best. However, any printable color will do as a way to ensure that the website doesn’t attract a lot of complaint from users who are trying to print something off from it.

When you get right down to it, concepts of website design what to do first with a website are fairly logical and lend themselves well to planning prior to actually designing the website. Make sure your research points you in the right direction as far as market niches go and then stand up the website so that it is usable for visitors above all else.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.


If You Are Losing Visitors You Need To Know These 6 Website Design Mistakes

November 5th, 2009

Websites can look amazing with lots of fun stuff and still be losing visitors. If your website is not holding the attention of visitors then the following 6 website design mistakes may be of help.

Of course you want your website to be successful and not only attract visitors but interest them in staying and even returning. Unfortunately, the amount of time that a visitor will spend on your website will be determined in the first few seconds of their visit. If there are one or more basic design mistakes then the visitor will leave quickly. In order to keep their attention your home page needs to build a relationship with the visitor that will keep them coming back.

The greatest design mistake is no doubt a lack of focus. When a website does not offer exactly what is promised in the keyword and title that drove the visitor there in the first place, the visitor loses interest and leaves quickly. The content must be relevant to the theme of the website and be interesting enough to encourage the visitor to look at more pages.

Pages that are heavy with text can be a turn-off to visitors. Reading text online is different from reading a newspaper. The paragraphs have to be set up so that the reading is instantly presenting the point of the information. There needs to be short paragraphs with headers and subheadings, bullets and numbering where possible, some graphics and pics where appropriate and correctly balanced white space. The information has to be spot on with the topic with no diversions or unnecessary additions. If anything on the page confuses the visitor, they will leave and not return.

The content must be readable and easy to view. Using backgrounds that drown out the font will not hold the attention of the visitor. Pages that take too long to upload will also drive the visitor away. The kind of fonts used should be universal fonts that are clear and crisp like the Arial or the Verdana. If the fonts are odd or too fancy they may not even be visible on some computers. The fonts need to be those that are automatic with Windows.

Clutter is a big no no on any website. The contents can be nicely organized but if it is too busy with long text segments, unnecessary material, promotional offers, sales pitches and lots of animations then it is considered very noisy and very cluttered. This will discourage any visitor especially if it is the start-up page. This also makes the upload too slow.

Advertising on your website is certainly acceptable but overpowering ads are guaranteed to drive visitor away. Using the pop-up ads or messages is still a common practice but the problem is that most people block these so they will not see yours and if they do they may be irritated by them. This will not build a good relationship with your visitor.

If you website is done well and has not made any of the mistakes we have discussed but the navigation is messed up you will lose your visitors. The use of a site map will make your pages easier to navigate so that your visitor an see in a moment where they want to go next. A happy visitor is one that will return.

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Website Design What To Do First

November 5th, 2009

In the matter of website design what to do first, a person who is contemplating starting a website or some sort of blog and who thinks that he or she might like to take a crack at designing it needs to keep a few things in mind. First of all, anyone interested in designing a website should sit down and come up with a plan or a concept for what it should look like.

This means, of course, that no small amount of research is going to need to be done beforehand. What is meant by research is the fact that a person will need to correctly identify the market or niche that the website is going to be targeted at. Eventually designing a site that gives the viewer or reader the impression that it is about bicycles when it is really about motorcycles is just one example of intelligent website design.

Along with deciding or determining the kind of niche that the website will be targeted at should be a realization that the site must, above all else, be usable and logical to any visitor or reader who happens to land there. This can create a bit of tension between the desire to make the website look space-age or really relevant, graphics wise, and the need to also be functional and easy to maneuver around.

Those who fail to realize this simple requirement (usability) tend to have websites designed that require multiple plug-ins or that end up taking a really long time to load on a user’s computer because they are extremely heavy with graphics that cause images to load very slowly. Studies show that most viewers of a website will quickly move on if they have any sort of issue viewing that site.

This is why it is important to do the research, identify the market or niche, and then — first of all — design the site so that it is extremely usable. Most experts recommend that websites should try to make use of black text on white backgrounds if possible. If a background is desired, designers should also try to use a plain-color background or go with something that is very subtle.

This is why it will be vital to make sure that the text itself is in a printable color, meaning that while white text on a black background looks good, if it doesn’t print in some other color other than white they’re going to be many user complaints or visits to the website will quickly drop off.

In the end, the matters of website design what to do first come down to research and then usability. Conduct your research to make sure that you are coming up with a thoughtful and relevant website and then make that website extremely easy to use when visitors arrive there.

Before you start a search engine marketing campaign, go to The Brilliant Assistant’s site for information on website design and graphic design services.