Archive for the ‘Web Design’ Category

Make holiday search traffic work for you

May 29th, 2008 posted by Shawn Farner 12:08PM | View Full Story

memorialday

Are you taking advantage of holidays?

This past Memorial Day got me thinking about how one could do a better job at bringing in holiday search traffic.  For instance, tailoring content on your site for Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter and so on could increase search engine traffic during those times.

To do so, one should take notes from blogger Darren Rowse.  In this post, he talks about anticipating the influx of readers during different holidays.  He suggests that, while you should write to please the search engines, you should also make your content valuable to those who loyally read your writing.  I couldn’t agree more.

Memorial Day might not be a highly searched term online, but we do have another major holiday coming up soon - Independence Day.  Writing content for Fourth of July search traffic may take a little imagination, but it can definitely be done.  For instance, if I were writing a piece on this blog, I could perhaps write it about the top ten most patriotic web site designs.  All I would have to do is slip a few keywords in, such as “Independence Day” or “Fourth of July” or “4th of July” and write around them.  As an added bonus, the sites I link to might link back, and backlinks to your web site are never a bad thing.

Here’s some homework for you - try writing a small sample piece about a holiday of your choice.  If you’re a big turkey fan, do it about Thanksgiving.  If I were to write an example, I’d write it about how designing a web site is a lot like preparing a Thanksgiving turkey.  The approaches you can take are only limited by your imagination.

Web Site Mistakes: Top Website Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

March 15th, 2008 posted by Brian Keen 12:08PM | View Full Story

Top Web Site Mistakes

The Internet has billions of Web pages, and to compete in this market, you must be able to avoid common Web site mistakes. While creating your Web site, there are several things to keep in mind. Above all else, it is important to have a site that caters to your clientele, is easy to operate, and is aesthetically pleasing. Also, you must make sure that your Web site is free of errors, does not require a high degree of user interaction, and does not annoy your visitors. A word of warning: If you make these mistakes, your Web site will not stand up to the competition and may even hurt your company or business.

Cater To Clientele

When you have a Website, it is important to focus on your clients. One of the biggest Website mistakes is organizing your site in such a way that it benefits the company but confuses the client. Do not focus on what your company or employees need from your Website. Instead, pay attention to what your clients want, and attempt to make a Website that caters to your them. Catering to your own employees, yourself, or any party other than your clients is a big mistake.

Easy To Operate

Many times, people who are creating Web sites sacrifice ease-of-use for new technologies. This can lead to a confusing Web site that might look impressive but is difficult to operate. If you have a complicated design or poor navigation, this is a big mistake. It is especially important that your site does not require instructions or tips on how to use it. Any person who visits your Web site should be able to use it intuitively.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Without a doubt, the look of your Website is important. Have a color scheme on your Web site, using quality fonts, graphics, and design elements. Use colors which integrate, rather than harshly contrast. Be sure that your fonts are readable against your background as well as your graphics, fonts, and other information. Keep in mind that you should be testing your fonts and display elements to ensure compatibility.

Also, think about the Web browser that your visitors will be using to view your Web site in, along with the screen resolution. Make sure that your Web site shows up properly and is easy to read. Having a site that is difficult to explore is one of the biggest Website mistakes that you might be making.
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RSS News Feed Maker

September 26th, 2007 posted by Luke Small 12:08PM | View Full Story

While building out a website today, I stumbled upon a very helpful tool for RSS Feeds. The site is called newsfeedmaker.com and really saved me a lot of time in adding the RSS feed to my page. The site has a collection of thousands of feeds (at least) for you to choose. Newfeedmakers.com has everything from politics to fashion, including my selection of Geophysics News for the site that I was working on. Once you have selected an RSS feed using the basic version, it allows you to choose from several design templates for the look and layout of your feed. Using the pro version allows you to customize your color schemes to match your site, and choose the format of the feed you want as JavaScript, HTML, RSS, or an iFrame. The end result of this effortless work is emailed directly to you. Simply copy and paste the code onto your page to have a great looking, quick, and easy RSS Feed on your site.