Archive for the ‘ Web Site Design ’ Category

The 3 Most Essential Web Design Tools You Should Own

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Posted in Web Site Design, Website design tips |

There are several web design tools on the market today, and finding the right ones can be a challenge to a newcomer. While I use many web design tools, here are my 3 favourites:

Dreamweaver

With over 3.5 million users, Dreamweaver is undoubtedly the most popular and one of the best Website development tools in the market today. Dreamweaver has a wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) editor as well as a code view to improve your productivity.

You do not have to be a professional HTML programmer in order to develop a great website with Dreamweaver. You can use Dreamweaver to design forms as well as link to a database that uses popular technologies like PHP, ASP, .NET, and XHTML. Dreamweaver has CSS, server side includes, templates, and many others functions.

If you’re looking to develop professional websites, then Dreamweaver is THE tool for you. Improved CSS, XML and Flash video handling, and various productivity enhancements are just some of the features that are included in Dreamweaver. And while web developers still need to know CSS and HTML, Dreamweaver will allow them to take that basic knowledge to the next level.

Flash

When it comes to website animations, and multimedia applications, Flash is the de-facto standard that’s used by nearly every industry professional.

What makes Flash so useful is that it allows users to make animations (some that rival traditional cartoons) while keeping file sizes small. Small file sizes are vital to making sure your website loads quickly, which means increased traffic.

Flash was designed primarily to be an animation tool, but with each new version, the program evolved to become more powerful and feature-rich, while remaining loyal to its animation roots.

Simply put: if you want to create dynamic web pages with exciting effects, then Flash is the perfect program to get the job done.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe’s Photoshop was one of the first image-editing programs to come onto the market. It quickly rose to become the number one image-editing program among professional designers and photographers. And while there have been numerous competitors that have come on the scene, no one has yet been able to dethrone Photoshop.

The main reasons for Photoshop’s success lies in its power and versatility. Adobe took the tricks and techniques used by professional photographers for decades, and ported them over to the digital platform. This digital workflow system made it a huge time saver for professionals who needed to create great looking images.

However, while Photoshop’s roots lie in photography, the program quickly evolved to become web-friendly. Adobe has included tools specifically designed for the web-designer — tools that allow them to make sharp graphics and images geared specifically toward the online world. Almost every button, banner, photograph and graphic you see on the web today has gone through Photoshop.

Learning how to use Photoshop is relatively easy; mastering Photoshop, however, can take years because the program has virtually unlimited potential.

Creating a great design for your site with these tools will be a bit on the expensive side, as none of them come with low price tags, but these tools will help give you the best looking site on the web in no time at all.

What is a sitemap, and why your website needs one

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

Posted in Web Site Design, Website design tips |

Having a sitemap may seem redundant at first, but a well-constructed sitemap can be a tremendous benefit to your readers, and your return traffic.

What is a sitemap?

A sitemap performs the same basic function that an outline performs for printed material. It gives the reader, or visitor, an overview of the pages contained within the rest of the site. Sitemaps for small websites can include every page the site has to offer, while maps of larger websites may only include the major categories and subcategories.

Navigation purposes

While your website’s navigation should already be optimized for easy use, a sitemap is beneficial for people who get lost and can’t find their way back to a particular page. Having the sitemap ensures that there’s a way for the reader to get where they’re going, which makes it more likely that they’ll spend more time at your site, instead of navigating away out of frustration.

Convey your site’s theme

When a visitor loads up your sitemap they can quickly get an overview of what your site has to offer without having to read through each page. Web surfers typically want information “right now” so any time you can save them is a bonus for you.

Site optimization purposes

Your sitemap typically exists on its own page, and contains links to every other page on your website. When search bots hit the sitemap page they’re able to index every page on your site by following the links. It can also help boost your ranking in the search engines if you’re using relevant keywords in the links on your sitemap. Also, remember to put a prominent link to your sitemap right on your front page to assist the search engines.

Organization and relevance

A sitemap also makes it easier for you to add content or new sections because you can look at an overview of your site’s structure and determine what changes you want to make. The end result is that you’ll have a perfectly organized site with everything according to its relevance.

There’s really no downside to having a sitemap, and if you have a particularly large website, it should be considered mandatory.

What’s More Important To Your Web Site: Design or Function?

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Posted in Functionality in websites, Web Site Design, Website design and function |

Ask 10 different people and you’ll get 10 different answers, but the truth is that both design and function are vital to having a successful web site. In fact, the two are inseparable when it comes to web site design, and achieving the right balance between the two is the key to creating a successful web site.

Why is Good Design Important?

Regardless of what anyone tells you, looks are important. Image means everything especially in the business world. Imagine going to a restaurant and being served by people in dirty, torn clothes. The food might be great, but people will be reluctant to eat there based on the staff’s appearance.

The basic function of design is to communicate. It says something about you to your customers, which is why good design is so important in today’s competitive marketplace. Since the visual appeal of your web site is so important, you can’t be haphazard about picking colors, graphics and layout choices. The message you want to send your customers has to be carefully planned out before you even think about writing a line of code.

Why is Functionality Important?

Using our restaurant example, imagine walking into a beautiful building with fancy decor, and not being able to find your way to your table. The maze of hallways may be tastefully adorned, but what purpose does it serve if customers can’t do business with you?

The same applies to your web site. Beautiful graphics, colors and animations are fine, as long as they don’t hinder your customers’ ability to navigate the site and conduct business.

What Can Go Wrong?

The most successful web sites marry design and function so well that customers don’t even think about it while they’re using the site – they’re just doing business.

Web sites fail when they’re out of balance. A web designer that tries to be clever or artistic is putting craft over usability. While graphics can add visual appeal, and even encourage users to delve more deeply into the site, they should never exist without providing some benefit to the customer. Don’t use graphics just because they look cool.

The same holds true for functionality. You might think it’s clever to make people run the cursor all over the page just to find the lines, but what you’re really doing is making the experience more confusing and frustrating. We live in a world with millions of online choices for web consumers, making a site difficult to use for the sake of art is like putting up a ‘Closed’ sign on your business’ front door. Likewise for the site’s layout. Creating a maze because it hasn’t been done before might win you an award for creativity, but if the customers can’t easily navigate to do business, then your award will be your reward, and that’s all.

If you’ve never put together a business web site before, you should consider hiring a professional web designer to assist you. Find one that understands the importance of visual appeal and functionality, and take a look at their past work. Go through their web site portfolio. Did the design jump out at you? Did you notice how easy it was to use? If you answered yes, then it’s likely because the web site is functioning the way it should – without drawing attention to itself.

Remember: Things work well when they’re in balance. It’s the way of life. When things are out of balance, chaos ensues. And that’s the last thing you want for your business web site.

Web 2.0 – The Machine Is Using Us

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Posted in Web 2.0, Web Site Design |

Here is an great video on Web 2.0. that you will enjoy.

Squeeze pages – What are they and how they can bring you more leads

Monday, June 11th, 2007

Posted in Low Cost Web Site Design Secrets, Web Site Design |

Squeeze pages are generally web pages that stand alone to be used as a landing page for a special marketing campaign or offer. These pages usually offer the visitor some information in exchange for their email address or other contact information.

The ultimate goal of these sites is to take the visitor’s information and use it to turn them into paying customers sometime in the future.

Important things to remember

It’s recommended that a squeeze page stand alone rather than act as a home page for your site or any other site. Because they contain such little content, these pages can impede the indexing of a website and the overall page rankings.

Your squeeze page is meant to do one thing — get a customer’s information. Because of that, you’ll want to make sure that there are no other distractions — like links to other sites — that might steer them away before they’ve completed their task.

When choosing a domain name for your squeeze page you should get one that’s close to the name of your giveaway. For example if you’re offering a free report on How to Get Traffic to Your Website you should try for a domain like: getmoretraffic.com.

What you should give away

Although your give-away is just a means to get people to give you their email addresses, it still needs to be something of value to them. It should be something that helps them with a major challenge they’re currently facing like getting more traffic to their web site.

Information products like ebooks, white papers, special reports and audio courses are all great ways to give the person something that’s valuable in exchange for their information.

People will gladly give out their email address for free information that helps them conquer a specific problem.

Following up

The ultimate goal of your squeeze page is to turn visitors into paying customers and the best way to stay in touch with them is by using autoresponders. You can create different messages to be sent out every few weeks after someone has downloaded the free information in your offer.

These messages can be set up to read something like: Since you enjoyed our free report on Getting More Traffic to Your Web Site, you might want to subscribe to our monthly newsletter that provides tips on ecommerce.

With the right offer and the right squeeze page you can develop a huge list of leads to market future products and offers to.

Low Cost Web Site Design: How To Guarantee People Will Remember Your Web Site?

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Posted in Domain names, Marketing websites, Web Site Design |

Ever wonder why some companies go to great lengths to make sure their phone numbers spell out something catchy?

It’s to make sure that people remember the number if they hear it and don’t have a way to write it down.

Think about it. You’re a small business owner wanting to get a web site up and running. You’re driving down the road listening to the radio. A commercial comes on that advertises professional web design and marketing services. The person in the ad hits all the right buttons – fast turnaround time, reasonable rates and easily updated content.

You’re sold. Then comes the number. 1-800-555-2390.

What are the chances you’re going to be able to pull over and write it down or even remember it when you’re ready to order?

Now imagine that the number is 1-800-WEB-SITES.

Easy right?

The same is true when we’re talking about domain names. When you’re marketing your web site and don’t have a physical object to give people with the address on it, you’re depending on their memories.

The problem is that many domain names aren’t easy to remember AND you most likely already have a web site and simply can’t change the URL.

So what can you do?

Get a second domain name. Domain names are inexpensive now and can easily be gotten for as little as $10. You then use this web site to give visitors a good idea of what your business is all about. How it operates, what it offers and of course, a re-direct to your current site.

The trick with the second domain is to make the URL something that’s relevant to your business and easy to remember.

Taking our small business example you might want to try a domain like www.websitedesignforwomen.com, which directly targets a specific market. This way, whenever you market yourself, whether it’s on the radio or speaking directly to someone, you can give them a name that’s going to stick in their brains without them having to write it down.

And even if they forget the rest of your marketing message, they’re going to remember your URL, which will remind them of everything you told them before AND point them to where they can buy your products or service.

Low Cost Web Site Design: Does Your Business REALLY Need A Logo?

Friday, February 16th, 2007

Posted in Web Site Design |

I read a story not long ago that said that the Pepsi company could lose every bottling plant, every truck, every office – everything they owned – and get a loan to replace it all simply by using their logo as collateral.

When it comes to branding, there’s almost nothing that’s more powerful than a good logo. McDonald’s, Pepsi, Nike and other large companies are recognized the world over simply by their logos.

Think how tough it would be to find a Pepsi in a Japanese grocery store if all you could see was Japanese text. It’s the logo that identifies the brand.

And while your business logo might not gain that kind of recognition, it can help to solidify your brand with your customers.

Imagine sending a mouse pad or cup holder with your logo on it to your customers instead of elaborate marketing brochures or other materials. A good logo will help keep your business in the mind of your customers more than anything else.

So how do you create a good logo?

Unless you’re a skilled designer, you may want to work with a professional to come up with something that suits your business, but here are a few things to keep in mind.

Simple is better

Think of the logos mentioned earlier. McDonald’s golden arches, the Nike swoosh and the Pepsi circle. All of these logos are powerfully simple, but still effective.

Another reason to keep it simple is when it comes to printing your logo. While nearly all designs will work fine on the web, there can be problems when it comes to using them in different areas.

A simple design can usually be printed in a variety of mediums without losing clarity. For example: elaborate logos might not be able to be silk-screened onto shirts without losing fine details or might become difficult to see if printed in a small size like on a letterhead.

Graphic representation

Using illustrations, graphics and photos that tell people what your business is about is also effective in logo creation. Incorporating a graphic of a camera into your logo can let people know that you’re a photographer without having to say it.

All text

If you don’t use a design or shape for your logo; you can try a text-based logo. These logos use words and type either by themselves or combined with other kinds of artwork, but they don’t have to be boring. Think about logos like Federal Express, Coca Cola and Disney.

Color & BW

Your logo should be designed so that it looks good in both color and black and white printing. Again, while a full color logo on the web will look good, it might prove to be too costly to print if you’re putting it on physical marketing materials.

Define your brand

A good logo helps a business define what it’s all about. And good logos aren’t put together during lunch. Consider the UPS logo. Did you know that the particular shade of brown used for UPS was chosen because it represented professionalism and elegance? The shield reflects security.

And although the logo has been tweaked over the years, the brown color and shield remain because they define UPS and what they stand for.

Keep in mind that these companies paid big money for their logos and spent a lot of time to get it just right. You don’t have to shell out a fortune for a solid logo, but you should take the time to explore as many different possibilities as you can before you settle on a final design.

Having a good logo probably won’t be THE deciding factor as to whether or not your business succeeds or fails, but it can help customers remember you and feel better about doing business with you.

Low Cost Web Site Design: Top 7 Design Trends for Web Sites (continued)

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

Posted in Top website design trends, Web Site Design, Website Design Trends |

Top 7 Design Trends for Web Sites continued…

4. Buttons

Back when the web was new, the way to navigate a site was either by moving your mouse over text rollovers or by clicking square buttons. Today, though, many designers are using buttons that have rounded corners or are full circles. Why? Some people speculate that humans prefer organic shapes. Others suspect that we have deep-rooted fears of sharp corners. Whatever the reason, round is the way to go.

5. Big type

A lot of people don’t like reading off of web pages. Too often small type together with the eye-strain that goes with staring at a monitor turn people away from text heavy pages.

But now, many designers are making it easier on the reader by employing bigger, easier to read type. And not only is the type larger, but designers are flowing text onto multiple pages rather than trying to make everything fit onto one. This might make the size of your site a bit larger, but your readers will thank you for the lack of headaches.

6. White space

Many people, especially advertisers, fear white space. They feel that if the whole page isn’t filled then they’re not getting their money’s worth. But the opposite is true. Pages that contain a lot of white space, or empty space between elements, is easy on the eyes and helps people focus on what’s really important – your content.

A good rule of thumb is: if it doesn’t enhance your message, leave it out.

7. Centered Layout

More and more sites are aligning their content in the center of the page with plenty of white space on the sides. Why? Well for starters, this helps to ensure that visitors don’t have to scroll side to side in order to read all of your copy.

Another reason why this is popular is that it helps people to focus on your content, which is why they’re at your site in the first place.

These are just a few of the current trends in web design. If you’re thinking about creating a new site, or giving yours an overhaul, give some of these a shot and see if you don’t get better results.

Low Cost Web Site Design: Top 7 Design Trends for Web Sites

Monday, December 18th, 2006

Posted in Web Site Design, Website Design Trends |

The Web is constantly evolving as technology improves and web site design is evolving right along with it.

Online businesses are slowly realizing that the saying “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t always apply to their web sites.

A successful, high-traffic web site requires a lot of work in the areas of design, content and search engine optimization.

Web design has grown by leaps and bounds from the days of blue text on black backgrounds, type that goes all the way to the edge of your screen and beyond and sites that are packed with graphics.

Now, both web designers and online business owners are paying much more attention to how their web sites look and function. The following are 7 of the hottest trends currently in web design:

1. Design for Function

While the overall look of your web site is important, good looks will only go so far with visitors. Your design should be used to enhance your content as opposed to competing with it. The message you have for your visitors is what brings in sales, not how pretty your web pages are.

Most site owners and designers now recognize that the functionality of a web site is more important than how it looks because, if people can’t find their way around and purchases can’t be easily made, then the site has failed to do its job.

2. Colors

Back in the “old days” of the web it seemed as if the color palette people drew from consisted of eye-burning neons or black. Today the shift is more toward soft, neutral colors. Many designers are using gradients and reflections to make the site feel warmer and more inviting. Color palettes are leaning more towards earth tones, which don’t stand out or cause people to lose focus on your content.

3. Simplicity

While graphics and Flash animations continue to grow in complexity, the best web designs go for a simple approach. If you look at sites like Apple, Ebay and Amazon, you”ll see simple, easy to navigate designs that draw customers in and make their shopping experience as easy as possible.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the remaining 4 design trends for web sites.

Low Cost Web Site Design: How to pick a web designer

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Posted in How to pick a web designer, Low Cost Web Site Design Secrets, Web designer, Web Site Design |

Practically nobody would build a store at the mall or downtown making the place uninviting and difficult. So it’s surprising that so many people skimp on their web sites with their online business.

Your web site is the first impression people get about your business and the products or services you provide. And regardless of how awesome those products and services are, people will pass you by if your web site isn’t professional looking and easy to navigate.

I understand how expensive it can be to start up any kind of business and the temptation to cut corners is great, but if you don’t know anything about web design, you might consider hiring a professional designer to put your site together.

So how do you find a competent web designer?

Word of mouth

The first thing to do is to ask for referrals. Just like asking around to find a good plumber, find some businesses with successful web sites and ask who their designer is. Compile a list of several top names, because web designers all have different areas of expertise. Some are great at making clean sites, some specialize in fancy graphics and animations while others only focus on the programming part.

A great designer should have a combination of design skills, technical skills and marketing skills as the web site needs to be clean, easy to use as well as promote your business.

And remember that, while it’s always best to meet someone face to face when doing business, don’t let the fact that someone who works out of town discourage you if they’re good. Many successful web sites have been created without the parties ever having met in person. That’s the beauty of the net.

Interview

Once you have a list of likely candidates, contact them and ask for a portfolio of web sites they’ve created. This is the best way to get a feel for how a designer works and to see if they’d be a good match for creating the site you have in mind.

Also, when looking through these web sites, there are several points you need to ask yourself:
– Is it easy to find your way around the site?
– Is the navigation system clear and easy to use?
– Can you easily access all of the pages and are there any broken links?
– Is the contact information easy to find?
– What about the content? Is there enough information about the company including location, what they provide and policies?
– How about the text? Is it easy to read? Are they using ‘artsy’ fonts or something more business appropriate?
– How fast do the pages load? This is especially crucial for your business. Even though many people are now using broadband connections, most don’t want to wait more than a few seconds for pages to come up.
– Pay attention to the colors the designer uses. Too many colors and too many different fonts are confusing, unprofessional and usually are the mark of an amateur.

Answering these questions, as well as taking some time to thoroughly investigate a web designer’s portfolio can help you narrow down your search. Also, when looking through a designer’s portfolio, pay attention to see if the sites all look the same. There’s no reason to hire someone if you’re simply going to get a web site that looks like someone else’s.

Are all web designers created equal?

One thing to watch out for is people whose primary design skills lie in print media and graphic design. Many of these folks, while talented, don’t understand what it takes to make a good web site. There’s a lot more involved than just knowing how to use programs like Dreamweaver, Front Page or Go Live. A good web designer will be able to assist you with every element of the creation of your web site. They should know the ins and outs of good web design, web hosting, creating optimized graphics for the web, database creation, Internet marketing and promotion and maintenance of your site.

Never be afraid to ask as many questions as you want and don’t ever be satisfied until you get the answers. Good designers are always willing to help a client get the best web site for the money spent and most are experienced in dealing with people who aren’t web experts. Also, ask about a guarantee. Professionals are concerned with their client’s satisfaction.

What about communication?

Another thing to consider when choosing a web designer is their response time. Get someone who is readily available and can be counted on to get back to you in a timely manner if there are questions or problems.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list to a few good candidates, ask each one for some references that you can contact. Ask these references about their experience working with the designer. This is probably the best way to gauge how well the designer will work for you.

I know this seems like an awful lot of work, but when you’re spending thousands of dollars to get your site up and running, you must make sure your money is being well spent. Follow these guidelines and there’s little room for failure in finding a competent, professional web designer who is easy to work with and will do a professional job.

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