November 5, 2010 – 6:18 pm
What caught your eye in that headline? Was it the number+adjective+message format? That brings us directly to your first tip…
1. Use a great headline. Numbers do catch people’s attention, especially when the subsequent message offers advice or commentary on the best or worst of something (5 Worst Movies, 10 Best Hotels).
2. Link to popular blogs. Some blogs already have huge audiences, so by linking to one of those blogs you can gain the attention of not only the blogger but also the readers. If at all possible, ask that blogger if you can interview him/her. The blogger should certainly link to that interview on their own blog, hopefully garnering even more blog traffic for you.
3. Social networking. If you’re blogging, then you probably know the influence of sites like Facebook and Twitter. Post links to your blog in those communities (as long as they’re relevant). Browse for relevant forums as well and see if there’s an appropriate place to mention your own blog.
4. Search engine optimization. Want your blog to have a high ranking on search engines? Figure out the most popular search terms that could relate to your blog, and use those words often (but subtly!) within your blogs.
5. Go offline. This may seem counterintuitive, but you can actually promote your blog quite effectively in the real world. Do you have business cards? Put your blog URL on them. Ask relevant print publications if they want to use your blog and include the link. If it’s a business blog, then make sure to include the blog URL on all press releases.
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October 27, 2010 – 10:51 pm
When small businesses begin to design a website, they may think more about the business aspect than the graphic design. Don’t make that mistake–your web design forms your customers’ first impressions of the quality and professionalism of your business. These three tips may help.
- Original Photographs: Don’t use that same boring stock photo of men or women in suits or someone sitting at a desk on the phone. We’ve seen it a thousand times. Perhaps consider an abstract image instead of a literal photograph to create a more memorable impression. And always use high resolution images when you can because they look more professional.
- Use Typography Effectively: The recent trend has been toward big and bold typography to attract attention. If you overuse this technique, however, your website can become cluttered and confusing. Use bold to emphasize only the most important message. Put that message over a clean background so it’s easy to read. Choose a font that suits the style of your company, whether that’s traditional, jazzy, or modern.
- Call to Action: What do you want visitors to do on your website? Do you want them to buy a product or service, sign up with you, or download something? That call to action should be clear, concise, and easy to find. Use simple, powerful wording that ideally creates a sense of urgency. Keep the call to action near the top of the web page, and keep it in the same location on every page of your website. Finally, use a color and size that makes it stand apart from the rest of the page so customers notice it instantly.
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October 22, 2010 – 6:24 pm
Do you know the most important factor in web design? Your target audience. Just because the Internet can reach millions of people doesn’t mean your website will appeal to all of them. You’re much better off designing a site that attracts the people most likely to buy your product or use your service.
To figure out your target audience, answer these questions:
- Age group
- Gender
- Education level
- Income level
- Nationality and/or ethnicity
- Potential interests (hobbies, music, sports–whatever is relevant to your website)
- Location
- Social or professional groupings (is your website aimed at business professionals, travelers)
Those answers tell you where to start. For instance, let’s say you’re going after a more elderly market. You may want to use a larger font size. For teenagers you may want something flashier with interesting multi-media components.
Keep in mind that a website is a means of communication, meaning you need to figure out the best way to communicate with your target audience. What might captivate that audience? Any preconceived biases or prejudices you need to overcome? Should you use simple, straight-forward language, business jargon, colorful graphics, or streaming videos to get your message across to this group?
If you don’t know the answers to those questions, then discuss it with your clients or consult an expert in marketing. It’s better to ask for that information upfront rather than blindly trying to design a website without a clear audience in mind.
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October 11, 2010 – 1:43 am
To answer that question, you need to clarify exactly what you mean by web design. Two definitions seem equally common:
1) A web designer creates the visual design and layout of websites.
2) A web designer specializes in the function and coding of a website.
While the second type needs to focus more on learning programming languages and ecommerce platforms, the former absolutely needs a firm grasp of graphic design. It can get confusing, since you can find both Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in web design. A BFA in web design can include courses like:
- Animation
- Computer science basics
- Digital graphics
- Graphic design
- Programming languages
- Web design
By contrast, a BS degree can offer:
- Authoring and scripting
- Computer programming languages
- E-commerce
- Multimedia applications
- Operating systems
- Web design
You can see some overlap between the two, but the emphasis for each degree differs entirely.
Most graphic design schools also include courses in website design; the Bureau of Labor Statistics advises that graphic designers with experience in web design and animation typically have the best job opportunities. That means if you’re approaching the field from a purely technical background, you have to compete with applicants who have graphic design degrees.
You may enjoy the more artistic side of this field because it allows you to find the perfect images to complement your site and design high quality graphics. After all, better looking websites often attract more people. Web designers with a graphic design background can find work creating interactive media projects, websites, mobile phone applications, and much more.
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October 3, 2010 – 9:18 pm
Do you want to design your own website, but have no idea how to begin? If you start by following these three rules, you should be ahead of the game.
#1 Make Your Website Easy to Read
Consider the colors of your text and background carefully. Don’t use flashy backgrounds behind text. To get the most readable copy, use colors with a high contrast like black text on a white background or yellow on dark blue. Then, for your font, keep in mind that serif fonts (such as Times New Roman) and sans-serif fonts (Arial and Helvetica) tend to be the most legible.
#2 Make Your Website Easy to Navigate
Think about your target audience. Does it include people who might not be particularly computer savvy? Always ensure your hyperlinks stand out clearly. This doesn’t mean you need flashy effects to draw attention to them. It simply means that all the navigational buttons on your site should be easy to find and use. You can choose to put them in a unique color, a large font size, or in boldface. If people can’t quickly find the information they need, then they’ll go to another website to get it.
#3 Keep Your Website Consistent
Consistency usually projects a professional image. Therefore, you want to keep your typefaces, background effects, graphic elements, headings, and footers the same on every web page of your site. If you use a special effect on one heading, then make sure to use it on all your headings. To create a little variety you can change the colors on different pages, but otherwise you should use a uniform style throughout your website.
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