Posts Tagged ‘Web Design’

Website Design Basics: Usability

July 19th, 2009

When designing a website, or paying someone to create one, you should have at least one thing in mind: usability. Even if a website looks great, if it confuses us, we will leave (and probably not be back). Most of our browsing sessions are limited to a short time span, browsing at will until we find something that scratches our itch. Here’s a diagram from the book Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug:

How We Really Use The Web - Steve Krug

How We Really Use The Web - Steve Krug

It’s something that can be lost after countless hours designing the perfect “looking” website, while forgetting the basics or the point of a website. Remember this key fact when developing your website and in your discussions with your web designer.

On a side note, I highly recommend Steve Krug’s book for any business owner, web designer, or anyone involved in the industry (plus it’s a quick read).

  • Share/Bookmark

Great Blogs for Web Design, Graphic Design, and Business

July 2nd, 2009

With the amount of blog reading that we do, we wanted to share with you our top picks. We read from these blogs every day in order to stay on top in the industry, and to hone in our skills.

1. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine has the most interesting and up-to-date (in our opinion) information in the industry. Their posts are always educational and informative. What’s great is that they mix it up with a few educational articles, and then freebies or how-to’s helping you further yourself. If you haven’t given Smashing Magazine a chance, try a few of their articles — you won’t be disappointed.

Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine

2. A List Apart

A List Apart is one of the top blogs for in-depth coding and web design. Their posts cater to validation, generally the correct way to do anything web design. Their articles are in-depth so plan on more than one cup of coffee, but also plan on expanding your knowledge and become a better web designer in general.

A List Apart

A List Apart

3. Noupe

Noupe offers tons of free goodies with great tutorials as well. Browse around and you are sure to find something that you have been looking for all along. They even post links to other sites regarding industry news which is refreshing.

Noupe

Noupe

4. You The Designer

You The Designer is a great site for getting inspiration, tips, and freebies as well.

You The Designer

You The Designer

5. Doug Williams

Doug has great information whether web design, graphic design, search engine optimization, and even business help. His blog will help you become familiar with the industry as a whole — a blog you don’t want to miss.

Doug Williams Blog

Doug Williams Blog

Well that just about does it for now. Although we do read many more blogs – and there are many other greats, we feel these are the most important to share with you. If you keep up-to-date on these blogs alone, you will have more than enough information to keep you at the front lines of the industry and expand your knowledge to become a leader in your niche.

  • Share/Bookmark

Don’t Let Your Newsletter End Up In The Trash

June 30th, 2009

When writing newsletters, one of the most common problem to reaching your clients is the spam filter. As there are many tips and tricks out there for avoiding this, covering the common “blacklisted” words can help you get through to your clients.

Here are some alot of words and phrases that you should try to avoid in your newsletters (or any e-mails for that matter):

4U 
Accept credit cards 
Act now! Don’t hesitate! 
Additional income 
Addresses on CD 
All natural 
Amazing 
Apply Online 
As seen on 
Billing address 
Auto email removal 
Avoid bankruptcy 
Be amazed 
Be your own boss 
Being a member 
Big bucks 
Bill 1618 
Billion dollars 
Brand new pager 
Bulk email 
Buy direct 
Buying judgments 
Cable converter 
Call free 
Call now 
Calling creditors 
Cannot be combined with any other offer 
Cancel at any time 
Can’t live without 
Cash bonus 
Cashcashcash 
Casino 
Cell phone cancer scam 
Cents on the dollar 
Check or money order 
Claims not to be selling anything 
Claims to be in accordance with some spam law 
Claims to be legal 
Claims you are a winner 
Claims you registered with some kind of partner 
Click below 
Click here link 
Click to remove 
Click to remove mailto 
Compare rates 
Compete for your business 
Confidentially on all orders 
Congratulations 
Consolidate debt and credit 
Stop snoring 
get it now 
Special promotion 
Copy accurately 
Copy DVDs 
Credit bureaus 
Credit card offers 
Cures baldness 
Dear email 
Dear friend 
Dear somebody 
Different reply to 
Dig up dirt on friends
Direct email 
Direct marketing 
Discusses search engine listings 
Do it today 
Don’t delete 
Drastically reduced 
Earn per week 
Easy terms 
Eliminate bad credit 
Email harvest 
Email marketing 
Expect to earn 
Fantastic deal 
Fast Viagra delivery 
Financial freedom 
Find out anything 
For free 
For instant access 
For just $ (some amt)
Free access 
Free cell phone 
Free consultation 
Free DVD 
Free grant money

Free hosting 
Free installation 
Free investment 
Free leads 
Free membership 
Free money 
Free offer 
Free preview 
Free priority mail 
Free quote 
Free sample 
Free trial 
Free website 
Full refund 
Get paid 
Get started now 
Gift certificate 
Great offer 
Guarantee 
Have you been turned down? 
Hidden assets 
Home employment 
Human growth hormone 
If only it were that easy 
In accordance with laws 
Increase sales 
Increase traffic 
Insurance 
Investment decision 
It’s effective 
Join millions of Americans 
Laser printer 
Limited time only 
Long distance phone offer 
Lose weight spam 
Lower interest rates 
Lower monthly payment 
Lowest price 
Luxury car 
Mail in order form 
Marketing solutions 
Mass email 
Meet singles 
Member stuff 
Message contains disclaimer 
Money back 
Money making 
Month trial offer 
More Internet traffic 
Mortgage rates 
Multi level marketing 
MLM 
Name brand 
New customers only 
New domain extensions 
Nigerian 
No age restrictions 
No catch 
No claim forms 
No cost 
No credit check 
No disappointment 
No experience 
No fees 
No gimmick 
No inventory 
No investment 
No medical exams 
No middleman 
No obligation 
No purchase necessary 
No questions asked 
No selling 
No strings attached 
Not intended 
Off shore 
Offer expires 
Offers coupon 
Offers extra cash 
Offers free (often stolen) passwords 
Once in lifetime 
One hundred percent free 
One hundred percent guaranteed 
One time mailing 
Online biz opportunity

Online pharmacy 
Only $ 
Opportunity 
Opt in 
Order now 
Order status 
Orders shipped by priority mail 
Outstanding values 
Pennies a day 
People just leave money laying around
Please read 
Potential earnings 
Print form signature 
Print out and fax 
Produced and sent out 
Profits 
Promise you …! 
Pure profit 
Real thing 
Refinance home 
Removal instructions
Remove in quotes 
Remove subject 
Removes wrinkles 
Reply remove subject 
Requires initial investment 
Reserves the right 
Reverses aging 
Risk free 
Round the world 
S 1618 
Safeguard notice 
Satisfaction guaranteed 
Save $ 
Save big money 
Save up to 
Score with babes 
Section 301 
See for yourself 
Sent in compliance 
Serious cash 
Serious only 
Shopping spree 
Sign up free today 
Social security number 
Stainless steel 
Stock alert 
Stock disclaimer statement 
Stock pick 
Strong buy 
Stuff on sale 
Subject to credit 
Supplies are limited 
Take action now 
Talks about hidden charges 
Talks about prizes 
Tells you it’s an ad 
Terms and conditions 
The best rates 
The following form 
They keep your money — no refund! 
They’re just giving it away 
This isn’t junk 
This isn’t spam 
University diplomas 
Unlimited 
Unsecured credit/debt 
Urgent 
US dollars 
Vacation offers 
Viagra and other drugs 
Wants credit card 
We hate spam 
We honor all 
Weekend getaway 
What are you waiting for? 
While supplies last 
While you sleep 
Who really wins? 
Why pay more? 
Will not believe your eyes 
Winner 
Winning 
Work at home 
You have been selected 
Your income

And More:

Act Now!
All New
All Natural
Avoid Bankruptcy
As Seen On…
Buy Direct
Casino
Cash
Consolidate Your Debt
Special Promotion
Easy Terms
Get Paid
Guarantee, Guaranteed
Great offer
Give it away, Giving it away
Join millions
Meet Singles
MLM
No cost, No fees
Offer
One time
Online pharmacy
Online marketing
Order Now
Please Read
Don’t Delete
Save up to
Time limited
Unsecured debt or credit
Vacation
Viagra
Visit our web site
While Supplies last
Why pay more?
Winner
Work at home
You’ve been selected

.

This is a large list, but being aware of these words can keep your newsletter out of the spam filter, and into your clients hands.

This blog post was inspired by:

http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/ezine-publishing/avoid_spam_filters.html

http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/spamfilter_phrases.htm

  • Share/Bookmark

Horizontal Layouts

June 24th, 2009

A fairly new design that has been making its way around, is the horizontal layout. Although gaining popularity, you haven’t seen it on any of your major websites. A horizontal layout is one where you scroll through a website left to right, rather than scrolling down to read more information. The Urban Outfitters blog is a great example of this.

Once you get the hang of using the website, it’s not all that bad — it makes sense. But that’s the catch, people have to figure out how to navigate your website, and with the amount of information that we have at our finger tips, I don’t know if we have the time to learn a new way to browse a website.

The last thing you want your visitors to do is think, especially when looking for information on your website. The ultimate goal is allowing your visitors to find the information they are looking for without a battle. Once they become challenged, they may leave and never return.

One thing is for certain, once you browse a horizontal site it does feel natural. Everything we read is left to right so it makes sense. It is a step that your competitors most likely aren’t making, but then again — there might be a reason for that.

What do you think?

  • Share/Bookmark

Validating Your Website

June 14th, 2009

I know this is an old concept to some out there, but many are still not validating their websites. Validation doesn’t exactly lend towards helping finish your client’s website in time, but it has many benefits that can help in the long run.

1. Cross Browser Compatibility
By validating your website, it gives you the confidence that it will look the same in all browsers. It’s actually simple compared to going to Browser Shots every time to see how your website looks, just to dial it in. Or even downloading a ton of browsers, and then testing them individually. My point, by validating you don’t have to do this – saving you time.
2. Search Engine Optimization
With search engine robots becoming increasingly smarter every day, it is very important to create complaint code throughout your website. Reason being, if your website confuses a robot while it’s crawling, it will see this as a beginner level website, and will lower your ranking on Google. Since the validation service will make sure you have certain attributes such as an alt tag with an image, this will also double as making your website search engine friendly, user friendly, and also able to be used by the visually impaired.
3. A Validating Conclusion
Although it might take you more time to validate than not- once you understand the validation systems, you will have taught yourself the right way to code, and therefore giving you a better understanding of back-end web design in general. It will not only help the website that you are working on become more  accessible, but will also act as a benefit to the programmer in the long run.

1. Cross Browser Compatibility

By validating your website, it gives you the confidence that it will look the same in all browsers. It’s actually simple compared to going to Browser Shots every time to see how your website looks, just to dial it in. Or even downloading a ton of browsers, and then testing them individually. My point, by validating you don’t have to do this – saving you time.

2. Search Engine Optimization

With search engine robots becoming increasingly smarter every day, it is very important to create complaint code throughout your website. Reason being, if your website confuses a robot while it’s crawling, it will see this as a beginner level website, and will lower your ranking on Google. Since the validation service will make sure you have certain attributes such as an alt tag with an image, this will also double as making your website search engine friendly, user friendly, and also able to be used by the visually impaired.

3. A Validating Conclusion

Although it might take you more time to validate than not- once you understand the validation systems, you will have taught yourself the right way to code, and therefore giving you a better understanding of back-end web design in general. It will not only help the website that you are working on become more  accessible, but will also act as a benefit to the programmer in the long run.

Validate your HTML / XHTML

Validate your CSS stylesheet


  • Share/Bookmark