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Build a Better Web Site - Most small business web sites fail and fail miserably. But your web site needn't be one of them. Learn how to create a successful web site that sells through customer-oriented web design, copy and SEO.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'web design'
Got Video? Here’s How to Increase View Time
Are people clicking on your web site or blog videos, but only viewing them for a brief time before abandoning them? Or are they ignoring them altogether? If either of these applies to you, the first thing you should ask yourself is: “Do my ...
Upselling Online - It’s All in the Timing
Some time ago, I posted about my experience with an online company that attempted to upsell page after page of products to me *after* I had entered my credit card number and submitted my order. While their strategy worked and I did buy one of the u...
When Nothing is a Good Thing
One common mistake in designing a web site is trying to fill up every itty bitty bit of space with something - whether it be information, pictures or advertisements. I’ve found this especially holds true when the layout contains several vertica...
5 Web Design Ebooks for the Price of 1 at SitePoint.com
If you are in the web design business, then you’re probably familiar with SitePoint.com. And if you watch the news, you’ve most likely heard about the wildfires raging in Melbourne, Australia, where SitePoint’s headquarters are lo...
Checklist for Changing Hosting Companies
Switching over to a different hosting company can be an overwhelming (and downright scary!) task. Most people put if off and stay with a host they are unhappy with because they worry about their web site going down and losing business during the tr...
An Example of Good Flash Design - SiteGrinder Web Site
I admit that I’m not a big fan of Flash. I believe it is too often used just for show and rarely does anything to enhance the web site visitor’s experience. Recently, however, I came across a web site that uses Flash to give their web s...
Which Comes First, the Copy or the Web Design?
Back when I was a rookie web designer, I often had clients come to me fired up to get their web site design rolling, even though they didn’t have a single word of copy written. “Can you design the web site first and then add the copy late...
How Text Alignment Affects Online Readability
Improper use of text alignment is one of the most common and overlooked mistakes of web design. Yet the impact that it has on online readability simply cannot be overlooked. Surprisingly, very few people talk about it or understand its significance...
Should Your Domain Name be Your Company Name or Should It Use Keywords?
I was recently approached by a friend who wanted my advice on choosing a domain name. An associate of his was getting ready to launch a new business web site. The debate was over whether he should use: His company name as the domain name (ex. ww...
How Does Your Web Site Look in Google Chrome?
When Google announced the beta release of it’s new browser, Google Chrome, you could almost hear the groans resonating off the Internet walls. For web designers and webmasters, another browser means more time will need to be spent slugging th...
Stick With Web Site Terms that Are Familiar
Web designers and web site owners often find themselves on a mission to think up ways in which they can make their web site unique and memorable. After all, everyone wants their web site to stand out in the crowd. But it’s important to use ca...
How Web Site Inconsistencies Cause Confusion
It happens more often than you think. Something on the web site confuses the visitor and they freeze up. Whatever process they were in - researching, purchasing, etc. - has been brought to a dead halt. A handful of these visitors might proceed to t...
My Recent Online Shopping Experience and How It Can Help You Improve Your Web Site
I’m sure you’ve experienced them…online shopping carts that are so crazy frustrating to use that you end up throwing your hands up in the air in exasperation and clicking away from the web site…with no intention of returning a...
Should You Use Video on Your Blog or Web Site?
Darren Rowse of Problogger.net fame posed this question to his readers last week: “What are the Benefits of Adding Video to Your Blog?” So far, the response has been intriguing. While benefits of using video on blogs and web sites are indeed bein...
Frogs Don’t Sell Beer and Lizards Don’t Sell Vitamin Water
Clayton Makepeace of The Total Package posted about something that’s been on my mind lately. Do clever and creative TV commercials - the ones that get people’s attention and keep them talking for years - actually increase sales of the pr...
The Knowledge Most Web Designers Lack
At some point, almost every small business will be faced with the task of hiring a web designer, either to get their business online, or to update their existing web site. But finding a good web designer isn’t easy. After all, anyone who knows...
