July 25th, 2010
When choosing original images for use on your website, be sure to select the largest file size possible (1-3 megabytes). Having large original files will allow you to crop the image and reduce the file size for quick downloading (known as image optimization).
The image at right shows an optimized image, first at 118×136 (pixels), and then shows the same optimized image expanded to 207×243 (pixels). As you can see, the clarity of the second image has suffered because of the expansion. This is because the original small image has been optimized for quick download. Expanding makes it worse, not better.
The solution is to make sure that you have large-size originals so that you will not need to expand the images in size in order to increase their visual impact on the screen.
Most email programs limit the size of attachments to a total of 7-10 megs, which means you will either need to send your images to your web designer separately one-by-one (one image per email), or you will need to put the files on a disk and send them by mail to your web designer (or perhaps use FTP or a file transfer program like YouSendIt).
Failure to use quality images for websites is one of the most common errors new website owners make — be sure to take the time to select your images carefully and make sure they are of the highest quality possible.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: image optimization for the web, Making it bigger doesn't make it clearer
Posted in General Web Design Tips | No Comments »
July 17th, 2010
If you hover your mouse over a link that includes a title, the title will display in a small box next to the mouse.
Here is an example of a title attribute:
<a href=”attorneys.htm” title=”Our Attorneys”>Our Attorneys</a>
Adding the title attribute will generate a “tool tip” in major browsers, giving the user more specific information on what is contained in the link.
The title tag is also beneficial for handicapped users. See more about creating handicapped-accessible web sites.
Title attributes are a completely valid way to get additional content onto your pages that will attract the search engines to your keywords and phrases, allowing you to adjust the keyword saturation of your web pages.
Remember that users will see your titles tags in major browsers when they hover the mouse over the element, so be sure to choose the text for your title tags carefully.
Tags: html title attribute, title attribute
Posted in Do-it-yourself SEO, Marketing Your Website | No Comments »
June 30th, 2010
When inserting keyword meta tags within the header section of your html code, consider inserting misspellings of relevant terms.
For an example:
<META NAME=”keywords” CONTENT=”chicag web designers, chicago web desingers, chicaog web designers”>
The days of stuffing keyword meta tags with endless keywords and phrases are long gone; however, inserting intentional misspellings that users might enter when searching for your services can help to boost your rankings.
See more information about organic search engine optimization.
Posted in General Web Design Tips | No Comments »
June 25th, 2010
A common mistake is to assume that your Web site should be like an online brochure. There are fundamental errors in this line of reasoning that will come back to haunt the novice web designer.
First, a brochure is printed material that is meant to last for years. A Web site is meant to be updated regularly (weekly, if not daily, if you wish to achieve strong rankings with the search engines).
Second, a brochure is a piece of graphic art which occupies a given, static set of dimensions (i.e., 5 inches by 9 inches). No such given dimensions exist on a Web site; your Web pages will display differently depending on the browser and screen resolutions selected by the individual user.
Finally, each page of a brochure represents a completed graphic design within the given dimensions, giving relatively equal weight to the images at the top of the page and the bottom of the page; Web sites give high priority to the material at the top of the screen and far less importance the the material below.
A Web design is actually a FRAMEWORK through which users can NAVIGATE between pages of different lengths. No such FRAMEWORK or NAVIGATION structure exists in a brochure.
A Web site design is essentially ONE design which is echoed throughout the site; a brochure contains separate, completely designed individual pages, that stand alone as the reader turns from page to page.
If you are still certain that you would like your Web site to resemble an online brochure, consider converting your printed brochure into a pdf and the posting the brochure itself to your server.
Remember, PRINT is not the same thing as WEB DESIGN!
Posted in General Web Design Tips | No Comments »
June 16th, 2010
To determine which keywords might be most effective in attracting your audience, try going to Google (or any other search engine) and entering various keyword combinations in the search box.
Observe the links that come up under each keyword search. When you come to search results that show a neighborhood where you would like your website to reside, copy down that keyword combination exactly and remember it! These will be words that you will want to emphasize in the title tags, description tags and text of the home page of your site (as well as on the inner pages).
Keep trying various combinations, making sure to emphasize your geographic area, if appropriate. Then, select perhaps the top 2-3 keyword combinations, and employ them on your website so as to attract the search engines.
Always make sure to test your keyword phrases in an actual search engine to see what comes up. Some effective keyword combinations may not be immediately apparent (and may even be counterintuitive). Do not try to guess or hope that you will have the best words: test them out first.
Learn more about organic search engine optimization.
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June 10th, 2010
Drupal.org is free open-source content management system (“CMS”) written in php used as a back-end system for at least 1% of all websites worldwide.
With Drupal templates, you can configure your website, add photo galleries, blogs, forums, online polls, calendars, RSS feeds and more.
Many hosting companies like Godaddy.com and Dreamhost.com offer one-click install options, making it easier for you to connect to your MySQL database.
Drupal offers an array of plug-in modules (known as contrib modules) that allow you to create a web site that is robust and interactive, and their online documentation is comprehensive and up to date.
No programming skills are required for basic website installation and administration.
Check out Drupal.org to see if Drupal is right for you!
Tags: CMS, content management system, drupal
Posted in Advanced | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2010
A bounce rate is the percentage of initial visitors to a site who click away to a different site, rather than continue on to other pages within the same site.
Analyzing and adjusting your main-page content, as well as the design, can help you to reduce your bounce rate – however, your bounce rate should also be compared with your repeat visitors rate in order to get an idea of what might be needed to improve your client turnover.
Avinash Kaushik of Google.com has stated:
“It is really hard to get a bounce rate under 20%, anything over 35% is cause for concern, 50% (above) is worrying.”
While reducing your bounce rate can be important for e-commerce sites, it is of more questionable value for sites that relate news and information, where many visitors can immediately find what they need on the first page.
See Google Analytics Bounce Rate
and
See About Bounce Rate
for more information.
Tags: bounce rate, exit rate
Posted in Marketing Your Website | No Comments »
May 28th, 2010
Here’s something I’ve never seen before: a small rollover appearing over telephone numbers in a web browser inviting the user to click on the number in order to dial it using Skype.
The rollover appeared on my client’s laptop today (we were working together on updates for his site). I checked the code and found nothing special behind the telephone number — so, in order to rectify the issue for the client (he didn’t want these rollovers to appear for anyone), I deleted the phone numbers (which were in html) and created an image that displayed the telephone number instead. Without the standard telephone format (888-888-8888), the unwanted Skype rollovers disappeared. Of course, with the phone number now in image format, users will not be able to copy and paste the telephone numbers from his web page, but the client decided it was important to him not to have these unwanted Skype rollovers, so the image version remained.
I’m assuming this new element was appearing on his laptop because of his Skype plugin. Skype was able to recognize the phone number as a phone number simply because of the telephone-number format (three numbers followed by a hyphen, followed by another three numbers, followed by a second hyphen, followed by the final four number), and, as such, was “offering” this popup as a way to “encourage him” to use Skype.
Certainly, some Skype users might like this — others might not.
If anyone has anything to offer on the subject, I’d love to hear about it.
Tags: Skype recognition of phone numbers in html, unwanted Skype rollovers
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May 27th, 2010
One of the most common errors made by fledgling and experienced web designers alike is to fail to double check files to make sure the new versions have been saved and uploaded completely to the server.
This may sound like a small thing, but it can mean the difference between making the sale and not making the sale, especially if you are replacing vital contact information.
If your phone numbers or email addresses are incorrect on your site, it won’t matter how wonderful your site looks: the only thing the user will remember is that they tried to contact you and you didn’t respond. From now on they will think of yours as the website they reached out to — and got nothing in return.
Always be careful to check and double check the email links on your site to make sure that you will be able to respond quickly when users reach out to you.
If you have spam blockers on your email retrieval program, consider removing them so as to not lose possible paying customers.
And when you do respond to the client, consider sending them back to your website for further information: repeat visits are detected by search engines, and can help to boost your rankings.
Posted in General Web Design Tips | No Comments »
May 21st, 2010
If you find your clients asking you the same question over and over, consider posting a page on your web site that ANSWERS that question. Then, every time a client asks you that question, you can refer them to the particular URL on your web site that provides the answer.
It’s a win-win situation — their repeat visit to your web site will boost your rankings, you’ve answered their question, and you’ve saved time as well.
Remember, the search engines can detect repeat visitors to your web site, and will reward you for these repeat visitors with higher rankings.
A small investment of time (the time needed to create the web page that answers their question) can lead to big results for your rankings. In terms of cost effectiveness (your time vs. the possible economic return), updating your site with valuable information for your clients is a good investment.
Posted in Marketing Your Website | No Comments »
