Tuesday, October 25, 2016

THE 10 DO OR DIE RULES OF WEB DESIGN

1. Always KISS

The saying goes <Keep It Simple, Stupid.> The biggest mistake is to overload a site, especially on its index page. Be clear and concise. As an example look to the world's most successful sites such as Google or Facebook. You only have a few second to engage the visitor. Make the most of it.

2. Be <Übersichtlich>

Yeah, you don't have to try to pronounce it. It's a German word that basically means for something to be easily understood by looking at it once. You know what you are looking for right away and know where you need to go at a glance. Now apply this concept to web design. Got it? Good. It doesn't take an Übermensch to be übersichtlich.



3. Content is King

No matter how simple your site is, it still needs content. Even if you have a basic product to sell, try to give your visitors something to read and look at. A regular flow of articles and posts will also help you in search engine ranking, and videos, free stuff to download and other things will keep visitors busy and interested.

4. Intuitive Navigation

This goes hand-in-hand with point 2. When a visitor hits your site he doesn't want to have to learn how to use it. With more content it may be better to group links into categories. There is the unwritten three-click-rule that says that a visitor should not need more than three clicks to get to what he is looking for. Of course, this doesn't always work, especially with larger sites. But you get the point. A more complex service site could use How-To and Help pages, maybe even instructional videos. People love to watch videos.

5. You Shall not Irritate Your Visitors

Go easy with what you throw at the visitor. Don't overwhelm them with colors and contrasts, images and texts. There is a big overuse of stock images and jargon. Try to avoid making the visitor feel dumb and out of place. Remember points 1. and 2. in this regard.

6. Be Perfect

Nobody is perfect, but your site should try to be. That means always check for errors and dead links or missing images. This is particularly important for catalogs. Spelling and lingo should also be as good as can be. This also connects with point 10.

7. It's All About The Google

They don't call it the Googlenet yet, but we're getting there. Google has established the net's search criteria and is now the Big Guy on the playground. Your site needs to obey the rules. Your site has to fit with the prevalent SEO standards so it can rank well in search results. Once you are up to par with Google you will also fit in well with the other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo.

8. Be Social: Go Hug A Customer

Connect with social media sites. Facebook, Twitter and so on. You depend on the visitors to share and pass on your information and services. Also, keep in touch with your clients and prospective customers. Answer questions and be awesome. People always come back to those that were nice to them, and social media is a great way to be a Nice Guy.

9. Be Mobile

Make your site responsive, meaning it automatically adapts itself to browser-window sizes. This means then that your page is accessible from phones and tablets. The future of the internet lies in mobility: anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Make sure your site is up for that.

10. No Rest For The Webmaster

Your site is never finished. Always keep updating it, checking your stats, changing things, adding new things. A web site is like a store: you can't just open the doors and hope the customers walk in and leave you money. You need to update your inventory, clean it out, give it a new paint-job if its getting worn, keep in touch with clients and keep your codes up-to-date.

DOES BLOGGING REALLY WORK


I know so many people that want to start blogs to make a living online. I often come off as negative and tell them that there are better ways to making money online but they refuse to listen.
They always point out some famous blogger and this is when I break down that bloggers marketing strategy and they claim that they can do the first thing. These are people would have a hard time writing a 3 page paper let alone a blog.
I suppose my message is that blogging isn't the only way to make money online.
Yet people try to do it everyday, these people normally don't understand SEO or even content. They don't realize that they need to write about things that will attract people. I have one cousin who thought she could make money just writing about the President.
I immediate questioned her and asked how she expected to monetize this blog and she had nothing to say. I guess hope dream change can magically make money appear?
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DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE WITH BLOGGING


Have you ever looked at a blog that only had a few posts and no followers? Most people start blogs without knowing that they will need to put in hard work to get to the number of followers that they want. Successful blogs are based on having traffic to your site, quality writing, and sticking with the blog even when it seems like its not going anywhere.

When you create a blog, your first priority should be writing quality pieces. This step is most important because even if you get traffic to your site, what will they read? The content that you write needs to be high quality to ensure that people continue to come back.

Once you have followers, a lot of your site traffic will be returning visits; therefore, you should try to give your readers the best writing that you can.

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MOBILE MARKETING IS A GREAT WAY TO INCREASE SALES YOUR RETAIL BUSINESS

If you own a business you already know who your target customers are. These are the people that you design your ads to appeal to and motivate. You probably understand what "rings their bells" and what motivates them.

Mobile marketing is a great way to reach your target audience with your specific message. We have written down a few suggestions about mobile marketing that will help you understand how a mobile campaign can increase sales for your business.

First, your campaign must appeal to the local people in your area. You understand that people often go out shopping without a clear understanding of where they are going or exactly what they are after. Often times they pull out their smartphones and try to figure out where to go as they are on their way. These people are generally in a hurry and don't want to spend a lot of time time trying to find a store that appeals to them.

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