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Posts Tagged ‘Web Site Design’

Designing a functional website that you can love

Posted on by Tamara Brooks

Designing for a website is difficult when you want both aesthetics and functionality. Sometimes beautifully made websites can be fun to look at, but may not be user interface friendly. There are also websites which are made to be purely functional, but the graphics are a total bore. A middle ground between the two is needed so the best of both worlds can come together to create something amazing: a website that is gorgeous and usable. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Wouldn’t that be the bees knees if that were the case!

Okay, so here’s how we think you should plan before you design your website:
1. Write a list of goal outcomes for your website.
2. Research your competitors. See what you like and don’t like about their sites.
3. Visit hundreds of websites and record which ones you liked and why. Share these findings with the design firm you choose in step 4.
4. Interview web design firms. Choose the designer(s) whose portfolio and work style suit your needs.
5. Share with the design team what you want to accomplish for your website.

So, now it’s time to review your goals and consider how your new or current website is working at achieving these goals. This will help you decide on a layout that finds that middle ground that you need for a beautiful and functional website.

Try following one of our favorite rules at October 17 Media – “Form ever follows function!” It may be beautiful to have elaborate designs and illustrations, but if it becomes distracting and doesn’t serve a purpose to your website, then you can afford to simplify your design.

If you keep these tips in mind and are able to find strategies to meet your goals, then you are ready to start designing!

Below are some examples of great web designs and user friendly capabilities:

  • Custom Bags HQ – An eCommerce website that makes it fun and easy to personalize and order plastic bags
  • CampLuxe – Shopping for camp gear can actually seem luxurious when browsing through this beautifully designed website
  • The ACC – Promotes and advertises shows/events in a well organized manner
  • The Bullitt Agency – A very fun and interesting navigating site that making it simple for users to browse through
  • Odosketch – A fun website that allows users to practice creating speed drawings/paintings, while also featuring completed artwork in time lapse videos
If you’re designing your website, don’t hesitate to give us a shout!

The Importance of Calls to Action

Posted on by Michelle Garrigo

Your pay-per-click campaign and search engine optimization efforts have paid off; you’re finally getting lots of visitors to your website! Maybe your website design looks fantastic, but no one seems to be buying. What’s up with that?

Our question to you is…have you told them what to do? No seriously, have you? After your visitors have finished reading your “About” and “Product/Services” pages, what are they supposed to do? You have to tell them! This is where the importance of calls to action comes in.

A call to action gives clear instructions to visitors about what they need to do next. It should be simple and visible on every single page of your website. So, what is your call to action? Every website has different objectives because every business has specific goals they want to achieve through their website. It may be getting visitors to make a purchase online, sign up for an email newsletter subscription or book an online reservation.

However, not all calls to action need to lead to a sale. It may just as easily be having a visitor request more information. Check-out our October 17 Media calls to action:

As well, there is no rule that your call to action needs to be at the very bottom of your pages. You may want to have a call to action on the high right side of your page. This has become a trend in recent years and website visitors may be familiar with this placement. Here are some other tips you can follow:

  • Use active language such as “learn”, “place”, “add”, “submit” and “get”.
  • Encourage users to complete a call to action with an incentive. For example, offer a free trial.
  • Remove any risk that may be associated with visitors completing your call to action. Clearly state your privacy or return policy.

Thinking about reviewing your site to see if you’ve got your calls to action in the best places? We’ve got your answers! Feel free to give us a call or send us an email!

Instant Previews with Google

Posted on by Tamara Brooks

Do you love searching through the Internet? Are you having problems with regards to searching the various topics that you want to browse? Are you getting tired of clicking on the different links in order for you to see what’s inside that page and later on find out that it’s something that you’re not looking for? Well, if you would answer a big yes to those questions, then, Google has good news for you. Google has now innovated its features to ease you from all your worries and problems with regards to searching through the Internet. So now, sit down and relax and enjoy Google Instant Previews.

Instant Previews is a new feature of Google which may enable the users to have a quick glance on the different links without the hassle of clicking each link and opening it manually. The snapshots of the various links are made available by Google through the use of a magnifying glass icon that is found on the right corner of the page. With Google Instant Previews, a screenshot of a certain portion of a link pertaining to what the user is searching is being presented. This is made possible by using the search term encoded by the user. With Instant Previews, users can avoid wasting time on sites don’t have the information they’re looking for.

What does this mean for your website? Google Instant Previews calls the attention of web designers to do better! With the 300 pixels allowable screenshot preview, your preview should attract searchers to visit your page. While you’re reading this – why don’t you look at how your business’ website looks on Instant Preview – how does it look? Are people able to tell what your site is about? Will they want to click on that link and visit your actual site?

When designing their websites, companies and organizations now need to take into account what the final site will look like in Instant Previews. For existing sites, some changes may be in order, so they can grab the attention of potential customers as quickly as possible with just one glance. With Google Instant Previews, your site’s design and look is crucial – it’s the first thing potential visitors will see and will base their decision on whether to click or not to click. That’s a lot riding on a 300 pixels window wide preview!

For users, Instant Previews is definitely one helpful feature from Google to make searching easier and more efficient, and it just makes website building just a tad more difficult and perhaps changes the landscape when it comes to competing for online eyeballs. Want to know more about Google Instant Previews and web design? Our team at October 17 would be happy to answer any question you may have! Just give us a call or drop us a line!

How to speak “Web Design” with DIY Wireframes!

Posted on by Tamara Brooks

We found the most nifty free web architecture planning tool. Okay, that’s tech talk. In layman’s terms we mean easy-to-understand web site page layout sketches a.k.a. wireframes, a.k.a. mockups. The online tool we found makes it super simple for you to create, link together, preview and share mockups and ideas about your website with your web design team (ahem, October 17 Media).

Creating wireframes before going into design and development can save you money, time, frustration, tears and help your team focus on the information that’s being presented on each page. We like wireframes because it simplifies the user process and allows you to prioritize calls to actions visually. No one is in the dark about what each page is about and what it contains in terms of content!

So, what is this cool free tool that October 17 Media is talking about?
Dun-da-dah… we’d like to introduce the amazing: GOMOCKINGBIRD.COM!

Things you should think about when you make a wireframe for your web designer:

  • Are all menu items active on each page? Do they change on certain pages?
  • Prioritize your calls to actions. You don’t want your pages too busy.
  • These are a rough guide for designers and programmers. Just because you put something somewhere doesn’t mean it’s going to be at that EXACT location on the page. It’s a guide, not the actual design.

Other cool features mockingbird has:

  • Autosave (oh yeah baby!) for those evil days when you forget to click save or your web connection dies.
  • HTTPS access. Safe and secure so no nosey-parker can check out your mockups!
  • Snaps (to grid) into place so you don’t have to align everything with precision. This means your mockups are neat and clean looking.
  • Oh-so-pretty colors. Your mockups aren’t just boring old black and white anymore.
  • Follow Mockingbird on Twitter
    Visit their website and start mocking up now: GOMOCKINGBIRD.COM!

    Dancing with google. They lead, we follow.

    Posted on by Tamara Brooks

    Google Screen Shot
    I just read a great little interview on redflymarketing.com.

    It was with Aaron Wall of SEObook.com. As you may or may not know, he’s one of the go-to-guys for SEO and literally wrote the book on the subject.

    Q. {to Aaron} Google is all over the place right now and it is looking like a lot of factors that once held weight no longer do and vice versa. What do you make of the current state of flux? Where do you see Google applying more weight?
    (more…)

    October 17 Media specializes in website development, paid search advertising, social media and viral marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing.