Copyright © 2010 Web Design 2010-07-30T07:36:59+0100 2010-07-30T07:36:59+0100 http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. http://www.i-com.net/blog/ http://i-com.net/images/icom-net.gif http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. I-COM International blogmaster at i-com dot net Web Design Web Design en SEO, SEM, Web Design, Web Development 1440 http://www.i-com.net/blog/first-impressions-what-is-your-website-saying-about-your-business-318/ I get to speak with a lot of people that are less than happy with their websites. Most people's stories go something like we've had a new website developed but it's still not working properly. It's not generating any more sales or enquiries than it was before. Can you tell us why?" At the risk of sounding flippant, the simple answer is that something has either not been done or has been done incorrectly. But what is it exactly? What could be causing so many websites to underperform? To understand this we first need to identify what it is that a website needs to achieve in order to perform and generate results.Essentially, a site needs to: receive good levels of relevant traffic engage visitors convert visitors into customers Addressing these elements effectively is critical for a website to be successful. Failure in any one of these areas and the sites performance will suffer - which in turn will hit the company's bottom line. Points i) and iii) I shall be looking at in later posts but today I'm going to concentrate on engaging visitors - and in particular first impressions. Converting Visitors into CustomersIf, when assessing your analytics, you see results showing high bounce rates, or low site page visits, or low time on site, then there is an issue around visitors leaving the site far too quickly. They are not engaging with the site for some reason. Identifying what the issue is can be pretty straightforward. But identifying why this is the case is what we're after. In our experience, there can be a whole number of reasons why visitors are leaving websites quickly - they might feel they are in the wrong place, they might not be sure about how to use the website - in many cases it can be simply that they do not like the look of the site. On this last point, we are all told we shouldnt judge a book by its cover and that first impressions often lie, etc., but I'm afraid I do it and I would guess that you might do it too. Many of us tend to make judgements very quickly based on the feeling we get from the overall look-and-feel of a website. Some call it the 3 second rule, others the 2 second rule, or even the 1 second rule. However many seconds it actually takes, one thing's for sure - it's not very long. In times when internet users are becoming increasingly demanding and impatient, a website has precious little time to communicate to the user. And rightly or wrongly, we all make up our minds almost immediately based upon how well the site communicates to us. Am I in the right place? Does this feel like a company I can trust to do business with? These questions are being asked by visitors landing on your site and as visual communication is the most immediate, the site's look-and-feel, it's visual message needs to be absolutely spot on.  Everything a company says or does communicates something about the quality or the values of that business, right from how the phone is answered through to the quality of company documents. All these go into making up the public image of the company. Potential customers are influenced either positively or negatively every time they come into contact with a company and will make their decisions based upon these experiences. A company's website is a crucial part of this and considering its importance in generating revenues, why then do so many companies put such little effort in getting it right? Yes, generating high levels of traffic to your site is very important, but if, on arrival, visitors are presented with a website that looks tired and out-of-date then they might well feel that, like the site, the company too is tired and out-of-date. They might question whether or not they want to do business with this the type of company. You may well have the best range of products on the web at the very best prices but present your visitors with a poorly designed site and you might put them off before they even get through the front door.  Time and effort needs to be put into making your online image communicate exactly what your company is about. Simply throwing up a website with little or no thought to the message that is being communicated can often be the difference between online success or failure.First impressions may often lie - make sure yours doesn't. Web Design 2010-03-02 09:34:33 http://www.i-com.net/blog/first-impressions-what-is-your-website-saying-about-your-business-318/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-is-website-usability-so-important-316/ So you've built your website, given it a fancy logo, maybe even written some content that will have Google hanging on your every keyword. Perhaps there is a Google analytics code uploaded in the HTML code so you can have a look at the performance of the website? You are on your way to getting 'Website Of The Year' right? Hold your horses... as my dad used to say.Having a fancy website with bells on could be the worst thing you could do if the website's usability is compromised. This is even more important for an ecommerce website that's main goal should be making the process as easy as possible for a customer, and if they aren't finding the navigation easy then they may just bounce off the site to a competitor.'Website usability is defined, making web sites easy to use for an end-user.' Let's look at some things we must remember when it comes to a user's experience:1) Where have you gone wrong?If you have built the web pages without a thought of what you are aiming to achieve from the website then this can be where you have gone wrong. Think about what you are trying to do; maybe it is to offer your services to customers, or give information to people? It is also a good idea to put yourself in the users' shoes! What are they looking for and where would they navigate to? You might be surprised what you find out.2) Draft up a simple navigation systemAsk yourself these three questions: Where am I?  Where have I been?  Where can I go? Then you will be ready to design your navigation system as if you are a user visiting the website for the first time. Go through the whole website from top level, and right through to the pages deep in the navigation. Think about how you will make these pages available to a user and a search engine.3) Brand ConsistencyA strong brand image throughout the website can show visitors that your website is a professional and high quality website. However, this can work both ways, and with inconsistent colours, typefaces, and page layout then a user can become disillusioned by the website and leave very quickly.4) Text linksAs an SEO consultant I know how important internal links are throughout a website, and using keywords as anchor text for your internal links is a good way to promote a page in major search engines. In terms of navigation and usability this is just as important. It helps a user to find his way through the website.5) SitemapLarge websites should always have a sitemap. The sitemap should contain a text link to every page on the website so that it can be accessed easily by search engines and people. If you have analytics running on your website then you can see how many people have visited the sitemap page to find their way around your website. This isn't a good sign, as people are finding it difficult to find the information naturally. Therefore revisit step 1.6) Homepage Logo, Search Box and Contact DetailsSite logos are great to link to your homepage from other pages as well. Users now often hover over them and use them to navigate around the website, this is especially true with the homepage logo on a website and the contact details. 7) FeedbackHave a page on the homepage that links to a feedback form or something similar. This should allow users to input information that can help your future development of the website. It could contain questions like 'Did you find it hard to find what you were looking for?' or 'What do you think we could improve on?'8) Simple Testing! If a user clicks on your website and then sees nothing that relates to what they entered the website for then you've done something wrong. Building your website in a way that enables users to access the information they want quickly and simply can actually be harder than you initially think, so try and keep it simple. If you test a website that is in development by asking someone who has not seen the website before to complete simple tasks locating information or making purchases and they have trouble navigating through the pages, then you have gone wrong somewhere. Remember, designs for your users, and not for yourself; remain consistent and keep things simple! Web Design 2010-02-23 09:19:42 http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-is-website-usability-so-important-316/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-is-brand-important-299/ We all experience brands every day. This article will attempt to explain why lucid, well realised brands are so essential to success. Firstly what is a brand?A Brand is = Collectively, what people say, feel and think about your product, service or company.A Strong Brand is = A collection of coherent ideas and experiences with a product or service over time.A great brand is a great storydefined by Paul Isakson Take a look at this video for Volkswagen.View hereOriginally created for T.V. this video has been posted online and now exists as a viral. The ad, generally missed on television, has since received millions of hits online and lots of positive attention in the press. The colour palette is rich, and the music is modern and electronic. The story is unique, showcasing Volkswagens commitment to building their cars with care, attention and technical expertise. Lars Axelsson, Volkswagen, describes the rationale behind the concept, As traditional advertising is becoming less effective, and the competition is becoming more aggressive, we believed we needed a more innovative approach to draw attention to the website  In contrast the print advert below, whilst being instantly recognisable as Volkswagen, is completely different in style. The colour palette and design is clean and minimal, especially when contrasted with the viral.  The concept tells viewers how owning a Volkswagen will never go out of fashion. The four icons on the key ring depict four differing styles and cultures, demonstrating Volkswagens unilateral appeal.The final example of a great piece of advertising is a specific microsite showcasing the new Polo. View hereThe microsite expertly balances creativity and the user journey. The videos are cinematic and aspirational. The user experience is well thought out, allowing users to customise their car and build their own tool kit. It gets close to recreating an on-screen experience online.However, does using these disparate forms of advertising render the brand disjointed and incoherent? Do people get different experiences when touching the brand?Throughout all these disparate pieces of advertising material, the brand values come through strongly. All three are innovative, technically excellent, clever and fun. The concept which defines Volkswagen is Volkswagen Thinking, the idea of creating a product which is seen as a democratic people car, but also as a desirable object. So the answer is no, Volkswagen is a strong brand. I personally think this shines through in their advertising, but the proof is in a steady increase in growth and products over a fifty year period; a period in which hundreds of similar companies have ended up on the scrapheap.For a brand to stand the tests of time, it has to have roots that help it stay true over time. Why? Because lasting relationships are built on a foundation of trust. If you are constantly changing who you are and/or what you stand for, how can anyone come to trust you?Paul IsaksonSo in conclusion everything you produce as a company must reflect this brand. A brand identity represents your company's values, services, ideas and personality. A consistent and well-positioned brand can make your company; it can generate loyalty in your customers, and make you the envy of your competitors. By understanding branding we'll be able to help our clients find their values and tell stories that set them apart from the crowd.To end controversially, here is the latest viral video from Diesel. 
 View here
Is this video coherent in the Diesel marketing strategy. Does it reflect their  brand and, more importantly, is it good for their brand? Please comment?If you're interested in further reading there are a few great resources below.Excellent white papers covering all aspects, lots of social media info too.  View hereAuthor of 'brand tags' discusses all things brand
 View hereMore related to User experience a case study on McDonalds and how they utilise branding
 View hereLots of stats and viral videos here 
 View here Web Design 2010-01-21 10:15:47 http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-is-brand-important-299/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/wcag-20-finally-released-132/ The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the W3C has finally released the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, after years of haggling over the initial draft versions. The WCAG 2.0 Guidelines are meant to help web designers and web developers build websites that are accessible to everybody no matter what device they use to browse the web and no matter what level of skill. WCAG 2.0 had been contentious from  the start as WAI committee members haggled over the best way to outline their recommendations and define various terms of the document and most people felt that the original draft was unclear and hard to understand - especially as it had a document explaining the guidelines and the a document explaining the document that explained the guidelines - hardly accessible itself.The discussion got so heated at one stage that reknowned accessibility expert Joe Clark left the group and founded Web Samurai to create a separate set of recommendations to update WCAG 1.0.We've not had a chance to read through the new document yet, but we will as accessible web design is good practice and helps all users, not just users with disabilities. We shall no doubt be voicing our thoughts further on the new guidelines in the near future. Web Design 2008-12-12 12:13:11 http://www.i-com.net/blog/wcag-20-finally-released-132/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/should-writing-style-be-part-of-web-design-96/ It's not often that we get involved in building a new site for a new brand but when it happens it can throw up some very interesting issues. Most sites we develop are for established companies who have a style of communication that they use which needs to be catered for by any proposed new design. For a brand new business as part of the design process, and in addition to designing a beautiful and functional site, we also need to establish what tone of voice the site and business should use in its communications. With one new client this led to a very interesting discussion centreing around what should come first, the design or the communication style. We came to the conclusion that what came first didn't really matter too much as long as they were closely co-ordinated and appealling to the target market. It is very true though that whilst the look of a site needs to be visually appealling in order to grab a browser's attention. It is perhaps even more important to ensure the written word on the site is both engaging for the target audience and in tune with the look of the site.  Web Design 2008-09-25 08:44:00 http://www.i-com.net/blog/should-writing-style-be-part-of-web-design-96/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/how-big-is-that-logo-27/ "I want the logo to be bigger". Words that send shivers down the spine of any designer."Designers just like white space though right? I'm not paying for white space. I want it big and bold. I want the WOW factor".Yes we do like space. No we don't make things TOO small. If we did, we'd soon be collecting our P45s from the guys we never really see in the room in the corner of the studio with the big chairs.Space defines objects and leads viewers' eyes to visual areas of importance. It's this point which is key for any client to remember when commissioning design work of any kind. Ask yourself "What is important in this application of my company's branding?"If it's a billboard advert, you'll need a big logo. If it's some ambient media, maybe your logo is all that's needed. If it's viral marketing maybe your logo doesn't appear at all. So when you commission a website design why not ask yourself "Is it my logo or my product I'm selling?"A customer shopping online wants to see what they're buying or find the information they need quickly and clearly. If your logo takes up half the screen and your product falls "below the fold" then your customers can't see the very thing they've come to see. You're making it hard work for them to buy your product. Your logo should be just big enough to re-assure your existing customers they are in the right place whilst still building brand presence to new customers. Your logo is part of your company's overall brand, not your brand in itself. It will appear on your stationary, adverts packaging emails and so on. It will be surrounded by other elements of your branding including colours from your colour palette, photos in your company style and written language in the feel of your company. On each, it should appear it's appropriate size. Your designer, with all their years of training and all of their years of experience is the best person to tell you how big that is.There you go, that wasn't that hard was it? Listen to your designer. After all, they're not going to turn around and tell you how to do your job are they?If you're still not convinced, we recommend some soothing cream. Web Design 2008-06-12 09:16:41 http://www.i-com.net/blog/how-big-is-that-logo-27/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/launch-of-creative-times-online-18/ I've just heard that the Manchester based Creative Industries Development Service (CIDS) has launched an online version of their quarterly newsletter the Creative Times. CIDS is a government-funded agency with the aim of supporting new and established creative businesses in Greater Manchester, though what it does on a day to day basis I'm not sure. Experience of the paper version of the Creative Times has shown it to be more of a shop window for certain companies rather than something that provides support and advice. It also seems to draw a lot on experts from outside Greater Manchester for comment when there is a great breadth of knowledge within the boundaries of our city. Why, for example, in the current issue, does the lead article on "People Power" draw on expert advice from a Skipton-based accountant and a Leeds-based agency. I worry that getting value out of CIDS is less about what you need but more about who you know. Hopefully, the new Creative Times site, very nicely designed by Bolton agency Fudge, which encourages much more user interaction than the dated CIDS site, will help to overcome this problem and help the service add more value to the local creative sector. Web Design 2008-05-27 12:58:55 http://www.i-com.net/blog/launch-of-creative-times-online-18/