Have you ever skipped a paragraph because it just looked to large? If you're like most people, the sight of a huge block of text is repelling more than inviting—especially in the blazing-fast pace of online navigation.
If you're worried that your site is text heavy, then it probably is. Here is an exercise that can help you trim your text while keeping all the essentials intact.
1) Take the text of the entire page and reduce it it to one (or two if you have to) paragraphs. If it was easy to do, then you probably didn't need so much in the first place. If it was difficult, it was definitely worth it because you just took the power of the whole page of text and packed into a single paragraph.
2) Here's the really hard part: reduce that entire paragraph into one sentence. This can be a painful process, forcing you to eliminate all but the most basic information your visitors should know.
3) Finished? You have just created the most important sentence of your page, possibly your website. This newly crafted, streamlined sentence should be the first thing visitors read on that page or on your website.
4) Use your power-packed paragraph to describe your products/services/purpose in more detail. If you need to go into further detail, direct visitors to the bottom of the page or to another page where they know they will be reading larger amounts of text.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Using Links for Better Online Rankings
They've been saying for years that links are essential to getting ranked higher online. But what do they mean? Yes, you know what a link is. But you're wondering, how to make them work for your website.
The Link Advantage
Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN (now Bing) are constantly crawling through the World Wide Web to find out what's out there. Their crawlers, called “spiders,” like to enter a website and explore everything—including where the links lead to. When you have more links on other websites that lead to yours, these spiders are winding up on your site more often. The more links they see leading to your site, the more they'll assume your site is relevant and the search engine will list yours higher when people search for things related to your business or industry.
How do I get people to link to my site?
There are several ways. One is to simply ask the administrators of other websites to include a link to your site. But, Michael Bluejay of Website Helpers.com lists some rules of thumb to remember when asking: Include a link to their site first. Then “tell the other webmaster that you linked to their site,” Bluejay writes, “what your site is about, and that you hope they'll link back if they think it will be of interest to their own visitors.”
Another way is to provide useful, quality information and services on your site. Bloggers might begin using you as a resource, linking to you in their blogs. Other sites might link to you as a resource to their own visitors.
All links are not created equal.
If you can convince a major or authoritative website to link to your site, this link will be especially valuable because, in a sense, you'll be piggybacking on that site's reputation. When a search engine associates you with a site that it already considers highly relevant, your site will be given more relevance.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
The Link Advantage
Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN (now Bing) are constantly crawling through the World Wide Web to find out what's out there. Their crawlers, called “spiders,” like to enter a website and explore everything—including where the links lead to. When you have more links on other websites that lead to yours, these spiders are winding up on your site more often. The more links they see leading to your site, the more they'll assume your site is relevant and the search engine will list yours higher when people search for things related to your business or industry.
How do I get people to link to my site?
There are several ways. One is to simply ask the administrators of other websites to include a link to your site. But, Michael Bluejay of Website Helpers.com lists some rules of thumb to remember when asking: Include a link to their site first. Then “tell the other webmaster that you linked to their site,” Bluejay writes, “what your site is about, and that you hope they'll link back if they think it will be of interest to their own visitors.”
Another way is to provide useful, quality information and services on your site. Bloggers might begin using you as a resource, linking to you in their blogs. Other sites might link to you as a resource to their own visitors.
All links are not created equal.
If you can convince a major or authoritative website to link to your site, this link will be especially valuable because, in a sense, you'll be piggybacking on that site's reputation. When a search engine associates you with a site that it already considers highly relevant, your site will be given more relevance.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Design Trends In Delivering Your Message
There are a few “hot spots” on a website that are important for a designer, and website owner to utilize to their full potential.
The upper left hand corner is perhaps the most important and most often where the logo is placed on a site. Right below this is often where the site navigation goes and is the second most important spot on the webpage. More and more sites however are beginning to use this area to place important text. This text may be short―only a sentence or two―or could even be a short paragraph.
Web site designers have begun using this space to summarize the purpose of the site or as a short introduction. One example of a site designed by HIT Web Design using this trend is http://pain511.com/. With people spending very little time on a site looking for what they need this is a great way to organize the content on your site.
This block of text should be separated from the main body, it needs to stand out―possibly use a larger font size or different background, and be very concise. This may be the most important piece of text on your site.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
The upper left hand corner is perhaps the most important and most often where the logo is placed on a site. Right below this is often where the site navigation goes and is the second most important spot on the webpage. More and more sites however are beginning to use this area to place important text. This text may be short―only a sentence or two―or could even be a short paragraph.
Web site designers have begun using this space to summarize the purpose of the site or as a short introduction. One example of a site designed by HIT Web Design using this trend is http://pain511.com/. With people spending very little time on a site looking for what they need this is a great way to organize the content on your site.
This block of text should be separated from the main body, it needs to stand out―possibly use a larger font size or different background, and be very concise. This may be the most important piece of text on your site.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Using Big Images On Your Website
You may have noticed an increased use of big pictures and images on websites lately. This trend has developed as a result of websites becoming more and more visual while text is becoming shorter and more focused on a specific call to action or message.
Using a large photograph or illustration will not only add visual appeal but, chosen wisely, will help market the products and services of your site more effectively. If you have a photography site using large pictures to showcase your work should be a given.
Here are a few sites designed by HIT Web Design that highlight the use of large pictures and images:
http://photosbyaw.com/
http://fenoffstonehomes.com/
http://phoenixbuildersnorcal.com/
Using large photos and images that relate to your business not only make what you do easily identifiable they a great way to showcase your work. Redesigning you site and adding large pictures and images can add visual appeal to your site and if your site is text heavy remember the old saying a “picture is worth a thousand words.”
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Using a large photograph or illustration will not only add visual appeal but, chosen wisely, will help market the products and services of your site more effectively. If you have a photography site using large pictures to showcase your work should be a given.
Here are a few sites designed by HIT Web Design that highlight the use of large pictures and images:
http://photosbyaw.com/
http://fenoffstonehomes.com/
http://phoenixbuildersnorcal.com/
Using large photos and images that relate to your business not only make what you do easily identifiable they a great way to showcase your work. Redesigning you site and adding large pictures and images can add visual appeal to your site and if your site is text heavy remember the old saying a “picture is worth a thousand words.”
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Improved Website Navigation
One trend that not only makes your site look better but makes it easier to use are innovations in how website navigation is currently being designed.
Dynamic buttons using flash make it easier for your visitors to know what they are clicking on. An example of site that was designed by HIT Web Design is http://expressionsphotography.com. This makes the site more interactive and helps the visitor know how to navigate the site.
There have been, and still are, many sites that are cluttered with pictures and information making it difficult to navigate. One thing that is being seen in more recently designed websites is a good use of whitespace which has made websites easier to navigate as well as it helps visitors find important information on the site.
Another useful trend is footer navigation which makes it easier on your sites visitors to navigate the site without having to scroll back to the top of the screen to click on a button.
Updating your sites navigation will not only improve the look of your website but will make it easier for your customers and site visitors as well.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Dynamic buttons using flash make it easier for your visitors to know what they are clicking on. An example of site that was designed by HIT Web Design is http://expressionsphotography.com. This makes the site more interactive and helps the visitor know how to navigate the site.
There have been, and still are, many sites that are cluttered with pictures and information making it difficult to navigate. One thing that is being seen in more recently designed websites is a good use of whitespace which has made websites easier to navigate as well as it helps visitors find important information on the site.
Another useful trend is footer navigation which makes it easier on your sites visitors to navigate the site without having to scroll back to the top of the screen to click on a button.
Updating your sites navigation will not only improve the look of your website but will make it easier for your customers and site visitors as well.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Personalizing Your Website
One trend in music, artist, and personal blog sites that is really exciting is adding personalized elements such as hand drawn illustrations to the site. The reason personalized elements have caught on with these types of sites seems obvious, it helps create more of a connection with visitors to your site while also showcasing your own creativity.
Hand drawn personalized elements are definitely not suitable for all industries, but used appropriately they can really add to the overall feel of a site and make it stand out. Daytrotter, a music site, has been using hand drawn pictures of their daily musical guests for years now, and uses many other hand drawn elements to give their site a relaxed feel.
Most of these sites that use these kind of elements are trying to portray a young, hip feel. If you are in an industry such as art, music, retail, or even if you are just trying to appeal to this demographic then maybe this is a design element you should explore for your site. These sites trend to be very focused on the actual design elements as a means to create and keep interest in the site.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Hand drawn personalized elements are definitely not suitable for all industries, but used appropriately they can really add to the overall feel of a site and make it stand out. Daytrotter, a music site, has been using hand drawn pictures of their daily musical guests for years now, and uses many other hand drawn elements to give their site a relaxed feel.
Most of these sites that use these kind of elements are trying to portray a young, hip feel. If you are in an industry such as art, music, retail, or even if you are just trying to appeal to this demographic then maybe this is a design element you should explore for your site. These sites trend to be very focused on the actual design elements as a means to create and keep interest in the site.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Font Trends In Web Design
Over the last few years we have started to see some interesting developments in how fonts are being used on todays websites.
For years web designers have been using primarily sans serif fonts because they tend to be easier to read on a computer screen. With increased monitor resolution this is no longer the case, and some serifed fonts are now beginning to be used more frequently by web designers in the body of the text . Serifed fonts are not just for headings anymore.
Probably the biggest change when it comes to fonts is big fonts. More and more sites are using large fonts to help call attention to important information on the site. One example of a site HIT Web Design has done using this large font trend is http://pumpkinpetals.com.
It is a well known fact that visitors will spend very little time on a site looking for what they want and using a large font that will catch a customers eye to convey an important message can help them find the information they are looking for and keep them on your site. Use large fonts effectively by using them sparingly and keep your message short and to the point.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
For years web designers have been using primarily sans serif fonts because they tend to be easier to read on a computer screen. With increased monitor resolution this is no longer the case, and some serifed fonts are now beginning to be used more frequently by web designers in the body of the text . Serifed fonts are not just for headings anymore.
Probably the biggest change when it comes to fonts is big fonts. More and more sites are using large fonts to help call attention to important information on the site. One example of a site HIT Web Design has done using this large font trend is http://pumpkinpetals.com.
It is a well known fact that visitors will spend very little time on a site looking for what they want and using a large font that will catch a customers eye to convey an important message can help them find the information they are looking for and keep them on your site. Use large fonts effectively by using them sparingly and keep your message short and to the point.
For more information, please visit http://www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.
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