Amie Marse says, “Small business owners know that content is vital for increasing reader engagement, encouraging customers, and pushing people through the sales funnel. That being said, even the most interesting information in the world won’t do well if it’s on a poorly designed website. There are specific design choices (like white text on a black background) that discourage readers by making the viewing experience unpleasant or even uncomfortable. If you want to build the most beautiful and effective site possible, follow this list of dos and don’ts. Website Design 2016: Dos Crafting... [...]

Barry Feldman says, “Come gather ’round, team, and let’s make a plan for our first, next, or new website. Where shall we begin? Easy—the homepage. We place atop the sitemap a box labeled “Home.” Smooth sailing, so far. Obviously, having a homepage is not optional. But here’s where things get quite a bit trickier… What belongs on the homepage? Now you’re looking at options galore. You have to make tough choices regarding the content you’ll develop for your homepage, the order the elements will appear, how they factor into your plan for delivering... [...]

Juliana Nicholson says, “For schools, having a great website is no longer an added bonus. Parents and students alike make decisions online, and your website has a great deal to do with that process. The good news, is that it no longer takes an entire IT department to turn a mediocre website into a great one. In our new ebook for education marketers, 15 Website Must-Haves for Driving More Inquiries and Applications, we offer quick wins to help you optimize your school’s sites to both attract more traffic, and drive more leads. You’ll learn all about: Inbound links On-page... [...]

Tony Messer says, “Do you offer services to other businesses in your area? Maybe you’re an Accountant, a Printer or a Training Company. If you do then I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that it’s competitive out there. And that means that if you want a consistent flow of new inquiries coming into your business then one thing you need to be sure of is a high ranking website. But what exactly does it take to have a high ranking website? Well, recently we did some research on B2B websitesto identify what are the most important factors that determine a high ranking. So here are... [...]

Danny Mola says, “Any business will benefit from building and promoting an official website. Regardless of industry, a site will solidify the brand’s authority and open up new opportunities to reach a larger audience. Just remember that a website is a massive investment that requires careful planning. Otherwise, you could end up wasting money on things that are inessential or inadequate for accomplishing your objectives. Before you get to the breakdown of the site-building costs, you must first decide the scale of your project. For example, if you need to hire a web agency or freelance... [...]

Peter Daisyme says, “Businesses that regularly receive calls from customers realize how difficult it can be to provide 24/7 support. Keeping friendly, skilled representatives on hand around-the-clock can quickly drain a business’s payroll. Yet, cutting corners by hiring unhelpful employees will send customers directly to competitors. Knowledge bases are a great way to give customers the help they need without having to pick up the phone or wait for regular business hours. When done correctly, you’ll create a positive user experience and save your help desk team a phone call.... [...]

Larry Alton says, “When you read about overnight millionaires and web celebrities enjoying ridiculous salaries, it’s hard not to fantasize about building your own wealth online. However, you probably also dismiss the idea as an outright impossibility. And that’s too bad, because most people don’t realize how realistic the notion of making money online really is. Sure, you might not get rich, but you could earn a significant stream of passive income from a website — maybe even enough to serve as your primary source of income. By using today’s technology and online resources,... [...]

Sophia Bernazzani says, “Ah, the job search. Some refer to it as a full-time job in itself, others compare it to dating, and several cats over at BuzzFeed think it just plain sucks. But it doesn’t have to be that way … When you’re applying for a job, you’re typically asked to submit a resume and cover letter.Maybe your LinkedIn profile. But there are better ways to stand out against your competition, and building a personal website is one of them. A personal website can serve different goals, but perhaps what it does best is provide you with an opportunity to tell your story.... [...]

Annie Pilon says, “Wix, the popular drag-and-drop website builder, recently unveiled a new tool to make designing websiteseven easier. In fact, with Wix ADI, you don’t even have to do the work yourself. ADI stands for Artificial Design Intelligence. So the new Wix feature uses artificial intelligence to automatically put together websites based on what it thinks will work best for each type of website or business. At this point, you might be wondering what an AI designed website actually looks like. Well, you’re in luck. Wix just unveiled seven website designs that were created using... [...]

Amber Callan says, “Designing your website can be a long and expensive process. To ensure the process goes smoothly and that your end product is the best it can be, test early and test often. By revealing flaws in competitors’ websites as well as flaws in your current website, you can save time and money during your redesign. Because a website design is all about the visitors who will view and interact with it, your redesign should focus on their experience. In order to be sure that you get the most out of your new website, here are seven user experience tests to do during the process of... [...]