Olivia Dello Buono says, “As a writer, I can’t believe I’m saying this: Visuals are the foundation of your business. Consistent, empowering branding helps to draw in prospects and keep customers coming back for more. It’s your first opportunity to make an impression. It’s your brand identity. When Bad Design Happens to Good People But how often do we stumble upon a website or blog that suffers from a poor visual aesthetic? …What if it’s our own blog? An unattractive design can be overwhelming, pulling attention from the content and, ultimately, your value proposition. You could... [...]

Alex Bashinsky says, “You’ve written some really compelling copy for your website. Your product images are polished. Your overall site design is professional. And thanks to marketing initiatives like these ones, you’re getting traffic to your site. So why is it that so few of those visitors are converting into leads and customers? I hear about issues like this every day. Unfortunately, converting web visitors isn’t as simple as the old mantra says: “If you build it, they will come.” Capturing conversions online takes a truly special combination of factors. There are many opportunities... [...]

Corey Eridon says, “Businesses pump out content at a staggering rate these days — and as that volume increases, more inconsistencies are bound to creep in. Whether due to lack of clarity about the style in which you’d like to write or disjointed communication across the multitude of content creators in your organization, failure to decide upon and document accepted editorial guidelines is a recipe for inconsistent messaging. That’s why at some point, most companies accept that they’ll need to develop a writing style guide: a document that indicates the basic... [...]

Mehdi Daoudi says, “One of the overarching challenges for any website management team is delivering exceptional Web experiences to their end users in the face of the vast complexity that is the modern Internet. Between expansive infrastructure needs, reliance on multiple technology providers, an ever-increasing array of third-party tags, and the different challenges presented by various network limitations around the globe, ensuring consistently superior Web performance is a never-ending uphill battle. Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies that organizations can use to combat these... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “About us pages are easily overlooked, but they do perform a valuable role on websites: explaining your product or proposition in a way that visitors can easily understand.  Here, I’ll look what about us pages need to do, as well as some useful examples… How important are ‘about us’ pages?  That’s a tricky question, and the answer may vary according to the type of website and product or service on offer. For example, I doubt that Tesco’s about us page is especially vital, but if you’re a startup, then your page needs to explain... [...]

LeadSnaps is a new drag and drop web page builder that anybody can use to build professional looking websites. Beginners, take note: There is absolutely no code knowledge or experience needed. You just drag the predefined elements where you want them on your pages. All of the predefined blocks and templates are designed to be ready for mobile. (Google will appreciate that.) So everything about your website in desktop view is the same when viewed on a mobile device. There are a lot of web elements to choose from and you can customize them to meet your needs. And for your Social Media SEO, all LeadSnaps... [...]

Peter Gasca says, “When was the last time you visited a website only to leave after only a few seconds? If you are like me, chances are you did this several times just this morning. Great websites are key to attracting and retaining visitors, and these days entrepreneurs have numerous tools at their disposal — Squarespace, Wix, Weebly — for creating sharp, impressive and mobile-ready websites easily and quickly. The problem is that these great resources are also creating a big issue, namely how does one identify the most trusted, authoritative and reputable websites?“. 4... [...]

Shari Thurow says, “Let’s play a word association game. Before we begin, clear your thoughts. Try to stay focused on this game only. Are you ready? What comes to mind when I say and write the word taxonomy? As mental models differ from person to person, I am reasonably sure that I will get many different answers. Information architects have word and image associations with the word taxonomy that others might not have. Computer programmers and Web developers might have different image and word associations than others. And some people, if I were able to see their facial expressions, seem... [...]

Dianna Huff says, “What if I told you that the lack of a seemingly insignificant content asset on your B2B vendor website will potentially cause 44% of your visitors to leave? And, what if I told you that this same piece of content was deemed a “must have” or “very important” to 90% of buyers who need it to move forward with an inquiry, request for quote, or trial offer? Would you include this content asset? You bet, right?! Yet, it’s this one asset that 51% of survey respondents indicated was most lacking on vendor websites“. How to Bring Trust and Credibility to Your Website Content... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “Your website visitor hovers over your button, deciding whether or not to click. It’s the moment of truth! There’s a lot more to creating a high-converting button than simply getting the design right. Whether or not that button gets clicked depends on the button label, the text around the button, and even the content on the rest of your website. This week on Hit Publish, host Pamela Wilson invited three Copyblogger experts to share their best advice on creating buttons that work“. Button Boost: How to Label and Design High-Converting Buttons ‘Copyblogger’... [...]