Jonathan Pavoni says, “Today more than ever your website is the face of your organization. Many times it’s the first impression that prospects have with your brand, and it will leave a lasting impact whether positive or negative. In addition, your website should play an integral role in helping you grow your business. Specifically, it needs to help you: generate qualified leads, educate prospects through the stages of the sales cycle, and finally help you deepen existing customer relationships. The sad news is that there are many websites out there that are still “brochureware”. These... [...]

Shari Thurow says, “An optimized website is easy to navigate. In fact, one of the main reasons that people switch to a competitor site is navigation difficulty. So I created this navigation checklist to help web professionals ensure that their site’s navigation system is effective for both humans and technology. In Part 1, I went over the following navigation design and architecture best practices: Website Navigation Supports & Enables Task Completion Website Navigation Supports & Reinforces The Site’s Information Architecture Website Navigation Should Be Noticeable & Distinguishable... [...]

Pete Prestipino says, “Minimalist Web pages have been popular among designers for quite some time, but the trend is evolving in some elegant and sophisticated ways.  Today, for example, you might see standalone websites use video backgrounds on these often sparse pages. One incredibly lightweight (coming in at just 3.6K) jQuery plugin to check out, if a Web page video background appeals to your design sensibilities, is Vide. The plugin works on all modern desktop browser (including IE9+), and while it has some trouble working on iOS and Andoird devices”. Create a Video Background... [...]

Shari Thurow says, “People make assumptions about website navigation, often to the detriment of findability. We assume that the web designer or developer is naturally knowledgeable about effective site navigation. Does the designer’s or developer’s home page have a jqueryhomepage slider that takes up the majority of the screen? Or cool drop-down and fly-out menus? Granted, any designer or developer naturally likes to show the breadth of his or her expertise. I have a different reaction than most people when I see those items on a website. My immediate question is why the “wow” factor... [...]

Rachel Chilson says, “The economic potential of online communication is $45 trillion, according to research by Common Sense Advisory. Clearly, the Internet is rich with opportunities to sell your products globally. According to that same study, however, if you have only an English version of your website, you’re limiting yourself to one-third of that revenue. Your website is your storefront to the world. If you want to reach targeted locales around the globe, you’ll want to consider localizing your website to meet your audiences’ unique needs—and there’s more... [...]

Ben Davis says, “More and more we are used to slick mobile websites that focus on functionality above all else, and quite right, too. Arguably when we visit web entities we have less patience than ever before. Certain generations are starting to build up some serious hours of learning online, navigating websites, social networking and getting stuffdone. These users are developing an innate understanding of web design, even if subconscious. What this means is that the online world is fast finding its own feet, its design conventions, when viewed as a channel for interaction and productivity”. Does... [...]

The latest article on HubSpot blog is titled “3 Common Homepage Problems (and Their Solutions)”. Laura Hogan says, “There are two types of homes. The first are homes that make you feel cozy and comfortable enough to put your feet up. The other group are homes that make you feel uncomfortable, stiff, and afraid to touch anything. The former is the feel we want on our website homepage. When visitors feel at home, they stay a while, get comfortable, poke around, look at your photos, and feel like they belong. If your homepage feels like a museum, they’re likely to leave before... [...]

The latest ‘Web Marketing Today’ blog post is titled “8 Design Trends for 2014”. Drew Coffin says, “With 2014 one-half complete, it’s time to look at emerging trends in web design. Some trends have been gaining popularity for several years, while others are more recent. If you’re a professional designer or online marketer, keeping up with web design trends can help your site or your marketing efforts. Responsive Design Responsive design is less of a “trend” and more of an increasingly effective response to the variety of Internet capable devices in use today. Users no longer... [...]

The latest post on ‘Copyblogger’ Blog is titled “Easy Design Tricks That Will Lift Your Web Sales”. Demian Farnworth says, “Advice about web design, as a rule, either concerns itself with established conventions like “design for humans” or arcane tips such as creating responsive images with the “srcset” attribute. Tricks of conversion, however, don’t typically appear in the ordinary design presentation … You know, those little design secrets that make all the difference between something beautiful and something beautiful and profitable. Until now”. Easy Design... [...]

The latest ‘Econsultancy’ blog post is titled “Adaptive web design: pros and cons”. Graham Charlton says, “Responsive design may be the more popular option for business right now, but that doesn’t mean that alternative approaches like adaptive design shouldn’t be considered.  Today sees the release of our Mobile Web Design and Development Best Practice Guide, which looks in detail at mobile site design and development. This taster from the guide looks at the pros and cons of an adaptive web design”. Adaptive web design: pros and cons ‘Econsultancy’... [...]