Karla Cook says, “With so many custom fonts readily available for download, selecting a combination of typefaces to feature on your next project can be an unexpected time sink. There are seemingly endless pairing possibilities — how can you be expected to choose? Whether you’re diving into a major website redesign or a creating a simple infographic, you need a font combination that looks professional, polished, and doesn’t distract from your content. And you need it fast. These designers have heard your cries for help, and developed free tools to help you make better... [...]

Joshua Sophy says, “Don’t make the mistake of rushing creation of your eCommerce website believing speed is all that matters when trying to get your products to buyers.. It turns out your rush job is likely going to lead to more skeptical customers than happy ones, according to new data from Vistaprint. Vistaprint (NASDAQ:CMPR) conducted a survey of about 1,800 consumers on their reactions to eCommerce sites. The verdict? The survey revealed, in general, consumers with a bad impression of a site are less likely to buy from it. The Impact of Poorly Designed Websites Specifically, consumers... [...]

Paul Randall says, “Be careful what you ask for, is always sound advice. And when you’re briefing an agency to create a new website or ecommerce store you need to be extremely careful. The consequences, good and bad, of that briefing will stay with you for some time. The results of dodgy assumptions or the wrong focus can be costly to fix once you’ve discovered your expensive new site is a flop. Briefs typically go wrong for a very simple reason: they start off focusing in the wrong place. The list of requirements is usually framed along the lines of ‘We need the website to…’... [...]

Austin Iuliano says, “What is the point of a website? Depending on who you ask you will get a plethora of answers. Some websites are designed to help you show up in google, others are there for credibility purposes, some are to sell products and services directly from the website. No matter what your answer is, in the end, they all come down to one thing. Selling! The world runs on the all mighty dollar, and the ability to sell is critical to all efforts of your business. That being said there are tons of different design trends year after year, and keeping up on them can be exhausting. There... [...]

Laura Forer says, “Some 1.2 billion people worldwide access the Internet from a mobile device. If your business doesn’t have a mobile-friendly site, then you’re missing opportunities. Furthermore, 55% of time spent with online retail occurred on a mobile device, according to one study. That stat and more are highlighted in an infographic by Harris Myers Business Development that explains why businesses should ensure their websites render and function well on mobile devices. In addition to simply making your site more accessible, mobile-friendliness helps achieve higher rankings... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “Before you jump into a website redesign project, start with a little inspiration. Here at HubSpot, we’ve created several resources that can assist you during the website design or redesign process (like this Excel workbook, and this SEO guide). But we also recognize that even if you’re seriously considering a website redesign, you might not be ready to get into the nitty gritty of the process right away. Maybe you’ve identified some issues with your site’s current design, but are still contemplating how you should correct those issues. Or... [...]

Drew Eastmead says, “If you are charged with adding content to your organization’s website, then you know that creating a new blog post or web page can require significant time and effort. Do you dread the process of working in your content management system (CMS)? Do you know what to spend time on? Are you paying attention to the right details and optimization strategies? It may take a writer several hours to create a content piece, and too often, we see that the same writer or editor rushes through the final portion — inputting the content into your CMS, such as WordPress, and hitting... [...]

Karla Cook says, “The landscape of web design is constantly evolving. Something that looked modern and fresh yesterday can appear dated seemingly overnight, and trends once dismissed as irrevocably passé can unexpectedly cycle back in vogue. To help you prepare for wherever the web design tide takes us in 2017, we’ve put together a list of 13 trends to keep a close eye on. Check them out below, and get inspired to tackle your web design projects this year with style. 13 Web Design Trends to Watch in 2017 1) Bold Typography More and more companies are turning to big, bold typography... [...]

Annie Pilon says, “For small businesses, having an effective website is no longer optional. But there’s a lot that goes into making your website really work for your small business. Members of our small business community are keenly aware of what it takes to put together a great website. Check out some of their top tips in the list below. Increase Engagement With Website Visitors Consumer attention spans aren’t as long as they used to be. So business owners and marketers need to be able to quickly engage with website visitors in order to convert them into customers. This SUCCESS agency... [...]

Martin Gill says, “One of the best parts about being a Research Director here at Forrester, rather than an Analyst, is I get to be involved in a wider range of research topics than before. I’ve always been interested in mobile, but I’ve never really covered it as a subject. We have an embarrassment of way more qualified analysts like Julie Ask, Mike Facemire, Jenny Wise, and Thomas Husson to name a few. Their knowledge on the subject far outstrips mine. So it’s been a fun journey over the last six months working with Ted Schadler as he’s espoused one simple, powerful, unequivocal... [...]