When should you have a CMS?
A CMS - Content Management System - is very useful when you are planning a website with a lot of dynamic content such as news, case studies, a blog or an online shop. It gives you the freedom to update your content, images, products, prices etc., when necessary and in your own time, without having to rely on your web designer.
In times of free open source CMS programmes such as Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal & Co., more and more websites are built with a CMS. However and especially for smaller static websites where contents is not being updated on a regular basis a CMS is very often unnecessary and can sometimes even be a bad choice.
But how do you know what is suitable for you and your business and whether your website needs a CMS or not?
When you start planning your website try to determine as soon as possible whether or not you will include areas like news, a shop or a blog on your website which need regular updating. If you only plan to update your website once or twice a year, you can consider your website to be a static brochure website and a content management system will not be necessary.
Not only are the costs for the development of a website including a CMS higher and the development takes more time, but also using those open source systems can bring disadvantages as you might have template and layout restrictions. Data security can be an issue and web pages in a CMS are not as search engine friendly as individually hand coded web pages.
Smaller changes can easily be made by your web designer as and when needed or you can use very basic and minimalistic CMS like Cushy CMS. Your web designer will only need to add a line of code to the web pages and areas you would like to update, and you will be able to make some basic content changes yourself.
This will give you the freedom you need without having the extra costs of a complex CMS back-end, and once your business and website grows and becomes more dynamic, you can still think about adding a custom developed CMS to your beautiful custom made website.
What is the difference between Web Design and Website Development?
Design and development skills are both required in order to produce a fully functioning and successful website. Even though the intricacies of their workings may be totally different, their aims are similar – and one is as crucial as the other if you really want to see results.
However, it really is important to know the difference between the two, as when you are designing a new website, or asking your designer to put your new site together, you need a basic understanding of what you need to ask them for, i.e., what your visitors see when they look at a web page is the actual design of the page. What makes that website worth the time required for them to navigate it, is the development (which lies behind the scenes).
DESIGN
Good web design means creating great looking websites whilst ensuring they are still as user-friendly as they can possibly be. Experienced designers will have a wealth of knowledge and practice utilising not only HTML, but also CSS, Javascript and other graphics packages such as Photoshop, Fireworks and Flash to name just a few. By using these tools they create the foundations of the website and, together with you, decide right from the outset, just how your website should look when it's completely finished. The actual design result does not contain any coding and is just a graphical representation.
DEVELOPMENT
Web development is the programming in the back end which converts the beautiful design into a good working and professional website. The web development can be very basic for a small static brochure website or more complex for a website which requires to be dynamic, needs a content management system, payment facility, shopping carts or a register and login area with user name and password. Also online forums such as Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum are a good example of web development. To ensure that your website is performing well and remains competitive and the back end is flexible it is very important to engage experts when planning your website and to really think about what your website needs to do when you start and what functionalities you want to add to the site in the future.
The back end programming is also a vital element required in order to increase the visitor’s online experience - it is important to remember that the development goes hand in hand with the design which holds the visitor’s attention at the very beginning of the whole process.
If you want to produce a really user-friendly and professional-looking website, which is eye-catching, visually attractive and does the job you want it to do, both the design and the development need to be given your full attention in the planning process.
6 Tips to help you stick to your Web Design Resolutions for 2010
Are you one of those people who makes resolutions for your website and then, because you’re busy, busy, busy or because other demands come higher up on your list, you let them slip? If so, here are some tips to help you form a plan you can stick to with the overall aim of increasing traffic to your site:
1. Content
Updating the content of your site on a regular basis will help your search engine ranking and this alone could result in more visitors.
Do you calendarise reminders to send updates to your web designer? If not, set them up now!
If you rely on a developer to do this for you and you’re finding it expensive, you may be better off investing in a CMS (Content Management System) as you will see the return on your investment over time. If on the other hand your content isn’t updated because you don’t have the time and you haven’t asked anyone else to do it, delegate it now to a Virtual Assistant.
2. CMS
A professional web designer can develop a CMS which allows you or your PA to update your content and add additional content. Just remember, on some pages of your website the text will remain the same, and won’t need to be changed frequently. For example, you will probably want your contact details to remain static. Examples of these may be :
- Blog
- Newsletter
- Articles
- Be Organised
Your web designer will need to know which areas of your site will need to be changed on a regular basis so that he or she can plan the CMS accordingly. Your content obviously needs to be written and then added to your site. Whether you do this yourself or you delegate it, just schedule regular times to assign team-members or the people assisting you with sourcing images - there are writers out there who, for a fee can write your content for you.
3. Image & Design
You already have a corporate identity and your website needs to reflect this. A poor design gives an unprofessional image and if your existing design is not connected to your brand, potential customers may become confused.
When you make changes to your website, sometimes the design becomes affected so it is worth taking a cold hard look at the navigational elements to ensure that the information you have updated is within the relevant area of your site. It may be that you used a pre-set template which you have added to over a few months and this may no longer be appropriate for your content as your business evolves.
If this is the case, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your original designer could upgrade your site for you or, you could go to a new designer and ask them to re-organise your content to create a new and better image.
Keep in mind that under your new “organised” regime, you will be adding fresh content on a regular basis, so ensure that whoever you use for your re-design is aware of this before creating the new navigational aspects.
4. Ensure your website is working for you
Your site really needs to be working away for you in the background. For example, by linking it to your blog you are creating credibility in your area of expertise and you will improve your search engine ranking. If you sell products rather than services, your site should be an e-commerce site, selling those products while you work on other areas of your business. Don’t forget to show your visitors what you and your business can do for them – allow for an area to display client testimonials.
5. Prioritise & Get Smart
List the issues before taking steps to involve help. By writing them down, it will become clearer whether you need a designer, a Google Adwords specialist or someone who can build your CMS, or a combination of all of these. Most companies will assess the existing areas of weakness and provide a quote for their solution. It might however be a good idea to spend some time with all three of the aforementioned which will ensure your investment is well spent. The team you choose can then, between them, create a plan to produce your re-design according to your budget and priorities.
It is important to calculate a budget from the word go. It’s better to be realistic, and if you know you won’t have the time available to write a regular blog, either outsource it to your writer or VA or get rid of it! If you’d like your designer to manage your content updates, you can ask them to help you with the scheduling.
6. Easier Longterm Management
It really isn’t that difficult to re-plan your website and, like anything which requires a bit of thought and dedication, just think of the benefits it will bring to you and your business in the longer term. By having a clear, itemised schedule, developed in conjunction with your web designer, you will find it much easier to manage as well!
Web Design Trends for 2010
To keep your website visitors interested in 2010 you really need to ensure your site is visually more interesting and more visually stimulating than that of your competitors. If you haven’t updated it’s visual 'look' for some time, the new year is a great time to start.
In your move away from 2009 and into 2010, think about how your business has evolved over the last year and how you want to portray any new products or services within your new or updated website to keep the attention of your prospective clients.
To help give you some inspiration, here are some ideas of what to think about for 2010:
Using Large Text and Headers
To create a big impact, it’s not necessary to use Flash – it is still not great for the search engines and some may even say it has seen better days. Flash plugins are fine to use for the occasional banner, video or movie, but using Javascript and JQuery is a far more search-engine friendly alternative.
Instead KISS (the old sales abbreviation of 'Keep It Simple Stupid')! Use a banner or a large logo so that all your visitors have to do is scroll down to read about you, instead of having to perform several clicks to get to where they want to be.
Potential customers can become confused by too much information on a website, so simplify the words and paragraphs you display on your site to focus their attention on where you want them to go. This is bound to increase your conversion rates.
Magazine Layouts
Think about magazines and the way they are styled in such a way to attract reader attention. If you keep your paragraphs short and think about displaying them in blocks next to relevant and interesting images, this will not only be appealing to your visitors but it will also allow the visitor to really focus on what interests them.
Ulster Grocer
Funky Fonts
Have you thought about using some unusual fonts instead of the regular Arial, Times New Roman, etc. Funky fonts are fun and help to ensure your site remains unique and different from the 'norm.' A website that utilises typography in this way will be far more interesting to read than using just photos and images.
Fonts.com for great font ideas
The Business Card Layout
This is another way of keeping things simple and does away with the need for the user to navigate, as they will have all the information they need on one page. It will also help you by get rid of all the old content which is no longer relative. If you decide to use this style, it will be more of a 'holding page' telling your visitors how to locate you and your blog, your social media sites, etc., not forgetting of course your business testimonials. These layouts will reflect personal profiles and will probably have more of a casual feel about them.
The use of large Images
Illustrations, designs and logos help to keep your visitors' attention and not only help your site to stand out from the crowd, but also look appealing. Large images create a visual impact which will stick in your visitors' minds. The images draw the visitor into your site simply by their very size.
Using icons in the place of text
If you research some websites designed with children in mind, you’ll notice these sites often use icons instead of text as, again, icons are a way of keeping to keep things simple. They make it as easy as possible for your visitors to click on exactly where they want to go.
Project Icons
The use of White Space
Too many sites use strong coloured backgrounds which are not great on the eye and make it difficult to read the important messages you are trying to get across. White and cream or more muted colours are best for background space in order to keep your visitors’ attention focused on what you're telling them.
Having said all this, it doesn’t mean you have to have a very minimalist website. By simply removing out of date or unnecessary elements of your site will, by default create a simpler visual picture.
Modal Boxes
Another trend that’s on the way in is a modal box. You could compare it to a pop up box although it is much more subtle and sophisticated. Modal boxes are interactive, requiring your visitor to take action - here is an example:
Great to use for alerts, contact forms or downloads
Testing
Tests should be carried out on your site to establish which features are redundant so that they can be eliminated in your new re re-vamped site. To display elements without reason is just helping towards confusing visitors and possibly preventing them from getting to where they want to be. Remember not a lot of people have a lot of time these days and if your site features too much information, your potential customer may just go somewhere else.
Minimalist
Think about a blank canvas on which you can make a bold statement. By using blasts of colour coupled with clever typography, you can create a very impactful website.
Larger Footers
By using a large footer, it can become more an integral part of your whole design. Within the footer you could feature your social media, for example, Twiiter and Facebook updates.
Vintage Designs
Have you thought about using a vintage design using colours from the 30s or 40s? This would create a refreshing change for your 2010 website.
Intro Boxes
An Intro Box is a great way of introducing yourself without the need for an 'About' page. It’s a good idea as it means you only have limited space in which to really get your message across. For example, you may just wish to feature your logo, state the name of your company, contact details and ask your visitors to click to take them to the page where they can read about you and your testimonials.
What are ‘Call to Action’ buttons?
Wow, your search engine ranking is high and your website is on the number one page in Google. You are getting lots of visitors to your website, but hey, why are they not doing what you want them to do and why are they not converting into leads?
Well this is why all of your pages within your website should have a clear and easy to find 'Call-to-action' button.
Call to action buttons are links within web pages which result in an action from the user.
The most popular of these are buttons which, when clicked on, perform an action (e.g. "Free Download!") or take the user to a web page containing additional information (e.g. "Sign up now…") These buttons are asking the user to take action.
Successful Call to Action Buttons
For call to actions to work successfully they need to be planned well and should be part of your information architecture process.
Draw attention with size
Within web pages the size of a visual effect dictates its level of importance. Once you have decided how important a certain action is, you can decide on the size of your button. Compare the size of call to action buttons with business logos. If you want to grab the user’s attention, the call to action button should be approximately 20% wider than the logo. Although the logo might be situated higher up on the web page, the eye is drawn to the action button due to its size in comparison with the surrounding elements. To indicate the relative importance of a call to action compared to other actions, you can vary their sizes.
Placement on the web page
To draw attention to a call to action button it is always preferable to place them higher up on your web page. This is because visitors to your page will be more inclined to see the button and therefore subsequently to take action.
Putting a call to action button on a distinguished area is one way of making it stand out in a web layout.
Another effective alternative is to place a call to action button prominently in the middle of a web page.
Ensure your call to action buttons stand out from surrounding text by clever use of whitespace. The more whitespace there is in between a call to action button and a surrounding element, the less connected they are but conversely, if you have other elements that can help convince users to take action, reducing the whitespace between those and your call to action button could be the way to go.
Use strong colours
The use of bold contrasting colours in your call to action buttons will draw attention to them compared to their surrounding elements and displaying the not so important actions below the primary actions makes perfect sense.
Convey a sense of urgency
By using persuasive words such as NOW and IMMEDIATELY it is possible to change the user’s thinking and convince them that by procrastinating they might miss out. Explain what users can expect and tell them that taking action is not as difficult as they might at first think.
Eliminate any concerns users may have by anticipating the questions which might hold them back before clicking on a button - you can answer them in advance, thereby building trust and increasing click conversions.
Why should a website be compliant with standards?
People often tell me they have a “friend” who is technically-minded and who has offered to design their site for them for next to nothing. So why should they go for a professional web designer?
Understandably most people don’t know what professional web design involves or how long it takes. A professional web designer spends time perfecting the detail and will develop a website which is compliant with standards and understandably charges accordingly for his or her time.
Comparing the two, you need to understand the web standards issue. Here are just some of the benefits of standards compliance:
Protecting your website
For web pages to display correctly within a browser, they need to validate. Those which don’t validate rely on error correction by the browser itself and the concern is that future browsers may not work in the same way they do now, resulting in a website “breaking” as technology moves on. Due to the fact browsers are built to comply with existing standards it is vital your new website is compliant.
A standards compliant site will not only improve search engine visibility but can help with performance. As a standards compliant site is error-free, the pages contained within it are far more likely to be indexed. Like browsers, search engines use error correction on pages which don’t validate but there is no way of knowing how a search engine will treat an error – it could index just a specific part of a page or even miss out certain pages completely. Web pages which validate are found by a browser more quickly than those containing errors.
A standards compliant site helps ensure your website is accessible. Despite your site containing all the relevant coding to allow disabled users to view it, one error in a page could mean it is not accessible at all.
How do you know if the time is right for a re-design?
Why a re-design is so important
There are a lot of people who set up a website and then leave it alone, never re-evaluating the design or updating the content.
Presumably their aim is to gain business from their website - doing nothing is not going to get them the results they’re hoping for, as unfortunately it is not that simple. Successful websites are not static advertising boards and owners, together with their designers, work hard at keeping their content fresh.
Like most things, website design changes as time and technology move on. Even elements which were popular last year are already going to look dated. It is crucial to provide your visitors with regular updates which clearly portray the message your business is sending out.
Checklist to help you decipher whether or not your site requires a re-design
If your site features out of date technology, it is more than likely crying out for a re-design. Below are some out of date elements which are good enough reasons for you to ask your designer to re-design your site:
Your site:
- Has been built entirely on Flash
- Includes Tables. Table-based designs can confuse spiders which see more than what is visible to your site visitors
- Uses Frames
- Contains Intro pages
- Features out of date content
- Contains Web 2.0 glossy buttons
- Has not been updated in the past two years
- Doesn’t feature a Content Management System
- Is not being found by Search Engines and your ranking is low
- Conversion rate is low and you are not obtaining any leads
Stay one step ahead of your competition and if your main competitor has just re-designed their website, you should re-design yours!
Remember a good site plan is required in order to create a successful website.
Why planning a website is so important
The most important part of getting a website is the planning because this will be vital to the success of your website. To carefully plan in the beginning will avoid errors, safe costs and will make a better end product.
1. Set your goals
Setting goals will give you the focus as you plan the various elements of your website
- Why do you need a website?
- What type of website do you need?
- What functionalities does the website need in order to achieve your objectives?
- What do you want to achieve with your website and what do you want your visitor to do?
2. Research
- Who is your target market?
- Where is your target market?
- What is your target market looking for?
- Check out your competition - what do you like and dislike?
- What techniques are available and what will suit your needs?
3. Target your market
Your target market defines your brand and this will be very important for the right choice of the
- domain name
- design
- content
4. Write your content
The content is king and is important to draw your visitors into your website and to grab their attention.
- What information does your website need to include?
- How much content will you need?
- Research and include the keywords you are targeting to rank highly in the search engines
5. Develop a structure for your website
This will be important for your navigation and to make it easy for your visitor to find what they are looking for.
- Create a website hierarchy with your most important pages at higher level
- Decide how the content will be divided
- Group the pages according to topics
- Think about how visitors will navigate your website and what you want them to do
6. Start date & update frequency
- Set yourself a goal as to when you want the website to start and when you want it to be launched
- How often do you plan on updating your website - daily, weekly or monthly?
Now you can start with the design of your website - bearing in mind your website goals, target market and your content.
Ingredients for Successful Web Design
Good design and layout is crucial to your website’s success. Here, OS WebDesign gives you some key design rules:
1. Have a clean and simple layout
The layout is how your web page is arranged. Pages should be easy to read and uncluttered. They should each contain a handful of paragraphs and a small amount of design and/or imagery, together with your business logo and contact details. Your website should also fit within a standard browser window.
2. Opt for easy navigation
The navigation buttons or links of a website are usually placed in one of three areas: across the top of a page or down the left or right hand side. Regardless of where you choose to put them, try to keep the text on the buttons or in the links brief. Anything longer than one or two words will cause this part of your layout to be too wide and crowd your content area. You can usually fit up to eight buttons (may be less depending on how much text is used) across the top of web pages. Some layouts with top page primary page buttons will display sub page links in a second row across the top or down the left hand side of the page. Navigation buttons down either side of the page do not run into any limitations due to the endless amount of vertical space. Remember though, the amount of text on the buttons will greatly affect the amount of space for content.
3. Use soft, neutral background colours to keep the focus on the content
Choose your colours carefully. Keep in mind that your tastes may not be appealing to your target audience! Think about the ‘white space’ on your site. In general, white space is the cornerstone of good website design. Keep the background areas where your information or products will be displayed white or another light/pale colour. Dark or oddly coloured backgrounds distract visitors from your information and can make it difficult to read. Background images are a big no-no for the same reasons and can make pages load more slowly. Coloured text should be used sparingly. Contrast is key or it can be very difficult to read.
4. Make sure your website looks good in different browsers
Web designers have no control over which browser someone will use to look at your website. Browsers are software programs – such as Mozilla, Firefox, Safari and Opera -- that enable you to view WWW documents. There are a range of external factors that effect how a web page will look to the user. These include:
- The user's computer system
- The preferences the user has set up
- How the browser decides to interpret the page
- Whether the browser supports the code used on the page
- Bugs in the web browser
Hello and welcome
Hello and welcome to my blog,
This blog is aims to provide information about latest website issues and and web design trends.
Thank you for visiting
Onika
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Recent Posts
- When should you have a CMS?
- What is the difference between Web Design and Website Development?
- 6 Tips to help you stick to your Web Design Resolutions for 2010
- Web Design Trends for 2010
- What are ‘Call to Action’ buttons?