Dynamic Graphics

Tips to Consider BEFORE Designing Your Website

Sue — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:38:14 +0000

1) Plan Your Site: Before turning on your computer, consider the layout, page structure and how users will move from one page to another (navigation). Then, sketch out your site on paper.
2) Understand Your Audience: Knowing your audience will help set the tone for your content and layout, as you identify what visitors will be looking for on your site. It’s also important to consider popular web browsers and your visitor’s screen resolution size so that they see your site the way you intended; you can find this data in most site analytics tools. If you’re not sure how wide to make your site, 960px is a great place to start.
3) Allow for Easy Navigation: Since people often read from left to right and top to bottom, the upper left-hand corner of your site is the first place your visitors will look. Place your navigation buttons here and keep them consistent, along with font and color choices, for easy reading and fluid movement from page to page.
4) Choose a Color Scheme: If you’re designing your site around an image, try uploading it to a color palette tool, like DeGraeve.com‘s, for example, for complementary color suggestions. Be sure to remain consistent with your design patterns, and stick to no more than three font types and colors.
5) Use High Quality Photos: In order to give your site a more professional appearance, all images should be clear, focused, and of high resolution. An alternative to taking your own photos is buying them from istockphoto.com; at about five-dollars an image it’s an inexpensive way to visually take your website to the next level.
6) Test Your Site, Then Test Again: When you’ve created or redesigned your site, ask friends and family to test it for you. They may find things you’ve missed, or point out areas of confusion.

From ipower.com

Google’s First Page… Guaranteed! Why Reputable SEO Companies Don’t Promise Guaranteed Search Engine Rankings

Sue — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:28:53 +0000

from Site Pro News

January 18, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I visited one of the Internet Marketing/Small Business forums that I’m a member of, and noticed a new member had posted a typical newbie question in the SEO forum. The member wanted to know how she could be guaranteed to get her website on the first page of Google. As usual, members came crawling out of the woodwork with advice – including members who didn’t even own a website…..In other words, it’s impossible to promise something which you have no control over. But don’t take my word for it… this is what Google itself has to say about the matter:

“Beware of SEO’s that claim to guarantee rankings.” (Source: Google Webmaster Tools)

Wow…that statement is about as succinct as it gets. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE>>>

Google’s Results Get More Personal With “Search Plus Your World”

Sue — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:03:50 +0000

Google’s search results are undergoing their most radical transformation ever, as a new “Search Plus Your World” format begins rolling out today. It finds both content that’s been shared with you privately along with matches from the public web, all mixed into a single set of listings.

The change is live now, though not everyone will see it until it fully launches over the next few days. It’s only for those signed-in to Google.com and searching in English. You’ll know when it happens, because Google will alert you with a message like this above your search results: Read More>>>

Keep Your Website Simple

Sue — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:36:44 +0000

-from Manta.com

Time is a precious commodity these days. More than ever before, website visitors are looking for a solution to their problems in a quick and timely manner. They don’t have time to dig. So keep your web copy concise and to the point using short paragraphs, bulleted lists and bold text to highlight items of importance.

Google Panda Update: Could Inaccurate Google Data Be Costing Sites Traffic?

Sue — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:41:04 +0000

10/4/2011 – from Web Pro News

Late last week, it was discovered that Google had rolled out another version of the Panda update earlier in the week. Industry voices have dubbed the update “2.5″. Google dubbed it “one of the roughly 500 changes we make to our ranking algorithms each year.”

Did you notice a drop or increase in traffic in the past week or so? Let us know.

SearchMetrics put out lists of the top winners and losers from the update. Some sites were surprising, some weren’t. Interestingly enough, eHow and EzineArticles, which were previously “pandalized” were not on the loser list this time. EzineArticles would not offer comment, and eHow (Demand Media) told us that they’ve been pleased with the results of a massive content clean-up initiative they’ve implemented this year. Read More>>>

Facebook malware attack

Sue — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:31:57 +0000

News about attacks on your computer… 8/19/2011 – from www.zdnet.com: “Researchers from GData have intercepted a currently circulating Facebook malware attack, that spreads via chat messages. Messages used for spreading bist du das?? aaaaaahahahahaahahaha “hey is this your ex?? lol [LINK] „omg you look so cute [LINK]” Once the user clicks on the shortened URL, he’s exposed to a executable file that looks like an image file. Upon clicking on the executable a “Picture cannot be displayed” error message appears. In between the malware is stored in the Windows %TEMP% folder and executed. Users are advised to be extra vigilant when dealing with links found on Facebook.