While having a lot of ideas is great, implementing them into a website in an unorganized way will make things confusing for your website visitors when they navigate through your site.  Increase your website’s effectiveness and improve your business website by getting rid of these 5 elements:   Confusing Animation Animations tend to have a big file size and therefore take a while to load. It’s best to test how much time your animation takes to load. If it takes too long, scrap it.

Google Panda, first released in February 2011, is an update “aimed to lower the rank of ‘low-quality sites’, and return higher-quality sites near the top of the search results.” This has influenced the way web developers and publishers think of website building because Panda sifts through and penalizes sites with mediocre content. Since its first rollout, the filter has affected 12% of the internet’s content farm that are poorly written or irrelevant. Now on its second year, Panda has gone through major changes and upgrades to ensure quality search engine results to the Google market. Related Searches A bigger coverage […]

Although there are many factors that contribute to how and what people buy online, Color remains one of the strongest and most persuasive visual cues. Web and graphic designers depend on a set color scheme for each of their designs. Color is laid out not only to set out an overall mood for your site, but also to influence your site visitors to do certain actions like view, read, click or purchase. Here are some quick tips before deciding what color scheme to go with for your business website or online store: 1. Know your target market. Identify your target […]

While most businesses now have online stores or business websites, there are many who still haven’t embraced social media to the fullest. If you already have a Facebook fan page for your small business, why not add your Google+ page next. Like Facebook, Google+ allows you to post and share photos, videos, messages, and other information of value to your customers and circle of virtual friends. Create a Page To setup your own Google+ page, you must have a Google Account so register one if you don’t. Once logged in you can now create your Google+ page. Showcase Yourself Sign […]

Best practice tip: Write for humans, not solely for search engines.   Site readability is a must when you have a website. Studies have shown that web readers don’t read everything on a page and that we consume content by skimming through chunks of text. As you would have on a physical store, customer experience is key to good business, and your business website should be user-friendly as you can make it. Aside from having search engine-optimized content, you also need to have readable typography, concise text and supporting images on your page.  Some tips: Text contrast. If you have […]

Given the fact that people have already been on the internet for a long time and have looked at thousands of websites, they can easily tell if one is good or not. Not mentioning the fact that when it comes to choices available online, the consumer’s options are literally endless. Your small business website is one way of tapping into your customers’ psyche and it is important to understand how good business web design affects consumer behavior. It only takes seconds for the mind to form an opinion if your website is worth people’s browsing time so learn how to […]

A poorly-designed landing page can ruin your marketing efforts in an instant, which would be a pity considering you’ve managed to convince people to go that far into your business website. Having an effective internet marketing plan that succeeds in getting potential clients involves having a well-thought out landing page that is both appealing and convincing. Follow these simple tips to make sure your landing page works for you rather than against you: Keep it Short and Sweet – Once your visitors are on your landing page, give them clear and simple directions. Icon links usually work best for this […]

Following up on last week’s post on “Reach Out to International Markets with Your Ecommerce Website,” here are 10 practical tips to help you on your way to reaping the rewards of eCommerce for your small business. Good eCommerce web design is all about thinking what your customer’s needs are and anticipating what they will look for when they visit your site. To maximize the chances of converting visits to sales, there are several features you should have that will make the process smooth and efficient for everyone. Search Field – This is the first thing visitors will look for […]

For the past decade, e-commerce has been making its mark on the web. More and more entrepreneurs are setting up business websites that not only promote their products but also allow consumers to purchase online from anywhere in the world. Nowadays, all it takes is a payment gateway and shipping address for companies of all sizes to increase their revenue and grow their business without having to spend heavily on traditional marketing and advertising. If you are considering upgrading your small business website to accommodate eCommerce, there are a few things you’ll need to understand in order to make it […]

Whether you’re a multi-national business giant or an entrepreneur single-handedly running a small business, the benefits of an effective press release for your company are undeniable. Unlike common advertising where consumers have grown wary and desensitized, people tend to be more trusting of information from an official press release as this is regarded as more credible. What’s more, press releases play a big role in search engine optimization, since you are at liberty to throw in keyword rich phrases that consumers are likely to search for. For a press release to be effective, it must be well thought out and […]