Websites (General) Archives - Page 2 of 10

Understanding that Domain Name Extension

Written by Webfoot on January 24, 2018. Posted in Blog, Websites (General).

Even though you will be primarily used to seeing .com at the end of a domain name, there are a whole host of other variations for you to choose from. Now, even though most would argue that the .com version is the best to have, which it is, this does not mean that you should be wary about other options if your first choice is not available.

So, how do you go about making your decision? How do you know that you have actually stumbled across the perfect extension? Well, there are several key points that you should perhaps keep in mind before you proceed any further.

1. What is Your Website About?

This is the first point, and it is also a rather important one as the reason for the mere existence of your website could prove to be useful in helping you with the domain extension.

For example, if you are primarily an organization, then aside from the .com option there is also .org to consider as this is certainly going to be appropriate. Also, if you are a business, then there is also .biz to perhaps think about as well. The reason why this is so important is simply because it provides a certain sense of cohesion with your domain and business in general.

2. Consider a Local Extension.

Different countries have their very own local extension and that can be another attractive option for a number of websites. Even though it is perhaps not as good as the .com concept, there is still a lot to be said for using something such as .us or .ca or .co.uk. By using these extensions, it means that people will also be able to instantly grasp where your website is based. This can be extremely useful for those websites that focus on a more local aspect so it is certainly one thing that should be looked into.

3. Forget About the SEO False Belief.

You will often discover that there are a number of people within the world of SEO that will state the .com extension is the best from their point of view. However, this is not entirely accurate.

Instead, one of the primary reasons as to why they state that this is the case is simply because the .com extension is the most popular around the world. This means that the most work has been carried out on this extension as well as the majority of individuals even just opting for this extension as they feel that they too need to follow the popular idea.

The truth is that it is the domain name alongside the SEO work that you carry out on your actual website that will make a difference.

The Difficulty with TLDs.

The difficult that exists with these domain name extensions is that there are currently over 400 different options out there. Of course, the majority of them are going to be useless for your website, but that is certainly not the case for all of them.

As we said at the outset, you need to think about the main reason for the existence of your website when choosing the extension ending. For most options, you need to forget about them simply because they will often only relate to websites that have a very specific business model as you would hardly expect a blog related website to have a .tv extension as nobody would even dream of searching for that.

In conclusion, choosing this extension is only going to involve you thinking carefully about your website model, the reason for it existing, and also what you would expect people to use in a search. Also, even if there is a .com available that ties in perfectly with your desired domain name, it may also be a prudent move for you to look at purchasing other extensions for the same name. By doing so, you will be working at improving your brand and doing so in an effective manner.

Of course, you may also want to consult with your web designer prior to purchasing your domain name and get their input on what would work best for you. Not only will their experience count for so much, but it will also reduce the chances of you making what could be a small, and yet significant mistake.

The Big and the Bold with Typography

Written by Webfoot on January 18, 2018. Posted in Blog, Website Design, Websites (General).

There is a belief held by many that typography has to be both big and bold for it to have an impact with the design of a website. However, that is not entirely true as there are so many variations when it comes to fonts and their sizes that it can easily become rather a complex issue to ascertain as to which font to use.

Of course, there is also the train of thought that it is going to be dependent on the placement and what you hope to achieve with your typography, so merely putting any old thing on your website could certainly prove to be counter-productive.

This then brings us to the question as to how on earth you deal with this rather pressing issue because you will clearly want to get things correct at the first time of asking. Remember, approximately 95% of all of the information that appears on the Internet is in the written word, so just throwing anything onto your website with your fonts is not advised.

Avoiding Mixing them Up.

Even though it may be tempting, you are strongly advised against mixing up the fonts and having numerous different styles all over your website. This not only makes everything look messy, but it will also prove to be rather confusing for the visitor, and that will hardly be conducive to them enjoying their visit.

You should really look at using no more than three different fonts on a website, but also keep in mind that you can use different sizes of fonts as well, so you do have slightly more scope than you would have perhaps previously imagined.

Consider Font Combinations.

If you are looking at using more than one font, then there is a very real requirement for you to consider font combinations. This will involve you using two fonts with the same characteristics to provide at least a certain sense of unity across your page.

Deciding to make use of fonts where one is naturally in bold and in your face while the other is more slender will only confuse your visitors as well as looking extremely messy.

Stick to Standard Fonts.

Even though it is clearly very tempting to go ahead and make use of a number of the cool fonts that are out there, it has been shown that standard fonts will often prove to be the winner. In fact, visitors react better to the standard fonts as opposed to anything else, so if you think that you are using an elaborate font to make things stand out, then you are wasting your time.

Instead, stick to what everybody already enjoys viewing as there is nothing at all wrong with that approach. However, say that there is a very apparent need for a custom font, then it is still advisable to not overdo it whenever you can. Just constantly remind yourself that people already know what they like, so doing something just to be different is not the best option.

Remember Line Length.

Finally, there is one last point that needs to be covered as it is often overlooked by designers and that is connected to the concept of line length. You simply do not want your text to go on for an eternity as it will not only look messy, but will also become difficult to read.

Keep line lengths as short as possible especially when you are dealing with main headings. The theory that a heading needs to be as descriptive as possible to garner attention is not as accurate as you may initially think. Instead, it is the typography that will often draw people into parts of your website rather than the text itself.

As you can perhaps see, there is more to the typography than just choosing some font and throwing onto your website in the hope that it looks good. Instead, careful selection of the font, how it is used, and also the size will play a major role in the overall appearance of your website. Uniformity will often be key in ultimately producing something that is pleasing to the eye, and considering you want to do everything and anything possible to not only attract visitors but also keep them there, then the last thing you want is for your use of typography to be your downfall.

Internet Marketing in 2018

Written by Webfoot on January 10, 2018. Posted in Blog, Digital Marketing, Websites (General).

Let’s face it, trying to effectively market yourself on the Internet is always difficult especially as the industry continues to grow on what appears to be a daily basis. At times, you may feel as if you are fighting a losing battle which is why it could be useful for you to take advantage of the main future ideas for marketing before anybody else.

For that, it is interesting to look at the expected trends for 2018 so you can begin to implement a plan in advance which should make it easier to then take advantage of these ideas.

Content Marketing is Key.

Content marketing has been important for some time now, but concise and effective content is going to continue to be on trend throughout 2018. The main idea in this area is that you get to the point as quickly as possible as people do not have the time to sit and work through a huge volume of content just for those few pieces of gold.

This becomes even more important when you consider that more people are now using their cellphones to navigate websites. As you would expect, they do not have the space to browse through a book, so keep it neat and your marketing will work out.

Always Remember to Keep it Responsive.

Your website has to include a responsive design and this is based on the sheer number of people that use their phone to check out what you are doing. Having a responsive design that makes it easier for them to navigate your website is also a part of marketing, so if you have not already incorporated this into your design, then you are missing out on a huge part of your potential market.

This is something that you can check yourself by going to your website on your phone. Does it all condense and still look good where you can see everything on the one screen? If that is the case, then good. However, if you have to scroll around like crazy to see everything, then it’s time for a revamp.

Influencer Marketing is Important.

Influencer marketing has been on the rise, but in the past it has been linked to the major players on social media that have a huge following. However, it is now the case that even the smallest of content producers on social media are wanting to get in on the act.

For this, you should look at using individuals that are clearly in your target market, and make sure that their audience is the same, but understand the rates for the industry when it comes to them promoting your products. Of course, those individuals may have an inflated sense of what they are worth, so do not allow yourself to be held to ransom as that is not going to do you any good at all.

Email Marketing is Hanging Around.

If you thought that email marketing would have long been dead, then you are wrong. Instead, it has seen something of a resurgence in recent times, and that is a trend that is going to continue throughout 2018.

One major shift is going to be with the increased use of interactive email. It is something that has been around for some time without being fully implemented by companies, but that is all about to change. An email is now going to have more than just a link for people to click on, so getting some design help in their creation is going to prove to be popular.

Becoming More Intelligent with Social Media.

Social media has to play a major role in marketing throughout 2018, but you need to be more intelligent with your approach. Yes, you have to be on these websites in order to make your presence felt, but there is something about not just putting any old thing on your profiles that is going to become more popular.

Keeping things concise, and making sure that every portal is linked will increase customer awareness of your brand, so using tools that allow you to do this from the one screen will be helpful.

As with any other trends, there is no reason for you to go ahead and adopt the techniques or methods as part of your own approach to marketing. However, when you think about how tough your industry is going to be, then you need to ask yourself the question as to whether or not it will prove to be useful to you to ignore it.

Are These the Web Design Trends for 2018?

Written by Webfoot on January 4, 2018. Posted in Blog, Website Design, Websites (General).

We’ve reached the end of 2017, and it is always useful to look at the potential trends for web design that are expected to become more prominent in 2018. Of course, there is no guarantee that these ideas are going to take off and become mainstream over the next 12 months, but there is certainly the potential for that to be the case.

Furthermore, understanding what the trends are going to be in advance does also allow you to possibly think about changing your website slightly so it can remain contemporary and not look out of date.

It has to be Clean.

The first thing is that the design has to be very clean. This is linked to the very real rise in cell phone usage for browsing websites, and those users only want something that is not cluttered or too difficult to navigate around.

The most important point here is that you get your main reason for a page across in a simple message but do not go over the top with all of the added extras that you feel is filling some blank spaces. It just is not worth it.

The Typography.

The ideas behind typography change on a regular basis especially when it comes to the design. In 2018, it is anticipated that typography is going to become bolder and more artistic with it being used to draw the visitor towards certain actions and grabbing their attention.

You will also find that the use of buttons is going to reduce in popularity as text links will become more prominent.

The Use of Subtle Animation.

Animation has been quite popular, but in 2018 it is going to be the time of being subtle that will come to the fore. We are talking about slight animation whereby there is limited movement on a graphic that is complete in next to no time at all. This could include the use of animated logos on websites and it is all thanks to the way in which browsers, as well as devices, are now better equipped than ever before to deal with the power that is required for these animations to work smoothly.

The Bespoke Illustration.

Illustrations can be an effective tool in your design, but in 2018 it is not going to be about using the same illustration as a number of other websites. Instead, the bespoke illustration concept is going to take off and it does mean that there is the opportunity to do something that is very individualistic right from the beginning.

The idea of having this unique illustration is that it can be built into your brand development which is also going to be very useful when it comes to the marketing of your website.

Imagery that is Authentic.

Photography has always been important in web design, but there is going to be a further push on making sure that the images are directly related to what your website is all about. Furthermore, there will be an increase in the hiring of professional photographers to take bespoke images specifically for that website and its aims so the use of stock images is certainly going to decrease.

Video is the Star.

Video has been used extensively in recent years, and that is a trend that is going to continue throughout 2018. The fact that devices are becoming more powerful does mean that a website is less likely to be slowed down, so using video is certainly going to be a good move.

The only advice with this part is that the video should be related to what you are doing so do not think that you could just go ahead and include it so that everything looks nice because that is just not going to work.

Those are just a few of the potential ideas and trends that are expected to play a major role in web design over 2018. Of course, there is no reason for you to actually go ahead and use these ideas as your website is your design and if something works for you, then stick with it.

However, just being made aware of what the industry is looking at can always prove to be useful. If you feel like a change is required, then contact your designer and see what changes they feel they can make.

Perhaps Your Ultimate Tips For Choosing Your Color Scheme

Written by Webfoot on December 19, 2017. Posted in Blog, Graphic Design, Website Design, Websites (General).

Let’s face it, no matter how good the information or products on your website may be, people will be immediately turned away if your website is not pleasant on the eye. One major area where there is often cause for concern is with the color scheme as it’s fair to say that some schemes are rather sore on the eyes.

So, with that point in mind, you may be interested to know how you should even go about selecting your color scheme in the first place. After all, this is something that you want to get correct at the first time of asking as it is a costly business to change it later on.

Thankfully, there are several key points in mind that should make a difference.

Remember People are Color Blind.

The first point is to remember that some individuals are color blind. If you use colors that are difficult for those that are not color blind to comprehend, then you are going to be eliminating a percentage of your market.

This is something that your designer can look into, but it is certainly something that has to be kept in consideration during the design process.

Keep Your Audience in Mind.

When choosing colors, you need to keep your audience in mind at all times. After all, you need to choose colors that will be pleasant to them rather than making it difficult to even read what they see on the screen. This can even include looking at whether your main audience is local or international, in which case understanding the way in which different colors can be perceived culturally will also prove to be important.

Remember Your Brand.

At all times you must remember your brand because there is absolutely no point in having your brand and color scheme at odds against one another. When that happens, you simply give the impression that you are not in control of what is going on with your brand and it will ultimately lead to everything appearing to be rather disjointed. Clearly, this can then have a negative impact on your brand in general, so having continuity across the board will only ever reflect well on your online presence.

Create a Palette First.

There are different options available when it comes to creating a color palette before the design part is then in full swing. You don’t want to have too many different shades or completely different colors all on the one page as this makes it too busy for people to even concentrate on anything.

You are best to choose perhaps two main colors and then start to work from those two incorporating shades that blend in well with them. Look at color charts and build from that point, but do remember that you should not really have more than five colors on the one page, excluding photographs, or it can start to look messy.

Create a Rough Template.

Prior to becoming fully involved in the design process, it makes a lot of sense for you to create a rough template of a page with the color scheme that you have chosen incorporated into it. With this, there will be a number of potential ways in which it can go as you may decide that the color scheme just doesn’t work at all, or you could decide that you need to cut out a color or two.

Alternatively, you may look at the template and feel that the color you had initially chosen to be your primary shade should not be in that position as something else seems to be working better. However, the good part is you have not invested a considerable amount of time and effort up until this point, so making the relevant changes will prove to be rather easy to do.

As you can see, there is so much more to selecting a color scheme for your website than simply settling on shades that appeal to you on a personal level. Instead, you need to think about things in a more widespread manner as well as being sensible with your entire approach. Color schemes make a huge difference to the way in which your website is ultimately viewed by your visitors. Remember that they will make their decision as to whether or not they will go ahead and spend money within the first few seconds, so getting the colors correct will prove to be essential.