If you are planning to launch a website for your business then here are a few deadly mistakes that you should avoid while designing your website.

Layout

First of all the width of your website should fit in the screen of the computer.  Side to side scrolling is a very bad idea that will irritate a visitor. While it is all right to scroll a little up or down, width of the website should never exceed the standard screen sizes. One other solution to this problem has derived in the form of liquid layout designs which can adjust itself to the dimensions of the screen and make it compatible to various web browsers as well as the hardware used.

Symmetry

Symmetry is considered to be the basic aspect of beauty. It is true in case of websites. Center alignment provides the perfect look as desired by the visitors retaining them for a longer period in the website.

Backgrounds & Borders

Backgrounds and borders provide a great look to websites and are eye catchy elements that attract the attention of the onlooker. However, overdoing them can as well distract the viewers and defeat the purpose. Hence moderate and attractive backgrounds and boarders are a plus to web design.

Fonts

Often people scan through the websites and using obscure fonts might irritate them from scanning the textual content. Choosing a commonly available font can help you increase the readership. The size of the font also matters if you’re presenting a lot of minute details about your products and services.

Navigation

Yet another flaw that shatters the performance of a website is the navigational flaw. All of the web pages should be available to the visitor within three clicks. If any of the important messages that have to be conveyed is unreachable within three clicks, then your website design is certainly working against your interests. Including a back button that enables the visitor to reach homepage from other pages is a good idea.

Clarity of Message

The most important of all is the clarity of message in the home page of the website or the cover page of the business brochure. Often people who concentrate on various design technicalities make the blunder of providing blurred messages that do not convey the purpose of the marketing collateral. This should be strictly avoided and the message should be made crystal clear. The use of techniques such as headings, sub headings, bullet points and italics can deliver the message effectively to the readers. Usage of images and promotional images are best known for its appealing looks that attracts more visitors.

As always, contacting the experts is the best way to get a fantastic website from the start. Call Marketspan to discuss your requirements.

The QR codes can hold the contact details of the business card holder which are easily transferred digitally and others redirect you to a printed link which can be interactive codes or promotional materials such as brochures or pamphlets. On scanning these promotional codes the viewer is redirected to the promotional page of the website which has the complete details of the packages or the products.

And let’s not forget as the QR codes are a form of design hence it adds on a very appealing aesthetic feel to the business cards which forces one to stop and have a look on the QR business card placed on the table or lying among other of hundred cards.

Add a diversifying digital factor and uniqueness to your business card.

Contact Marketspan for details.

Check them out www.dallings.co.uk

You can even send a “Happy May 4th Day” card to a friend!!

On 24th February,  Google’s most recent large algorithm update saw many websites’ rankings (and therefore traffic) fall away. It’s subsequent release to the rest of the world in April saw a similar effect. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that for most websites, their rankings have only just begun to be effected.

This most recent update, seems to be effecting many smaller websites. Whilst Google is eager to downplay the size of the most recent update, it is clear that for many people the effect may be worse than the initial release.

What does this mean for you? Well, if you have duplicate content issues then you really need to sort them out! Furthermore, Google’s algorithm is increasingly becoming smarter at judging the quality of a website – no longer on just a content level, but also on a design level.

Recent updates to Google Analytics’ tracking code include a new metric to measure page load speeds. This hints at another new metric Google will use to evaluate your website’s quality. If a page takes too long to load then that’s bad for visitors  and Google will stop sending visitors that way.

Whilst standard SEO techniques still stand, it is more important than ever to ensure your website has high quality, unique content that is genuinely engaging,  insightful for users and visitors and most of all interactive via social media avenues.

For more help with you sites search ranking, contact Marketspan.

Need more proof – search ‘SEO Edinburgh‘ and you will find that we are 3rd/4th in the organic listings – quite impressive for a small firm with such massive competition!

Find your unique profile name for ALL platforms using this handy website … Name Vine

17%. That includes the big player’s right through to the one-man bands, so what’s taking them so long to realise the opportunity they are missing out on?

Presumptions?

This is just a phase, it’s a fad, it’s overrated, etc. We know it’s hard to figure out the gold-dust from the bull, especially when every new marketing/technology article claims to contain ‘The Next Big Thing’ – well this actually is. And it is here to stay.

And in the time it’s taken everyone to wake up to the importance of mobile websites, a whole new platform has emerged; the tablet!

Although the screen is bigger therefore permitting main websites to be viewed, sometimes the basic info is all customers need so a mobile-site is still applicable and should be optimised for this handset.

Fear?

Oh no! We’ve just spent all this money on developing our website into an all singing-all dancing interactive arm of our sales team – and now we’re told it needs to be ‘simple’ and not feature many options!

Fear not, the actual main body of the site doesn’t need to be changed. As long as you inform your mobile website developer which links or pages of your site are most popular, these can be the focal point of your site and visitors will always have the option to view the original website as well.

Too much effort?

Now you’ve got used to updating your Company News, Facebook and Twitter once in a while, will a mobile website just create unnecessary work for you?

Updating your mobile site is as easy as updating your main website as any new or edited content from your main site is added automatically, but at any time if your visitor priorities change, let your web developer know so we can make the mobile site user-friendly again.

The reality

Don’t be put off by fear, presumptions of mobile websites being a ‘fad’ or too requiring too much effort.

Every website is different; therefore every user experience needs to be treated with care, as your customers do. If you know which pages the majority of you customers go to (using Google Analytics for example), it will be a lot easier to create your site.

If you own a restaurant and you know most website visitors click to your menu and opening times, then these shall be the main click options of your mobile site. It’s as simple as that.

And don’t forget: allowing customers to buy from your site is also an option; this is called m-commerce.

Contact Marketspan to chat through this some more.

Contact Marketspan for ECommerce advice and to upgrade your shopping cart.