Archive for the ‘Web Design’ Category

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It’s all Greek to me: What is this Lorem Ipsum stuff anyway?

Monday, May 13th, 2013

If you’ve ever worked with a graphic designer on a website or print project, there’s a good chance you’ve gotten a mock up back with what appears to be Greek words. It usually looks something like this:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed dignissim, elit sit amet mattis egestas, libero eros scelerisque nisl, vel laoreet sapien dolor sed elit. Cras vel enim sem, eget congue leo. Maecenas turpis libero, bibendum non elementum et, venenatis sit amet lacus. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

You might have first thought your designer was going crazy, or that they were possessed and had started speaking in tongues, but really what you saw was a design tool called Lorem Ipsum. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy copy used as filler when no actual content is available.

So why do we use it? Say I’m building you a website and you’re still writing the copy for the homepage so I have nothing to work with yet. I want to show you what it will look like once the text is in there. Sure, I could randomly hit letters on my keyboard to fill the space, or repeat “Content to come, content to come, content to come, content to come…” but neither would do a very good job representing what actual content –with full sentences, periods and paragraphs—would look like.

That’s where Lorem Ipsum comes into play. Lorem Ipsum dates back to the year 45 BC, and was originally pulled from a classic piece of Latin literature. Basically, Lorem Ipsum generators pull from a library of words, combining them with punctuation to best represent realistic sentence structures.

Typing “lorem ipsum generator” into Google will yield hundreds of results. The generator I always use is lipsum.com, which pulls from over 200 Latin words and lets you choose how many words or paragraphs to generate and whether or not you want to start with “Lorem ipsum…”.

But if you’re working with a client with a bit of a sense of humor, you could try some of these generators:

www.lorizzle.nl

Lorizzle ipsum dolizzle brizzle amet, shit adipiscing elit. Nullam sapizzle velit, my shizz volutpizzle, sizzle doggy, dope vel, bizzle. Pellentesque eget tortizzle. Sed erizzle. Shizznit break it down dolor dapibizzle owned tempizzle fo shizzle. Own yo’ pellentesque ghetto bling bling yo. My shizz izzle tortor. Pellentesque eleifend black .

Hipsteripsum.me

Flannel letterpress irure, gastropub occaecat fingerstache vero iphone photo booth tousled proident qui. Polaroid gentrify yr authentic aliqua culpa, stumptown literally ethnic plaid. Accusamus wolf small batch, vinyl portland nulla hashtag seitan gentrify. Hella tofu ethical, small batch officia banjo placeat pinterest nesciunt try-hard high life. Brunch est umami aute pinterest raw denim. Id blog forage, cray single-origin coffee labore dolor selvage accusamus quinoa biodiesel.

Beeripsum.com

Hoppy acid rest tulip glass wort chiller wort chiller, berliner weisse, fermentation. bock draft (draught) caramel malt acid rest trappist. Brewing shelf life barley barleywine final gravity racking chocolate malt bacterial. alcohol; acid rest malt extract hop back black malt finishing hops; lauter tun. alcohol double bock/dopplebock priming copper dry hopping!

Baconipsum.com

Bacon ipsum dolor sit amet venison filet mignon ham hock pork chop tongue, doner ham short ribs pig jerky ground round capicola bresaola andouille fatback. Brisket short loin beef ribs fatback hamburger pancetta strip steak ham hock. Fatback frankfurter andouille pastrami, ball tip meatloaf rump swine drumstick jerky pig shankle sirloin kielbasa.

I would quote Samual L. Ipsum (slipsum.com), but that’s not suitable for work. Anyway, now you know what all this gibberish text is about!

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Get Better Conversion Rates From Your Contact Form

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

A conversion rate is calculated by the number of visitors visiting your site and performing an action, whether the action is buying something, filling out a form, or some other purpose of the website.  Your contact form is extremely crucial in this process.  Your site’s contact form is where users come to connect directly with you.  Improve the conversion rate of your contact form and you will most definitely increase your business.

Your contact form should be simple.  You should remove all unnecessary form fields.  By removing unnecessary form fields, you will increase the conversion rate dramatically.  A recent survey was done with 40,000 contact forms.  They discovered that conversion rates improved by almost 50% when the number of form fields were reduced from 4 fields to 3.  That’s removing just 1 form field.  That sounds too simple but, people like simple, and simple is what your form should be.

You should determine the least amount of info you need from the visitor filling out the form. Maybe just needing the NAME, EMAIL and PHONE NUMBER would suffice for your business.  Some forms may need a message field.  The visitor may need a little more clarification to why they’re filling out the form.  More than likely the visitor doesn’t know you or the company.  You need to create trust between the visitor and your business.  Try not to ask for sensitive personal information.  Be user friendly.  Don’t make your form complex.  Let the visitor know and understand what you’re doing with their personal information.  Assure them that their information will be kept in confident.  Make the experience simple and secure for the visitor filling out your form.  You’ll then see better communication and conversions from your website. A high conversion rate from your contact form is extremely important for any successful online presence.

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To DIY or Not to DIY?

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

I remember a couple years ago, seeing a commercial for one of those do-it-yourself website companies that have been popping up all over the place and thinking man, these guys are really trying to make it difficult for me to have a career. (I’m not going to name names, but let’s just say they’re not as “Intuit”ive as they claim to be.)

Happily, a few years later, I can say that my career as a web designer is doing better than ever. It seems that a growing number of small business owners are recognizing the importance of a good website, and are smart enough to understand that you can’t buy that for $4.99 a month.

Despite what some people may believe, web design takes time.  No out of the box, cookie-cutter website will ever be as good as a custom site crafted by a designer. Sure, a lot of what we do in web design is visual. Much thought is put into the look and feel of the site, and we know how to use color and layout to define hierarchy and attract the user’s attention to the right things. But equally if not more important, is what goes on behind the scenes to maximize the potential of a website, and this is probably the biggest area where the DIY websites fall short.

Since joining the 1SEO.com team a little over a month ago, I’ve been responsible for making content updates on over 70 websites, so I’ve gotten to work with pretty much every content management system (CMS) under the sun. Now, I have nothing against CMS, I actually think some of them like WordPress and Joomla! are terrific and make life easier for the designer and the client. A bad CMS, on the other hand, can make a designer want to rip her hair out. Sit, stay, insert an H1 tag, add a meta description, some CMS’s just won’t be obedient no matter how much you try to coax them. And your site’s rankings and performance are going to suffer for it.

I guess I have a bone to pick with DIY website companies to begin with. By saying that “anyone can be a web designer”, they are taking credibility away from my profession and diminishing the importance of academic training and experience in the field. Plus, it’s just not true. If you want to attract clients, get search engine rankings, and build your business, you simply can’t skimp on your website by building it yourself. Hire a designer to do it right the first time, and you’ll save time and money in the long run.

See you in the search results!

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The Variations of PHP Code

Monday, April 15th, 2013

PHP code is probably the single most popular source used today.

Why?

It’s flexibility and scalability is second to none. It can be combined with virtually any other source to execute endless customizations. PHP is most effective when used with databases. The most common database software is MySQL. Which when used correctly PHP scripts can perform extremely difficult programming tasks. Most web frameworks are constructed with PHP.  Its library is endless. There is however, a drawback.

PHP can be coded in many different forms. As popular as the code is there is no “one specific” uniform standard. Any expert in this particular field can build their code completely different than any installation at any time. To date I’ve run into at least 4 different variations which most times leaves me scratching my head. Ultimately in the end all variations tend to conform to one degree or another on some level. It takes time to analyze and eventually understand how the different configurations have been implemented. It can be very time-consuming doing so. It’s always best to take notes to track back mainly because of the fact we’re always updating content. We always have to remember how the configuration was the last time around. The larger majority of sites built to encourage guest or membership involvement tend to be about 80 to 90% PHP based. It’s very easy to install, and administrate. When developed and implemented correctly this code can practically run itself. All it needs is a little attention on a regular basis and you can grow a thriving personal website, on line existence and company all in one.

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The Dreaded Content Management System

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

The content management system or better known as “CMS.”

With the wide array of available scripts today, it’s inevitable a developer will be called upon to make changes to a client CMS.  In most cases, they vary on several levels with regard to administration.  Most scripts utilized by clients are free scripts such as Magento, WordPress, Thegemcart, PHPcake, Drupal, Joomla….the list is endless. None of which are administrated the same way. They tend to code their scripts in a way which forces the end user to wind up paying for service to support their site.

As a web developer, it’s my job to effectively support our client without the need to involve the manufacturer of said scripts. In some cases, making a simple change isn’t as easy as 1-2-3. One could be involved in making a change by sifting through thousands of files to find a single line of code to edit. It is a tedious and time consuming job.

The reason clients choose to utilize a CMS is mainly because it allows them to have full control of their site to make changes as they please without having to incorporate hiring their own website administrator. It’s a double edged sword though, as many clients have found administrating their own site isn’t as easy as it sounds. Properly running a content management system requires an understanding of basic HTML and how to navigate layers which all hook into each other to encompass a single page.

The CMS as I see it is the “headache” of the web development world. I guess in a perfect world there would be only one, unfortunately though there are hundreds of variations all very readily available to anybody with an interest of running and supporting their own all inclusive website.

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MOBILE and SEO – How To Make Them Come Together

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

As a society we become more and more reliant on technology. Whether it’s our need for faster results or our couch potato mentality, we are always looking for the easy way out.  Our mobile phones and other mobile devices like iPads and tablets have increased the need for SEO Companies and web developers to step up their game when it comes to optimizing these devices for the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Page).   There are many key factors to keep in mind when developing an SEO campaign for your mobile device.

One of the biggest issues with searching on a mobile device has always been the inability to navigate the site properly.  Small screens and unresponsive designs make clicking on the tiny navigation near impossible.  No, you don’t have “fat fingers”, the website you are navigating needs to be converted into a mobile friendly design.  Websites using HTML5 with responsive CSS will convert the website and not only improve the end-user experience, but will allow Google the ability to crawl through your content quickly and easily.

My biggest pet peeve with mobile websites is too much information.  Yes, there is such a thing.  Sometimes seeing a ton of content on a web page, especially a mobile web page, is a huge turn off.  When something becomes “work” we tend to back away.  Searchers to do not want to read through paragraph after paragraph of content in order to determine if you can fulfill their needs. Keep your content short and easy to read. Make sure it’s relevant to the keywords you want to come back for and the product or services you offer or sell. There is no reason to over inundate a searcher with filler content.

Another important part of developing a SEO campaign that is mobile device friendly is utilizing shorter keywords and the realizing the possibility of more local traffic.  People who are searching on their phones or iPads are typically in the “hurry up” frame of mind.  They are more likely to select shorter and more precise keyword phrases.  Searchers using a mobile device are also typically “on the go” and looking for local businesses.  Capitalizing on the local searches can mean quick profits for your company.

2013 is going to be a huge year for Google and mobile device usage.  As the trend for devices like iPhones, iPads, Androids, and tablets increase so does the need for better “mobile friendly” SEO campaigns.  Your website design, content, and keyword selections all play a very important roll in your effectiveness in the online market.  Take the time to review your mobile website or lack of one with your current SEO company.  Make sure you take full advantage of the increasing mobile traffic that is just begging to land on the right website!

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Should You Be Favoring Your Social Media Site Over Your Website?

Friday, October 5th, 2012

As I sit here and evaluate how Facebook continues to grow and their potential talks of a search engine, I know they are going to be around for quite some time (in my opinion anyway). However when I saw that Mashable released an article saying “50% of Consumers Value a Brand’s Facebook Page More Than Its Website” I was definitely shocked at the fact businesses would consider ridding of a traditional website in favor of a social network, although I can’t say I’m surprised.

I believe in a strong social media presence and engagement, but do not see it as a wise choice to favor a Facebook business profile page over a traditional website. As the business page came about it was to help enhance your businesses presence online but never to replace it (although could that be a part of Facebook’s master plan?)

There are a few reasons you might want to consider not relying on Facebook for your overall online presence. For starters, you don’t get to choose the updates that occur on Facebook (for example the uproar over timeline that rolled out this past year). You also need to understand that the design and layout is something you cannot control because in the end it is not your site. On the other hand with a traditional website that you own, you can design the way it looks and make any changes that you think will create higher conversions.

Another concern should be a no brainer you don’t “own” your social profile. Think of it this way you have to abide by all their terms and conditions. If you fail to corporate they have every right to deactivate your account. So in having said that since you technically do not own your social profile all of your content, photos, followers, and conversations could all be lost, gone, finito.

Lastly, Facebook cannot take the place of an e-commerce site. Although I, we, everyone spend millions of hours on social sites but do not have the luxury of purchasing from Twitter or Facebook (not yet at least). We have to remember the reason for social media, which is to connect, and engage in conversation. I will say that it is a great way to post opinions and reviews on a buying experience. Therefore becoming an influencing media channel, however I think it is a wise choice to invest in a traditional website and not cut corners with your online presence.

 

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What Exactly is A/B Testing?

Friday, August 17th, 2012

Not quite sure what A/B Testing is? Is it one of those tech savvy terms that you can’t quite understand? Well for starters, A/B Testing or sometimes known as “split testing” is a great way to measure how effective your online presence is. This is a great method to use when trying to determine and gain insight on consumer behaviors.

So, how exactly does it work? Well you may have figured out that you have two variations, an “A” and a “B,” which will help you deicide which online presence will convert more (although sometimes you may test more than two). By running these two variations simultaneously it will be able to tell you which version was more successful and that the consumers were drawn too. For example, were they more attracted to the red web design or the blue design?

For those that are familiar with A/B Testing probably have wondered if it affects your rankings negatively, which is a realistic concern. If you think about it technically is classified as “duplicate content” which is frowned upon. However, Google’s own “Matt Cutt’s advises running A/B test to improve the functionality of your site.” If you are still worried there are a few things you can do such as add a “no index” tag.

Next, make sure you don’t tally up your total too soon or you can miss out on some serious results. I’ve learned that it is important to wait and get more visitors, this way your evidence will be more concrete. Realize that you should leave a substantial amount of time so that the A/B testing will give the proper results.

Come to think of it this seems like a fairly simple test. It ends up being a great way to determine what consumers like better visually, and helps them become conversions. You might think you know everything about marketing and how consumers want to be targeted, but why guess with that assumption. With this testing you can decide from the results themselves which web design, sign up form or widget works better. And remember don’t let your ego get in the way of the test results, your goal is to find out which one works better, not whether you were right or wrong!

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If You Build It They Will (NOT COME)—Why You Need To Do PPC Or SEO To Your Website

Friday, June 8th, 2012

I have been doing Internet advertising for about ten years now and have seen a lot of changes and updates since I started.  I have seen the progression of websites, how they get more and more advanced each year, and have seen them become more like sales tools rather than just being informationals.

One of the biggest and funniest misconceptions I still run into even now in 2012 is when a business owner says to me, “Can’t I just build a website and people will find me online and come to my site?”

The answer is a big NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Each year more and more business owners play online in order to get their website ranked for specific keywords so that they generate business from them in their geographical area.  This means each year the competition gets harder and harder.

In fact, the longer a website has been out there the more strength it has because it has an older URL.  Inevitably, since a business has had more time to utilize SEO tactics in order to get their website good traffic, better and more links can be built back to their website meaning that they have a greater chance of showing up on the first pages of search results.

So, you CAN NOT just build a website and expect tons of people to find your website online and have it generate tons of business for you.  It just does not work that way.  You must either do PPC or SEO to your website in order to generate traffic and business.  The only other ways people could get to your website are from other advertising venues such as:  billboards, newspapers, magazines, social media optimization, radio, TV, etc.

Bottom line is this, you can have the greatest website in the world, but if no one ever comes to it, it’s worthless!

Call me today at 484-908-3663 or email at ddipaolo@1seo.com and I can show you how we can build a great website for you, and start you with a good SEO or PPC program to get you business online!

Thanks,

-Dave

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Internet Marketing and Advertising—Nothing Is Free In Life!

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Nothing Is Free In Life!!!  Air maybe, but that’s about it…

As business owners, you offer a product or service and sell that to people that need or want that service or product.  People invest money in your business, and you render a service to them or give them goods.  Why would it be any different for your advertising?

A lot of the time too many business owners do not take their advertising seriously, and think that advertising is just about the only check you write that will actually bring you back a return on your investment. So why not do it right?!?

Here are some common mistakes and misconceptions I have seen and heard:

1. “I’m going to join Facebook and Twitter and get tons of business from it, people will find me online, and it will be the greatest thing ever!” Come on, really???   “If you build it they will come” holds zero weight here.   Is social media important and good for your business?  Absolutely!!!  Social media optimization should be done in combination with a real and effective online marketing plan, and you need to monitor it and take it serious—or else it is worthless.

2.  “I can invest a couple hundred dollars a month on SEO and it will bring me back a big return!”  NO!!!  There are companies out there that will tell you that, take your money, and never do anything for you.  You will never get ranked and never generate real money online.  Set realistic expectations and you will get realistic results.  We turn more clients away than we take for this reason.  You have to have a real budget and realistic expectations on what results you will get online.

3.  “I can do it myself.”   Yeah, go right ahead champ.  Let us know how you make out!

4.  “I will hire someone and they will do black hat SEO to get me ranked.”   Great idea, you will probably get blacklisted from Google, and have fun starting over with a brand new URL!

5.  Lastly, please have a well-built website, make sure it is coded properly, and make sure it has the right things on it to make it convert for you business.  Do not throw some crappy website out there and expect people to find you, and then actually stay on it if they find it—your bounce rate will most likely be through the roof!  If this does not make sense, look at our portfolio of websites and compare it to yours, you might see some differences.

Let me know if you have any questions about this, I would be more than happy to answer them for you!

-Dave DiPaolo

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