1.  Make your purpose clear.

Your blog banner should have a title and subtitle that make it clear who you are and what your blog is all about. First-time visitors will quickly click away if they can not discover at a glance what you are trying to accomplish through blogging.

2.  Keep it simple.

There are so many different options you can integrate into your company blog, from colors to widgets, that it is often tempting to pile on too many. The result is a cluttered blog that is frustrating to navigate and visually chaotic. Review your blog every few months to determine whether any of the elements have become outdated or no longer relevant, and remove them.

3.  Take advantage of whitespace.

 Space out the graphic elements on your blog on your banner, in your posts, in your sidebar and readers will enjoy a heightened sense of readability and lightness as they browse your blog.

4.  Use complimentary colors.

Be judicious in choosing your color scheme; too many colors, or colors that are too bright, can turn off readers and cause them to click away sooner than they might otherwise.

5.  Place key information “above the fold.”

Place important information such as your call to action, at  the top half of your blog page, where readers will be able to see it as soon as the page loads into their browser window.

6.  Choose a readable font.

Is your copy too large? Too small? Copy that is too large can immediately turn viewers off, while copy that is too small will discourage older viewers from reading your content. Choose a copy size that is easy to read.

7.  Add visual interest with photos.

Humans are visually stimulated, and let’s face it: reading is much more fun when supplemented with pretty pictures. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a photographer, it is a good idea to include images now and then in your blog posts to help up the “good-looking” factor.

8.  Do a usability check.

User testing allows you to see how real people navigate your site, while hearing their comments at the same time.  This provides insight into how to improve your site by identifying positive and negative aspects of your site, including features on your site that may be confusing to visitors. You might be surprised what valuable information you receive when you ask for it.

9.  Do cross-browser testing.

Every browser has quirks that display pages slightly differently, so it is always a good idea to look at your blog in different browsers to make sure that it looks the way you want it to.

In conclusion, an eye-catching blog design that compliments your content and showcases your company’s expertise will give your visitors a reason to come back and visit.

Your logo design is a key part of your company’s Internet marketing strategy. In order to establish brand identity, your logo should be instantly recognizable, reflect confidence and credibility in your company, while communicating who you are and what you do. Your logo is much more than a symbol or image, it essentially becomes the face of your company.

At the factory workplace, a bow tie is too formal for the environment. And, flash design is not for every marketplace. Flash animation is one of those Web design features that either attracts or repels. In particular, flash does not do much in the way of procuring new business relationships. The reason is because regular Internet users prefer to experience Web sites on their own terms. In particular, business-to-business prospects have a short attention span, searching for information in the shortest time possible.

Aside from film, fashion,  and advertising, where flash reflects the marketplace, the Web design feature has mixed reviews. To accommodate and reduce the bounce rate, a well-designed Web site offers flash and standard HTML options.

Form-fitting bodysuits are not intended for the plus-sized figure. The one-man shop, a page on Linked In or the single paged Web site is adequate enough to serve the marketing agenda. Nonetheless, the abbreviated Web site does not work for every entity. Obviously, the organizations providing numerous products and services necessitate the full fledge Web development.

Social media is not intended for every Internet marketing strategy. Depending on the industry, Twitter and Facebook may serve a futile marketing mediums. In the realm of the small business, which services other corporations, social media networking is not always an applicable solution.  Depending on the service, (in example oil rigging company, brokerage firm, etcetera) social media may or may not be the best marketing medium for your target audience.

In the end, good web design is equivocal as good fashion sense. Both make or break the impression. Each considers the audience appropriateness. And just as – all sizes and styles are inappropriate for all body types; a similar rule applies to Web design and all business models.

 Let The Net Impact tailor-fit a solid Web design strategy for your Web site.

Additional Web design and flash design articles:

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• Microsite + Facebook + Twitter = Amazing Traffic

What is the purpose of a landing page?

Landing pages are an economical, measurable marketing instrument for transforming the targeted site visitor into a prospective customer or client. The purpose of the landing page is for lead generation.
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Best landing page fact: While some companies rely on email, social media and traditional forms of marketing, the best landing pages have been found to convert a minimum of 40 percent of targeted traffic into a new lead. [Source: Marketing Sherpa.]
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Is a landing page the same as a Web site?
Used to promote an organization’s services or a specific promotion, the landing page is not one in the same with a Web site. Unlike a Web site, which illustrates all of an entity’s products and services, the best landing page promotes one offer, designed to motivate the visitor to subscribe for more information.

What is the distinction of a well-designed landing page?
As with anything, the best landing page exudes stunning, functional design qualities. Unique visitors determine whether they will read a landing page based on two criteria: relevancy and complexity. In other words, is the best landing page is specific to the consumer’s search query and reflects overall reading simplicity.

Does the best landing page include navigation?
On the contrary, the “best landing page” does NOT necessarily include navigation.  Since, landing pages are designed with the intent to obtain contact information (lead generation), navigation is unnecessary.

Can you provide any web design tips for creating a landing page?
The best landing page is comprised of a clean font, bolded headlines, few links and appropriately positioned graphics. Since humans tend to scan for information, use bulleted content.

As graphics tend to capture the visitor’s attention, placement is key. To avoid upstaging the offer or objective of the landing page, position graphics with care and if possible, make the graphic clickable.

Which company designs the best landing pages?
In Missouri, The Net Impact has a reputation for developing well-designed landing pages.
For a no-obligation consultation, dial 1.888.629.4672.

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What Is a Landing Page?

Creating Effective Landing Pages

In Sunnyvale, California, beyond the boardroom doors, Google’s shareholders have one objective in mind: Maximize profitability.

Ironically, the old adage, “Time is money” is applicable to the milliseconds it takes a Web site to download. Google conducted an evaluation on page load speeds. The investigation indicated that sluggish page load could hinder users search volume by .2 to .6 percent; thus, missed business opportunities.

In response to their findings, they released a new tool called Page Speed. Designed for Firefox browser, the diagnostic add-on determines which factors slow down page loads. Meanwhile, Google representative, Avanish Kaushik ardently advises Search engine marketing firms and webmasters to monitor and manage page bounce rates.

Certain SEM specialists believe that Google is now ranking sites according to their bounce rate. Since Google can analyze which sites have a higher frequency of immediate abandonment, they are investigating whether page load influences hitting the back button, or if the action is indicative of a low quality site, or even the wrong destination for the specified word query.

At the end of the day, it does not matter if a site has a high bounce rate due to inept design, a misaligned key word strategy or painstakingly slow page load, the ultimate objective is lost:  new business opportunities.

Check the design, SEO qualities and page load time of your site, click here to request a hassle-free web check.

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