May, 2009

Effective Websites Newsletter

There's art in web design in more way than one and I'd like to talk a little bit about these in this month's newsletter. First, a website can have an artistic aspect to its design which makes it aesthetically appealing. I believe that attractive websites are also more engaging and likely to keep visitors on the site longer. That's why I strive to create aesthetic appeal in my designs and this is perhaps the most obvious aspect of my business name, Artistic Web Design.

However, there's a second way that art enters into web design and development. I believe there's an art to coordinating all the various elements and activities that go into the creation of an outstanding website. Here, I'm using the word art in the same sense that there's an art in the practice of medicine. Although there's plenty of science involved in medicine there's also an art in figuring out exactly what a specific patient needs. In the same way, I think there's an art in working with business owners, learning about their businesses, and then creating a website that will engage visitors and convince them that this particular business is the best at what they do. This is something I also strive for when working with you on your new website or redesign.

Dave Salahi

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Spotlighting Your Most Important Messages

It's a truism that "content is king" but what does this mean for business owners planning a new website or a redesign? The obvious implication is that you must give some thought to your list of web pages and the text, images and media to be displayed on them. But beyond that, you should be aware that content affects page layout and design. After all, you can't plan a page layout until you know what is going to be on the page, can you?

However, there is often a temptation to defer the detailed content generation until the later phases of a website's implementation. Considering all the tasks that a business owner has to juggle every day it's a natural temptation. But, it's advantageous to spend as much time as possible planning your content in the early phases of your website design process. This is because your web designer needs to plan your page layout in a way that highlights your most important marketing messages. There are numerous ways to do this, including:

• Large font and/or graphic size
• Different colors
• Video or motion graphics
• Ample white space surrounding the message

These techniques and others can be used to effectively draw the website visitor's eye to your targeted promotions. But to effectively use such techniques it's important for the web designer to be aware of the various calls to action that you wish to promote. It can be difficult to fit in additional messages after a page is designed. If it becomes necessary to do so, it may mean the page layout has to be partially redesigned. Of course, this can slow down the process of completing your site. Retrofitting a design with additional material can also result in a page layout that is awkward or less pleasing visually. For these reasons, it's important to carefully consider your content and especially your calls to action as early as possible in the site (re)design process.

One tool that web designers often use to begin the design process is wireframe diagrams which can provide a sort of schematic view of your site. There are two kinds of wireframes that are commonly used for preliminary site design. One type of wireframe diagram is a list of pages to be included along with the links between the pages. The other type is a sketch of the contents of various pages, especially the home page. Design details such as fonts, colors and graphics are usually omitted at this stage. The page contents are blocked out, showing just the titles and locations of your main articles, menus and calls to action.

By identifying your content early in the site design process you can help your web designer create a site which spotlights your most important marketing messages in a prominent and aesthetically pleasing way.

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What Are Your Questions?

What are your burning questions about internet marketing? Call me at 949-362-0842 or email me at dave@artistic-webdesign.com with your questions. Or fill out a one-minute survey on our website. Then watch for the answers in an upcoming issue of this newsletter.