The Web Design Success Blog
Helping Your Business Succeed on the Web
2010 SEO and Website Predictions
SEO and Website Predictions2010 will be the year of shorter, more concise, and quicker information. I read SEOmoz's 8 predictions for SEO in 2010 and figured I'd make my own (some of which I total agree with SEOmoz. Conversion Rate Optimization will take off. After reading Call to Action by the Eisenberg brothers I was convinced....
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Now You Can Have Lower Shopping Cart Abandon Rates
Increase E-Commerce SalesAvoid these e-commerce shopping cart mistakes to lower your cart abandon rates and increase sales. Did you know that on average 52.1% of people abandon shopping their online shopping carts? Primary reasons for abandonment include high shipping charges, high cost of items, price comparison with other...
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[SOLVED] Ubuntu Hanging at Shutdown - Blinking Cursor
Ubuntu Shutdown FixHow to fix Ubuntu shutdown problem with blinking white cursor by using acpi=force. I had found this fix once before, but then when I went to look for it, I had to dig for about an hour to find it again, so I'm posting it here. I've seen this both on Jaunty Jackalope and Karmic Koala. The system would...
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2009 Website Browser Statistics
Browser Stats 20092009 Website Browser Statistics Review. IE 7 is still the browser of choice, but some of the IE 7 crowd have recently switched over to IE 8. Mostly we saw a move from IE 7 to IE 8 with Firefox gaining another percentage and eveyone else staying practically the same from the middle of 2009. The web...
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Proper Label Placement in Forms
HTML Form LabelsLabel placement is important in usability of HTML forms. There is an amazing study done by uxmatters where they compared different label placements in forms. Here are the results: Label position—Placing a label above an input field works better in most cases, because users aren’t forced...
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The Secret to Communicating Your Business Effectively
Blind SpotsAvoid these common website mistakes that keeps your website from communicating effectively. Too many people have the "reading the label from inside the bottle" mentality when they think about their business. A great article by Todd Follansbee still holds true for all businesses online. Here are some...
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Who Else Wants to Build Links and Rank High in Google
Link BaitingWho Else Wants to Build Links and Rank Higher in Google Link Baiting has become common place to increase organic inbound links and rank higher in Google. There was a great article by Andy Hagan but he broke his site to pieces, so I had to do some digging to find it again. Here are some of the best from...
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Basic Website Usability Tips
Website UsabilityHere is a good list of important basic design usability tips. I'm doing a massive cleanup of my bookmarks, and realized that tons of really good content just disappears off the web. So, I'm going to put the content where I know it won't disappear. Here are some great usability tips I grabbed from Jens...
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Search Engine Usage for 2009
Search Engine Statistics 2009Search engine usage is out for June 2009. The Nielsen Company reported search engine usage for June 2009. Here are their findings. Search Engine Percentage Google 66.1% Yahoo 16.2% Bing 8.8% AOL 3.0% Google is still the master of search and expanding its grasp...
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2009 Website Browser Stats Review
2009 Website Browser Stats
IE 7 is the current browser of choice with Firefox second and IE 6 in third. IE 8 adoption is still slow. Since we didn't do a browser stat review for 2008, we decided to do a review for the middle of 2009 and bring people back up to speed on the browser war. Among the tech field (Site 6) Firefox still...
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Creating Web Copy That Brings In Customers
Online Writing Advice
The content on your website should always help pull in your visitors, not push them away. So, you've optimized your website for search engines, but have you optimized it for visitors as well? When a user arrives at your website from a search engine, they have typed in specific words that they are hoping...
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Mixing Colors Into Your Website Design
Color and Emotion
Color can evoke emotions and influence people in positive—or negative— ways. Designing a website consists of more than just copy and layout—color also needs to be a consideration. To help choose the correct colors, it is a good idea to come up with how you would like to describe your...
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Simple Navigation Pointers
Good Navigation
If users don't understand your website's navigation, you are losing sales. Navigation is of huge importance to your website, so it shouldn't be just thrown onto the page. There are certain things users expect, and people are comfortable with things they are used to. For example, navigation is usually...
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Basic Design Principles for Persuasive Websites
Increasing Conversions
Getting more conversions through your website can be a daunting task, but Call to Action has some pointers to help make it easier on you. Avoid inconsistency - keep a distinct look and feel throughout the website. A splash page may be what your company wants, but try to avoid them; they are more...
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Guide To Building Successful Websites
Planning and Developing
Building a website requires careful planning and a strong foundation. There are many steps that you need to go through in order to get a website up and running. While many people may skip some steps or hurry through others, each step is an important part of the process as a whole. The first part of...
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Information and Persuasion Architecture
Information Architecture
Good information architecture helps customers find what they want and keeps them coming back. Your site's architecture is supposed to help visitors find what they are looking for. Categories and links should make sense to your customer so that they are able to find information on your website, whether...
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AHFX.net Aquires Sevenate
AHFX.net Aquires Sevenate.com
AH Digital FX Studios, INC acquires Sevenate.com. A week ago I saw a sign on a business that said, "We refuse to participate in a recession." I totally agree with that statement. As further proof of our hope for the future, AH Digital FX Studios, INC has just acquired Sevenate.com and all of their...
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Web Marketing Basics - How to be Successful
4 Important Marketing Tips
Understanding basic marketing skills increases your effectiveness on the internet. There are many aspects that you need to consider in order to be successful on the web, but there are some primary marketing skills that are exceptionally important. Much of your success will come from where you focus...
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Boosting the Confidence of Your Customers
Trust, Credibility, and Persuasion
Credibility plays an important role in convincing your customers to purchase from you. Many doctors specialize in a particular field; people trust them because they are experts in the field they choose. What can you do to make your company look like an expert with your website? You have to be able to...
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The Secret Behind Testing and Measuring on Your Website
Making and Testing Changes
Small changes can have a huge impact on usability and profits of your website. What can you do to know which little things are important? Testing, testing, and more testing. Many things can have an impact on the visitors to your website. Is the background color of your website affecting how long your...
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The Easy Way to Increase Website Revenue
Increase Conversion - Increase Revenue
Increase your website conversion rate first, and then focus on increasing traffic. Three primary ways to increase website revenue are mentioned in Call to Action: Increasing your conversion rate Increasing your merchandising Increasing traffic to your website The book mainly focuses on conversion,...
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Discover the Importance of Home Page Text
Relevant Words on the Home Page
Your customers are looking for specific and relevant keywords on every page including your homepage. There are many different features about your customers that can affect what they are looking for on a website and how they act. In order to increase conversions from your website, it is important to...
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Should Sound be Used on a Website?
Using Music and Sound on Websites
Sound and action words make your message more memorable. As put by the Eisenberg brothers in Call to Action, "Sound is invasive, intrusive, and irresistible." People have the ability to remember hundreds of songs and voices because they come into the brain through sound. Sounds tend to be remembered...
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Is Your Logo a Waste of Space?
Logo Size in Website Layout
Your logo is taking up important screen space. Don't let it take up valuable space that could be convincing your prospective customers to purchase from you. I've been telling clients for years that their logo doesn't need to take up half the space on their website. Your customers didn't...
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Don't Make Your Website Look Like An Ad
Write Better Web Copy
If your website looks, feels, or sounds like an ad, you are losing sales.I read a great book recently, Web Copy that Sells, and she had a great formula for providing information in a way that will 1) get read and 2) make sales."Your website should provide the solid information that your prospect...
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