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Do…Be consistent with the navigation menu for your website.

Keep your websites navigation menu consistent on every page. When a user clicks on a link, the link must not disappear, move or not be clickable anymore. The navigation menu needs to stay in the same place that it was before the user clicked. Well laid out navigation that sticks with the web standards becomes predictable and makes people feel comfortable navigating through the rest of a site.

Do…Create a navigation menu that allows users to access what they are looking for right away.

The customer has come to your website to buy a product, obtain information or purchase your services. Give them access to that information throughout the website by placing links to those pages in the navigation menu. The peripheral information such as job opportunities, privacy policy, and the site map can be left for the bottom navigation of the site.

Do… Use drop down menus when there are many pages that users want to access quickly

Drop down menus can become cumbersome if they are done incorrectly. When they are done correctly (www.purseroil.com) they can become a very effective way for users to get to the information they need with just one or two clicks.

Do…Use words in your navigation menu that are relevant to the topic you are discussing.

The use of words like “stuff” or “our things” to use as your products link is very vague. If you are offering different products then make the link say “products.” Trying to get away with using what I consider clever words just doesn’t work for the end user.

There are many more rules that I will be posting here soon. Check back soon for the list of navigation menu don’ts.

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Hers is the list that you should try to avoid when building.

#10. Flaming Gifs. We have all seen them, the flaming letters or the flaming animated guitar. This is a personal pet peeve of mine. It hurts to even look at and I won’t even stay on the site even if they have something I was looking for. If they were tricked into using a flaming gif, then how can I justify doing business with that company. Again, your site is your business card and your reputation going out to the world, not just to your local neighborhood. You have the opportunity with a website to show yourself as a big player in the business world and to gain business in markets that you did not think possible. Do you really want to throw a “flaming Gif” from the mid 90s on your website?

#9. Microsoft FrontPage. If you have it, burn it! There is nothing worse than looking at a company site with Microsoft trademark bevels and ugly backgrounds. It will make your site look like it was built in 1993.

#8. Building for the bottom 5% of internet users. By this I mean if 95 % of your users are using high speed internet and at least a 1024 x 768 resolution. Don’t design for the 5% that are using a 28.8 modem and 640 x 480 monitor resolution. They are not your customer. Don’t make your customers suffer.

#7. Poor Navigation. There is nothing worse than looking for information or something you want from a company site and you can’t find anything. Navigation does not have to be the same, it can be fun and experimental, but it does need to be logical.

#6. No content on the site. It is never more frustrating to have a site that is just there for the sake of having a site and nothing else. You go to the site and there are 3 pages and just a couple of pictures and nothing else…and the point is?

#5. No images on the site. I know I know, I just said nothing worse than having a couple of pages with only pictures but…if you have all content an no pictures, you look like a text book and will lose your audience. Remember, people browsing your page will stay an average of only 3 to 5 seconds if they do not find something they want or, are bored. Don’t bore your audience.

#4. Poor Images. If you are going to put images or pictures on your site, make sure they are of good quality. Nothing (besides frontpage) makes you look smaller as a company than really bad images on your site. Remember, your site is your business card online. Do you really want to hand someone your name scratched on a piece of paper as your business card. Then why would you do that on your site.

#3. Non-SEO friendly. So you have built a beautiful site and it has all the bells and whistles and it has all your information that customers will need. So why can’t anyone find you? Well, you need to be seen in the search engines. You can have the greatest looking site and best product in the world, but if know one can find you, how is that going to help your business?

#2. No contact information on the homepage. This may sound trivial as you have information on your contact page. But again, this is the time of A. D. D., where you need to have people know where to be able to contact you right away. Hiding your information can lose you business!!

#1. Your cousins’ best friend builds web sites. We have all seen them, the site your friends 2nd cousin built on his home computer. Now there are exceptions, but for the most part, you can refer to #9 on this one as it always seems that someone buys FrontPage and they instantly become a web designer. Throwing a couple of pictures with a link or 2 does not count as web design, run away…fast.

There are so many more don’ts that we could discuss, but these are a good starting point. Check back soon and I will talk about some good design basics. You don’t need to have an award winning site to gain business, but there are some basics to follow so that people want to come back and see what your business has to offer.

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Most people have a small digital camera. And with a little help and your 2 mega pixel camera, you can take some great shots you would be proud to put on your website. Here are some tips to take good pictures:

#10. Always shoot at the highest resolution possible. It is so much easier for your website design company to crop a large picture, rather than try and stretch and fix a small one. Small resolution means small and / or grainy photographs.

#9. Focus, focus, focus. I can’t tell you how many times I have received photographs that are so out of focus, you almost can’t see what it is the client wants to show in the picture. Really, the CSI magic resolution imaging wonder machine you see on TV, it is just that…TV. Photoshop can only do so much.

#8. Take multiple shots of the same thing. In other words, it’s the rule of three. Make sure you take the same picture 3 times in case there was a weird light or something that you might not have seen while taking the picture. It’s digital anyway, you are not wasting film here.

#7. Find the right Lighting. Lighting is such and essential part of good photography and probably the most overlooked. Make sure you have enough light on your subject and try not to shoot into the light or into the sun. Light is a good thing, but not when you shoot straight into it. Make sure the sun or your light source is not shining into the camera. Be careful with the flashes, try not to use them if possible. Most of the time shots come back with a big light ball in the middle of the product.

#6. Framing. Make sure you frame your subject so that it is the focal point in your picture. Shooting a picture of car really has no impact if it is shot on the freeway with 200 other cars around it. Also try to make sure there is nothing encroaching in your shot. If you are going to shoot a company truck that’s great, just don’t do it while someone is bent over checking the tires.

#5. Color. Now this is easy if you have an auto digital camera. If it’s sunny, use the little sun on the dial to take the picture. If it’s cloudy, turn to the cloud setting. I know it seems really easy and self explanatory but if the color is really bad, your picture is going to look unnatural when it’s taken into Photoshop and manipulated.

#4. Shoot only once. Review your photos while you are with the subject you are shooting. This is a real easy way to make sure you have the photos you want before you put everything away. Ideally you would want to throw them on a computer and blow them up for review. It’s a great way to really find out that what you shot is viable.

#3. Tripod if you have one. This goes back to # 9 in that you may think your shot is in focus and it might be when you pushed the button halfway down, but there is always the chance you shook just that little bit and threw the camera out of focus. Again, this is another reason you take 3 pictures of the same shot. It’s your safety net.

#2. Close ups of your subject. This can make such an impact on your website when potential customers go to the sight and see a beautiful close up of a product or a part of your product. A client recently sent pictures of Fueling Tanks and was asked to show the fuel coupling and meter on the front of the tank. Might not sound like much, but when a customer is looking for there product, that can mean the difference in a sale or not. They not only see a good shot of the tank, but the small things that make there product stand out from the competitors company.

#1. Shoot your pictures with YOUR CUSTOMER in mind. When you look at your product, think about what your customers are looking for. What makes your product different? What makes your product special? What do they need to see to make a choice? Is the product clear and easy to view? Are you displaying the product in such a manner that it is easy to view and understandable?

These are all just simple tips to get better shots with out having to spend a lot of money or really take a lot of time. You will also be much happier (and so will your web design company) and end up with a much better representation of who you are as a company. Check back to our blog soon as I will go over indoor lighting and how to shoot industrial equipment and machinery so you can get great images even in the most awkward situations.

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1. Pro Article: 5 Ways to Turn on the Profits With Your Website

These are a few considerations you should embrace when looking to develop or makeover your website, lest you wish to have your site earmarked as being passé:

• More compelling headlines relevant to search terms
• Shorter copy
• Integration of video and interactive
• Reduced navigation options such as links to resource pages, offerings such as newsletter registration, forums, online help services
• Simpler registration
• Strategic sales copy and calls to action
• Creating navigation paths for the target buyers
• Efficient optimization: better URL structure: title tags that contain keywords.

Since “less is more” that is all we believe that we have to say about this.

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