Take a look at these top 10 web designs of 2011 and see what you can pick out as trends, and perhaps, what you can come up with for 2012.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Top 5 Web Designs of 2011
Take a look at these top 10 web designs of 2011 and see what you can pick out as trends, and perhaps, what you can come up with for 2012.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Importance of Content Marketing
Bing wrote a very eye-opening article about content and content distribution:.
“As the author of the content, you don’t have much to worry about. Your deal is to write and then be seen across a range of websites. The websites, however, have some cause for concern, as the engines are unlikely to simply rank the same article highly over and over, just because that article appears on a different domain.”
The trend I see growing in content marketing is the same thing that happens in many industries, a few bad apples ruin it for everyone. Prime example is Google’s recent Panda updates which really put a spear through many content farms that used to syndicate content or accept sub-par quality articles simply for the sake of ranking.
“As the author of the content, you don’t have much to worry about. Your deal is to write and then be seen across a range of websites. The websites, however, have some cause for concern, as the engines are unlikely to simply rank the same article highly over and over, just because that article appears on a different domain.”
The trend I see growing in content marketing is the same thing that happens in many industries, a few bad apples ruin it for everyone. Prime example is Google’s recent Panda updates which really put a spear through many content farms that used to syndicate content or accept sub-par quality articles simply for the sake of ranking.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Web Design Inspiration: Single Page Sites
Web Design is not an easy thing to implement. There are several issues to contend with before the design can be agreed upon by all: Creative Department, Developers, SEO specialists and Client alike. Websites are typically several pages, and in some cases involve thousands of pages of products and/or content. Which makes these next websites all the more impressive. They don't so much qualify as websites, but rather landing pages, but all the same: the fact that they get their message across in one page is impressive. Take a look at the best of the best of 2011.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Blog Design Aesthetics and Mistakes to Avoid
This article is targeted mostly at those who blog and get paid to do it or make money from their advertisements or through subscriptions, but when it comes to blog design, there are commonalities between unpaid and paid bloggers. There are also several common mistakes that need to be corrected or avoided in order to make your blog a successful one. For a design company, these should be no brainers, but for the general population, these are good tips! So listen up bloggers! There are some major pitfalls that you should be aware of.
1. Overwhelming Advertising
We all want to make money. But blasting your readers with ads all over your website is the easiest way to lose readers and turn off potential readers. Do NOT let ads take over your content - people do not visit blogs to look at the ads. They visit blogs to read what you've got to say. If you're only offering ads: don't expect a return reader. IF you must use advertising to support yourself or your blog, choose tastefully placed ads that are easy to see, but easy to ignore if the reader chooses to do so. Ads themselves are not the turn offs - it's that your site has ceased to be a blog and become a advertising page. Thankfully our Chicago Marketing Company blog doesn't have a ton of ads since it's through blogspot, but if you're designing your own blog website - don't put a ton of ads on it.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
SEO Friendly Web Design: How to Get it!
These days, it is almost always a prerequisite to have a website on the internet. But how does that website get found? Search Engine Optimization is the answer to those problems. Incorporating aspects of on-page optimization and external link building and content generation techniques can mean the difference between an unused website and a real marketing tools that benefits your business. Of course, color, layout and graphics should be taken into account with regards to your target market, but it should always coincide with SEO-Friendly Web Design techniques into account.
What is SEO Friendly Website Design
When one thinks of web design, once usually doesn't think about the issues that happen behind the scenes such as proper tagging of headings and image alt text. Design is an important aspect of aesthetics and conversions, but can also lay a strong foundation for specific search engine optimization techniques. There are two important factors that go into pre-planning for a website design.
What is SEO Friendly Website Design
When one thinks of web design, once usually doesn't think about the issues that happen behind the scenes such as proper tagging of headings and image alt text. Design is an important aspect of aesthetics and conversions, but can also lay a strong foundation for specific search engine optimization techniques. There are two important factors that go into pre-planning for a website design.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why Should Web Designers Blog?
There are probably a lot of reasons that so many web designers have decided to start blogging. Here are only a few reasons, but feel free to comment and add your own!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tips to Designing your Small Business Website
Chicago Web Design
Most legitimate companies, small or large, have some sort of web presence these days. Typically, most consumers won't even know a business exists without it! Since much of our time is spent online, in search engines, and, apparently, on Facebook, it is becoming more and more a necessity to have a website for your small business. Venturing into this realm of internet and web design mysteries can be a little scary at first, but with the following 10 Tips, and an awesome web design firm, you'll have a shiny new website in a matter of weeks!
Most legitimate companies, small or large, have some sort of web presence these days. Typically, most consumers won't even know a business exists without it! Since much of our time is spent online, in search engines, and, apparently, on Facebook, it is becoming more and more a necessity to have a website for your small business. Venturing into this realm of internet and web design mysteries can be a little scary at first, but with the following 10 Tips, and an awesome web design firm, you'll have a shiny new website in a matter of weeks!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
4 Ways to 'Hook' Your Web Visitors
Advertising Agency :: Chicago Web Design
Issue: I'm a website visitor and just got to your website. I'm a product of the MTV generation and have an incredibly short attention span. I'm here so...what do you have for me?
Answer: You have about 7 seconds to "hook" me; to get me interested; to get me to act and move to a unique result of statistical visitors.
It worked for you right? If you read this blog, you have landed either directly on this page, or clicked through from a different page on the blog.
Now what? Well, you really should subscribe to my RSS feed, or call me with questions! Too fast? Well let's start slowly. What gives visitors the most useful information to establish credibility in the advertising agency behind this blog, and how can we continue to work to earn trust and business. It is important that your website provides a way to give that ad agency another chance, right? If you like someone and on your first "coffee date", are you not trying to line up a new opportunity to see this person? It's the same with the visitors of your website.
Issue: I'm a website visitor and just got to your website. I'm a product of the MTV generation and have an incredibly short attention span. I'm here so...what do you have for me?
Answer: You have about 7 seconds to "hook" me; to get me interested; to get me to act and move to a unique result of statistical visitors.
It worked for you right? If you read this blog, you have landed either directly on this page, or clicked through from a different page on the blog.
Now what? Well, you really should subscribe to my RSS feed, or call me with questions! Too fast? Well let's start slowly. What gives visitors the most useful information to establish credibility in the advertising agency behind this blog, and how can we continue to work to earn trust and business. It is important that your website provides a way to give that ad agency another chance, right? If you like someone and on your first "coffee date", are you not trying to line up a new opportunity to see this person? It's the same with the visitors of your website.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Small Business Web Design: 7 Handy Tips!
http://www.integraphix.com/blog/article/7-small-business-web-design-tips-chicago
Most legitimate companies, small or large, have some sort of web presence these days. Typically, most consumers won't even know a business exists without it! Since much of our time is spent online, in search engines, and, apparently, on Facebook, it is becoming more and more a necessity to have a website for your small business. Venturing into this realm of internet and web design mysteries can be a little scary at first, but with the following 10 Tips, and anawesome web design firm, you'll have a shiny new website in a matter of weeks!
Most legitimate companies, small or large, have some sort of web presence these days. Typically, most consumers won't even know a business exists without it! Since much of our time is spent online, in search engines, and, apparently, on Facebook, it is becoming more and more a necessity to have a website for your small business. Venturing into this realm of internet and web design mysteries can be a little scary at first, but with the following 10 Tips, and anawesome web design firm, you'll have a shiny new website in a matter of weeks!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Libertyville Web Designers: Best Reasons to have a Website!
Libertyville Web Design
You are a business owner. You've probably been hearing a lot lately about businesses getting a broader range of clientele through the internet. How are they doing this? They've hired a Web Design Firm to help them develop and create the best website for their business. That's where hiring a Libertyville Web Design Company comes in handy. Having a website for your small business can be extremely rewarding as, statistically, 70% of people search online (and locally) for services and products. If you don't have a website for your business, you're missing out on great opportunities!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Graphics in Web Design: Helpful Tips
Graphic Design elements in Chicago Web Design can sometimes be complex. Not only do you need to design for comfort and function, it has to be easily navigated no matter how illustrated or off the wall your graphics are. Use these tips for effective alternative web design using graphics.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Schaumburg Marketing Firm: More than Meets the Eye!
Welcome to Schaumburg Marketing Company's creative blog.
Here you'll find a plethora of information on Schaumburg Marketing & Design, Schaumburg Graphic Design, Schaumburg Web Design and Schaumburg SEO.
We Design with YOU in mind.
At SMC, a Creative Agency, we put you first. We listen to your ideas and consider your marketing and business goals every step of the way. We take a personal approach with your projects. We get to know you and your business personally, which helps us accurately interpret your needs and integrate them into your design solutions.
Our design process is a straight-forward approach which is guided by our clients' ideas and objectives. We manage the timeline of your projects by focusing on your schedule so your business needs can be met.
Who are we?
The Schaumburg Marketing Agency's creative marketing team is comprised of talented Graphic Designers, Web Designers, Programmers, Writers, SEO Experts, Marketing Strategists, and Photographers who work together to create design solutions that work for you and your business.
We have a simple philosophy. Hire the most dedicated and creative people who love to work in a creative environment and are passionate about what they do. The result is a team that loves to design, write, program, and market. This philosophy is what has transformed us into the respected marketing company it is today. We not only create innovative designs and brand solutions, we love having the opportunity to build relationships with our clients.
Our proven track record as a leading Schaumburg Graphic Design Firm and Creative Agency lets us take pride in our ability to create and implement the most strategic and creative marketing solutions for you and your company.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Advertising Online with Website Banner Ads
Chicago Online Advertising & Chicago Web Design
Chicago and Schaumburg businesses that are considering marketing and advertising to boost their company's sales should consider banner advertising along with other options. This is essentially putting up an ad on a related, or newsworthy website that will show your ad to readers who may be interested in your services. If you can believe it, people will drive by a business for years and never go inside. It may be because they don't know what the business offers, or simply don't like the name.
A great advertisement, on or offline, will bring in traffic. A web banner needs to show exactly what you do within seconds, so it's incredibly important to have a Chicago online advertising agency design these ads for you. They'll also know exactly where to place them, how to link them, and how to track visits to your website through them. The cost of these services can be surprisingly affordable, and are designed to bring in a lot more business than the cost of the banner itself.
Online, the typical banner is around 1'' by 6'' or 150 pixels by 600 pixels. That's no a lot of room! Choose your words wisely, offer something, or promote a current sale to get people to come to your website and either make a purchase or send you their information. It's as easy as that!
At our company, we offer a full range of services from graphic design and branding to web design and search engine optimization, and everything in between. We recently designed and produced an entire trade show booth for one of our clients along with all the handouts, business cards and 30 second video to boot! Point being? You don't have to go to two separate agencies to get your website banner advertising up and generating leads!
Call us today at 847.537.0067 or visit our website, Chicago Web Design, to read more about online advertising and web design services.
//Creative Agency
Chicago and Schaumburg businesses that are considering marketing and advertising to boost their company's sales should consider banner advertising along with other options. This is essentially putting up an ad on a related, or newsworthy website that will show your ad to readers who may be interested in your services. If you can believe it, people will drive by a business for years and never go inside. It may be because they don't know what the business offers, or simply don't like the name.
A great advertisement, on or offline, will bring in traffic. A web banner needs to show exactly what you do within seconds, so it's incredibly important to have a Chicago online advertising agency design these ads for you. They'll also know exactly where to place them, how to link them, and how to track visits to your website through them. The cost of these services can be surprisingly affordable, and are designed to bring in a lot more business than the cost of the banner itself.
Online, the typical banner is around 1'' by 6'' or 150 pixels by 600 pixels. That's no a lot of room! Choose your words wisely, offer something, or promote a current sale to get people to come to your website and either make a purchase or send you their information. It's as easy as that!
At our company, we offer a full range of services from graphic design and branding to web design and search engine optimization, and everything in between. We recently designed and produced an entire trade show booth for one of our clients along with all the handouts, business cards and 30 second video to boot! Point being? You don't have to go to two separate agencies to get your website banner advertising up and generating leads!
Call us today at 847.537.0067 or visit our website, Chicago Web Design, to read more about online advertising and web design services.
//Creative Agency
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
We Love Web Design: Chicago Web Developers
Here I've collected 10 beautiful website designs varying from hand-drawn, large backgrounds, to clean and corporate. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
How to Choose the Best Web Design Company
Chicago Web Design
How we visualize anything total depends on our perception. There are different shades of green but there are situations wherein three different shades of green would look green for us. Now how can a lighter shade and a darker shade both look green? This is the effect of perception.
The best example of change in color is when a piece of colored cloth looks different in different shades of light in the premises of the shopkeeper. This is why you will find people purchase clothes after seeing its color in the natural sun light outside the shop so that there is no influence of the light bulb.
How we visualize anything total depends on our perception. There are different shades of green but there are situations wherein three different shades of green would look green for us. Now how can a lighter shade and a darker shade both look green? This is the effect of perception.
The best example of change in color is when a piece of colored cloth looks different in different shades of light in the premises of the shopkeeper. This is why you will find people purchase clothes after seeing its color in the natural sun light outside the shop so that there is no influence of the light bulb.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Chicago Web Design: Restaurant Web Design Tips
Chicago Web Design
There are many things about many Chicago websites that could use a lot of changes, and there are a lot of things with many websites that are great! But there are certain industries that need to stick to a standard, and there is a specific industry that always leaves us hanging: Restaurant and Bar website designs are always horrid.
There has been many a time where you've gone looking for a great place to eat, found a website, and it was literally impossible to navigate. In addition to that, they're menu wasn't view-able on your computer, or it was an image so small you couldn't see what was available. It may have happened also that something you did see that was appetizing wasn't listed as seasonal, so once you got there...it wasn't available.
Having worked in the Chicago web design industry for some time, we love that working with web and print design is so flexible. There is no reason why restaurants cannot keep their websites up to date with pricing, seasonal entrees and new specials. There is also no reason that the entire website should be an image and have bad links to their pdf'd menu.
What ALL Restaurant Websites Should Include:
Web Fonts for Information & Menus
Use web fonts even if they break your branding and identity. Your informational copy doesn't have to be in the same font as your logo. Many computers and especially phones can't read alternate font styles, may be too slow to load a large image, and most importantly, since people search for restaurants on their phones, don't make your menu a .pdf. Smart phones can't open them.
K.I.S.S.
If you didn't know what that is...it's the web acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don't clutter up your website with flashy animations and huge images. Make sure the homepage can be read on slow internet connections and smartphones.
Nix Text in your Images
Unless it's a logo, all of your test should be HTML. Especially your address and phone number. And be sure they're displayed somewhere other than your footer or on the contact page. Additionally, link your address to your Google Place Page so smartphone users can get directions to your business easily.
Get a Second Opinion
Typos make you look dumb. Period. Your food isn't the only aspect of your reputation. It's your decor, your staff, and in the online world...your website. If you have browser incompatibilities, buggy slideshows, typos, grammar errors and broken links...say goodbye to that customer.
Display your Hours CORRECTLY
I saw a sign the other day that said: Lunch - 11:30pm to 3:00pm. What? Huh? This is a nobrainer.
Update your Website Regularly!!!
This is very important. People expect the specials they see online to be available at your restaurant. If you've got a special that expired 6 months ago...take it down.
People who love food and tend to search for new places online can be extremely picky. If they can't navigate your website, they'll move on. Make your website as frill-free and structured with fool-proof navigation as possible to keep your customers coming in! If you feel your website is in need of a facelift, or you just can't update your website as regularly as you feel, give Integraphix a shout at 847.537.0067 to talk about a website maintenance program or website redesign.
--
Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Agency
There are many things about many Chicago websites that could use a lot of changes, and there are a lot of things with many websites that are great! But there are certain industries that need to stick to a standard, and there is a specific industry that always leaves us hanging: Restaurant and Bar website designs are always horrid.
There has been many a time where you've gone looking for a great place to eat, found a website, and it was literally impossible to navigate. In addition to that, they're menu wasn't view-able on your computer, or it was an image so small you couldn't see what was available. It may have happened also that something you did see that was appetizing wasn't listed as seasonal, so once you got there...it wasn't available.
Having worked in the Chicago web design industry for some time, we love that working with web and print design is so flexible. There is no reason why restaurants cannot keep their websites up to date with pricing, seasonal entrees and new specials. There is also no reason that the entire website should be an image and have bad links to their pdf'd menu.
What ALL Restaurant Websites Should Include:
Web Fonts for Information & Menus
Use web fonts even if they break your branding and identity. Your informational copy doesn't have to be in the same font as your logo. Many computers and especially phones can't read alternate font styles, may be too slow to load a large image, and most importantly, since people search for restaurants on their phones, don't make your menu a .pdf. Smart phones can't open them.
K.I.S.S.
If you didn't know what that is...it's the web acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don't clutter up your website with flashy animations and huge images. Make sure the homepage can be read on slow internet connections and smartphones.
Nix Text in your Images
Unless it's a logo, all of your test should be HTML. Especially your address and phone number. And be sure they're displayed somewhere other than your footer or on the contact page. Additionally, link your address to your Google Place Page so smartphone users can get directions to your business easily.
Get a Second Opinion
Typos make you look dumb. Period. Your food isn't the only aspect of your reputation. It's your decor, your staff, and in the online world...your website. If you have browser incompatibilities, buggy slideshows, typos, grammar errors and broken links...say goodbye to that customer.
Display your Hours CORRECTLY
I saw a sign the other day that said: Lunch - 11:30pm to 3:00pm. What? Huh? This is a nobrainer.
Update your Website Regularly!!!
This is very important. People expect the specials they see online to be available at your restaurant. If you've got a special that expired 6 months ago...take it down.
People who love food and tend to search for new places online can be extremely picky. If they can't navigate your website, they'll move on. Make your website as frill-free and structured with fool-proof navigation as possible to keep your customers coming in! If you feel your website is in need of a facelift, or you just can't update your website as regularly as you feel, give Integraphix a shout at 847.537.0067 to talk about a website maintenance program or website redesign.
--
Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Agency
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Chicago Web Design: How to Upsell your Web Design Work
Chicago Web Design
New clients are not always easy to come by. We all know this. When you get a client though, being able to offer them more services, especially monthly ones, can dramatically increase your income potential. Fortunately for most web designers, there are plenty of add-ons that your clients are more than likely in need of but don't know you offer. If you're able to provide these services, you can generate a monthly income instead of living client to client, PLUS they'll come to you when they need things instead of going elsewhere.
All of these things can be offered at the time that you're selling your web design services, so your best bet is to include them as options in your sales documents. You can also follow up with past clients and offer them these services in a nice email or phone call.
1. Website Maintenance
Many clients need ongoing maintenance to their website, or if they don't there is most definitely old information on there, images they'd like to change or staff bios and images that need swapped out. Having a few regular clients that you know you'll be getting regular payments from can help your bottom line significantly.
2. Logo Design
Not all web designers have the same abilities when it comes to Graphic Design, so only do this if you're actually able to develop good logos and branding solutions. If your client does not have a logo at the time of their web design project, offer this service to them in addition to their website. You'll be able to sell this easily since it is proven that branded companies do far better in the market than companies who don't have a solid 'identity'.
3. Printed Business Products
Business Cards, Letterheads, Envelopes, etc. If you've got the ins with a printer, go ahead and take advantage of that. Once you've got their logo down, ask them if they'd like business cards and other business products made up. A startup company will need these things moving forward. If you're going to be offering several items at once, offer to discount them on these products.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Obviously it is essential to optimize their website to search engines can easily find and index their website, but most clients don't know that you can offer a monthly service to help their website show up more often for carefully chosen keywords. Although not all clients will want these things, most business owners will take advantage of SEO services in order to increase their online lead generation. SEO is definitely a hefty topic to take on, so only do this if you are qualified.
5. Web Hosting
Hosting a website is a monthly fee, and it is one of the most popular add-ons for designers to offer their clients. Most hosting companies offer a re-seller program so if you're OK with managing these types of services, it's a guaranteed monthly income for you.
6. Banner Advertising Design
If your clients are advertising on other websites, they might have need for professional banner ad designs. This is a service you can offer anyone for a little extra money - especially since these ads should change quite frequently. It can provide additional work samples for your portfolio as well and should attract new clients easily.
Your thoughts?
Do you have experience in this subject? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
/// Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Company
Chicago Web Design
Chicago Website Design
Chicago Web Development
Creative Agency
Web Design Firm
Web Development Company
Integraphx
New clients are not always easy to come by. We all know this. When you get a client though, being able to offer them more services, especially monthly ones, can dramatically increase your income potential. Fortunately for most web designers, there are plenty of add-ons that your clients are more than likely in need of but don't know you offer. If you're able to provide these services, you can generate a monthly income instead of living client to client, PLUS they'll come to you when they need things instead of going elsewhere.
All of these things can be offered at the time that you're selling your web design services, so your best bet is to include them as options in your sales documents. You can also follow up with past clients and offer them these services in a nice email or phone call.
1. Website Maintenance
Many clients need ongoing maintenance to their website, or if they don't there is most definitely old information on there, images they'd like to change or staff bios and images that need swapped out. Having a few regular clients that you know you'll be getting regular payments from can help your bottom line significantly.
2. Logo Design
Not all web designers have the same abilities when it comes to Graphic Design, so only do this if you're actually able to develop good logos and branding solutions. If your client does not have a logo at the time of their web design project, offer this service to them in addition to their website. You'll be able to sell this easily since it is proven that branded companies do far better in the market than companies who don't have a solid 'identity'.
3. Printed Business Products
Business Cards, Letterheads, Envelopes, etc. If you've got the ins with a printer, go ahead and take advantage of that. Once you've got their logo down, ask them if they'd like business cards and other business products made up. A startup company will need these things moving forward. If you're going to be offering several items at once, offer to discount them on these products.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Obviously it is essential to optimize their website to search engines can easily find and index their website, but most clients don't know that you can offer a monthly service to help their website show up more often for carefully chosen keywords. Although not all clients will want these things, most business owners will take advantage of SEO services in order to increase their online lead generation. SEO is definitely a hefty topic to take on, so only do this if you are qualified.
5. Web Hosting
Hosting a website is a monthly fee, and it is one of the most popular add-ons for designers to offer their clients. Most hosting companies offer a re-seller program so if you're OK with managing these types of services, it's a guaranteed monthly income for you.
6. Banner Advertising Design
If your clients are advertising on other websites, they might have need for professional banner ad designs. This is a service you can offer anyone for a little extra money - especially since these ads should change quite frequently. It can provide additional work samples for your portfolio as well and should attract new clients easily.
Your thoughts?
Do you have experience in this subject? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
/// Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Company
Chicago Web Design
Chicago Website Design
Chicago Web Development
Creative Agency
Web Design Firm
Web Development Company
Integraphx
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Chicago Web Design: 10 Habits to Break NOW!!
The internet is a fickle place, and web users are even more so. They move so quickly through web pages, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention before they’ve moved on. To really make your target market pay attention to your website there are a few things your web designer needs to stop doing RIGHT NOW. Really – call them. If you’re using Integraphix, then you’re in good hands so just sit tight. If you’re not using Integraphix for your Chicago web design and web optimization in Chicago, read below to make sure your website is relevant and worth a visit from your target market.
First Offense: Your website design and content lacks personality
Whether it is your dull and boring writing or a dull and boring website, your users are sure to get bored if you don’t inject a bit of your company personality into the website. Website visitors usually have a goal in mind, and when they arrive at your company website looking for something in particular or a piece of information and can’t find it, they’ll quickly move on. Bad website design usually involves a homepage that isn’t representing the company well enough and isn’t showing relevant content right on the first page. Is your homepage incredibly boring?
Hallmarks of website design include not knowing your target audience, including irrelevant or repetitive content, and lacking calls to action for sales or for more in-depth site exploration.
For these reasons, make sure that you’re using web analytics to gain a sense of who’s coming to your site. Once you know what this demographic is looking for, provide them with it. Prioritize information so that the homepage is easy to read, with a clear header, introduction, and appropriately displayed links. Keep things simple and remember that not every piece of information must be included right off the bat (that’s what subsequent pages are for). Imbuing your site with the look, information, and personality that will speak to your niche audience is essential for capturing their initial attention.
Habit #2: Failure to Establish Credibility
Failing to inspire confidence in your readers is a major problem that can easily get in the way of a website’s success. It is necessary that your design features elements which prove to visitors that they can trust the information found within your pages. Immediate warning signs that diminish your site’s credibility are errors in grammar and spelling, a lack of visual cleanliness, and a site that looks outdated.
Think about it: If a site looks old, then might you conclude that the information contained therein is old, too? Therefore, it’s imperative that you continue to update and improve your website over time, being careful not to fall behind new trends. Technical errors like spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as messy visuals such as unaligned paragraphs give the impression that the website creator hasn’t put a lot of thought or effort into the site. If you can’t be bothered to spell-check your work, then why should anyone else bother to read it?
Beyond just this basic maintenance, you can also add more in-depth indicators of your credibility. These include any relevant information about your educational and employment background, accomplishments, awards, accolades, site membership numbers or other statistics that indicate your success level, and any community or trade involvement that shows your legitimacy and outreach.
Habit # 3: Impossible to Read Text
Who’s going to stick around a site they have to strain their eyes to read? Be very cautious about the font you use and the colors you choose. A lack of contrasting color between your type and your background can cause huge legibility issues. Make sure that the writing stands out enough from page and that the colors complement each other appropriately. Text that is too small can also be problematic, especially for older viewers. And although it’s not a bad design choice to use a fresh and modern font, make sure you’re selecting something that is crisp and clean enough to be used for bodies of text.
Long blocks of writing are, in and of themselves, something to avoid. Website visitors want to get to the main point of a page – and quickly. Large chunks of text discourage this, so the optimal thing to do is to edit out any unnecessary details, break up content into manageable paragraphs, and organize selected information into lists and bullet points.
Lastly, beware the bold, italic, underline, and caps lock options. These can be used sparingly to make a point, but overwhelming a page with them creates a visual mess and ultimately achieves the opposite effect from what you want, confusing the eye to the point where it doesn’t know where to look first.
Habit #4: Confusing Site Navigation
Perhaps one of the most egregious offenses in website design is creating a site whose navigation is poor, shoddy, or confusing. Major design mistakes center around links, which must always be easily identifiable, descriptive in their title, and functioning properly. Don’t make visitors guess where they’re going: make sure that you distinguish visually between content on your page that is simply text and content that is a link and, therefore, “clickable. ” Underlining, bold, or a standout color choice can all be used to indicate that a word or phrase is actually a link. Be clear about where each one takes the visitor by giving obvious titles to your different sections, making it clear from a glance which button takes you where. Make sure that the links are visually unified; if every link is presented in the same style, then it will be easy for users to scan a web page and spot them.
Beware of orphaned pages! This term indicates web pages that have no link back to the homepage or, in the worst case scenarios, links to any other section of the website. Orphaned pages can create a huge hassle and annoyance for your visitors, who must leave the visual area of the website to use their browser’s “back” button. Likewise, to further avoid this situation, double-check to make sure all of your site’s links are functioning! Broken links and 404 error pages make a site look messy and unmaintained, as well as cause users a headache.
A few other warnings on this topic: bad website design is likewise evident on websites whose links don’t change color after having been clicked by a visitor. Help your users remember what parts of the sites they’ve already checked out so that they don’t find themselves lost within your content. Under no circumstances should you include any drop-down menus that fall below the bottom of your page. These will make certain links impossible to reach!
Habit #5: Distracting Design Elements
Overambitious and/or inexperienced designers have a tendency to believe that the more bells and whistles they add to a website, the more impressive it will appear to viewers. Wrong. In fact, too many special features and attention-grabbing effects can create a serious eyesore, as well as distract from the really important content. While it’s always a good idea to stand out from the crowd, making too big a point to grab viewers’ attention will actually send them running in the opposite direction. Remember that content is key, and no design features should overshadow that fact. Nor should they, in the worst cases, attempt to make up for a website that ha subpar content.
What are these distracting features that Chicago web design usually consists of? Blinking signs, clashing colors, too many photos, crazy background images, clutter, and an inundation of ads, especially those that are poorly placed or which have absolutely nothing to do with the website’s theme.
First of all, to repeat, not all of your information must be included on the homepage – or on any single page for that matter. Websites have sections for a reason, so divide up your content wisely. Second of all, always go back to the main idea that website users are arriving at your page looking for information. If you remember this, then you’ll quickly see that anything blinking, clashing, or attention-grabbing simply isn’t helping anybody’s cause. Third of all, although advertisements can be a great source of revenue, be wise about what you allow on your page and where you place it. Keep the commercial aspects off to the side and always make sure that their products match your website’s theme and your viewers’ interests, otherwise, they will steal the spotlight simply by virtue of the fact that they don’t fit in.
Habit #6: Auto-Play Media
No discussion of distractions can take place without also addressing the major design problem of automatically-playing media. If your visitors’ purpose is to get information from your website, why are you stalling their progress with long Flash intros that have no option to be skipped over? Why are you playing music when people only want to read or look at pictures? Why are you shoving pop-up windows in their faces?
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these elements. A Flash intro can be a dynamic, and creative opening to a website; videos and music can be wonderful tools and sometimes are the sole purpose of a website; and alerting your visitors to sales and offers is an essential part of marketing yourself.
However, it’s all about the way you present these elements and the keyword here is always choice. Let visitors decide how much time they have and whether they want to use that time to sit through an intro or video; let them decide when they want to listen to music and for how long; allow them to click on offers, but don’t force them to close a pop-up window that’s of no personal interest to them. A tidal wave of media doesn’t achieve anything except increased visitor annoyance levels.
Habit #7: Your Site Makes Us Work Too Hard, Wait Too Long…or Think Too Much!
Because of web users’ goal driven natures and the plethora of web pages that they have at their immediate disposal, any Chicago web design features that test their patience can be prove to be major pitfalls in your website’s success. Beware of anything that makes visitors work too hard to find information or wait too long to get to it.
Perhaps the biggest issue in this category is the slow-loading page. This occurs primarily when there are too many images trying to load at once, or even a few images whose file sizes are simply too large. Make sure you know what quality of image is enough to make your site look beautiful, but not too much to slow it down, and then be selective about how many images you include. Besides the slow-loading page issue, you can also run the risk of half or partially-loaded images, which can look highly unprofessional and messy.
Also reconsider any design features that seem unnatural or add extra steps to your users’ activities. A good example of this is the horizontal scrolling bar. While web users are used to scrolling vertically, it takes much more effort for them to keep scrolling back and forth horizontally to finish reading sentences or find information that is off to the side of the main webpage. In some cases, they might not even notice or recognize that this type of scrolling is an option, thus causing them to miss out on whatever page elements are “hidden” from view.
Habit #8: Leaving Out Essential Information
Sometimes it’s what Chicago web design leaves out, not what it puts in, that causes the biggest problems. Creating a website that lacks significant and relevant pieces of information can be disastrous for a business. By failing to fully answer your visitors’ questions or fulfill their needs, your website will quickly fall short of their expectations and potential return traffic will instead move elsewhere.
One of the main problems found in bad website design is a lack of contact information. Whether a customer is looking to find a business’ location(s), has a product-related question, or simply needs to speak to someone about opening hours or website issues, in this day and age they must be provided with multiple ways of getting in touch. Supply users with as many ways to contact you as possible: a phone number, an address, an email address, a fax number, or even a specially designated comments form.
Another type of issue arises when it comes to ecommerce websites, which are looking to make a direct profit from web users. Imagine you are a consumer looking to buy a product, and you end up on a website that doesn’t supply you with prices, descriptions or images of their items, or even a clear way to make your purchase. What are you supposed to do? You have no choice but to turn elsewhere.
Designers must make sure that an adequate amount of information is available when they’re asking customers to shop online. Photographs of the merchandise are very important, but may need to be supplemented with written descriptions that contain specifics like the products’ materials, functions, or non-visible qualities. Be sure that the prices are displayed clearly and choose graphics and colors that clearly indicate the path buyers can follow to check-out.
Habit #9: Trying Too Hard to Be Different
Perhaps one of the most overarching bad design habits is simply the overwhelming desire to be different, at the expense of website functionality and straightforwardness. While it’s important for your website to stand out from the crowd of other options, this can be achieved through excellent content, beautiful images, easy navigation, stunning graphics, or even utter simplicity. Where experimentation goes wrong is when a website tries so hard to break the mold that it actually only serves to alienate and confuse visitors.
Web page users are familiar with browsing websites and have learned to expect pages to work in certain ways. They’re accustomed to even the littlest details, like links being underlined or bolded, and sitemaps being found at the bottom of the page. If you start messing around with the accepted format, you risk losing an audience; even well experienced web users can still get lost and those goal-driven users who find your site too overwhelming will simply move on. Find the middle ground between making a statement and giving visitors what they want. Be creative in your content and instead leave all the major or basic page elements alone: let them work the way they always have.
Habit #10: Not Checking to See if Search Engines Can Find You
Last but certainly not least on our list, if your website cannot be found by search engines and, therefore, cannot be appreciated by more visitors, then your web page design has seriously failed you. It’s not enough to have great content or a page that looks pretty; there are certain design elements that must be either included or avoided if you’re going to grow an audience and have any impact on the virtual world.
Make sure that you are using SEO keywords in an artful manner, incorporating them into the fabric of your web page so that your content can be found and receive the attention it deserves. At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm any web page with irrelevant information or a whole bunch of SEO nonsense that has been awkwardly planted in your text. Be smart, selective, and mindful of your viewers. Fit keywords into your writing in ways that complement the content, not destroy or delegitimize it.
Another major rookie mistake is placing text inside of image boxes. Designers may think this effect looks cool, adding a neat visual background to tabs and headings. Unfortunately, however, text that is programmed in this manner cannot be found by search engines, so any keywords that you’ve embedded in an image will be lost and useless. In this case, as well as in the case of Flash menus, it is absolutely essential that a designer remembers to include a sitemap or tags on their page, since these will be recognizable. It’s a simple solution that allows you to achieve creative design, without sacrificing your number of page views.
Avoid these ten habits of Chicago web design and you’ll be on your way to creating a site that is not only gorgeous and visually memorable, but fully-functioning and successful!
Chicago Web Design, Website Design Chicago, Web Designers in Palatine, IL, Website Optimization Chicago, Search Engine Marketing Firm Chicago, Social Media Marketing Chicago, SEO Company, Chicago Marketing Firm, Website Designers in Chicago
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| Chicago Web Design Company |
First Offense: Your website design and content lacks personality
Whether it is your dull and boring writing or a dull and boring website, your users are sure to get bored if you don’t inject a bit of your company personality into the website. Website visitors usually have a goal in mind, and when they arrive at your company website looking for something in particular or a piece of information and can’t find it, they’ll quickly move on. Bad website design usually involves a homepage that isn’t representing the company well enough and isn’t showing relevant content right on the first page. Is your homepage incredibly boring?
Hallmarks of website design include not knowing your target audience, including irrelevant or repetitive content, and lacking calls to action for sales or for more in-depth site exploration.
For these reasons, make sure that you’re using web analytics to gain a sense of who’s coming to your site. Once you know what this demographic is looking for, provide them with it. Prioritize information so that the homepage is easy to read, with a clear header, introduction, and appropriately displayed links. Keep things simple and remember that not every piece of information must be included right off the bat (that’s what subsequent pages are for). Imbuing your site with the look, information, and personality that will speak to your niche audience is essential for capturing their initial attention.
Habit #2: Failure to Establish Credibility
Failing to inspire confidence in your readers is a major problem that can easily get in the way of a website’s success. It is necessary that your design features elements which prove to visitors that they can trust the information found within your pages. Immediate warning signs that diminish your site’s credibility are errors in grammar and spelling, a lack of visual cleanliness, and a site that looks outdated.
Think about it: If a site looks old, then might you conclude that the information contained therein is old, too? Therefore, it’s imperative that you continue to update and improve your website over time, being careful not to fall behind new trends. Technical errors like spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as messy visuals such as unaligned paragraphs give the impression that the website creator hasn’t put a lot of thought or effort into the site. If you can’t be bothered to spell-check your work, then why should anyone else bother to read it?
Beyond just this basic maintenance, you can also add more in-depth indicators of your credibility. These include any relevant information about your educational and employment background, accomplishments, awards, accolades, site membership numbers or other statistics that indicate your success level, and any community or trade involvement that shows your legitimacy and outreach.
Habit # 3: Impossible to Read Text
Who’s going to stick around a site they have to strain their eyes to read? Be very cautious about the font you use and the colors you choose. A lack of contrasting color between your type and your background can cause huge legibility issues. Make sure that the writing stands out enough from page and that the colors complement each other appropriately. Text that is too small can also be problematic, especially for older viewers. And although it’s not a bad design choice to use a fresh and modern font, make sure you’re selecting something that is crisp and clean enough to be used for bodies of text.
Long blocks of writing are, in and of themselves, something to avoid. Website visitors want to get to the main point of a page – and quickly. Large chunks of text discourage this, so the optimal thing to do is to edit out any unnecessary details, break up content into manageable paragraphs, and organize selected information into lists and bullet points.
Lastly, beware the bold, italic, underline, and caps lock options. These can be used sparingly to make a point, but overwhelming a page with them creates a visual mess and ultimately achieves the opposite effect from what you want, confusing the eye to the point where it doesn’t know where to look first.
Habit #4: Confusing Site Navigation
Perhaps one of the most egregious offenses in website design is creating a site whose navigation is poor, shoddy, or confusing. Major design mistakes center around links, which must always be easily identifiable, descriptive in their title, and functioning properly. Don’t make visitors guess where they’re going: make sure that you distinguish visually between content on your page that is simply text and content that is a link and, therefore, “clickable. ” Underlining, bold, or a standout color choice can all be used to indicate that a word or phrase is actually a link. Be clear about where each one takes the visitor by giving obvious titles to your different sections, making it clear from a glance which button takes you where. Make sure that the links are visually unified; if every link is presented in the same style, then it will be easy for users to scan a web page and spot them.
Beware of orphaned pages! This term indicates web pages that have no link back to the homepage or, in the worst case scenarios, links to any other section of the website. Orphaned pages can create a huge hassle and annoyance for your visitors, who must leave the visual area of the website to use their browser’s “back” button. Likewise, to further avoid this situation, double-check to make sure all of your site’s links are functioning! Broken links and 404 error pages make a site look messy and unmaintained, as well as cause users a headache.
A few other warnings on this topic: bad website design is likewise evident on websites whose links don’t change color after having been clicked by a visitor. Help your users remember what parts of the sites they’ve already checked out so that they don’t find themselves lost within your content. Under no circumstances should you include any drop-down menus that fall below the bottom of your page. These will make certain links impossible to reach!
Habit #5: Distracting Design Elements
Overambitious and/or inexperienced designers have a tendency to believe that the more bells and whistles they add to a website, the more impressive it will appear to viewers. Wrong. In fact, too many special features and attention-grabbing effects can create a serious eyesore, as well as distract from the really important content. While it’s always a good idea to stand out from the crowd, making too big a point to grab viewers’ attention will actually send them running in the opposite direction. Remember that content is key, and no design features should overshadow that fact. Nor should they, in the worst cases, attempt to make up for a website that ha subpar content.
What are these distracting features that Chicago web design usually consists of? Blinking signs, clashing colors, too many photos, crazy background images, clutter, and an inundation of ads, especially those that are poorly placed or which have absolutely nothing to do with the website’s theme.
First of all, to repeat, not all of your information must be included on the homepage – or on any single page for that matter. Websites have sections for a reason, so divide up your content wisely. Second of all, always go back to the main idea that website users are arriving at your page looking for information. If you remember this, then you’ll quickly see that anything blinking, clashing, or attention-grabbing simply isn’t helping anybody’s cause. Third of all, although advertisements can be a great source of revenue, be wise about what you allow on your page and where you place it. Keep the commercial aspects off to the side and always make sure that their products match your website’s theme and your viewers’ interests, otherwise, they will steal the spotlight simply by virtue of the fact that they don’t fit in.
Habit #6: Auto-Play Media
No discussion of distractions can take place without also addressing the major design problem of automatically-playing media. If your visitors’ purpose is to get information from your website, why are you stalling their progress with long Flash intros that have no option to be skipped over? Why are you playing music when people only want to read or look at pictures? Why are you shoving pop-up windows in their faces?
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these elements. A Flash intro can be a dynamic, and creative opening to a website; videos and music can be wonderful tools and sometimes are the sole purpose of a website; and alerting your visitors to sales and offers is an essential part of marketing yourself.
However, it’s all about the way you present these elements and the keyword here is always choice. Let visitors decide how much time they have and whether they want to use that time to sit through an intro or video; let them decide when they want to listen to music and for how long; allow them to click on offers, but don’t force them to close a pop-up window that’s of no personal interest to them. A tidal wave of media doesn’t achieve anything except increased visitor annoyance levels.
Habit #7: Your Site Makes Us Work Too Hard, Wait Too Long…or Think Too Much!
Because of web users’ goal driven natures and the plethora of web pages that they have at their immediate disposal, any Chicago web design features that test their patience can be prove to be major pitfalls in your website’s success. Beware of anything that makes visitors work too hard to find information or wait too long to get to it.
Perhaps the biggest issue in this category is the slow-loading page. This occurs primarily when there are too many images trying to load at once, or even a few images whose file sizes are simply too large. Make sure you know what quality of image is enough to make your site look beautiful, but not too much to slow it down, and then be selective about how many images you include. Besides the slow-loading page issue, you can also run the risk of half or partially-loaded images, which can look highly unprofessional and messy.
Also reconsider any design features that seem unnatural or add extra steps to your users’ activities. A good example of this is the horizontal scrolling bar. While web users are used to scrolling vertically, it takes much more effort for them to keep scrolling back and forth horizontally to finish reading sentences or find information that is off to the side of the main webpage. In some cases, they might not even notice or recognize that this type of scrolling is an option, thus causing them to miss out on whatever page elements are “hidden” from view.
Habit #8: Leaving Out Essential Information
Sometimes it’s what Chicago web design leaves out, not what it puts in, that causes the biggest problems. Creating a website that lacks significant and relevant pieces of information can be disastrous for a business. By failing to fully answer your visitors’ questions or fulfill their needs, your website will quickly fall short of their expectations and potential return traffic will instead move elsewhere.
One of the main problems found in bad website design is a lack of contact information. Whether a customer is looking to find a business’ location(s), has a product-related question, or simply needs to speak to someone about opening hours or website issues, in this day and age they must be provided with multiple ways of getting in touch. Supply users with as many ways to contact you as possible: a phone number, an address, an email address, a fax number, or even a specially designated comments form.
Another type of issue arises when it comes to ecommerce websites, which are looking to make a direct profit from web users. Imagine you are a consumer looking to buy a product, and you end up on a website that doesn’t supply you with prices, descriptions or images of their items, or even a clear way to make your purchase. What are you supposed to do? You have no choice but to turn elsewhere.
Designers must make sure that an adequate amount of information is available when they’re asking customers to shop online. Photographs of the merchandise are very important, but may need to be supplemented with written descriptions that contain specifics like the products’ materials, functions, or non-visible qualities. Be sure that the prices are displayed clearly and choose graphics and colors that clearly indicate the path buyers can follow to check-out.
Habit #9: Trying Too Hard to Be Different
Perhaps one of the most overarching bad design habits is simply the overwhelming desire to be different, at the expense of website functionality and straightforwardness. While it’s important for your website to stand out from the crowd of other options, this can be achieved through excellent content, beautiful images, easy navigation, stunning graphics, or even utter simplicity. Where experimentation goes wrong is when a website tries so hard to break the mold that it actually only serves to alienate and confuse visitors.
Web page users are familiar with browsing websites and have learned to expect pages to work in certain ways. They’re accustomed to even the littlest details, like links being underlined or bolded, and sitemaps being found at the bottom of the page. If you start messing around with the accepted format, you risk losing an audience; even well experienced web users can still get lost and those goal-driven users who find your site too overwhelming will simply move on. Find the middle ground between making a statement and giving visitors what they want. Be creative in your content and instead leave all the major or basic page elements alone: let them work the way they always have.
Habit #10: Not Checking to See if Search Engines Can Find You
Last but certainly not least on our list, if your website cannot be found by search engines and, therefore, cannot be appreciated by more visitors, then your web page design has seriously failed you. It’s not enough to have great content or a page that looks pretty; there are certain design elements that must be either included or avoided if you’re going to grow an audience and have any impact on the virtual world.
Make sure that you are using SEO keywords in an artful manner, incorporating them into the fabric of your web page so that your content can be found and receive the attention it deserves. At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm any web page with irrelevant information or a whole bunch of SEO nonsense that has been awkwardly planted in your text. Be smart, selective, and mindful of your viewers. Fit keywords into your writing in ways that complement the content, not destroy or delegitimize it.
Another major rookie mistake is placing text inside of image boxes. Designers may think this effect looks cool, adding a neat visual background to tabs and headings. Unfortunately, however, text that is programmed in this manner cannot be found by search engines, so any keywords that you’ve embedded in an image will be lost and useless. In this case, as well as in the case of Flash menus, it is absolutely essential that a designer remembers to include a sitemap or tags on their page, since these will be recognizable. It’s a simple solution that allows you to achieve creative design, without sacrificing your number of page views.
Avoid these ten habits of Chicago web design and you’ll be on your way to creating a site that is not only gorgeous and visually memorable, but fully-functioning and successful!
Chicago Web Design, Website Design Chicago, Web Designers in Palatine, IL, Website Optimization Chicago, Search Engine Marketing Firm Chicago, Social Media Marketing Chicago, SEO Company, Chicago Marketing Firm, Website Designers in Chicago
Chicago Web Design Company | The Real Trends of 2011
Web Design Trends of 2011
In 2010 the web was filled with details: heavy text blocks, dark color palettes and picture after picture began to see their decline as people begin to opt for much cleaner Chicago Web Design, and a more minimal look. By minimal we’re not meaning mediocre but the opposite, a better use of the diagramming without saturating the pages with irrelevant information.
Take things a little bit further by using illustrations, serif fonts and a color background. But even with these details the site should remain clean, the diagramming excellent and the fonts looking nice. What this teaches us is that you can get risky without having to make things look bizarre or old-fashioned.
Don’t be shy, start playing with typefaces
Big fonts can work if you know the secret. Usually typefaces play a minor role inside any website, as the only purpose was to display information, which means that they were utilized for their literal purpose. Since 2010, a new trend has began to gain strength and that’s utilizing big and bold fonts with the exclusive intention of grab the surfer’s attention. You can find a lot examples of how a strong title can be as eye-catching as a picture, it’s just an issue of playing your carts in a good way.
It’s ok to use a 60 pt title on top of your page as long as it looks well and not as a serious mistake.Likewise the idea of small fonts to show genius is now obsolete and on these days can be easily confused as a lack of trust.
Typography is everything on this webpage, from the small menu elements proceeded by a shocking header and the great text boxes with a subtle grunge texture. Besides the designer’s picture (which is not a photograph by the way) there’s not a single picture on this page and it doesn’t look bad but at the opposite, looks really well.
With a basic three color palette, a designer can experiment with many different typefaces and somehow nailed because the final design looks awesome, so this proves you that it’s not strictly necessary to stick to a single font family when constructing a website.
Reducing kerning and tracking values
With the present need of designing for mobile devices such as iPhone and Android, designers have learned that they no longer have huge resolutions to work with and that the 960 grid is the new commander in chief. With this reduction in sizes, one of the best ways of save space is by reducing the space between words and characters to the minimal values. So it’s now often to find really tight menu elements that fortunately look great and are still easy to read.
Creative agency Epic has started to work with typefaces on their website to fit the mobile market, the main menu features a sans-serif font with a reduced tracking value that allows to display all the elements in a small area that can probably fit inside a mobile screen. It’s important to use proper font sizes to maintain the readability as well as play with contrast, because a red font over a vermilion background is not just the best choice.
Quit using plain backgrounds, textures rock!
For the past few years, a hard tendency of zero textures and fully gradient and solid color objects ruled. One of the reasons behind this phenomena was the popularity of the web 2.0 look, which is characterized by glossy elements, gradients and plain backgrounds.
But now the trend is beginning to change and it seems that it’s time for textures to reappear in Chicago web design and the evidence relies on the several websites that are starting to use noisy textures within their places. The grunge look that was so popular during the nineties has been reinterpreted and adapted to the present time, with a new style of combining grungy textures along with clean interfaces and bold typefaces; graphic designers are returning to the creation of custom Photoshop textures, which now are way much nicer than before thanks to the advance in this popular graphic software.
The great thing about textures is that they add richness to the design, you can say that they spice up things a little bit. Currently the most popular textures are the noisy / grunge ones, wood-like textures and mostly everything that comes up from experimentation.
Pixel perfect web elements are the new look
As we said at the beginning of this article, resolutions are changing in a way that have never happened before, and now designers need to worry not only for making high-scale web elements but also super crisp icons, buttons and menus that can look perfect both in a mobile device and a 60 inch TV screen.
So now is becoming a trend in web design to make everything pixel perfect, which is a technique that can be achieved with patience and using powerful Chicago graphic design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator. The idea of pixel perfect is that every detail is carefully planned so you don’t see any blurry or pixelated areas. If you buy a template, button set or just anything web from the major suppliers such as Iconshock, you will receive a complete set with not only big objects but in several resolutions, which usually oscillate from 16 pixels to 256, covering almost every existent screen resolution.
Use bigger icons
A few years, there was an unbreakable rule that told that everything that was going for the internet had to be optimized with a 72 dpi resolution and the small size possible. Now that we’re at the gates of a new decade, all these rules are starting to seem obsolete. Mac OS X has set a maximum icon resolution of 512×512 pixels and many monitors support 300 dpi resolutions, so that thing of doing everything small and shy is over, the era of big icons and high detailed elements has began.
Step by step, most websites are changing their old 24 x 24 pixel icons for much bigger ones, this does not only affect icon’s size itself but also the amount of details that can know be incrusted within a single icon. We can expect that throughout 2011 more and more sites will insert bigger icons on their sites.
Let your pictures be the background
In the past it was considered a true genius the one that put a big image on a website as a background and that this pictures was neither pixelated or oversized. Now with the increment of DSLR cameras, megapixels and photo optimization, it’s a reality to use massive quality pictures for your backgrounds. This technique is highly appreciated by graphic designers and photographers, though we found different kinds of websites utilizing it as well.
The trick to make this work is to always shot at higher resolutions and then fix your image in Photoshop to reduce its size without losing quality, remember that everything in web has to be in RGB mode (CMYK is for printing) and cannot surpass a size of 1 Mb (unless you know that the people that are going to visit your site possess a good internet connection).
Try animated backgrounds
So using big photographs is now possible, but what if we tell you that you can go even further and place fullscreen or really big animations on your websites?. Thanks to Flash and HTML5 this is now a reality. It’s amazing how developers have managed to place incredible animations that don’t take too much broadband, making the animation possible.
These animations are part of the next era in Chicago web design, where 2D will be replaced by 3D and both hardware and applications will help in that process by adjusting to these technologies. Although this technique is still in a baby face, the applications are already great and on the next years there will be more and more sites using fully animated interfaces.
Lighter spaces will still in style this year
During the past few years, there’s been a tendency for developing heavy, over saturated websites with dark colors and bright fonts on top of them, but now that tendency is beginning to change.Along with the new wave of making everything much cleaner and minimal than before comes also a preference for lighter spaces, with pastel tones and light palettes.
By making lighter interfaces, information can be easily processed by the average viewer, because with darker backgrounds an inclination towards clutter shows up, and people spend less time on the page before switching to another one. Our advice then is for you to bright up your page during 2011.
Opt for rounded corners
During the first Internet years, the graphic programs where very basic and there was not amazing tools such as CS5 and the new CSS3, and that’s why many designers took the habit of doing everything straight, because it was much simpler to do and everyone was doing it, but now that there’s been more than 10 years since the end of the 20th century, it’s time for things to change a little bit.
One of the most common things to find was straight corners everywhere, from windows to button, everything was built with a 90 degrees corner. Now we’re seeing how many websites are beginning to incorporate rounded corners on their interfaces, which gives a smoother and nicer appearance to design, you can generate these rounded elements via Illustrator or any other graphic program or utilizing directly a language program such as CSS3.
Utilize sliders
Using sliders is a technique that does not only save a lot of space by showing many information in a single spot but also can be used as a great design element to prettify the whole aesthetic of a website design, and that can be confirmed with the fact that there’s more than one site that actually sells slider designs ready for installation.
Now we want to show you some examples of beautiful sliders that we encountered during our research, some of them used with a more chicago graphic design intention and others to provide plenty of information without using an excessive amount of space.
No more realism, place vector illustrations
If it’s true that photography will always have its place in Chicago web design, the trend for 2011 is quit using realistic illustrations and big photographs and begin implementing big vector illustrations. The reason behind this change is that this illustrations can help to set surreal sceneries and also are more lightweight than complicated designs.
So this is not an affirmation that vector illustrations are going to be the only accepted style, but that graphic design is going back to its roots and in that order of ideas, it’s time to leave aside those fancy illustrations and go with something a little bit simpler.
Footers are there for a reason
Now that 2010 is over we want to say that we were right, footers are becoming more important every day as designers realize that they’re a vital part of every design and they must be utilized with the same importance than the header.
On the past footers were used to place disclaimers, some basic company information or the contact link of the company, but now that’s changing. Footers are now areas where you can place things like social stream boxes, contact forms and tons of information.
Use boxes for diagramming
Diagramming is something implicit in Chicago graphic design and Chicago web design, so you’re probably wondering what’s the novelty of this category. Well the thing is that now many graphic and Chicago web designers are using small boxes on their websites to organize all the information instead of big columns and cluttered structures, which points to the clean look that we already talked about before.
So, during 2011, is probably that the standard web structure with a big header, a content section and finally a footer is going to be displaced by new types of grids and structures with more of these little boxes included inside of them.
Sewn badges and banners are getting popular
Once in a while graphic designers and illustrators fell in love with a little detail and begin to use it sporadically until suddenly it becomes a trend. In the past we saw the boom of glossy gradients, the connecting arrows and surreal characters; in 2011 a tendency that has been showing up for a while and that will stay during this year is the use of sewn-like elements, badges and banners in Chicago web design.
We saw many sites that are combining these elements on their designs, creating a new trend that many people are beginning to follow, so before its time is gone, you should probably take a look at these examples of really nice sewn badge and banner designs.
A few years, there was an unbreakable rule that told that everything that was going for the internet had to be optimized with a 72 dpi resolution and the small size possible. Now that we’re at the gates of a new decade, all these rules are starting to seem obsolete. Mac OS X has set a maximum icon resolution of 512×512 pixels and many monitors support 300 dpi resolutions, so that thing of doing everything small and shy is over, the era of big icons and high detailed elements has began.
Step by step, most websites are changing their old 24 x 24 pixel icons for much bigger ones, this does not only affect icon’s size itself but also the amount of details that can know be incrusted within a single icon. We can expect that throughout 2011 more and more sites will insert bigger icons on their sites.
Let your pictures be the background
In the past it was considered a true genius the one that put a big image on a website as a background and that this pictures was neither pixelated or oversized. Now with the increment of DSLR cameras, megapixels and photo optimization, it’s a reality to use massive quality pictures for your backgrounds. This technique is highly appreciated by graphic designers and photographers, though we found different kinds of websites utilizing it as well.
The trick to make this work is to always shot at higher resolutions and then fix your image in Photoshop to reduce its size without losing quality, remember that everything in web has to be in RGB mode (CMYK is for printing) and cannot surpass a size of 1 Mb (unless you know that the people that are going to visit your site possess a good internet connection).
Try animated backgrounds
So using big photographs is now possible, but what if we tell you that you can go even further and place fullscreen or really big animations on your websites?. Thanks to Flash and HTML5 this is now a reality. It’s amazing how developers have managed to place incredible animations that don’t take too much broadband, making the animation possible.
These animations are part of the next era in Chicago web design, where 2D will be replaced by 3D and both hardware and applications will help in that process by adjusting to these technologies. Although this technique is still in a baby face, the applications are already great and on the next years there will be more and more sites using fully animated interfaces.
Lighter spaces will still in style this year
During the past few years, there’s been a tendency for developing heavy, over saturated websites with dark colors and bright fonts on top of them, but now that tendency is beginning to change.Along with the new wave of making everything much cleaner and minimal than before comes also a preference for lighter spaces, with pastel tones and light palettes.
By making lighter interfaces, information can be easily processed by the average viewer, because with darker backgrounds an inclination towards clutter shows up, and people spend less time on the page before switching to another one. Our advice then is for you to bright up your page during 2011.
Opt for rounded corners
During the first Internet years, the graphic programs where very basic and there was not amazing tools such as CS5 and the new CSS3, and that’s why many designers took the habit of doing everything straight, because it was much simpler to do and everyone was doing it, but now that there’s been more than 10 years since the end of the 20th century, it’s time for things to change a little bit.
One of the most common things to find was straight corners everywhere, from windows to button, everything was built with a 90 degrees corner. Now we’re seeing how many websites are beginning to incorporate rounded corners on their interfaces, which gives a smoother and nicer appearance to design, you can generate these rounded elements via Illustrator or any other graphic program or utilizing directly a language program such as CSS3.
Utilize sliders
Using sliders is a technique that does not only save a lot of space by showing many information in a single spot but also can be used as a great design element to prettify the whole aesthetic of a website design, and that can be confirmed with the fact that there’s more than one site that actually sells slider designs ready for installation.
Now we want to show you some examples of beautiful sliders that we encountered during our research, some of them used with a more chicago graphic design intention and others to provide plenty of information without using an excessive amount of space.
No more realism, place vector illustrations
If it’s true that photography will always have its place in Chicago web design, the trend for 2011 is quit using realistic illustrations and big photographs and begin implementing big vector illustrations. The reason behind this change is that this illustrations can help to set surreal sceneries and also are more lightweight than complicated designs.
So this is not an affirmation that vector illustrations are going to be the only accepted style, but that graphic design is going back to its roots and in that order of ideas, it’s time to leave aside those fancy illustrations and go with something a little bit simpler.
Footers are there for a reason
Now that 2010 is over we want to say that we were right, footers are becoming more important every day as designers realize that they’re a vital part of every design and they must be utilized with the same importance than the header.
On the past footers were used to place disclaimers, some basic company information or the contact link of the company, but now that’s changing. Footers are now areas where you can place things like social stream boxes, contact forms and tons of information.
Use boxes for diagramming
Diagramming is something implicit in Chicago graphic design and Chicago web design, so you’re probably wondering what’s the novelty of this category. Well the thing is that now many graphic and Chicago web designers are using small boxes on their websites to organize all the information instead of big columns and cluttered structures, which points to the clean look that we already talked about before.
So, during 2011, is probably that the standard web structure with a big header, a content section and finally a footer is going to be displaced by new types of grids and structures with more of these little boxes included inside of them.
Sewn badges and banners are getting popular
Once in a while graphic designers and illustrators fell in love with a little detail and begin to use it sporadically until suddenly it becomes a trend. In the past we saw the boom of glossy gradients, the connecting arrows and surreal characters; in 2011 a tendency that has been showing up for a while and that will stay during this year is the use of sewn-like elements, badges and banners in Chicago web design.
We saw many sites that are combining these elements on their designs, creating a new trend that many people are beginning to follow, so before its time is gone, you should probably take a look at these examples of really nice sewn badge and banner designs.
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Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Company
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Chicago Web Design | Marketing Company | SEO | Graphic Design
Chicago Web Design | Marketing Company | SEO | Graphic Design: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Awesome blog about creativity and unique designing in an unoriginal world!
Awesome blog about creativity and unique designing in an unoriginal world!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Beautiful Chicago Web Design
Web Design Chicago
Without inspiration (food for the mind), web designing becomes hindered and we can't think correctly. In fact, web design beginners usually need inspiration to get anywhere! And since everybody loves great imagery, I've put together a few examples of great vector web design for you to chew on.
Without inspiration (food for the mind), web designing becomes hindered and we can't think correctly. In fact, web design beginners usually need inspiration to get anywhere! And since everybody loves great imagery, I've put together a few examples of great vector web design for you to chew on.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Integraphix: Chicago Web Designers
Integraphix is in the business of developing and designing great websites for the Chicagoland area. We take pride in our design abilities and our knowledge of the web design world. In addition to creating beautiful web design, we also integrate all of our websites with search engine optimization, which not only makes you easier to find, but helps expand your business, one customer at a time.
If you want to build your business online the right way, call Integraphix today for a FREE consultation at 847.537.0067 or email us at info@integraphix.com
Chicago Web Design Company, Chicago Web Design, Website Optimization Chicago, Chicago Websites, Internet Marketing Chicago, SEO Chicago, Top Graphic Design Companies in Chicago, Dental Web Design Chicago, Law Firm Website Design
Chicago Web Design Company | Stunning & Creative Navigation Menus
Why design a boring navigation?
Website Design and Development
Usability is an essential goal of any website, and usable navigation is something every single website needs. It determines where visitors are led and how they interact with the website. Without a navigation bar, the interior pages of your website become useless. Menus need to be simple enough for the user to understand, but also contain the elements necessary to guide the user through the website — with some creativity and good design ingenuity.
Here the web designer wrapped the navigation around the side of the content area, and when the user hovers or clicks over the tab, the tab extends. The texture really adds to the design as well making it wonderful to interact with.
This example is one of my favorites as it includes hand drawn elements. This really accentuates the talent of the illustrators and web designers. These icons are not only user friendly, but unique at the same time.
I may be biased, but hand drawn icons are something that is really attractive and interesting to look at since there are so many different illustration techniques that can be incorporated into a design. These are a little 'hipster' but after all - has this ever been seen before?
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In this post I’d like to take a look at more than 50 stellar examples of navigation menus that positively impact the design of a website. The list includes a great deal of variety. Regardless of what you personally prefer, there should be some inspirational examples in here for you.
Integraphix, a Chicago Web Design Company
Chicago Web Design, Chicago Web Design Company, Web Design Chicago, Chicago Internet Marketing, Chicago Graphic Design Company, Chicago Graphic Design, Internet Marketing Chicago, Search Engine Marketing Chicago, Chicago Marketing Company, Top Marketing Companies in Chicago, Chicago SEO Company, SEO Chicago
Monday, April 18, 2011
Schaumburg, IL Graphic Design Company
“I don’t like that shade of green. Can you make the logo bigger, oh and I don’t like the photo of the girl, and the background is a little dark. Could you use something else? I need you to have it ready by tomorrow.”
Sound familiar? We’ve all heard this kind of thing from clients over the years, and if you haven’t; you will. You will spend lots of time trying to achieve a perfect balanced composition: all the elements are in place, you are satisfied with your design and it looks great. The problem? The client doesn’t ‘get’ your ideas and insists on making a whole lot of alterations until you end up with a mockery of the original idea and you die a little inside. How can we categorize these clients? Read below:
The ‘But’ client:
This is the client that praises your work, makes you feel like a million bucks and that you hit the nail on the head…then starts launching into all the reasons why they clearly don’t like the design. This client has read self help books and knows that one needs to accentuate the positive before highlighting the bad areas, but what this client doesn’t know is that this is very, very counter-productive and annoying. Why? We really like when people tell us that our work is good but we rarely like it when it’s not genuine.
How to deal: Kindly tell your client that if they don’t like something, they don’t have to praise the work immediately. It’s a much more efficient use of your time (and theirs) if they get right to the meat of the problem. If they don’t like the placement of something, don’t praise the entire thing, tell you it’s great, and then nit-pick for a half hour. Be up-front, but don’t get defensive. YOU are the designer, and it is your job to guide your clients.
The ‘What’s so difficult about your job’ Client
This is the type of client all Graphic Designers and Web Designers hate to come into contact with. This client thinks they can do your job better than you can, has very high standards, but rarely knows what they want. Perhaps this client has some basic knowledge or has a few years of art in high school under their belt, but they make sure they let you know and want you to appreciate their artistic skills. It gives them an ego boost to be able to stand on the same level as their graphic and web designers.
How to deal: If this client gets out of hand, and sometimes they do, kindly remind them that they hired you to design and develop something they couldn’t. I’ve had clients try to commandeer my computer and I have to put my foot down – no it’s not ok for you to use my personal computer. Be firm and confident with this type of client, less you become a pushover.
The ‘You design it first, then I’ll tell you if I like it’ Client
This is a very common client in the web and graphic design industry. They don’t know what they want, and they give you little if any direction. After you’ve spent hours of work on their logo, branding and web design, they’re suddenly very aware of what they DON’T like and are ready to inject their opinion into every nitpicky bit of your design.
How to deal: Do not waste your time designing something without forcing your client to give you direction. If they don’t know what they want, tell them to show you images of websites or brand solutions that they DO like, and get them to point out what they like about each example. It’s counter-productive to design something and then have to redesign it because of an indecisive client. It also costs YOU money as this client doesn’t like to pay twice for one design.
The ‘I know what I want’ Client that has awful ideas
This aggressive client comes to you at the very beginning with massive amounts of examples (usually bad examples) of Chicago web design and graphic design that he likes. He also wants you to copy these examples. Any innovation from you is not welcome.
How to deal: Go with it. You don’t have to put your name on the website if you don’t want to. These types of clients are typically just moneymakers, not anything to worry about in the long run.
The ‘I need it tomorrow’ Client
This client always contacts you at the end of the workday on Thursday needing a document designed for a Friday morning meeting. They always make you work under extreme pressure very close to THEIR deadline. He is usually agitated, frustrated and demanding priority for his project, without much worry about the REST of your clientele that have deadlines. He is the most important person in your life.
How to deal: Put your foot down or fire your client. Sometimes, the stress of dealing with a client like this is not worth the money made off the project. It’s also not worth the stress of putting other clients off by taking care of this ONE person who doesn’t come around unless they’re in dire need. If they can’t be courteous enough to call you at the beginning of the week, then you are under no obligation to help them.
The ‘I’ll have to have my wife look at this’ Client
This is the type of client who loves everything you’re saying and showing them, he’s all in and ready to sign the contract…but he has to have his wife look at it. And his secretary. And the mail man. Of course all of those people have an opinion, and they are all different opinions. The advantage of this type of client is that they’re obviously easily swayed by other people, and you can convince them that your version is the design that they’re looking for. But be wary: when they go home, their outlook will change.
How to deal: Try to get them to decide on something and sign a contract while they’re IN your office, and make it very clear that when the time comes around for changes, anything over 3 changes is going to be billed. If they don’t want to spend a lot of money on making a million changes, they’ll stop asking their family, friends and acquaintances how to make the design better and just stick with your professional opinion as a designer.
The Needy Client
This client will send you emails at all hours of the night, call you on the weekend, and think that they’re the only person you ever talk to. They are under the distinct impression that they’ve hired you and they own all of your time and is entitled to disturb you several times a day for minor things. They’re also under the impression that they can offer out your services to their friend for free and that ‘you won’t mind’.
How to deal: You’ll do this with many other clients, and most especially with this one: Be firm and let them know that they are not the only client you’ve got. It is imperative to your sanity and your livelihood that you are able to balance your personal life, business and multiple clients without having to hold someone’s hand while doing work for them.
The ‘Looking for a Deal’ Client
This client is always asking for a deal, or a lower fee. This client doesn’t know the value of design and doesn’t see it as something that should be invested in. They will almost always have several major changes needed and you’ll end up breaking even most of the time instead of making a profit. This type of client is also usually a one-time client since they came to you wanting a deal in return for the promise of more work. You aren’t going to ever see him again.
How to deal: One thing I always tell design students of any degree, whether it is Graphic, Web, Architectural or Interior Design – NEVER undervalue your work and NEVER work for free. Also – stay away from craigslist. The type of people who go to craigslist looking for designers are usually the type of people that aren’t looking to pay, but only looking take advantage of young people trying to get their work out there. Stick up for yourself and never undervalue your design.
The Client who never pays; and never will.
This is the worst type of client. You do massive amounts of work, send them the files and an invoice…and never hear from them again. This is why contracts exist and NEVER do work for someone that refuses to sign a contract. If someone is wary of signing a contract, remind them that the contract protects them as well – if you don’t live up to the contract’s end goal (a deliverable) – they shouldn’t have to pay you.
How to deal: Send them to collections – or at least threaten them with legal action. I would be surprised if you don’t find a check in the mail after a few days. Clients who refuse to pay for your hard work are not worth the time or effort of calling, emailing or being upset. Keep on moving, and doing what you do best: Designing.
Dealing with Difficult Clients
The designer/client relationship must be based on an equal partnership, somewhat like a marriage. There must be understanding between the two to produce something great. Without clients, there is no design work. Without demanding clients, there is no great innovation. Up until a certain threshold, demanding clients can be stimulating and help you get more out of your work.
Never avoid your clients and do not confront them. When you are too busy complaining about a clients, you miss the opportunity to learn from their actions. Get to know your clients; don’t just get annoyed. They are your livelihood. Try to determine what would motivate your client to act or think the way he does: why does he insist on being a design guru, why is he always criticizing your work, why is he calling at all hours of the night for an update. Perhaps there are some underlying issues: perhaps he has low self esteem and it boosts his ego to be ‘good’ at something creative. Look beyond the superficial and ascertain a more efficient way to deal with a difficult client.
Additionally, it is extremely important to set very clear boundaries with each client from the very beginning. You deserve a break, even if they aren’t taking one. You will always have clients that want to push those boundaries, but you need to stand firm. It’s for your own good and the good of your business. Don’t spend all weekend working on something because they called on Friday and need it on Monday. It isn’t fair to you. Keep in mind though… your client will never change. They have absolutely no reason to. What you need to work on is this: How are you going to approach a difficult client. Observe and learn from your experiences with people, and find a better way of communication. It will not only make you a better designer, but a better all around person as well.
Graphic Design Company in Chicago, Chicago Web Design, Chicago Marketing Company, Chicago SEO Company, Graphic Design Company in Schaumburg, Graphic Design Company in Arlington Heights, Web Design in Arlington Heights, Web Design in Schaumburg, Graphic Design Charlotte, NC, Printing in Charlotte, NC
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Marketing Company Serves the Chicago, IL and Charlotte, NC.
Did you know we also serve the northwest suburbs of Chicago as well as the Phoenix, AZ and Charlotte, NC. Integraphix is a strategy-minded graphic design and web design firm with offices in the Chicago, IL area. We have a passion for working with small businesses and serve corporate clients with effective design, sharp strategic thinking, and unparalleled dedication.
Every client is different. We will partner with you, to learn your business and culture, to find the best combination of marketing tools to meet your bottom-line sensitive needs. From custom websites on content management systems to logos, brand development, brochures and conference materials, Integraphix will create marketing, communications and identity packages that will click with your customers.
Graphic Design Company in Chicago, Chicago Web Design, Chicago Marketing Company, Chicago SEO Company, Graphic Design Company in Schaumburg, Graphic Design Company in Arlington Heights, Web Design in Arlington Heights, Web Design in Schaumburg, Graphic Design Charlotte, NC, Printing in Charlotte, NC
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Chicago Web Design Flash and SEO is OK!
Marketing Company in Chicago
A common misnomer (that even I believed until I read a few debunking articles) is that Flash websites can't rank well even with search engine optimization in place because search engines can't read them. There are plenty of examples that state otherwise (there's a flash website that's been number one for our keywords for ages). Years ago, this would've been very difficult/impossible, but since yesteryears, there have been several advances in the world of flash web design regarding SEO.
You must keep in mind, a website won't rank well with external search engine optimization alone. It won't rank well with internal SEO alone, and the design of the Flash must be taken into account. Websites rank according to relevancy and popularity. Nothing else. Your focus needs to shift towards a web design shift and towards building strong link popularity and niche authority.
First things first: Indexing a Flash website is not impossible since Google rolled out a Flash update in 2008. Big news! Aside from Google and other major search engines indexing your website, here are a few things you can start with to get your SEO on point:
1. Promote your brand and hire an SEO company to create useful and authoritative links to your most important website pages.
2. Make sure your SEO company has optimized your meta tags and descriptions with a strong call to action. Most importantly, your SEO company should be optimizing your title tags to include your most important and relevant keywords. But no spamming!!
3. Be sure your Chicago web design company is placing as much HTML in the code as they can and that the SEO you're working with is linking to the HTML part of the page.
4. Lastly, ask your Chicago web design company to break the pages into several flash files instead of one large flash file. It will give them the opportunity to add more html and make your website that much easier to optimize with relevant text and linking.
Flash is a wonderful tool to add attractive items to your website design, and please don't be scared to use Flash because it's associated with bad stigma in the SEO world. Like most internet issues, it's always improving and always finding ways to be a better product. Your Chicago SEO company should be following good and ethical SEO practices and taking from Google's strict optimization guidelines. It won't be long before Google figures out a way to crawl Flash sites just as well as pure HTML.
For more information on Chicago Web Design, and Search Engine Optimization, give Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company, a call at 847.537.0067 or email us! Visit our website at http://www.integraphix.com
Chicago Graphic Design and Chicago Internet Marketing available as well.
A common misnomer (that even I believed until I read a few debunking articles) is that Flash websites can't rank well even with search engine optimization in place because search engines can't read them. There are plenty of examples that state otherwise (there's a flash website that's been number one for our keywords for ages). Years ago, this would've been very difficult/impossible, but since yesteryears, there have been several advances in the world of flash web design regarding SEO.
You must keep in mind, a website won't rank well with external search engine optimization alone. It won't rank well with internal SEO alone, and the design of the Flash must be taken into account. Websites rank according to relevancy and popularity. Nothing else. Your focus needs to shift towards a web design shift and towards building strong link popularity and niche authority.
First things first: Indexing a Flash website is not impossible since Google rolled out a Flash update in 2008. Big news! Aside from Google and other major search engines indexing your website, here are a few things you can start with to get your SEO on point:
1. Promote your brand and hire an SEO company to create useful and authoritative links to your most important website pages.
2. Make sure your SEO company has optimized your meta tags and descriptions with a strong call to action. Most importantly, your SEO company should be optimizing your title tags to include your most important and relevant keywords. But no spamming!!
3. Be sure your Chicago web design company is placing as much HTML in the code as they can and that the SEO you're working with is linking to the HTML part of the page.
4. Lastly, ask your Chicago web design company to break the pages into several flash files instead of one large flash file. It will give them the opportunity to add more html and make your website that much easier to optimize with relevant text and linking.
Flash is a wonderful tool to add attractive items to your website design, and please don't be scared to use Flash because it's associated with bad stigma in the SEO world. Like most internet issues, it's always improving and always finding ways to be a better product. Your Chicago SEO company should be following good and ethical SEO practices and taking from Google's strict optimization guidelines. It won't be long before Google figures out a way to crawl Flash sites just as well as pure HTML.
For more information on Chicago Web Design, and Search Engine Optimization, give Integraphix, a Chicago Marketing Company, a call at 847.537.0067 or email us! Visit our website at http://www.integraphix.com
Chicago Graphic Design and Chicago Internet Marketing available as well.
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