This month I'm privileged to feature part 2 of interview with graphic
artist and Web developer Serenata of http://www.seresign.com/.
Q. Let's talk about mistakes do people make in web design.
A. Oh, wow! Where do you start? You've got about 8-30 seconds to show
something of relevance on your site, and you've got one screen full to
compel your visitor, to pull your visitor inside.
It's obvious some people don't understand this, and you see gratuitous
Flash pages that have nothing to do with the site's content or purpose
and take forever to load. Or you see a splash or entrance page that
requires one more click to even get to the good stuff.
Flash is interesting: once. And there are a few sites where it is used
well - but designers and site owners know when it's used incorrectly.
Why else do they give you the option to "Skip Intro"?
Your page had better make it obvious, and do so "above the fold" (that
is, in the first screenful) what the site is about and use a good hook
to pull your visitors in.
Q. What would you tell small online business people who have the
following on their home pages: counters and directions for which
browser to use?
A. For whose benefit is that counter? Your visitor is going to have
one of two reactions. The first one is, "Is that ALL the visitors?
What's wrong with this site?"
The second reaction is that it screams "unprofessional." It's undoubtedly
important for a site owner to track visitors and sales information, but
showing a page counter on a page speaks volumes about how little a
business understands its visitors.
So far as any site telling their visitor they either can't view the
site because they aren't using the right browser, or that it is
designed for viewing by such and such a browser: I suggest they get
themselves new designers!
Are they thinking that they can afford to insult visitors or turn
them away because they aren't using the right browser?? Such people
are giving away business to their competition. Are they doing so
well they can afford that???
A good designer will use the tools at hand to ensure that a site looks
the same in any browser, period. If you have to tell your visitor what
to use to enter your site, you alienate potential customers.
In today's economy you should be welcoming visitors with open arms,
making it easy for him to accomplish what he came to your site, not
telling him his choice of hardware or software is substandard.
You don't need bells and whistles, you need content, good content,
compelling content, attractively presented in a way that is comfortable
for your visitors. The term is "usability," and it may be overused,
but it still holds true. Make it EASY for your visitor, not harder,
and they can be converted to customers.
Q. What is the largest total KB you recommend for graphics on most
small business home pages?
A. Graphics should be kept small and compact just to load faster.
Not everyone connects to the Internet with broadband or cable connections,
and you need to get your content to them in a hurry.
I learned to slice graphics and place them in a single-row table and then
stack the tables. A lot may argue that it doesn't hasten loading larger
graphics, but it does hasten showing "something" as the rest of the page
loads. And that's important to a business site.
No one wants to wait forever for a page to load while looking at a blank
screen, and they'll click away. So, while my method may appear a bit
crude, at least something is showing up on every browser, every type of
connection, as the page is loading.
The purpose is simple: it helps keep the visitor on the site and gives
you added time to compel the visitor to become a customer.
Q. What about a do it yourself or a Web template?
A. Do it yourself is fine, so long as it doesn't look like a do it yourself.
If your site looks shoddy, haphazardly put together and amateurish, it is
not going to instill confidence in those considering buying from you. It's
not that it has to look slick, but it does have to look like the owner /
business person cares enough to make his site look decent.
So far as templates go - there are a lot of slick looking templates out
there, all you have to do is ad your content "here," "here," and "here."
My question is simple: Why would any business person want his site to
look like a thousand other sites? What benefit is there in that? Unless,
of course, his business is just like everyone else's. Which begs the
question, what does he offer and why should I buy from him?
Q. What about your own design business?
A. Ahhhh. That's my passion! I don't take just any customer, because there
are some I either wouldn't want to work with or who I don't think I can
really help.
I love helping the small business owner focus on her Website and work with
her to pull it to a cohesive, successful site. It takes a lot of work and
some careful monitoring sometimes to figure out what works and what we can
afford to toss before trying something else.
But when it happens, it's a really neat feeling. When the right focus and
look works for the right market, there's a sort of magic, and success is
right behind. It happens often enough, too, that it's worth the time and
effort it takes to do it right.
More about Serenata at:
http://www.seresign.com/ - - Winners announced here!
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