Tag: Web Design

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Matt Cutts on Squeeze Pages – One Page Websites

Here’s our video tip of the week using Matt Cutts from Google’s Web Spam team.

What Matt says in the video is if a one page website or squeeze page works for your customers Google does not consider one page websites or for that matter squeeze pages a problem.

However there are a few personal comments that I would like to add to this.

  1. Google does preferentially show in the search results websites that are more authoritative on a topic and typically websites of this  nature will be those with way more than one page.
  2. Google has now factored PageSpeed into their algorithm. If you have to scroll and scroll and scroll on a single page website to see content you may be negatively impacting your PageSpeed and may benefit from switching to a multi page format. This is a fairly new algorithm update and so you may have not had this be an impact before but may now or in the very near future.
  3. Consider user experience. A one page website does not allow for a privacy policy page, contact page, or for that matter more information about who you the business are. I would forgo a single page site to move to a more robust presence that allows for greater transparency and identification of your business.
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Web Design Trend – Responsive Design

One of the hottest new trends in web design is responsive design. Responsive design is where a website has been created, at the source code level, to render differently based on the device and viewing platform.

My own firm is in the process of moving back into web design this quarter with a responsive, SEO optimized web design program. In fact we’re completing our site testing right now and getting ready to start content roll-out in the next several weeks. If you want to preview what we’re doing you can check out our page links below. Just remember for now no links to any pages are working yet.

Make sure to look at the pages with a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop to understand what responsive means. Seeing is understanding. The site is built on pure CSS code and uses PHP includes.

 Home Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/index.php

 Right Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-1.php

 No Side Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-2.php

 Three Split Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-3.php

All pages are being tested for HTML5 compliance and Google PageSpeed. So far the results are very good and the pages for desktops and tablets rank with an over 80 number for speed.

Our niche when it comes to web design has always been highly specialized unique content authority sites with our new approach we will hit a more moderate price point by offering some degree of customization using our pre-designed page layouts. I’ll look forward to keeping you advised as we get closer to launching our own corporate site and web design program. Pricing will be in the range of $3,000 to $6,000 based on content and number of pages.

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Tips for Designing Websites That Look Good on Tablets

Test your site on tablets.
Test your site on tablets.

People don’t just use their tablets – they love ‘em. The portable, powerful little devices entertain, inform and connect, so it’s no surprise that businesses by the thousands are optimizing their websites to accommodate tablet trends.It’s not just a matter of shrinking the page to the tablet’s vertical/horizontal ratios. Tablet layout is an art unto itself.

Web-to-Tablet Basics
Test. Use a common browser, like Firefox or Safari, on a tablet to see how your current site appears. Does text run off the sides, or images look compressed? The answers will help your designer create a tablet-ready site.

Simplify. A crowded homepage isn’t ideal even on a PC, but it can spell disaster on a tablet. Strip out the non-essentials – the stock photos, the testimonials, the ads – and focus on the most important information and links to get users on their way.

Enlarge. Make live areas like call-to-action buttons large enough to see quickly and finger-sized so that only one touch is necessary.

Un-Flash. The mega-popular iPad is notably resistant to Flash applications, so keep them off your tablet-ready site. Android tablets are advertised as supporting Flash, but early response has had it labeled a disappointment. Interactive elements in HTML5 or JavaScript can recreate the Flash experience without the risk.

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Will a New Website Win You More Customers? You Bet!

Here’s the scenario: No leads, a five page website with very little content, in Google Analytics only company name variations searches appear in the statistics.

Solution: Here’s how you re mediate this type of online visibility problem.

  1. Create landing pages quickly that reflect your true nature and put your products in services in a concise and clear light. Start AdWords ASAP with a budget high enough to get placement and clicks. This will get you in the game and stop the slide while you work to fix your website problems and exposure.
  2. Install a blog now and get blogging. Even if you don’t have the website you want you will benefit from great content on your blog and can be building links and providing value.

You can have number 1 and 2 done and rolling in two or three days!

Then dig in deep and work on resolving the real problem, your website content and website. It can sometimes take two to four months for a new website so by blogging and doing AdWords you stop treading water and start getting leads to fund your new design and content building project.

Take the time to build out great content while you are selling and blogging. People will forgive a poor looking website if it has great content. But they won’t forgive a great website with poor content.

If the scenario in paragraph one is yours, don’t buy into the approach that everything has to be perfect and I have to be getting lead conversions from my website before I start promoting it. The truth is the quality of the people who are on your website right now may never convert as they really are not looking for your products and services. These visitors may even be potential employees or competitors, you need to caste a bigger net and start getting the exposure that WILL get you business now to fund the things you want to do.