Tips To Design Your Links
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bogdan_Popescu]Bogdan Popescu
It is a fact that links have always been a vital part in the internet navigational process. Depending on the links and also on the content of the site that the link leads to, internet users decide on the worthiness of coming back to that site or not.
One cannot fail to notice the latest trends imposed by web 2.0, the emergence of a new writing genre designed to cater for the new needs and tastes of internet users and also the transformation process that search engines undergo.
Broadly speaking, users go from page to page selecting only the most important information or just the information that is easier to spot; they need to be able to make a quick assessment of the page content, get the information they are seeking and go to another page.
Usually, web authors employ hypertext links to create or reinforce concepts: a list of related links can serve as the focus of a site. The problem posed by links has little to do with the web but is rather related to the concept of hypertext. A collection of links does not have the same effect on the reader and is not as legible as conventional linear text.
In the case of linear text, readers have to work harder in seek of needed information. Links also become a technical problem, because most web pages have a certain rank on search engines due to links. Links are to be used as a reinforcement of, not a substitute for content.
What is worth mentioning when tackling the link issue is that designers are supposed to use relevant link labels, give consistent clickability cues and also differentiate links that have been clicked from those that haven't.
1. Use relevant link description
Users' confusion must be avoided at all costs. In this respect, they should be able to look at every link and be able to predict to some extent the destination or the website they are about to visit. A negative example in this case is using the label - Click here-, which is rather confusing and does not provide any kind of information about the link destination.
Another relevant case is that of embedded links; when employing embedded links, the link text should accurately designate the link's direction. Users have a certain tendency towards ignoring the text surrounding embedded links; consequently, it is recommended that you should not create embedded links that use the surrounding text in order to provide hints about the link's destination.
2. Be aware that textual links do have certain main characteristics like: underlining and color.
The second trait is not as important as the first one, i.e. underline can be eliminated in some cases like the one when an area functionality is absolutely obvious - for instance, we could think of a site menu where everybody expects a content summary as a presentation.
Thus, you should provide users with sufficient clickability cues. Trying to put the cursor over different parts of the page is time consuming and not quite "affordable" with a view to gain more traffic. At the same time, it's worth keeping in mind that there area certain clickability expectancies regarding different regions of a web page; for instance, items on the center, left, right side have a high probability of being links.
3. Use different colors for visited and unvisited links
Links that were clicked must differentiate one way or another from the ones that were not; the best way of doing that is the color contrast; links are supposed to stand out on the computer screen as much as possible; in this respect, bright, vivid colors are preferable - links should differentiate from linear text in any case.
Conversely, links that were already clicked should employ a rather pale and "washed" color. The effect of using different colors but both at the same level of chromatic intensity might result in a failure to establish a concrete content relationship between those links, users won't be able to tell visited from non-visited links.
Even though some compromises would be acceptable (like using other colors), using blue for text is an exception. Blue is a color with the most notable perceived affordance of clickability.
4. Colors for text are to be avoided
It is recommended that colors should be used for hyperlinks only. Nevertheless, there are generally recognized and allowed colors for certain words such as red for "error" or green for "ok".
Technically speaking, when referring to document colors, it is advisable that you specify all of the colors (BGCOLOR, TEXT, LINK, VLINK, ALINK), to ensure an enjoyable and legible composition.
The main reason reinforcing this idea is that some users may have certain colors set as default, so if you don't specify all the colors of a document, they may end up with an illegible document. In addition, even when using a background image, you should still specify BGCOLOR, because the user may not have the image loading on. [http://www.avangate.com/articles/design-links-92.htm]Read more tips here
Read more free [http://www.avangate.com/articles/website-usability]web site usability articles
Copyright © 2007, [http://www.avangate.com]www.avangate.com all rights reserved. This article was written by Bogdan Popescu, member of Avangate Web marketing Team. Avangate is a complete ecommerce provider for shareware sales incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional software marketing services and sales tools.
This article may be reproduced in a website, e-zine, CD-ROM, book, magazine, etc. as long as the above information is included in full, including the link back to this website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bogdan_Popescu http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-To-Design-Your-Links&id=700126
Posted By: IllusionTechnologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Web Site Design
Some Brief Information On Website Design
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joe_Solaman]Joe Solaman
Now more than ever is the time to get a website designed and launched for you business or organization. If you are looking to expand out and reach clients and customers on a global scale then a website is the best way to go about this. If you are in a business that strictly serves your local community then having a website for potential clients to view your products and or services on the Internet is something that more and more businesses are using as part of their advertising budget.
However before you run out and hand over the task to the first website designer that you find on the Internet, there are a few things that you should know. With the advent of cheaper website design software, more and more people are marketing their services as website designers on the Internet now. For this reason alone you should be as selective as possible when you are deciding just who is going to do the work on your website.
When you use a reputable website design company you are assured that a team of experts will be available to do the job. When a team of website designers does the work on your website a graphic designer does the graphic design work and a writer writes the script and all the other tasks that are involved in the total project are also handled by specialist in their particular area of website design.
The last thing that you should do is to hand the total project over to one person who claims that they are capable of handling the complete job. Trying to save a few bucks on a cheapie website is a mistake that many people live to regret and they are inevitably stuck redoing their website while their competition is out promoting theirs.
Written by Joe Solaman. Find the more information on the latest [http://www.dolphinpromotions.co.uk/webdesign.asp ]Preston Web Design as well as [http://www.dolphinpromotions.co.uk ]Web Design Company.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Solaman http://EzineArticles.com/?Some-Brief-Information-On-Website-Design&id=755218
Posted By: Illusion Technologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joe_Solaman]Joe Solaman
Now more than ever is the time to get a website designed and launched for you business or organization. If you are looking to expand out and reach clients and customers on a global scale then a website is the best way to go about this. If you are in a business that strictly serves your local community then having a website for potential clients to view your products and or services on the Internet is something that more and more businesses are using as part of their advertising budget.
However before you run out and hand over the task to the first website designer that you find on the Internet, there are a few things that you should know. With the advent of cheaper website design software, more and more people are marketing their services as website designers on the Internet now. For this reason alone you should be as selective as possible when you are deciding just who is going to do the work on your website.
When you use a reputable website design company you are assured that a team of experts will be available to do the job. When a team of website designers does the work on your website a graphic designer does the graphic design work and a writer writes the script and all the other tasks that are involved in the total project are also handled by specialist in their particular area of website design.
The last thing that you should do is to hand the total project over to one person who claims that they are capable of handling the complete job. Trying to save a few bucks on a cheapie website is a mistake that many people live to regret and they are inevitably stuck redoing their website while their competition is out promoting theirs.
Written by Joe Solaman. Find the more information on the latest [http://www.dolphinpromotions.co.uk/webdesign.asp ]Preston Web Design as well as [http://www.dolphinpromotions.co.uk ]Web Design Company.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Solaman http://EzineArticles.com/?Some-Brief-Information-On-Website-Design&id=755218
Posted By: Illusion Technologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Web Site Design
Why Hire a Web Designer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters]Alexa Peters
A lot of online business owners start with very little extra money . You have to do everything yourself -- the preparation of a product, the development of a marketing strategy, the actual building of a website to cater to your product's marketing needs. As your business expands over time, you will find that your simple "homemade" site might not be enough to cover everything, and you will have to take a day or two (which you don't have) away to simply dedicate that to the website expansion.
Sounds familiar? Chances are, you're someone who started everything with very little money too, so you're pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself. However, there is a lot more to hiring a website designer than just finishing up a job that you don't want to do.
When you hire a web designer to do your job for you, you are doing more than just handing over the "dirty job" to someone else. In fact, by paying a little money, you can let the designer worry about the little annoyances that always evade the main picture and only come haunting when you're halfway through the job. That way, you will be more focused and have more time to spend on your actual business strategy.
On the other hand, the web designers you hire are professionals so they are very good at what they do. By outsourcing your web design jobs to them, you won't have to worry when problems surface because you can always get them to fix it for you. Again, they will be able to pin point the problem and fix it faster than you probably would be able to.
Also, the work you pay for will turn out more professional than what you can achieve because the reality is that the designers have been doing it longer than you have. After all, they do it for a living so they have to be good!
So, remember to not just work your business, but grow your business too!
Normally, if you want to have professional designers custom build your site, you must be prepared to dish out at least a few thousand dollars for a very basic website. that does not have if you know where to find the best deals, the best designs for the lowest price. Here's a rough guide:
Have you ever seen those advertisements in newspaper classified ad sections that offer a 5-page website at $500? These companies are established companies with physical locations, therefore they have to increase the amount they charge to pay off some overheads: office rent, designer's wages, advertising costs and so on. More than likely, you will get a cookie cutter site that is like every other site, except for the name of your site.
Therefore, it would be wise to find freelance designers who work from home. These people are often working from home so they do not have a high operation cost like that of a company. And they will be able to design images with quality similar to those of designers from big companies, so it's a "no-brainer" choice.
It just takes a little bit of effort but you can find the good in hiring a web designer. And if you find a good one, it will be well worth the effort.
Larym Design is a leader in using [http://www.larymdesign.com]
Web 2.0 Strategies in Small Business Website Development. Visit Today and download your [http://www.larymdesign.com/newsletter]
FREE REPORT Web 2.0 for Small and Emerging Businesses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Hire-a-Web-Designer&id=784749
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters]Alexa Peters
A lot of online business owners start with very little extra money . You have to do everything yourself -- the preparation of a product, the development of a marketing strategy, the actual building of a website to cater to your product's marketing needs. As your business expands over time, you will find that your simple "homemade" site might not be enough to cover everything, and you will have to take a day or two (which you don't have) away to simply dedicate that to the website expansion.
Sounds familiar? Chances are, you're someone who started everything with very little money too, so you're pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself. However, there is a lot more to hiring a website designer than just finishing up a job that you don't want to do.
When you hire a web designer to do your job for you, you are doing more than just handing over the "dirty job" to someone else. In fact, by paying a little money, you can let the designer worry about the little annoyances that always evade the main picture and only come haunting when you're halfway through the job. That way, you will be more focused and have more time to spend on your actual business strategy.
On the other hand, the web designers you hire are professionals so they are very good at what they do. By outsourcing your web design jobs to them, you won't have to worry when problems surface because you can always get them to fix it for you. Again, they will be able to pin point the problem and fix it faster than you probably would be able to.
Also, the work you pay for will turn out more professional than what you can achieve because the reality is that the designers have been doing it longer than you have. After all, they do it for a living so they have to be good!
So, remember to not just work your business, but grow your business too!
Normally, if you want to have professional designers custom build your site, you must be prepared to dish out at least a few thousand dollars for a very basic website. that does not have if you know where to find the best deals, the best designs for the lowest price. Here's a rough guide:
Have you ever seen those advertisements in newspaper classified ad sections that offer a 5-page website at $500? These companies are established companies with physical locations, therefore they have to increase the amount they charge to pay off some overheads: office rent, designer's wages, advertising costs and so on. More than likely, you will get a cookie cutter site that is like every other site, except for the name of your site.
Therefore, it would be wise to find freelance designers who work from home. These people are often working from home so they do not have a high operation cost like that of a company. And they will be able to design images with quality similar to those of designers from big companies, so it's a "no-brainer" choice.
It just takes a little bit of effort but you can find the good in hiring a web designer. And if you find a good one, it will be well worth the effort.
Larym Design is a leader in using [http://www.larymdesign.com]
Web 2.0 Strategies in Small Business Website Development. Visit Today and download your [http://www.larymdesign.com/newsletter]
FREE REPORT Web 2.0 for Small and Emerging Businesses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Hire-a-Web-Designer&id=784749
Friday, November 2, 2007
Web Site Design
Why Hire a Web Designer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters]Alexa Peters
A lot of online business owners start with very little extra money . You have to do everything yourself -- the preparation of a product, the development of a marketing strategy, the actual building of a website to cater to your product's marketing needs. As your business expands over time, you will find that your simple "homemade" site might not be enough to cover everything, and you will have to take a day or two (which you don't have) away to simply dedicate that to the website expansion.
Sounds familiar? Chances are, you're someone who started everything with very little money too, so you're pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself. However, there is a lot more to hiring a website designer than just finishing up a job that you don't want to do.
When you hire a web designer to do your job for you, you are doing more than just handing over the "dirty job" to someone else. In fact, by paying a little money, you can let the designer worry about the little annoyances that always evade the main picture and only come haunting when you're halfway through the job. That way, you will be more focused and have more time to spend on your actual business strategy.
On the other hand, the web designers you hire are professionals so they are very good at what they do. By outsourcing your web design jobs to them, you won't have to worry when problems surface because you can always get them to fix it for you. Again, they will be able to pin point the problem and fix it faster than you probably would be able to.
Also, the work you pay for will turn out more professional than what you can achieve because the reality is that the designers have been doing it longer than you have. After all, they do it for a living so they have to be good!
So, remember to not just work your business, but grow your business too!
Normally, if you want to have professional designers custom build your site, you must be prepared to dish out at least a few thousand dollars for a very basic website. that does not have if you know where to find the best deals, the best designs for the lowest price. Here's a rough guide:
Have you ever seen those advertisements in newspaper classified ad sections that offer a 5-page website at $500? These companies are established companies with physical locations, therefore they have to increase the amount they charge to pay off some overheads: office rent, designer's wages, advertising costs and so on. More than likely, you will get a cookie cutter site that is like every other site, except for the name of your site.
Therefore, it would be wise to find freelance designers who work from home. These people are often working from home so they do not have a high operation cost like that of a company. And they will be able to design images with quality similar to those of designers from big companies, so it's a "no-brainer" choice.
It just takes a little bit of effort but you can find the good in hiring a web designer. And if you find a good one, it will be well worth the effort.
Larym Design is a leader in using [http://www.larymdesign.com]
Web 2.0 Strategies in Small Business Website Development. Visit Today and download your [http://www.larymdesign.com/newsletter]
FREE REPORT Web 2.0 for Small and Emerging Businesses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Hire-a-Web-Designer&id=784749
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters]Alexa Peters
A lot of online business owners start with very little extra money . You have to do everything yourself -- the preparation of a product, the development of a marketing strategy, the actual building of a website to cater to your product's marketing needs. As your business expands over time, you will find that your simple "homemade" site might not be enough to cover everything, and you will have to take a day or two (which you don't have) away to simply dedicate that to the website expansion.
Sounds familiar? Chances are, you're someone who started everything with very little money too, so you're pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself. However, there is a lot more to hiring a website designer than just finishing up a job that you don't want to do.
When you hire a web designer to do your job for you, you are doing more than just handing over the "dirty job" to someone else. In fact, by paying a little money, you can let the designer worry about the little annoyances that always evade the main picture and only come haunting when you're halfway through the job. That way, you will be more focused and have more time to spend on your actual business strategy.
On the other hand, the web designers you hire are professionals so they are very good at what they do. By outsourcing your web design jobs to them, you won't have to worry when problems surface because you can always get them to fix it for you. Again, they will be able to pin point the problem and fix it faster than you probably would be able to.
Also, the work you pay for will turn out more professional than what you can achieve because the reality is that the designers have been doing it longer than you have. After all, they do it for a living so they have to be good!
So, remember to not just work your business, but grow your business too!
Normally, if you want to have professional designers custom build your site, you must be prepared to dish out at least a few thousand dollars for a very basic website. that does not have if you know where to find the best deals, the best designs for the lowest price. Here's a rough guide:
Have you ever seen those advertisements in newspaper classified ad sections that offer a 5-page website at $500? These companies are established companies with physical locations, therefore they have to increase the amount they charge to pay off some overheads: office rent, designer's wages, advertising costs and so on. More than likely, you will get a cookie cutter site that is like every other site, except for the name of your site.
Therefore, it would be wise to find freelance designers who work from home. These people are often working from home so they do not have a high operation cost like that of a company. And they will be able to design images with quality similar to those of designers from big companies, so it's a "no-brainer" choice.
It just takes a little bit of effort but you can find the good in hiring a web designer. And if you find a good one, it will be well worth the effort.
Larym Design is a leader in using [http://www.larymdesign.com]
Web 2.0 Strategies in Small Business Website Development. Visit Today and download your [http://www.larymdesign.com/newsletter]
FREE REPORT Web 2.0 for Small and Emerging Businesses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexa_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Hire-a-Web-Designer&id=784749
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