Music, Walking Ads, and Other Ways to Drive Away Visitors

"12 Annoying Things About Your Website That Drive People Away"
Shelly Kramer, V3 (Vision. Voice. Value. V3 Integrated Marketing) (June 21, 2012)

"...12. Music

"Music blares the minute I visit your site. That is unexpected, disruptive, and downright rude, from a customer experience standpoint. And, in case you weren't sure, it ticks me (and most people) off more than just about anything. Wake up and smell the coffee! That is so 2001. Frankly, it wasn't cool even back then—but today, music on your website can mean the kiss of death....

"...9. Walking Ads

"[Cue scream here.] Speaking of pop-ups, walking ads stink even more. They are annoying, disruptive, and inconsiderate. I came to your site for information. You only have one chance to make a good first impression, and walking ads are not the way to do it. I don't care who sold you on it. It’s a bad idea...."

This is a well-written and useful look at what *not* to do: in other words, the Lemming agrees with most of the 12 points. Most, not necessarily all.

For example, annoying thing #5 says:

"...Black backgrounds and white or grey type are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to read. With very few exceptions (there are some sites done very well by people who know what they're doing, but they are rare), cut it out...."

A bit later in that paragraph the author urges folks to do marketing research before committing to a black background. That, in the Lemming's opinion, is good advice: certainly for a commercial website, and probably for most personal ones.

Marketing research - for a personal website?! That's another topic.

Getting back to 'down with black backgrounds:' The Lemming's experience is that low contrast between text and background is more of a problem than black backgrounds. This is where designers should remember that not everybody has the same sort of monitor, among other things.

The article's bottom line is - under the "Bottom Line" heading:

"...Great design is cool. And cool is nice. But that isn't enough when it comes to effective online marketing...."

The Lemming agrees: although it's great if a website or blog can be cool and effective.

(A tip of the Lemming's hat to Sonia Winland, on Linkedin, for the heads-up on this article.)

Related posts:

• "Top 10 Blog Design Mistakes"
  (December 14, 2011)
• "Good Website Advice For Everybody, Actually"
  (July 7, 2010)
• "SEO Optimization: What Not to Do"
  (March 2, 2010)
• " 'About Us' - Why It's Important, How to Design Yours"
  (July 30, 2009)
• "Website Design: Just Because Everybody Else is Doing it - - -"
  (February 4, 2009)

Top 10 Blog Design Mistakes

"Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes"
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox (October 17, 2005)

"Blogs are a form of website. The thousands of normal website usability guidelines therefore apply to them, as do this year's top ten design mistakes. But weblogs are also a special genre of website; they have unique characteristics and thus distinct usability problems.

"One of a weblog's great benefits is that it essentially frees you from 'Web design.' You write a paragraph, click a button, and it's posted on the Internet. No need for visual design, page design, interaction design, information architecture, or any programming or server maintenance...."

Yes, the Lemming noticed: That page is more than six years old. Back then, we had wood-burning computers: so you might think there's no point in following that link.

Quite a bit has changed since Google launched its Google Personalized Homepage and Correlate. On the other hand, the Lemming thinks folks are still plagued by the usability issues listed on Nielsen's page:

1. No Author Biographies
2. No Author Photo
3. Nondescript Posting Titles
4. Links Don't Say Where They Go
5. Classic Hits are Buried
6. The Calendar is the Only Navigation
7. Irregular Publishing Frequency
8. Mixing Topics
9. Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss
10. Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service

"Weblog Usability..." tells what each point means, and why it's important. If you're willing to overlook slightly-archaic words, like "weblog," the Lemming think you might find a useful reminder on that Alertbox page. Or, not.

Obviously, the Lemming doesn't follow all of Mr. Nielsen's advice: and that's another topic.

There's also a link to Jakob Nielsen's "Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design," which the Lemming also thinks is worth a look.

Allegedly-related posts:

• "Website Design, Smart Writing Techniques, and a Ranting Lemming"
  (November 30, 2011)
• "Psychology of Web Design: Not At All Bad as an Introduction"
  (May 24, 2010)
• "Link List of Resources for Website Designers"
  (November 13, 2009)
• "Are Moods Really Blue? Color, Psychology, and Culture"
  (May 21, 2008)
• "Hiring a Web Guy? Be Careful Who You Hire"
  (March 4, 2008)

Website Design, Smart Writing Techniques, and a Ranting Lemming

Sometimes inspiration strikes, but it's aim is a little off. The Lemming was - inspired? - yesterday afternoon, and created a horror from the pits of 1990's websites:

'Kids, Don't Try This At Home:' An Affront to Aesthetics

I doubt that any company actually committed so many blunders in one place, but you've probably seen something like this:

Visit us again:  brand-new website coming soon!

Later, after the frenzy had passed, the Lemming realized that something like that didn't really belong on a 'business' blog. Not in that post, anyway:

• "Spiral Light Candle: Website; New Phones Now Working"
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind (November 29, 2011)

Normally, the Lemming would have a micro-review of something helpful, interesting, or strange. That's not going to happen today.

Instead, the Lemming's going to rant about website design, SEO as an exercise in common sense, and why being clever isn't always being smart.

Website Design: The K*I*S*S Principle

The Lemming likes bright colors, loves to tinker with digital doodads, and thinks splash pages look cool. But the Lemming wouldn't design a financial consultant's webpage with a bright yellow background, navigation buttons that play excerpts from the 1812 Overture's cannon section, and an animated splash page displaying trout fishing in the Yukon. Remember, the Lemming likes bright colors, and has nothing against fish. Or the Yukon.

But those features violate the K*I*S*S principle. Actually, the yellow background doesn't - it's just a poor color choice for a 'serious' website, and that's getting in the psychology end of design.

Odds are pretty good that you've heard of K*I*S*S:

Keep
It
Simple,
Stupid

And, no, the Lemming is not calling you stupid. The acronym KIS doesn't spell anything - and that's another topic.

Basically, the idea of K*I*S*S is that if something isn't needed in a website: it should be left out. That doesn't mean that websites should be dull. If something's (really) needed, to focus a reader's attention: it's needed.

SEO isn't Complicated

The Lemming's been over this before. The 'secrets' of SEO aren't secret. They're also pretty simple:

• Don't hire an SEO 'expert'
  • Unless your supervisor insists
    • Those five-martini lunches - - -
• Remember that search engines read text
  • Not pictures
• Write
  • Clearly
  • As briefly as possible
  • Using the simplest words possible
    • Your readers are smart
      • That's not the issue
    • If you're writing about houses
      • Write "house"
      • Don't write
        • Condominium
        • Domicile
        • Habitation
        • Whatever
        • Unless that's what you're writing about
          • Or you're pretty sure that's what your audience will look for
• Your 11th grade English teacher was right
  • Tell your readers what you're writing about in
    • The headline
    • The first sentence
  • Odds are, your readers are looking for facts
    • Not fluff
• Use bulletized lists
  • Like this one
  • Where possible
• Put the important information in text
  • Not pictures
    • Okay: not entirely in pictures
• Being 'clever' isn't being smart
  • Maybe keyword-rich gibberish in white text on a page's white background is 'clever'
    • The Lemming's yet to encounter someone who says that's a good idea and
      • Earns money from results
      • Has some experience with
        • Web design
        • Marketing

That's it for today. The Lemming plans to be back Friday, with - let's see, what does the Lemming's weekly schedule say Friday's post topic is - - - Right: The Lemming will post about "Whatever."

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Good Website Advice For Everybody, Actually"
  (July 7, 2010)
• "Blog Header Design: Pretty Good Advice"
  (March 30, 2010)
• "SEO Optimization: What Not to Do"
  (March 2, 2010)
• "Ten Really Odd Websites"
  (March 25, 2008)
• "Simple 'Secrets' for Affordable SEO"
(May 18, 2010)
• Ultra-condensed version
  • Learn to write copy that's
    • Simple
    • Short
    • Focused on your topic
  • Don't get tricky
    • 'Clever' code can backfire
• Key headings -
  • Getting to the Point: 5 Content Marketing Goals
  • SEO: Search Engines and Being Smart
    • Being Clever isn't Being Smart
  • SEO: It's Brains, Not Bucks

Psychology of Web Design: Not At All Bad as an Introduction

"The Psychology of Web Design"
Webdesigner Depot (undated)

"Designers often don't take the time they should to learn about how basic psychological principles can effect the experience their visitors have on the sites they build.

"Psychological principles are either looked upon as unnecessary, or too complicated. But the truth is that they're neither.

"There aren't that many concepts associated with basic design psychology, and most are relatively straight-forward and easy to learn.

"They're also mainly easy to implement, though some take a bit more care and planning than others.

"Read on to learn more and please leave your feedback and comments at the end of this post...."

The post is fairly short, with a good content-to-fluff ratio. It's even got subheads, to help you skim through:

The Purpose of Psychology-Based Design Making visitors happy.

Building Trust I wish more executives would read this. Which is another topic.

Familiarity and Recognizable Patterns Remember the first-time visitor.

Branding Consistency This is more for business websites - but anybody can benefit by thinking about these sorts of self-identifying elements

Psychological Triggers It'd be nice if the writer said what some of them were: But there is that resource list at the end.

Images to Reinforce Concepts Resist the impulse to put that photo of your pet aardvark on the page about pliers and wrenches.

Color Psychology Here, the writer gives examples. Without explaining that the 'psychology of color' given works - for Euro-Americans and many other Western cultures. Other parts of the world, not so much.

Reading Patterns Same thing. There's a famous (infamous, actually) account of an advertising firm that designed a magazine ad for an Arabian-language magazine.

They used a proven, successful, ad for the product, had someone translate the text, and were surprised at the results. Their client sold fertilizer for plants. The ad was mostly three photos: 'before,' showing a wilted, nearly-dead, plant in a pot; 'product,' the fertilizer being applied to the soil; 'after,' showing a wonderfully vibrant, green, healthy plant.

Just one problem: the agency kept the photos in their original position, "before" to the left and "after" to the right. That's fine for European languages, which are read left-to-write. Arabic, among other languages, is read right-to-left. What that expensive ad showed was the product nearly killing a previously-healthy plant.

That said, the "Z" pattern really does hold - for English-speaking readers.

Focus of Each Page Graphic arts 101, introduction. There's enough there to tell you what you need to think about.

Breathing Room You can break this rule - but I wouldn't suggest it unless you really know what you're doing.

Steps for Incorporating Design Psychology More detail than usual for this post. Pretty good advice, actually.

Bottom line? This isn't a 'must-read' post. There aren't many of that sort, in my opinion. But this is a 'worth reading' post: There are more of this sort, but they're rare enough to be worth highlighting. The resource list at the bottom goes a long way to making this post worth the time it'll take to go through it.

---

A tip of the hat to LogotypeTV, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this article.

Link List of Resources for Website Designers

"30 Free Online Tools to Test Your Website"

"Testing is one thing that you cannot afford to take lightly. The reason being simple, just like a minor negligence while constructing a building can cost life of millions of residents, the same way a small error left unnoticed can prove to be fatal for your website.

"Therefore, this implies that we must run our website through all necessary tests. This includes CSS Errors, HTML Errors, Crossbrowsing Errors, WAP Errors(if your site is WAP enabled) and various other tests...."

The first link is to a MarkUp Validator, which I tried out on my oldest website.

This free service was a huge improvement over the last 'markup checker' I tried - several years ago. This not only reported that there were problems - it reported what the problems were. Which, as I said, is a huge improvement. More than that: it gives the row and column in which the error occurs. The only down-side is that I'd have to do this test for each page. Which makes using the service rather labor-intensive. Still, it's free - and you can't beat that price.

Then there's the CSS Validator, Links Validator, all the way down to NetRenderer. ("An online tool to show you the appearance of your website on IE 6/7/5.5")

Bottom line? This is looks like a pretty good resource for someone who's designing a website.

---

A tip of the hat to timethief, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this resource.

'About Us' - Why It's Important, How to Design Yours

"The Essence Of About Us Page With 12 Captivating Showcases"
Oneextrapixel (July 31, 2009) (I know, but that's what the date stamp says.)

"The previous post about Establishing a Brand for your site is one of the many methods to build trust and establish a relationship with customers. This post covers another way of building trust, and that through the About Us page.

"Have you wanted to find out more about a particular website but there is just not enough information for you? About Us page might just be an ordinary page however its significance should not be overlook.

"It is a page that provides information about the company or the people behind the web site, including basic real-world information, such as mailing address, phone number, and fax number, as well as background information on the company and the people in the company. This pattern describes how to organize this information in the About Us pages of your website...."

I'm pretty sure, judging from syntax in the second paragraph, that whoever wrote this post did not speak English while growing up. Don't let that bother you! The post is clearly written, with a very sufficient number of illustrations.

This is a pretty good introduction into the whats, hows, and whys of 'About Us' pages, with examples from Google, Us, MailChimp, and other more-or-less well known outfits.

The post is divided into sections: "What Information Should Your About Us Page Contain?" and "12 Captivating About Us Showcases". The latter is worth a visit, just for its eye-candy value, I think: but I did 10 years in graphic design, and may find this sort of thing more interesting than you will.

Overall, this post won't tell you absolutely everything you need to know for designing you own 'About Us' page - but I think it's a pretty good place to start.

---

A tip of the hat to yellownerd, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

Eminent Interior Design of Minneapolis: Cool Website, if Your Computer Can Handle It

Eminent Interior Design

"Eminent Interior Design is one of the most committed and hardest working interior design firms in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We understand and appreciate the value of your time and are driven to make the design of your home simple, efficient and fun. Let us bring your vision to life and design the home you always dreamed of...."

What first struck me about EID of Minneapolis was that the firm's home page didn't display the relentlessly modern look that so many aficionados of interior design seem to delight in.

They're not stuck on one 'look,' either, as their Portfolio shows. You'll have to be patient, though: in common with other companies with a high-end clientele, EID's website assumes an uber-fast connection and computer to match.

Still: the photos are nice.

Online Color Wheel: Dial Your Own Color Scheme

Color Scheme Designer
colorschemedesigner.com
2002–2009 © Petr Stanicek • Version 3.0

Mostly, this website is fun.

You can use the interactive page to create a color scheme with one color, complimentary colors, a triad, a tetrad, analogous colors, or an "accented analogic" scheme. Sounds complicated, but all there is to it is dialing around a color wheel - with the option of making a few adjustments.

You can look at light and dark web page mockup of the scheme you make.

And, what makes this something more than a toy, it's possible to export information about the scheme you come up with.

This won't put professional artists and Web designers out of business: but it's fun, and potentially useful for someone who needs to design a color scheme.

Website Design: Just Because Everybody Else is Doing it - - -

"5 Sickening Habits of Mainstream Websites"
TechCult (November 11, 2008)

Caution: some naughty words and a sophomoric attitude follow. The guy's got a point, though.

"Forbes, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, Mens Health, you name it. The big guys think that just because they entered in the game early, or because they have some popular print publication backing them up, they can get away with whatever they want.

"Screw that!

"They better start changing and listening more to the users, else I am sure their traffic will go down hill. Here are 5 habits from mainstream websites that make me sick.

"1. Breaking stories in many different pages to increase the number of impressions...."

I could do without the 'grown-up' words and college-boy attitude, but the author has five very good points.

Besides the obvious pointers for site designers who don't want to lose visitors and alienate people, there's a bigger lesson: Really big companies doing something doesn't mean it's a good idea. Anybody been following how GM, Ford and Chrysler are doing these days?

I'll admit to a bias here: a majority of the features listed are ones that are on my 'pass' list. I'm a professional writer, and literally can't waste time while a popup ad or splash screen loads (or crashes). The same goes for filling out a registration form to get at (unknown) content.

Unless I know, positively, that there is information of extraordinarily high value behind the cybernetic chaff, I click to the next source on my list.

I may have missed some nifty-keen sites that way, but that's something I can live with.

Killing Your Blog? Could Be

"10 Mistakes That Could Be Killing Your Blog"
Leo Babauta, Write to Done (November 12, 2008)

"I don’t know about you, but often when I begin exploring new blogs to find useful information, I get so frustrated that I give up and leave within a few minutes of finding the blog.

"While many blogs might contain the useful posts I’m looking for, they often make it too difficult for new readers to find.

"Sure, if you’ve been following a blog for six months or more, you know the blogger, you know the basics of the blog, you know how useful and interesting the blog is.

"But if you’re new, you don’t know any of that. And first impressions mean everything when it comes to attracting — and more importantly, keeping — new readers.

If a reader hates your blog at first site, you’ve lost him. If a reader...."

I may not change the way I blog (much), based on what "...Killing Your Blog" has to say, but it's good advice.

Generally.

The first point ("Less-than-useful posts") is something I doubt I'll be able to do much about. Examples the author gave of "useful" topics were:

• Interesting new workouts
• Yummy recipes
• Good running advice
• Frugality ideas
• Inspiration to improve my life

By that standard, I'm toast. What I don't know about workouts, recipes, and running could fill several books. I know: I've seen them in bookstores.

Frugality ideas? Here's mine: Don't spend money on stuff you don't need, unless you really want it - and can pay for it; get the best value-for-money you can. And, something that has saved me quit a lot of money over the decades: If you think you need something, or really want it, wait until the next day. Odds are pretty good that it isn't as necessary, or attractive, then.

The ninth point, "Way too much clutter on your site" is something I'll have to think about. On the other hand, if I'm going to follow some of the other advice, I'll need that 'clutter.'

Bottom line? This looks like a pretty good resource for bloggers.

Polish Glassware Commercial Blog: Pretty Good Design

"Dom itp - European Houseware Blog"

This is one of those blogs that's designed to show of a retail store's products. In this case, a chain of retail stores. For an outfit that's presenting a somewhat pricey product, this is a good design.

What I particularly noticed was how clean the design was. Quite a few artsy (excuse me, 'creative') businesses jazz up their Web presence with cool colors and eye-catching design elements. Great idea, if the place is in the Web design business. Otherwise, all that creative stuff is, IMO, a distraction for the visitor.

Dom itp's blog has the title, with the company logo, a column of text-and-photos posts, a sidebar with navigation and contact information, a footer, and that's about it.

The background: white. Text: black.

Simple. Elegant. Directs attention to the equally simple product photos.

Knew I'd forgotten something. The stores sell very nice glassware. From the "About" page:

"Dom itp - European Houseware is a chain of retail stores located in the Chicago area. Dom itp specializes in importing high-end products from Poland. At our stores you will find handmade Polish colored glassware, authentic Polish porcelain dinnerware, Boleslawiec stoneware, Polish meat grinders, Polish bakeware, Polish cookware utensils, Polish Christmas ornaments, Chicago Christmas ornaments, and the famous electric potato grater...."

RGB to HEX to RGB Online Do-it-Yourself Conversion Software

"Color Converter"

"Change Your Text Colors
To RGB Or HEX Color Codes.
Tip: Use HEX In Your Web Pages."

A simple converter for changing RGB color code to hex color code, or vice-versa.

That's good advice, BTW, about HEX on webpages.

For the uninitiated, RGB is Red Green Blue, HEX is hexadecimal (base 16), and BTW is By The Way. Remarkable, how acronyms abound online.

Zero Dominance: Running Websites the Well-Rounded Way

"Zero Dominance / running websites the well-rounded way"

This is a very new blog, started two days ago.

Interesting premise: we'll see how it develops.

Saks Galleries: Impressive Art, Impressive Home Page

"Saks Galleries Denver Colorado"

"We are always fascinated by the power of great paintings. It’s not about the image but the way in which the brush work, lighting, composition, colors and perspective give the viewer feelings about the subject.The work of Kim English has that sort of power and holds our interest for years beyond the first look. His paintings are stories about people that go beyond the ‘where’ and ‘what’ and impart thoughts about ‘why’ these people are in a particular setting.We have a subtle connection with his people. Please join us in welcoming Kim English for another fabulous exhibition as he explores the human spirit.
Catherine, Mikkel and Adam Saks"

A gallery website with a very nice approach to displaying artwork.

Hyperlinking: What to Do, What NOT to Do

"Don't Click Here: The Art of Hyperlinking"

A history of the hyperlink, which may be interesting, and some pretty good advice, which will probably be useful.

A Website, a Blog, and a Brief Discussion of Web 2.0

All in one place: "ash1design," an online home and business of a Web designer. It's one of the better discussions of "Web 2.0" that I've encountered: and one of the shortest ones.