Posts Tagged ‘web design’


10 Questions To Ask Before Setting Up a Website – 2012 Edition

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a WebsiteWhat questions should you ask yourself and your web developer before setting up a website?

Whether you’re building your first website or ready to revamp your current website, there are important questions to ask if you want a website that will:

  • increase your online visibility
  • attract more qualified traffic, and
  • convert that traffic into leads and business.

I wrote my first “10 Questions” as my second (print!) newsletter back in 1997 that included such questions as:

  • should I get my own domain name? and
  • are my customers online?

I rewrote the article in 2002, and that version is still one of the most popular pages on our site. In fact, it’s been plagiarized multiple times since it’s original publication, including by the US government! (For real! My brother helped me send a cease and desist letter.) I’ve been told plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery.

After that I revamped it again and offered it up as a lead generation tool for our email newsletter, flyte log.

A couple of weeks back I reread it, and realized again the web had made this article feel dated. So here it is: the 2012 edition of 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Website.

The article has evolved, and now many of the questions focus on generating more online leads from your website and measuring your success.

Why 2012 when we’re still in 2011? Two words: Shelf. Life.

To get it, you’ll still need to sign up for our free, monthly email newsletter, but when you do you’ll have access to the following articles:

  • 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Facebook Fan Page 
  • The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make
  • The 11 Commandments of Writing Web Copy for Non-Copywriters

You can also unsubscribe from the email newsletter as soon as you’ve downloaded the articles. But why would you?!? Every article has specific information on how you can grow your business using the web.

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level on the web, be sure to download 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Website.

Rich Brooks
Still Asking Questions, 14 Years Later

P.S. Current subscribers can follow the links to the article from previous emails, or in any upcoming email newsletter.

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Posted in Web Design & Development | 3 Comments »


Web Site Design: The Ugly Baby Syndrome

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Baby SwanOn more than one occasion a person will tell me that they’ve received a lot of compliments on their web design. This in spite of the fact that their home page has cheesy animation, seventeen different fonts, and is a big, hot mess.

The thing is, when was the last time you told someone they had an ugly baby? Now, some people may argue that there’s no such thing as an ugly baby. Those people are wrong.

The bottom line is, even when confronted with a baby who–let’s just say–hasn’t come into their cuteness yet, we don’t let on to the proud parents. We still compliment the baby, and in really rare cases, we might compliment some other aspect of the baby. “What a healthy looking baby!” or “What a head of hair!”

The people who come to your web site and don’t like the design, or are confused by the navigation, or frustrated by the site rarely stick around to tell you. They’re in a hurry to get their questions answered, or rent a lake house, or buy a new stereo at your competitor’s site.

While web design is more than just how pretty your web site is–functionality, ease-of-use, and conversion all play a part–design impacts how people perceive your business and often dictate their first impression of your company.

So, is your web site ugly? I can’t comment on that, but what a head of hair it has!

Rich Brooks
Recovering Ugly Baby

Photo Credit: Amy Friese

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Posted in Web Design & Development | 3 Comments »