#25942
An Agreement With a Web Designer: What Should it Look Like?
Whether you're spending a few hundred dollars, or thousands of dollars, on your website, you should have a written agreement with your web designer. Here's what to include.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Web Design>Contracts
#25937
Are You Using the Right Search Engine?
What this all means is that when web users can't find what they want in Google, they should not automatically assume that they're at fault. At present, Google is heavily weighted.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Information Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#25931
Building Effective Customer Surveys
Well-designed customer surveys can yield valuable information for your business. Unfortunately, though, a poorly worded survey can set you marching off in exactly the wrong direction. Below are some tips on designing surveys to get reliable, useful data.
#25933
Brochures are good for some things but not others. The key to not wasting your money is to understand what brochures do well, and what they don't do well.
Bennaco (2005). Articles>Document Design>Marketing
#25935
Communicating Clearly: It Often Pays to Repeat Information
A common observation of clients who're reading first drafts of the work they've ordered is that, 'You said that once already, so we can take this sentence out.' In fact, a certain amount of redundancy helps to get the point across.
#25949
Create Effective Brochures (Paper-Based and On-Line)
In business circles, the value of brochures is a topic of endless debate. Are they effective marketing tools, or a waste of time and resources? The answer is that it depends very much on how they're designed.
#25951
Does Your Website Need Those Bells and Whistles?
Some web designers will try to convince you that your website has to have the latest multimedia technology to be successful. Is it true?
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Multimedia
#25941
Dynamic Websites: What Are They and Do You Need One?
If you're thinking about getting, or updating, a website, chances are that you'll run into a web designer who will try to sell you on the idea of a 'dynamic site.' Here's what you need to know in order to decide if such an approach is for you.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Content Management
#25950
How to Ruin a Writing Project in 10 Easy Steps
Does your job involve writing? Here's a surefire recipe for bringing on writer's block and making the whole process seem so onerous that you'll vow never to put pen to paper again.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Project Management>Writing
#25952
For a business website to grab the attention of prospective customers, the prospective customers have to see it. Simplistic as this sounds, it's a principle that some businesses overlook. They have a website built, but never check to see how visible that site is to their target market. This article helps you to assess how visible your site is in searches, and explains a simple way to improve site visibility.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#25946
Internet Marketing: What NOT to Do (And What Not to Fall For)
Do you sell over the Internet? If you do, and if your goal is to develop a long-lasting, trusting relationship with your customers, here are some things to avoid doing. And if you're buying over the Internet, here are some things to watch out for.
#25956
Investing in a Website: Do You Know What's Important?
Knowing what to ask for is half the battle. Use this short quiz to test your knowledge of some basic issues involved in getting an effective website.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Assessment
#25953
Is Your E-Mail Getting Through?
Ever had an e-mail message go missing in cyberspace? With about half the e-mail messages sent daily being spam, it's no wonder that Internet Service Providers are installing spam blocking software. But are your legitimate messages being blocked too? Find out how to avoid triggering spam alerts with your everyday mail.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#25936
Link Exchange Programs: An Update
It is still a good idea to increase the number of links to and from sites that are relevant to your own.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#25948
On-Screen Real Estate (Location, Location, Location!)
On a website, certain areas carry more value than the rest of the site, just by virtue of their location. To have an effective site, it's crucial to know where these areas are and what belongs in them.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>User Centered Design
#25934
A Quiet Revolution in Website Maintenance
We're on the verge of a similar revolution in the area of website maintenance.
Bennaco (2005). Design>Web Design>Content Management
#25945
Selling on the Web: How Long Should Your Marketing Copy Be?
If you're selling on the web, you want marketing copy that will entice potential customers to buy. There are currently two schools of thought on effective marketing copy: one group advocates 'long, detailed, and chatty' copy, while the other favors copy that's 'short, objective, and to the point.' Which approach is right for you?
#25957
So You Want a Website: Tips for Diving into the Internet Ocean Without Getting Drowned
Practical advice for anyone trying to find a good web designer. A few semi-technical topics, but mostly plain English pointers.
Bennaco (2003). Design>Web Design>Writing>Minimalism
#25940
Use Your Website to Pre-Qualify Customers
Not only should your website be clear on what your company delivers, it should also indicate what you do not deliver. Below are some tips for achieving this clarity.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design>Marketing
#25932
As an information source, the Internet is amazing. No matter what the topic, chances are you can find out all about it on the 'net. However, as the information haystack gets bigger, finding that crucial needle of data can become a frustrating challenge. Here are some simple tips for finding what you want.
Bennaco (2005). Articles>Information Design>Search
#25947
Website Templates: Value or False Economy?
As businesses search for ways to minimize web development costs, some will consider the use of predesigned web templates. Are these templates a true value or a false economy? It depends. Here's what you should know if you're considering buying a template package.
Bennaco (2004). Design>Web Design
#25955
What Search Engines Need to See to Rank Your Site Well (Part 1)
A substantial number of people use search engines to find goods and services that interest them. Incredibly, though, many web designers don't pay much attention to designing sites to rank well in searches. This means that in order to protect your investment in your website, you need to know what has to be done to get good rankings, and how to make sure that your designer has done it.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#25954
What Search Engines Need to See to Rank Your Site Well (Part 2)
A substantial number of people use search engines to find goods and services that interest them. This second half of a two-part article explains how to make sure that your web designer has set up your site so search engines will like what they see and rank you high.
Bennaco (2004). Articles>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#25944
Writing Effective Brochures: What Goes Where? Part 1
If a brochure is ineffective, it's rarely the fault of an awkward phrase or unexciting adjective. Most paper-based brochures that fail, fail right in the planning stages. This article presents one method of organizing information for a three-panel (2-fold) 8 by 11 brochure.
#25943
Writing Effective Brochures: What Goes Where? Part 2 
If a brochure is ineffective, it's rarely the fault of an awkward phrase or unexciting adjective. Most paper-based brochures that fail, fail right in the planning stages. The second half of this article discusses some common brochure design problems and how to fix them.
