We’ve all been to websites that offend our senses. It might be the copy, the color, too much flashing or that “something” you just can’t put your mouse on that sends you packing. In working with businesses in all industries and sizes the one common denominator is they all have a website. Unfortunately, not all of them are good and some are flat out annoying. Here are a few easy thought processes you can work through to help provide your visitors with a positive visit to your online office.
Be Clear About It’s Goal
I’m stupefied by the number of clients that …

“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”

There is a lot we can take away from the first Fundamental Principle of Olympism found within the Olympic Charter.

Yes, the Olympics are the world’s premiere athletic tournament – but they are also an invitation to reflect on the joy of effort and excellence in all endeavors.

What do …

Be it resolved in the year 2010, I will:

Websites are tools, and the tools that endure are the tools that serve a purpose.  Shovels are good at making holes, cars are good at moving people from one place to another.  If you want people to use your website, it must serve a purpose.  However, it is not sufficient for the site to serve a purpose for you, it must serve a purpose for whomever you want to use it.

What Purpose Should Your Website Serve?
And Whom Does it Serve?

There are any number of purposes a website might serve, but let’s take a look at some of the more common …

When the question is, “How many slides are sufficient for my Powerpoint presentation?” my mind irresistible chants: “….he would chuck what a woodchuck could, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.”

That’s not really off point: You need as many slides as you need, but not more than that nor less.

In some situations presenters are told how many slides they must use, or can’t use. In fact, participants at Ignite! presentations get five minutes on stage to speak through 20 slides, each of which gets 15 seconds of display.  Tough parameters indeed, but I bring this up mostly …

Summer is here and we are seeing business people exploring the opportunities. Some want to re-structure their business to adapt to the current market; others want to start anew and follow their true passion. In today’s marketplace, any business endeavor involves the online world. Whether a website is needed just for informational purposes, or whether the website is the business itself, a website is needed—period.

But… not just a website… a good website. And, what makes a good website? Good planning. A website is a tricky thing to plan for.

• It needs to be flexible so it’s successful today and as the …
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You catch more flies with honey. Make sure readers stick to your web site!

We’ve talked about how to keep readers on your site longer. Now let’s look at how to get them to come back often.

Offer Your Expertise

You are an expert at what you do. Make your web site a resource of the useful, the informative or the entertaining: Reader will remember you. They’ll bookmark you. They’ll come back to your site—and to your business—and they’ll mention both to others.

Let’s say you’re promoting your restaurant. Post the menu and some ambience-expressive photos and you’ve …

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture on game design led by James Ernst, founder of the award winning Cheapass Games. Though there are certainly differences between game and website design, the similarities were telling.

Have a Process

James Ernst, like Marissa Berger, holds that one of the most important rules for practical design, is to make sure that you adhere to a process.

Selecting Your Audience

If you do not know who you want to use your product, you’re going to have a hard time evaluating if it appeals to their interests …

Your web site is a valuable tool in making the sale. Information is a valuable tool in making the sale.

Where your web site fits into your sales cycle determines how to present information.

Information makes the sale

Let’s say you own a restaurant. People visit your web site to see what’s on the menu and what it costs. They also want to get a look at the photos, to see if your place suits their plans—be it for a business lunch, a family after-church-brunch, or a romantic dinner. Your web site falls at the …

Watching baseball teaches me about business.

I love running my own business and being my own boss. I also love baseball.  Oh, I hate to play it (“Don’t hit it to me, please don’t hit it to me…”) but I truly love to watch the game.

From baseball, I’ve learned some excellent business practices:

Barry Zito taught me to consider one batter at a time. Barry’s doing well this year: I read that he’s taking a batter-by-batter approach,  rather than letting his mind wander to how badly the game is going, …