Websites Need To Be Readable
After searching for a while for a project I am working on, I came across a site that was perfect as far as having the information I needed. Problem was, I couldn’t read it. The background and text colors were so similar that it made it next to impossible to see it. So I left and kept searching. It got me to thinking though and I thought I would share those thoughts on how to make your site more “readably” attractive to your visitors. 1) Consistency Make all your pages look and feel the same way. Not only is it more esthetically pleasing to the eye but having all you major components (like menus) in the same place not only makes navigation easier when people are wandering around your site but a visitor can get use to the layout faster making them more comfortable with your over all site structure. 2) Format using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) One file controls all the elements in your site and with one change you can affect all the pages in your site at once. You can set site wide font size, header tag size, font color and so much more this will go along way in adding that element of consistency. 3) Font Size Make the size big enough to read. Keep in mind that not all people have perfect vision. 12-pt is usually the limit and any smaller becomes difficult. 4) Contrast Make sure your text color and background color contrast greatly. This allows the text to stand out and become easier to read. 5) No Long Text Segments Break the text up by using smaller paragraphs. (3-4 sentences). Maybe add sub headers or titles to break up the larger chunks of text. Bullet lists to change up the way it all may flow together. This will allow visitors to scan the content quickly and get to the parts that interest them the most, faster. 6) Spelling This is my biggest pet peeve of all. With all the spell checkers available, dictionaries online and even browsers checking spelling, there is no need for something to be misspelled. It takes little time to set up a site to be consistent and easy to read and follow. A little common sense and some planning and you will benefit with visitors that stay longer and leave happier. Word of mouth is still one of the best advertisers and can be both a positive and negative influence, so take the time to ensure the buzz on your site is positive. Popularity: 14%
Friday ~ July 07, 2007 by OMS Posted in Website Design | 1 Comment
WordPress Popular Plug-ins
WordPress is a very popular blogging software. One of the many advantages it has is the use of plug-ins (small programs) that are easily uploaded and can be activated with a click of the mouse. Here is a list of the five must have plug-ins for WordPress along with the five should haves. Must Haves Askimet – This comes standard with all WordPress downloads and all you need is to get a free API key. All it does is stop comment and trackback spam so you don’t have to. Optimal Title – functions just like wp_title() but moves the position of the ’separator’ to after the title rather than before. Ultimate Tag Warrior - It allows you to add tags to your posts and/or get suggestions for tags using the Yahoo! keyword suggestion service. Google Sitemaps - generates a XML-Sitemap of your WordPress blog. This format is supported by Google, YAHOO and MSN Search. WordPress Database Backup - This also is in the core WordPress download and allows one click backup of your database as well as being able to set up automatic backup times. I could probably keep listing for pages on end but these I find to be the ones you should have if no others. There is a wonderful collection at WP-Plugins. Here are five should have’s. Should Haves Adsense-Deluxe – automatically insert you adsense code (and now YPN) wherever you want it. Smart update pinger - this plug-in only pings when the post has not previously been published so when you edit your post it will not re-ping which could cause a ping-spamming ban. WP Contact Form – Great for a contact page. One simple code and the whole form is ready. I use it on OMS. Popularity Contest – lets you see which of your posts gets the most views Sociable – allows your viewers to bookmark your posts at their favorite social bookmarking site with just one click. Popularity: 100%
Tuesday ~ July 07, 2007 by OMS Posted in General SEO | No Comments
