WingsDove Web Design Solutions Free Web Design Newsletter, June

June - July, 2007

In This Issue:

Announcements: Take part in our survey, win prize!

Search Engine Optimization Article:
. . . Web Design and SEO: The Eternal Debate
Web Design Article:
. . . The Basics Principles of Design
Usability Article:
. . . The Fundamental Rules of Usability

Welcome New Clients:
www.backthefup.com - Computer Backup Software
www.distinctivedirections.com - Custom Wedding Maps
www.uhsoc.org - Ukrainian Historical Society

New Web Site Launch: www.paulysoulstuff.com

Great Free Resources

A handy free Keyword Suggestion Tool is available now at http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

Richard St. John: secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/70:

I have been raving about the F*R*E*E OpenSource software called Open Office, which easily replaces the expensive, virus-attracting Microsoft Office. After working with OpenOffice for the past few months, I am delighted with how similar all the software (Word Process, Spreadsheets, etc.) is to Microsoft. In addition, PDF documents can be created from with the Open Office software, which is also a bonus. F*R*E*E downloads ($10 for the software on CD) available for PC or Mac at http://download.openoffice.org/2.2.1/index.html

Announcements:
Take part in our anonymous survey on web design and web designers and be eligible for a drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com, Borders Books or Red Lobster Restaurants. Leave a non-identifiable user name and a six digit number when you take the survey. You will only be asked to answer three questions! The winning user name will be drawn at random and published in the August newsletter. The winner will have to provide his or her six digit number to verify identity and then choose the gift certificate of his or her choice. The winners name will be published in the September newsletter. Please do NOT leave a user name which could identify who you are. Click Here to take survey, which will remain open until August 15. The survey is open to anyone who once had a web site, currently has a web site and/or plans on creating a web site within 2 years. The information from the survey will be used to find out what web site owners really want and to create text for the WingsDove web site.

After the last WingsDove newsletter went out, one of my clients wrote and complained about the articles, saying they were too long, loaded with too much technical jargon that he did not understand. My clients are all over the board in their knowledge of the Internet, many do not know or understand much about the workings of the World Wide Web, and others who know a great deal. Starting this month, you will find fewer articles as well as articles which are hopefully more understandable to everyone. I would love to hear from you and what you think about this change.

Our quest is to find the most progressive and promising spinal cord injury research and rehabilitative methods available.

A Community Celebration and Fund Raiser for Spinal Cord Injury Research

Proudly Presents
Rally Hits the Road: Chicago
Sunday, September 9, 5:00 p.m.
Navy Pier, Grand Ballroom
Featuring
Second City Comedy and Special Guests
All Proceeds to Benefit Spinal Cord Injury Research
Striving From Laboratory towards Human Application
Click here for more information or contact: Next Steps SCI Rehab
708.467.0657 nextsteps1@aol.com
To purchase tickets online or sponsor the event
Contributions are tax-deductible per IRS codes

WingsDove offers web design solutions and search engine optimization for small to mid-size businesses and non-profit organizations and is one the most effective Web Design and optimization companies in the Chicago area.
Contact us now to start your web design or search engine optimization at 800.439.0270. or send email to info@wingsdove.com or mary@wingsdove.com.

Web Site Launch

Pauly Soul Stuff: Workshops by Judith Pauly

Workshops designed to deepen your SOULAR experience in this lifetime while smiling. Soul Connection allows you to connect with that core essence of who you really are. Shamebusters is a one-day workshop for women and men to learn about TRICKSTER SHAME. Soular Power will examine and explore deep rooted, cellular life experiences that may be blocking you from being in the “bliss” of your SOUL’S purpose. Mother Peace is a workshop for women to explore and begin to understand the dynamics of Mother/Daughter relationships.
http://www.paulysoulstuff.com

Search Engine Optimization and Marketing

Web Design and SEO: The Eternal Debate

Web design focuses on appearance and aesthetics. SEO focuses on text quality and quantity. Web designers don't really like to clutter their designs with text. They prefer to see the images stand out on their own. SEOs on the other hand don't like images that much. Sure, an image can be optimized for the search engines by adding relevant alt attributes and titles, but this is not enough for a site to be properly optimized. Page copy still plays the most important role in website optimization for SEO.

As a business owner you are caught in the middle of this conflict. For your website to convert (visitors into customers who buy or prospects who contact you) you need both design and optimization. There is no middle way. You cannot have a little bit of this and a little bit of that and still be competitive. You cannot have just one of the two either. Without optimization your site is invisible to the search engines, hence to your potential customers. On the other hand, without a good design your site, although not invisible, will get nothing but hits. Web users are picky and if they find nothing of interest on your site they will just surf to the next site.
Continue reading this article at: http://www.wingsdove.com/articles/article-seo-design-debate.htm

Web Site Design

Basic Principles of Design

The basic principles of design are true for Web design as well as other design. They show you how to put together design elements in an effective manner. Design is more than just slapping HTML tags up onto a page, and using these principles will help you build more pleasing and useful designs.

Balance
Balance is the distribution of heavy and light elements on the page. Larger, darker elements appear heavier in the design than smaller, lighter elements. The principle of balance shows you how to lay out your pages so that they work.

Continue reading this article at: http://www.wingsdove.com/articles/article-des-basic-design.htm

Web Site Usability

Fundamental Rules of Usability

Usability defined: Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or elegance. This definition comes from Wikipedia and can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability.

Do not disappoint. At the heart of Usability is the degree of effectiveness that users can accomplish their goals and how satisfied they are with that process. When we create navigation, search functionality, a shopping cart and other functionality within a site, there is an expectation created in the users' mind that the site will successfully fulfill that expectation. If the site falls short of those implied expectation, the user is ultimately disappointed. Repeat the process more than a few times and you will, undoubtedly, lose the lion's share of your visitors. All the time, money and energy you've just put into your SEO/SEO/Marketing efforts have just been wasted.

Continue reading this article at: http://www.wingsdove.com/articles/article-use-fundamentals.htm

Mary Walilko
WingsDove Web Design Solutions
800.439.0270, ext. 702
Call now for a no-obligation, no hassle quote!