Website Sustainability

5 top tools to master SEO | Creative Bloq

2017-11-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

5 top tools to master SEO | Creative Bloq:

"Tools to test your sites' performance, see how it fares against rivals and improve your Google listing."

To read the full article go to http://www.creativebloq.com/advice/5-top-tools-to-master-seo

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How to survive as a web designer beyond 2020 | Creative Bloq

2017-11-01T10:59:00.001-07:00

How to survive as a web designer beyond 2020 | Creative Bloq:

Graphic design on the web is becoming standardised. Visual trends are being adhered to like rules, and organisations are losing their identity online. A website builder such as Squarespace and Wix might offer seemingly high quality website templates for a fraction of the price of a bespoke site design. (There's also the case of growing political instability... but that's a whole different article.)

To read more go to How to survive as a web designer beyond 2020 | Creative Bloq:

'via Blog this' All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon

Material Design vs Flat Design UI - What's the Difference?

2016-11-19T03:58:00.001-08:00

Material Design vs Flat Design UI - What's the Difference?: "We deal with the digital world every day.
It is impossible to find someone who has never interacted with a computer or a mobile phone.
All the software inside of your devices is the embodiment of the digital design. During the IT industry development, a lot of interaction with software have changed.
In this article, we are going to discuss the main branches of contemporary mobile app design development in the digital world.
These branches are flat and material design."

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND SEO: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW | Adam Houlahan ♠Social Media for Business♠ | Pulse | LinkedIn

2016-11-19T03:51:00.001-08:00

SOCIAL MEDIA AND SEO: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW | Adam Houlahan ♠Social Media for Business♠ | Pulse | LinkedIn:

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How to Design App Icons for Android and iOS - Top Tips for Mobile Apps

2016-11-18T10:56:00.001-08:00

How to Design App Icons for Android and iOS - Top Tips for Mobile Apps:

'via Blog this' All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon

10 top UI trends for 2017 | Creative Bloq

2016-11-09T21:46:00.001-08:00

10 top UI trends for 2017 | Creative Bloq: "The world of web and UI design is a fast moving one, and it can be hard to keep up to date in the face of ever-changing trends and developments. As 2016 slowly draws to a close, we pick out 10 of the most important trends that we believe you should be implementing in 2017 – and why."

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30 best SEO tools | Creative Bloq

2016-11-09T21:44:00.001-08:00

30 best SEO tools | Creative Bloq: "Here's how to build the perfect toolkit for SEO and digital marketing."

'via Blog this' All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon

How to create a delightful website | Creative Bloq

2016-10-08T09:56:00.001-07:00

How to create a delightful website | Creative Bloq: "On the web there's a whole lot of information coming at us: articles, editorials, tweets, photos, forms, videos, podcasts ... the list goes on. Designer Milton Glaser once said, "The purpose of art is to inform and delight." I’m not saying art is the same as design, but this thought sums up all we try to achieve with design. We base design decisions on content, yet on its own content isn't always the best way to serve information. Delight holds readers' interest and can add to their total visit experience "

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Here’s How to Create Original Images That Boost Conversions - YouMoz - Moz

2016-09-03T13:08:00.001-07:00

Here’s How to Create Original Images That Boost Conversions - YouMoz - Moz: "Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a complex business with many different ways to approach it. One aspect of CRO that hasn't been discussed nearly enough is the potential for images to increase views, clicks, and conversions — in addition to customer success and net promoter scores (NPS). But discussing what you can do with the right images isn’t helpful unless you know how to find or create these images quickly and economically. A crash course in the power of pictures To get to the root of how images improve conversion rates, we first have to look at the series of events that creates conversions.

According to Dr. Robert Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Influence, people...

- Feel obligated to reciprocate – give them something, and they’ll want to give you something

- Honor their commitments – if they say they’ll do something, they’ll likely do it, because they’ve established that goal as an integral part of their self-image

- Believe the word of their peers (which is why user reviews are so powerful) and copy behaviors they see

-Follow authority figures.

-Buy from people they like

- Act faster if they perceive scarcity (On Sale Now for a Limited Time!)

Based on Cialdini's research, some of the ways images can be used for influence include:

Giving away a high-value infographic or set of high-quality stock photos that anyone can use (all they have to do is sign up for your newsletter)
Creating a series of motivational images that encourage viewers to keep the goals they’ve set for themselves (which your product can help them do)
Encouraging users to submit photos of themselves using, wearing, or enjoying your products (or, if you’re selling a service, including images of actual customers next to their reviews or testimonials)
Using professional photos and/or high-quality stock images on your website
Creating funny, personality-rich images, videos, or GIFs for your social media posts and emails
Thinking of creative ways to visually represent scarcity — maybe by making a GIF of a warehouse as it goes from full to empty, or by creating an image that expresses the disappointment someone will fill if they miss out on an opportunity

7 expert tips for nailing web performance | Creative Bloq

2016-09-03T05:37:00.001-07:00

7 expert tips for nailing web performance | Creative Bloq: "Getting web performance right isn't easy; typically designers will want the best-looking site packing all the latest tricks, while developers are focused on ensuring that everything performs well, and it's hard to find an effective compromise."

To read more go to: http://www.creativebloq.com/advice/7-expert-tips-for-nailing-web-performance

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8 hidden CodePen features | Creative Bloq

2016-09-03T05:35:00.001-07:00

8 hidden CodePen features | Creative Bloq: "Over the past few years, CodePen and frontend development have become synonymous with each other. As an early user and early hire at CodePen, I had the benefit of learning and growing with the platform as it went from online editor and web playground to what it is today. "

'via Blog this' All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

9 best pieces of user testing software | Creative Bloq

2016-08-29T05:25:00.001-07:00

9 best pieces of user testing software | Creative Bloq: "User testing is an intricate part of UX design. Understanding how your user interacts with your design is crucial to crafting the best user experience to help visitors to achieve their task and overall to increase conversions.

Running your own user testing lab, including finding and hiring your own target audience and setting up hardware can be expensive and time-consuming.

"

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Improve your UX with Google Analytics | Creative Bloq

2016-08-29T05:22:00.001-07:00

Improve your UX with Google Analytics | Creative Bloq: "Web analytics tools have a lot to offer the user experience field. Because the tools have matured and there's so much information out there about how to use them, now is a great time to get started working with them. With web analytics, user researchers can look at much larger sample sizes than is possible with more resource-intensive methods, such as usability testing. This can be useful if you need to establish a high degree of certainty that a particular design change will be effective before you implement it. Analytics also gives researchers an opportunity to come up with answers much quicker than is possible when using in-person activities."

To read more go to Improve your UX with Google Analytics | Creative Bloq:

'via Blog this' If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

Deprecating web hosting support in Google Drive

2016-08-19T01:06:00.001-07:00

Google Apps update alerts: Deprecating web hosting support in Google Drive: "Beginning August 31, 2015, web hosting in Google Drive for users and developers will be deprecated. Google Apps customers can continue to use this feature for a period of one year until August 31, 2016, when serving content via googledrive.com/host/doc id will be discontinued.

In the time since web hosting in Drive was launched, a wide variety of public web content hosting services have emerged, and we think better options are available to people today. As a result, we have decided to discontinue this feature and focus on the core Drive and Google Apps experience.
"

To read more go Google Apps update alerts: Deprecating web hosting support in Google Drive:

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All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

3 simple ways to speed up your website | Creative Bloq

2016-08-09T02:40:00.001-07:00

3 simple ways to speed up your website | Creative Bloq: "Discover some of the best practices needed for awesome website performance. Looking for a spot of web design inspiration?

01. Optimise images

02. Lazy load content

03. Investigate freebies

To read more go to http://www.creativebloq.com/features/3-simple-ways-to-speed-up-your-website

'via Blog this' All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

12 Ways Infographics Can Be Used to Drive Results - YouMoz - Moz

2016-07-29T03:26:00.001-07:00

12 Ways Infographics Can Be Used to Drive Results - YouMoz - Moz: "As infographics have gained in popularity, though, many companies have pushed out graphics that don't offer enough value to the viewer. Ask yourself these questions when you’re developing an infographic to ensure your graphics offer enough value to rise above the crowd:

Is the internet a better, more useful place because we released this infographic?
Does this infographic provide information or insights that existing infographics don’t?
Does this infographic provide insights that readers will find interesting, compelling, and relevant to their lives and pursuits?"

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Accessibility and performance in web design | Creative Bloq

2016-07-29T02:58:00.001-07:00

Accessibility and performance in web design | Creative Bloq: "How do slow-performing web applications impact user experience for people with disabilities? Are there aspects of the web rendering process that create barriers when you’re relying on a screen reader?"

To read the full article go to: Accessibility and performance in web design | Creative Bloq

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Measure your site's performance on Google | Creative Bloq

2016-07-21T12:19:00.001-07:00

Measure your site's performance on Google | Creative Bloq: "Discover some free Google tools that will help your site perform better in organic search and across the web."

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Blog Optimization: Technical Issues to Optimize Your Blog

2016-06-25T23:51:00.001-07:00

Blog Optimization: Technical Issues to Optimize Your Blog:

Some interesting insights on trying to get more people to your sites, including a fe I hadn't heard of.

-Caching and CDN (Content Distribution Network - one of the ones I did know about);

-Reoptimised content that is already doing well;

- Write blog post that involve keywords that are successful but you don't have post on;

- implement some social media optimisation;

To read more go to: Blog Optimization: Technical Issues to Optimize Your Blog

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All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

How to start a blog: 10 pro tips | Creative Bloq

2016-06-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

How to start a blog: 10 pro tips | Creative Bloq: "Want to learn how to start a blog that stands out among the thousands of others? Simply follow this expert advice.

So, you've decided to start your own blog? It might be to share your expert drawing tips or just to drum up a bit of interest in your design portfolio, but before you rush into anything, consider this: the web, and in particular the blogosphere, is a crowded place.

With so many blogs out there, it's important to make sure you know how to start a blog that stands out from the crowd. Your blog needs to be attractive, creative, and clever. But more than that, your blog design needs to speak to your readers. It needs to tell them why you're different, what you're offering, and why they should take the time to read on.

So, do you need to know how to start a blog that will attract and enthral? Here are 10 tips that will get you started then take your offering from interesting to inspirational..."

To read more go to: How to start a blog: 10 pro tips | Creative Bloq

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Here’s How to Visually Map a Content Strategy - YouMoz - Moz

2016-06-19T03:58:00.001-07:00

Here’s How to Visually Map a Content Strategy - YouMoz - Moz: "As both a planner and a content marketer, fact gives me mild heart palpitations. So many ships out to sea with zero navigation.

But it’s actually good news for you. It means that of the 2 million blog posts published every day, the majority are not properly optimized. So with a little bit of groundwork, you can position yourself to stand out from the crowd,

A content marketing strategy helps you define your target market so you know who to write to and what to write about. Your research will uncover the journey the customer will follow, from discovering about your business to making the decision to buy. It will also help you address any key decision points along the way.

Once you've done your share of content research, you have a database of decision points which you can use to create a visual roadmap of your content strategy. Personas are great for understanding your target market, style guides give you direction for design and SEO best practices, and distribution lists help you remember what to do to promote your hard work.

But you should visually map out the customer journey if you really want to get inside the customer's head and understand each point in the decision process."

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If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

Google Developers Blog: Search at I/O 16 Recap: Eight things you don't want to miss

2016-06-01T23:34:00.001-07:00

Extracted from Google Developers Blog: Search at I/O 16 Recap: Eight things you don't want to miss:

1: Introducing rich cards

A new Search result format building on rich snippets.

2: New Search Console reports

A new report in Search Console to help developers confirm that their rich card markup is valid.

3: Real-time indexing

Instead of waiting for content to be crawled and indexed, publishers will be able to use the Google Indexing API to trigger the indexing of their content in real time.

4: Getting up to speed with Accelerated Mobile Pages

AMP, an open source effort to speed up the mobile web. Google Search uses AMP to enable instant-loading content.

5: A new and improved Structured Data Testing Tool

The tool is now tightly integrated with the DevSite Search Gallery and the new Search Preview service.

6: App Indexing got a new home (and new features)

We announced App Indexing’s migration to Firebase, Google’s unified developer platform.

7: App streaming

Android users can try out games without having to download and install the app

8. Revamped documentation

Organised the documentation around topical guides.

To read more go to: Google Developers Blog: Search at I/O 16 Recap: Eight things you don't want to miss

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If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

50 free web tools | Creative Bloq

2016-05-27T00:33:00.001-07:00

50 free web tools | Creative Bloq: "The web tools movement is as hot as ever and there are plenty of free, high-quality options available. Louis Lazaris runs down 50 useful finds."

Five pages of tools

To read more go to 50 free web tools | Creative Bloq

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All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

Optimizing for Accessibility + SEO: Site & Page Structure Overlaps - Moz

2016-05-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

Optimizing for Accessibility + SEO: Site & Page Structure Overlaps - Moz: "Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day!

39 million people are blind. 285 million are visually impaired. 15% of the world’s population — over a billion people — have some form of disability.

Disabilities can come in many shapes and forms: physical, cognitive, visual, hearing. How does someone who is blind check their email? How does someone who can’t hear decipher any of the tens of millions of videos on YouTube? How do disabled students keep an upper hand when all of their classmates are using the Internet for research?"

The report has some useful tips for accessibility and in particular design for people with visual disabilities including a useful tip on how to try, in Chrome, a screen reader and suggestion on using it as part of user experience (UX) testing. It goes on to make links with SEO and ends with a list of resources to take this further.

To read more go to Optimizing for Accessibility + SEO: Site & Page Structure Overlaps - Moz:

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Google Developers Blog: The Mobile Web Is Open for Business

2016-05-21T10:57:00.001-07:00

Google Developers Blog: The Mobile Web Is Open for Business: "One of the virtues of the web is its immense reach, providing access to information for all internet users regardless of device or platform. With the explosion of mobile devices, the web has had to evolve to deliver great experiences on the small screen. This journey began a few years ago, and I am excited to be able to say that the mobile web is open for business. Join me live at Google I/O at 2:00pm PT as I discuss the state of the union and how to take advantage of new experiences like AMP and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) to deliver a best-in-class mobile experience."

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