One of my favorite posts to write so far, 10 Reasons Why Your Website Kinda Sucks, touched on the first 5 of ten reasons why I think a lot of websites – while often a valiant attempt from the developer to ... read more »]]>

He's sad about your website... and so am I.

One of my favorite posts to write so far, 10 Reasons Why Your Website Kinda Sucks, touched on the first 5 of ten reasons why I think a lot of websites – while often a valiant attempt from the developer to do something good for their client – miss the mark. Like, 6 feet away from the mark.

I tried to set this up so that in the first half, things that were more basic online marketing over design were discussed. What affects your visitors’ perception of who you are and what you do.. those elements needed to be bunched together much like the ones I’m about to mention now. As usual, this stuff places the responsibility of the success of the website on the shoulders of the developer. We’re the ones that are supposed to be knowledgeable about these kinds of things, right? Current on our market, familiar with our clients’ particular niche, and able to provide our client with their legitimate requests and desires… even if we’re not quite able to do it ourselves.

This time, let’s talk about the core stuff. The stuff that is more design-focused. The core of what we do… the basics. Here are the last 5 reasons why I believe that most websites — including my own — kinda, well, suck.

1. Misusing Stuff — I think the easiest way to explain this one would be to reference the Standards-Compliant world’s favorite reference:

   “Tables are for tabular data!”

   When we build websites, we’re expected to do it the fast way. The “economical” way. Our expectations of ourselves should demand that we also do it the right way. So that means no cheating and using flash for your fancy shmancy menus – step your game up and start studying the CSSPlay menu bank. No more flash for your fancy shmancy slideshows. Step your game up and go with a slideshow ran by one of those incredible JavaScript frameworks. No more cheating and using one big image for your navigation. Step your game up and start learning about CSS Sprites (or even sIFR, if you muuuuuuust use Flash.) ^[1]

2. Too Trendy — Somewhere between Apple and ADD, the “Oooh look, shiny” website trend was born. When I think of trends, I think of fashion… and I’m sure you know people who follow too closely to fashion trends. It’s like one year, everything is flared jeans and the next year, straight legs. And your people who follow fashion trends like it’s their job… they ditch the old clothes and rush out to spend their money on something new. Let’s face it. In this day and age (and as an American with clients who’ve run to me aiming to start making money online because they’ve lost their jobs), a lot of clients can’t afford to shell out money on redesigns to keep up with those trends.

   

   Stop drinking the kool-aid... leave the trends alone!

   Of course, we should always be looking to create our own sense of style, but it’s tough when a client is pushing to “just clone this.” If nothing else, develop a style that borrows lightly from trend, but in a manner that can last beyond it. As the current aversion to “oooh shiny web design” syndrome is brewing, you can already see how the more well-received designs are moving beyond stickers and glass buttons and “BETA.” Help safeguard your client from feeling that they need a redesign in a few months.

3. Forgetting Your Audience — I think this one is kind of funny. I was recently researching websites for pick up artists. It’s already tough to be in that field and not be seen as misogynistic (sorry, but it’s true), but most of the websites that I saw didn’t help that perception. Not properly understanding who you’re designing for is a major pitfall. Understand who you’re targeting – go where the popular spots are for people seeking dating advice. See what works for those websites and try to figure out why. Determine how well those things would work for your client, and then incorporate it into your own style and make it better for your client.

   To round out that example: if pick-up artists have clients who are already slightly embarrassed that they are seeking out these kinds of services, already a little insecure and feeling kinda lonely, don’t inundate them with images of “sexy girls in suggestive poses” and Rico Suave over there holding a martini glass like he’s the major player. That doesn’t appeal, and it won’t work. Do a little more digging. [Charge for it, but your client will 100% make up for the difference.]

4. Readability — Now, I swapped this in for something else… partially because I got a couple of comments in the other half of this post about MY type being illegible. Damn it, I’d like to think my posts are pretty decent and I hate that my message got lost in someone’s inability to read it. Can you imagine how sucky that might be for your client?

   

   Read my text! Oh, wait...

   Now, I can modify my own CSS (and I hear you, guys, I’m all over it) but can your clients? How long will it be before they get a complaint? How many potential customers must they sacrifice before they become aware of the problem? This also goes for color schemes… something I’ve also done. Luckily, this one is much easier than font sizes in different browser/OS combinations. Run the page through the Color Contrast Analyzer.

5. Undefined Elements — This is something that I see mostly in blogs. When you have a lot of information from different posts all bunched together in one big blob, how does the average user distinguish what applies to where? I recently visited a blog that had such a piss-poor sense of organization, that I couldn’t even tell which post the dates applied to. I mean, no clear effort or consideration was given to the visitor. Think about people who think Photoshop is a verb, not a noun – people who don’t understand web design or structure. All they know is that the pretty stuff shows up on the page, and you read it. Make life easy for them. Use gratuitous white space.

Having said all this, I think there is one bottom line that is undeniable. These are definitely my opinions, and as I’ve been freelancing for several years… I’m not exempt. Sometimes, I look at websites that I’ve done for my first clients and I cringe… wondering if it would be good web karma to offer a redesign. However… that bottom line needs to be that you’re fulfilling the desires and needs of your client equally. If your client wants you to duplicate Apple’s website, let them know how often Apple actually redesigns that home page. Put your skills of persuasion to work and show them some more effective designs from your favorite inspiration galleries. You need to make it your business to give the client what they want, while ensuring that they have what they need. That’s why they hire us… and it’s what makes our services so valuable.

[1] I know it sounds like I’m against Flash, but I’ve done enough watching over the shoulders of the not-quite-so-net-savvy to know that most people don’t upgrade their Flash just because your website tells them to do so. As beautiful as some of my favorite Flash websites are, it just can’t be all things to all people and sometimes I find it inappropriate. That’s all. Adobe still pwns us all.

These kinds of lists always get a little controversial. Why? Because they tend to put the onus on the developer when a website ... read more »]]> I know, it’s hard to hear. It’s probably even harder to accept… but I share this with you because I e-love you. It’s okay… here’s a tissue.

These kinds of lists always get a little controversial. Why? Because they tend to put the onus on the developer when a website fails. I mean, let’s face it – as web developers, we’re entrusted with the responsibility of assisting a client in expanding their marketing online successfully. It’s about more than pretty colors and stock images of blond chicks wearing telephone headsets. If you can’t get the point across effectively, you’re thoroughly wasting your client’s time and money.

Soooooooo… in the process of redesigning my own website, I started scouring the inspiration galleries to get myself in the “mood.” Saw a lot of beautiful work, but I also saw a lot of, um… crap. Not like crap is bad, crap can be perfect in some cases, I suppose. Just not cases where it’s costing someone money by failing to do its job in promoting something. Thus, this list. Ten important reasons why your website, well, sucks.

1. Lack of organization: Organization is one of those things that will effectively keep someone out of your website. Don’t forget about the user you’re targeting. Organization needs to be intuitive and follow a logical train of thought. In a web design portfolio, where would you expect to find contact information for the designer? A contact page, perhaps an about page. Don’t stick it in the portfolio and think that’s the only place it needs to be. Someone who’s convinced – after page 1 – that they need to work with you, will be sorely disappointed when they can’t find what they’re looking for. If your clothing store uses unique sizing for its products, your website should make it easy for someone to find out the way your sizing compares to regular standard clothing sizes.
2. Failure to brand: The Internet has been around long enough that the people who are most likely to use it can determine the good websites from the bad ones. How do they make this conclusion so fast? Easy. Failure to identify who you and/or your company are is a big giveaway. Look at your favorite websites. All have some form of branding. Nice crisp logos. Similar elements grouped together as a means of helping the visitor identify who you are and what you do. A big part of doing any kind of business online is transparency. The more transparent you are, the more people are drawn to you. The more interested they are in you, the more time that interest gives you to convince them that you deserve their business. Capisce?
3. Navigation: Again, this needs to be intuitive. You’ve got to consider what the user is looking for when they go somewhere. When you have a website that has subsections within sections within regions of a website, be considerate of the fact that while a visitor went directly to that subsection, chances are they’re still interested in all other things in that area. The key is to ensure that all of the content of a page is as related as can be. Links, content, features, all that.
4. Browser compatibility: I hate this conversation. I mean, every bit of it. It causes even the most savvy of web devs to shed a tear. I know. But why are you complaining about making a site compatible for a browser that your client’s customers seem to love? Why is this an option? Why aren’t you accurately quoting your clients for the time it takes to deal with this issue? I mean, yeah, don’t waste your clients’ time and money, but shoot.. don’t waste yours either! It’s not like websites have to look the same in every browser.

   Now, if this is your personal website, then by all means. Go for it. But the notion that you will no longer support IE6 because it’s old is absurd, in my less-than-humble opinion. The thing still dominates. Just accept it. Spend some time coming up with your own unique workarounds, and keep them in your toolbox. That should help lessen the amount of time you spend angry about a Microsoft product.

5. Too spammy: This one kind of hurts my heart, but it makes me very thankful for my RSS reader. Some of my favorite websites fall victim to this. I know we all want to make money. It’s why we spent ungodly amounts of hours at our desks and laptops, scratching our heads and beating on our keyboards. But please, for the love of everything pixelated, find a more sophisticated manner of placing advertising on your website.

   I shouldn’t have to scroll past two whole big 400px long adsense blocks to get to your content. I shouldn’t have a brand-new website – that I didn’t even click to view, mind you – load on top of the content I want to see, forcing me to click “skip to content” to actually view it. Say what? I have to tell you that I want to skip to the content… to actually view the content that brought me to your website in the first place? Is this kind of crap REALLY making that much money? Better question: are your customers and visitors SO loyal that they tolerate this kind of stuff just to view your content? If you’re not Forbes or ZShare, I’d think long and hard about that.

Now, this thing is telling me that I’m rounding out to almost 1000 words. Trust me, I’m a little angry about that myself. I will save the last five for the next installment, and hopefully they both will be helpful to someone out there who’s website kinda, sorta, probably… well, sucks.

If it makes you feel better, all my studying showed me that my website kinda sucks, too.

I spent a little time feeling bad – only a little time – because I just knew I was right about Chrome being Google’s means of taking over our desktops and trying to centralize all of ... read more »]]>

Ahhhhh, how refreshing it is to be right.

I love it when I’m right.

I spent a little time feeling bad – only a little time – because I just knew I was right about Chrome being Google’s means of taking over our desktops and trying to centralize all of our use of our computers and Internet through them. And then there was a nice sized fallout with those of us who are conspiracy theorists and those of us who are Google-lovers (I tend to fall somewhere in between on most days.)

But yesterday, man, I swear I KNEW Google couldn’t be dumb enough to bypass the kind of opportunity creating a browser has for them. I read this little gem and felt like, “There’s no way in sam hill Google’s going to put maximum effort into a project only to receive minimum results.” That’s just not sound business acumen. I’m never wrong so I had to get down to the bottom of this, and fast.

Alas, the lady was not wrong!

I was right from top to bottom! For crying out loud, the fine print on this thing is a doozy. I mean, it resembles surfing the ‘net at your desk and knowing that your boss is able to track your every online move. I am pleasantly not shocked by this at all. In fact, I can’t stop laughing.

After scouring the Internet for more information, I checked out an article on cnet, titled “Be Sure To Read The Fine Print.” Admittedly, I wasn’t about to install that stuff on my computer. I’m satisfied with my Firefox. I’ll quote the best part of the article… you know, the part that made me choke on my orange juice.

Don’t be surprised to see more ads.

Traditionally, it is Web pages and not the browser itself that serves ads. Google isn’t saying it will change this paradigm, but it’s terms of service don’t rule that out either.

“Some of the services are supported by advertising revenue and may display advertisements and promotions. These advertisements may be targeted to the content of information stored on the services, queries made through the services or other information.

The manner, mode and extent of advertising by Google on the services are subject to change without specific notice to you.”

Again, I’m impressed. In a time where Microsoft is allegedly implementing technology into IE8 to help their users block adsense as well as prevent Big G from collecting information to help them target ads better, I can appreciate Google taking the step forward to try to ensure that they always have at least some percentage of that user base to sell ads to. Google Mail, Google Docs, Picasa, YouTube, Google Calendar, Google Checkout…. honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google went straight for Microsoft’s jugular and launched Google OS by the end of 2009.

What better way to influence web surfers to use your search engine more… than to make it the default home page for one of the Internet’s most beloved browsers? But that browser allows searching and toolbars from Big G competitors. So ... read more »]]> You know what? I can’t even knock the hustle.

What better way to influence web surfers to use your search engine more… than to make it the default home page for one of the Internet’s most beloved browsers? But that browser allows searching and toolbars from Big G competitors. So really, this isn’t good enough. The next logical step would be to stick an already oversized shoe into the ass of the browser market and create your own.

Very poignant question taken from the Google Comic.

Enter Google Chrome

Why, after reportedly giving over $50 million to Mozilla Corporation and being in business with them until 2011, did Google go so far? Think of it from the perspective of a massive corporation that makes much of its revenue from advertisements. What’s the one thing you, as an advertiser, would love to track about your target market? What things interest them the most? What other websites they visit before they come to yours? What other related websites they frequent? Honestly, it’s the holy grail of information for any marketing corporation. Create the environment that your target market uses to function daily and, while you’re at it, track their every move. Brilliant. Stick a “we will use the information we gather from your use to help build a better browser” notice on it and follow it with a “we will NEVER sell your information to third parties” message? Oh my gosh, it’s a TKO.

My Google Love Fest

I presume that they’re aiming to build the same kind of loving community as Firefox, as Google proclaims that this browser will be open source (which makes sense, since they’ve admitted to using bits of Safari as well as Firefox.) In all fairness, this means that you’ve got an opportunity to control just how much information about your use of Chrome is sent to Google in order to “help them better serve you.” But think of how many people are actually going to un-check the box? How many people don’t rush through the installation windows in an effort to just hurry up and install the damn thing, already?

I suppose that I’m all geeked out because it appeals to both of my net senses. As a business owner and a capitalist, I’m in love with the whole thing. I can only imagine how much more insight this would give in respect to adsense. As web professionals, we have to appreciate the effort of a large corporation to do something that will make the web a better place. It’s not all about making money, cranking out websites, and posting comments. We contribute to the Internet daily and do our collective best to leave it better than when we logged on that day. I think that the benefit of having a G-backed browser – a company that is wholly invested in the growth in the Web because if the web doesn’t flourish, neither can they – will help ensure that the web will continue to have its needs met by people who have the drive for it.

I believe the Google team is passionate and genuine in their efforts 100%, but that doesn’t underscore the incredible amount of benefits that the venture has coming to it. From marketing insight to competitor shut-outs to good companies with good purposes investing in the medium, it’s kind of a win-win. Just please, please for the love of everything that is good and binary, help us get rid of IE6.

Update: Googler Matt Cutts wrote this up for those of us who are letting our conspiracy theorists out a little bit.

One thing that complicates ... read more »]]> During my daily round of satiating my feed obsession, I checked my Sphinn feed and saw that a topic regarding codes of ethics was gaining traction. Of course, with Sphinn being an internet marketing-focused community, this topic related directly to codes of ethics for SEO companies.

One thing that complicates the SEO industry, in my opinion, is this strong desire to differentiate itself from the web development community, and I don’t fully understand why. Are they apples and oranges? Yes.. but not in the way that one would think. The flavor is very different, but they’re both tree hanging fruit. In fact, I’d venture a step further to say that most-if-not-all online companies face the same kind of burden: developing trust as an Internet business.

On it’s face, the issue seems very simple.

If a company wants to create a code of ethics for the way it practices business, by all means, do it. (In fact, here’s a great sample.) If a potential client is interested in seeing such a document and doesn’t find one on the site, they’ll usually ask (assuming that if a potential client simply moves on to a new company’s website as opposed to asking, then their interest isn’t much more than fleeting curiosity.) It serves as another way to dazzle potentials by showcasing your dedication to your craft, your desire to provide above-par service, and your understanding of the responsibility left in your hands when you are paid to create results. Period. In essence, it’s something like tooting your own horn… and let’s be honest. It helps, without a doubt.

However, is it really that serious if you choose to not bother with them? Do you truly think that potentials will turn away from you if you don’t have a code of ethics listed or linked prominently on your website? It takes a certain kind of shopper to seek out that kind of guarantee, and with the turn and burn atmosphere that the Internet is becoming, I wonder how common this kind of shopper may truly be.

And Standards, Too

I find that the idea of ethics for the SEO industry runs parallel to the concept of creating standards. As many of us already know, the web development community already has a set of standards via the w3c. And as stated on many of the w3c’s documents, you’ll find variations of the phrase:

These are not mandates or requirements, these are merely suggestions to help web professionals create highly accessible websites.

What does that mean? It means that a collective of highly respected web professionals came together, for the benefit of the industry, to help determine comprehensive best practices for creating web projects. There are validation applications on the web that allow a net-savvy client to check their developer’s work if they’re interested and if they’re not, that’s okay too. Some clients care about that kind of thing, some don’t care as long as it does what it’s supposed to do, and most of the rest don’t care only because they don’t know about or understand it’s importance.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the bolded sounds pretty damned similar to SEO clients. Some care about clean technique because they fear penalization. Some don’t care as long as it does what it’s supposed to do: make money. Many of the remaining few don’t care because they aren’t fully aware of the risks. But how do you validate SEO without human effort? How do you compensate someone who is in charge of that kind of process and, really, how do you keep their intentions honorable? While the needs may be similar, the processes certainly are not.

Standards vs Ethics

I think the practical understanding of standards vs ethics is that standards are an understanding of your products in comparison with the industry – meaning that your product meets standards. Ethics, however, are more akin to promises that you make to the integrity of your company and your clientele, meaning that you have some sense of a moral obligation to abide by said policies because it’s the right thing to do. Do web design & development companies have policies by which they abide? In most cases yes, but it isn’t packaged as stuffily in neat little “code of ethics” wrapping paper. You’ll often see companies declare that their code is standards compliant. Not only is it a standard to which they hold themselves, it’s a standard to which a client can hold them. I likes.

Is a code of ethics ideal? Yes. I think it helps assuage the concerns of wary business owners in an industry that can’t seem to shake that whole “y’all are a bunch of spammers and shady people” stigma. Would a set of standards do it better? Absolutely, I think, but I’m left to question the value without a validation process. The answers aren’t as cut and dry as they are with code.. but I think some kind of insight for clients to see what is considered proper can only help the industry in the future. Let them see the value in why they pay you so much. Let them see that they made the right choice. Give them the opportunity to appreciate your craftsmanship. Let them know that there’s a certain level of comfort they can expect when it comes to working with you. Lastly, get the leg up on competitors who swear up and down that they’ll never go this route and write one.

Now…. off I go to write my own. LOL!

I get ... read more »]]> This weekend, I decided to take a last-minute trip to San Francisco, California. I think a little spontaneity is good for the soul. It’s nice to occasionally get out of the leafy green goodness that is the boondocks. In short, I needed to leave the woodland creatures behind.

I get a lot of my inspiration from traveling. Skipping out of town on a dime is a nice way to “shock” your brain out of the occasional designers’ block we all encounter at one point in time or another. After traveling to Washington DC last month and seeing the setup in “China Town,” I felt more inclined to use shades of red, gold, and creme in more unique fashions. After leaving the Bay Area (and checking out the San Francisco magazine.. to which I promptly subscribed upon viewing) it just left me that much more inclined to design in a cleaner fashion.

So, I’m asking – from where do YOU get your inspiration? Are you an international traveler with an arsenal of pictures to review? Are you someone with the gift of an overactive imagination? Why not share? Enlighten me!

So, who am I? Easy question. My name is Erika Kendall. I’m a [very long-winded] twenty-something web developer and Internet marketer. Nice extremes, huh? I also run an ... read more »]]> Well, well, well, it’s about time, I guess. Welcome to my little home on the web, ErikaKendall.com, otherwise known as Internet Espionage.

So, who am I? Easy question. My name is Erika Kendall. I’m a [very long-winded] twenty-something web developer and Internet marketer. Nice extremes, huh? I also run an agency named Hype Internet Marketing and Development. I enjoy long walks in the park, puppies, and lunchables with my daughter (alias: The Heathen.)

What is Internet Espionage about? It’s about keeping an eye on your surroundings; using what you can and bypassing what you cannot. I also work in internet marketing, so all day… I’m spying. What’s everyone else doing? How can I do it better? How can I use this to make myself better? What sucks about this? What is everyone else NOT doing? Why? Get my drift?

Where did I get the design from? Honestly, I saw a lot of posts for minimalist-style blogs, and decided to take my own stab at it. I’m a person who loves pink yet didn’t want it to overpower what I have going on here, I like dark colors but I didn’t want the look to be too Gothic. So, I figured this might be a nice place in the middle.

In an effort to make every little post useful, I’m going to kick off my first series, a WordPress series still in development, with some links that I found useful in helping me create not only this theme, but one of the more advanced themes I’ve ever worked with, which will be the test subject for the series.

1. JTPratt.com — Hacking query_posts in WordPress — In his attempt to present readers with 30 wordpress hacks in 30 days, the first in his series discusses the different uses and allowances that messing around with query_posts can provide. Full of examples and juicy bits of code, anyone who wants to present their posts in a more personalized fashion would find use in this.
2. Darren Hoyt.com — In Praise of WordPress Template Tags, Part II: The Magazine Layout — The creator of Mimbo (and about five billion spinoffs that shall remain nameless) took some time to break down Mimbo’s index.php file and the tips and tools it takes to present your home page’s information in a much more organized and less Kubricky fashion. I think it’s truly meant as a part of a manual for Mimbo users, but any WP template builder will see the value in seeing how he worked it out.
3. WPCandy.com — Wordpress Help Sheet — With this being my first WordPress theme, it was rough trying to figure out what goes where… or remember what the code was for this or that. I printed this little guy out and taped it to my lamp so that I’d always see it. Biiiiiig help for spacing out. Guess I should also mention the Advanced WordPress Help Sheet as well, huh?
4. HackWordPress.com — Huge Compilation of WordPress Code — This one may be a tad bit more advanced, in that you don’t receive huge breakdowns of the code like the few links above, but if you have a basic understanding of the way WP parameters work, you can understand these tidbits. Or, you could just say screw it and copy and paste. That always works too.
5. WPDesigner.com — So, you want to create WordPress themes, huh? — This one was truly the holy grail for me. Even though this post is over a year old and the site has now switched owners, it’s still an excellent overview of what the average WordPress template must have and how to take your idea from the sketch pad to the screen. The entire series was eventually put into a pdf file (and then bundled with “How to design a WordPress theme” and “How to slice a WordPress theme“, all in separate files), but you have to sign up for the feed to get the good stuff. Details on that can be found here How to Code a WordPress Theme.
6. DevTopics.com — 101 Great Computer Programming Quotes — Okay, this one may have nothing to do with WP at all, but it’s where I collected many of the awesome quotes that I have on this opening theme. They’re mostly for software programmers, but damn if many of them didn’t apply to web developers as well.

So, in the end… I hope to turn this blog into a community where everyone can learn from one another… myself included. ‘Cause no matter how many years you’ve spent in web development… there’s enough information out there to easily learn one new thing every day.