Consistent Browser Display Is Doggone Difficult

We get this question a lot and thought it might be a good idea to run down the major causes. Bottom line: No matter how carefully you check for browser compatibility, differences at the user level make it virtually impossible for a web page to display exactly the same way for everyone.

This post will give you an overview of site display issues, and help you respond when your customers have a problem.

Hardware Issues

A computer’s graphics card allows users to adjust brightness, digital vibrance, contrast, image sharpness, gamma, and other settings that affect color. Depending on the settings, a user will see different colors or tones for all elements on a web page, including images and fonts.

Furthermore, most monitors have color settings independent of the computer’s graphics card. This creates even more variables in how colors appear on screen.

The display resolution setting of a monitor affects the appearance of a web page as well. As a rule, we design sites to display optimally on a setting of 1024×768 and up. Pages will not display optimally at lower resolutions. As you can see from these browser display statistics, 1024×768 and up covers 99% of current users. However, if a site is designed for, say, 1280×1024 resolution, it may not display properly on lower resolution monitors.

Software Issues

A user’s operating system, installed fonts, and browser type all have an impact on how a web page displays. Some of the issues and manifestations get rather technical and specific, but here are a few common issues.

Operating System

Certain elements on website forms sometimes appear differently to Mac and PC users, select boxes in particular. This issue can be overcome with a properly customized design.

ClearType, Microsoft’s advanced software for sub-pixel rendering, displays fonts with an ultra high level of smoothness and sharpness. Depending on whether a user has ClearType on or off, fonts will display sharply, or not as sharply. ClearType is disabled by default on Windows XP and turned on for Vista and Windows 7, so PC users are sure to experience fonts quite differently. Mac users have an LCD font smoothing setting which affects the appearance of fonts, again creating a difference in visualization.

Installed Fonts

Websites are designed, or should be, with what are called “font stacks.” What this does is create a default font for display; if a particular user doesn’t have that font loaded on his/her computer, the display defaults to the next font in the stack, and so forth. How the stack matches up to the computer’s fonts determines how a website will be seen on that device.

Browsers

Browser differences are probably the biggest culprit in web display inconsistency. Every browser has a “layout engine” that interprets a site’s CSS code and converts it into a visual image of a web page. Most display issues occur in various versions of Internet Explorer, which has a still-hefty 20% browser market share. Common problems include:

• Rounded corners appearing squared off in IE
• Shadows and rollover effects being ignored in IE
• Blog sidebars being pushed to the bottom in IE, because the layout engine automatically widens a page’s pixel width for certain page designs
• Top navigation elements being pushed to the second level in IE, for the same reason as above

What to Do if You Get Complaints about Your Site

There’s no need to be flummoxed if one of your customers calls with a complaint about how your site looks. As you can see, there are many possible explanations, none of which has anything to do with your competence!

The first thing to do is find out what browser your customer is using. If he/she is using IE, suggest they switch to Chrome or Firefox: display issues may disappear doing that and nothing else. If the customer is using an old version of IE — IE6 or IE7 — urge them to upgrade to a newer version.

If the browser doesn’t seem to be the problem, we like to get a screen shot of what the user is seeing, and have our web developers take a look. Usually, they can diagnose the cause from there.

Sometimes, design oversights can cause a display problem; if that’s the case, a screen shot usually reveals that as well.

Learn more about our web development services. We work with small and midsized firms in a wide variety of businesses, including a Newport Beach cosmetic dentist and a firm doing hydraulic pump repair.

There's Gold in Them There Archives

8 Conversion and SEO Tips for Your Archives

One of your most valuable assets for generating leads and higher Google rankings could be gathering dust right under your nose. If your attitude about archived blog posts is “out of sight, out of mind” — I’m hoping this post will change your mind.

Here eight are super-simple ways to tune up yesterday’s blog posts to serve today’s conversion and SEO needs.

1. Identify your high traffic posts. Every blog has a handful (or several handfuls) of posts that attract a disproportionately high amount of search traffic. Don’t underestimate the value of these posts! They could be the first place a potential customer experiences your brand.
2. Study the stats. What are the bounce rates on your high traffic posts? How long are readers staying on the page? What pages are they visiting next? More insight on these questions will help you execute many of the tips that follow.
3. Clean up the content. Since high traffic posts garner lots of attention, put your best content foot forward: fix grammatical errors; break up long paragraphs with bullets; add bold or italic styling for emphasis; make sure all links are working; polish subheads; correct factual errors.
4. Add images. Strong images make posts more sticky; plus, you can link images to other pages on the site that you think visitors will be interested in looking at next.
5. Add or update calls to action. After people read one of your standout posts, chances are good they’ll be hungry for more. Satisfy their appetite by inserting a strong call to action (CTA) at the bottom of these posts, as well as a secondary CTA — a free download, for instance — to make it easy for people to reach out.
6. Remarket. Though it’s generally a bad idea to perpetually push your content on social media, high traffic posts merit an exception. Periodically recirculate your posts via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Besides bringing new visitors to the site, you’ll get a bit of an SEO bump from new social mentions.
7. Update meta titles. Meta titles are very important for SEO. Make sure high traffic posts are optimized for relevant, strategic keywords; if you have time, update meta titles for every post.
8. Update meta descriptions. Meta descriptions show up in SERPs, as well as in links posted on Google+, Facebook and other social networks. Enticing meta descriptions will attract more clicks, more readers, and more social mentions!

OVER TO YOU

What else can a blogger do to beef up the productivity of old posts?

Talk SEO strategy with Straight North: We work with middle market B2Bs in industries such as GPS tracking truck software and knit gloves.

Do’s and Don’ts for Email Template Design

A major player in the realm of digital media, email marketing can an incredibly effective—and cost-efficient—way to reach out to both new and returning customers. The only problem? With the prevalence of spam and junk emails nowadays, it’s easy to get overlooked. Readers scan subject lines quickly, and if your email doesn’t grab their interest right away, they’ll move on.

What can you do?

Below, we’ve put together our top 22 tips for email marketing design—time-tested do’s and don’ts for getting your emails read. By utilizing these design tips, you’ll be better equipped to make the most of your email newsletters. What’s more, you’ll see the conversions to prove it.

BIG-PICTURE DESIGN

1. DO consider the user. Emails usually come to readers while they’re already in the middle of something else—running errands, at the office, with the kids—so it’s hard for them to give you their full attention.
2. DO keep things simple. You may only get a few seconds to communicate your message before a user clicks away from your email, so you want to streamline your design to focus on what’s most important.
3. DON’T choose a busy background. Highlight your content by placing it against a solid, simple background of either one color or one very simple, repeating image.
4. DO compare your newsletter in various browsers. You never know what browser a reader will be using to view your content, so compare functionality in different versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
5. DO craft an attention-grabbing subject line. Your email’s subject line will be your first point of contact with readers. According to marketing strategist Fran Iseli-Hall, it “makes a huge difference in the opening rate” and can essentially “make or break a campaign.”
6. DO make sure your newsletter comes from a reputable email name. Remember that spam detectors know to filter out e-newsletters from unusual domains.

EFFECTIVE CONTENT

7. DO use headlines. Headlines make it easy for users to scan text and pull out key ideas in moments.
8. Don’t be overly self-promotional. If readers get the sense that you’re just pushing your promotions, they’ll be easily turned off.
9. DO provide valuable info. A good newsletter should provide exactly what it sounds like it would: news. Give readers content that they can appreciate like exclusive offers or relevant info that can help them in some way.
10. DO break information into readable chunks. Rather than overwhelming readers with one massive pile of information, break content into chunks that are easy to scan and skim.
11. DO focus on tone. The tone of your content goes a long way towards drawing readers and amplifying your brand. Your content should sound like your company, as in, be consistent with your other materials.
12. DON’T expect readers to scroll far down. Most readers won’t take the time to scroll far down your email, so you want to emphasize your key info at the top.
13. DO give readers a way to opt out. As Matt Nieass writes at Inspired Mag, “Continual unwanted emails will give your company a bad name and could very quickly become an legal issue.”

ATTRACTIVE IMAGES

14. DO add captivating images. Amplify the power of your messaging with powerful graphics or photos that make your template attractive and interesting.
15. DON’T start with your logo. While of course it’s tempting to promote you business with logos and sales pitches throughout your newsletter, it’s also the surest way to turn off readers. Get your logo in the newsletter, but make value for the reader your focus.
16. DON’T rely too heavily on images. Limit the use of images so that your primary messaging is always done through text. Remember that there are many times when images might not load for certain users.
17. DO use the alt-text tag. The alt-text tag effectively names your images so if they don’t display, readers see the title instead, giving them an understanding of what would have been there.
18. DON’T rely totally on CSS. CSS is known for technical difficulties, so it’s safer to control your design with HTML tables.

CLEAR ORGANIZATION

19. DON’T oversize your template. The average email width is 600 pixels, and that’s the size most email template designers recommend.
20. DO consider two columns. Organizing your template into two columns of content maximizes the amount of space in which you can feature info.
21. DO start with a call to action. As Anita Taylor writes at Lyris.com, “This section of your email might be all that readers see in the ‘reading pane’ or ‘preview pane,’ now a fixture in virtually all email clients.” You don’t want to waste that all-important space with something easy to forget or ignore. Start with your call to action or a clear value proposition, telling the reader why they should click through. Then put your photo or logo beneath.
22. DO make that call to action text-based HTML. If your call to action is imbedded within an image or button, there’s a good chance readers won’t see it in the all-too-common situation where graphics don’t load. Make it text-based instead for greater power—then feel free to amplify it with an image.

Learn more about Straight North’s email marketing services. Our agency does a lot of work with middle market, B2B firms, in niche industries such as toll manufacturing spray dryers and kevlar gloves.

(Image credit: ©FrameAngel, Fotolia)

I’m impressed!

Fotolia’s basic selection of images is first rate, but they have additional options when you need imagery that packs a bigger creative punch. Check out their recently released deviantART collection, which includes more than 3,000 images created by art photographers all over the world. These images are definitely off the beaten track. Click on these links to see samples from the collection in the featured categories of gestures, journeys, dreams & nightmares, and attitude.

Dreams & Nightmares is my favorite category – what’s yours? Any of these images would be enough to make a blog post stand out from the crowd, that’s for sure.

Fotolia also puts a lot of effort into community and education. Their Ten Collection is a unique program that rolls innovative art and innovative education into one. Patrick Lor, Fotolia North America president, describes it this way:

“Fotolia’s TEN campaign is a collection that showcases digital art unlike any other. Every month for the next 10 months, a top digital artist will walk you through the process of turning a basic image into an amazing digital illustration. Each artist’s techniques, tools and methods will be revealed in a PSD file with over 100 layers!”

Pretty great opportunity for designers, I would think. I’ve gotten some behind-the-scenes peeks at the creative processes of top writers, and I can think of few things more instructive.

Anyway, check Fotolia out. I asked our art director to give me some images he liked, so here’s samples of Fotolia’s standard collection for you to enjoy.

© dell, Fotolia

© Yuri Arcurs, Fotolia

© .shock, Fotolia

Did you know Straight North offers branding services, with print and web design capabilities? We specialize in middle market B2B, with clients in niche industries such as spray drying and energy efficient glass panels.

Simply put: it’s your content.

Because of the nature of the Web, online success is writing-based—it relies on effective, persuasive, strategic copywriting to communicate a clear message that converts visitors and calls them to action.

Here are Straight North’s top eight tips for crafting website content that stands out from the crowd:

1. Keep the Reader First.

First things first: You need to know your content isn’t about you—it’s about your readers. The single most important question your content has to answer for a reader is this: What’s in it for me? You can accomplish this, as Brian Clark of Copyblogger says, by making “an important promise early on (with your headline and opening paragraphs) that tells the reader what’s in it for her.” Then make good on that promise with your new information or helpful tips or answers to specific questions. Not only will reader-focused content get you noticed, but also it will make you memorable—making you the place readers turn when they need your services and the resource they share when other friends do.

2. Write with a Purpose.

Web content that stands out from the crowd is web content that does something—provides relevant information, answers questions, calls readers to action—all to work towards specific goals you’ve set for your site. Unlike fluff or filler language, stellar content does more than fill a page; it achieves a purpose. And lest you think only experts can handle this kind of strategic writing, Erin Kissane of A List Apart says, “[A]nyone who touches copy can make a difference by insisting that every chunk of text on the site is doing something concrete. And alas, ‘selling product!’ doesn’t count: ‘selling’ is a muzzy, undefined process, so you can’t tell if you’re doing it properly just by looking. Copy needs specific goals to accomplish.”

Evaluate the goals of your site and determine what each page needs to do: Tell about a product? Explain how a service works? Enhance your brand? Once you know your goals, you’re better prepared to address them with purpose-driven, meaningful content.

3. Get to the Point.

In the world of web content, more isn’t always better. Write your copy clearly and concisely, and you have a much greater chance of retaining visitors. “If you can’t say it simply in just a few words, then you’ve lost readers. Write short, write lean, and write clearly, so you don’t have to waste words explaining what you’ve just written,” says James Chartrand of Copyblogger. “Interestingly, people actually read longer lines faster,” he adds. “But fast reading isn’t necessarily what you want them to be doing. You want readers to be absorbing what you wrote, understanding your message, and reading comfortably as well. So go for short.”

4. Use Effective Headlines.

One of the best ways to stand out amongst a sea of web content is through attention-grabbing, interest-boosting headlines that promise some benefit to a reader for giving their time to read more. As David Ogilvy writes in Ogilvy on Advertising, “On average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.”

Yet truly effective headlines will do even more than draw the attention of readers—they’ll appeal to search engines as well. Search engines pay particular attention to headlines, so writing page headlines to appeal to them can boost your search rankings and set your content apart.

5. Make Text Scannable.

It’s as true with websites as it is with newspapers: text is most readable when it’s easily scanned. In fact, a study involving five different website styles showed scannable text made content almost 50% more understandable than it otherwise would have been. Because Web users generally skim content rather than read it all line by line, crafting writing to appeal to quick glances improves the chance of getting it across to readers. Scannable text is organized into headings and subheadings, may include bulleted lists, is concise, keeps paragraphs short and uses familiar language.

6. Use Lists.

While we’re on the topic of making content scannable, here’s one sure-fire way to do it: use lists. Lists grab attention and communicate key information quickly and easily. As Brian Clark, founder of CopyBlogger, writes, “Any headline that lists a number of reasons, secrets, types, or ways will work because, once again, it makes a very specific promise of what’s in store for the reader.” He adds, “A nice quantifiable return on attention invested goes a long way toward prompting action, and as long as you deliver with quality content, you’ll have a satisfied reader.”

7. Be Credible.

With so much information on the Internet that isn’t trustworthy, readers today are skeptical—and for good reason. Make your content stand out by incorporating statistics, expert opinions, documented studies and clear reasons for the specific assertions you make as often as you can—this makes your content stronger even as it gives readers assurance they can trust you and your brand. Stanford Web Credibility Research suggests you build web credibility by also “providing third-party support (citations, references, source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this evidence.”

8. Provide Call to Action.

Even the most compelling content is worthless without a clear call to action (CTA). A call to action is, simply put, what makes your copy strategic. It’s a way to ask the reader to do exactly what you want them to do, whether that means calling your company, subscribing to your newsletter or continuing onto another page.

Learn more about our copywriting services. Our agency works with many types of clients, from Smile in the City, a top dentist in New York, to Dealers Transmission Exchange, who specializes in rebuilt industrial transmissions.

(Image Credit: ©Lambros Kazan – Fotolia.com)

Links to Tasty Straight North Posts around the Web

• On the Content Marketing Institute blog, The Essential Guide to Meta Descriptions that Will Get You Found Online. Lots of screen shots that show what meta descriptions look like on social media sites and Google SERPs.
• On Crowdshifter, How a Blog Can Help Your Sales Force. If your company is sales-driven, this article will be of interest.
• On BlogHer, The Power of Pinterest: Simplicity. Pinterest is the hot topic in social media, and this post talks about why users are loving it.
• On SocialMouths, My Life Without Klout. Expressing my views only, a rant against where Klout is trying to take social media.
• On Search Engine People, How to Organize & Structure Your Website Content for SEO and People. If you want to be more up to speed on navigation best practices, content silos and content theming — read this.
• On Facebook Advertising, The Immense Value Of Small Talk In Social Media. Explains why you shouldn’t look down on people who talk about the weather on Twitter.
• On WeBlogBetter, How to Write an Online Press Release. Despite the popularity of online releases, not everybody is doing it right. These tips will help you get the most out of every release.
• On EverythingPR, 10 Practical Tips for Improving Your Lead Generation Website. Sometimes relatively minor tweaks can vastly improve lead generation. This article discusses simple but important adjustments you can start making today.

Hope you enjoy these

(Links image credit: Fotolia)

A highly-skilled designer can do brilliant things with a website’s design, but search engine optimization must be taken into consideration when shaping a new design. This doesn’t mean you have to go back to the Stone Age designs of the 90’s. Designers should work on a team with wireframers, developers, and SEO specialists to create a website formula that will be eye-catching for both viewers and search engines. Unfortunately, most web designers like to ignore SEO when building sites because they want to express their artistic abilities. Below is an explanation of commonly-made design mistakes that will ruin your SEO.

Using Splash Pages

Don't Make a Splash

Have you ever tried reading a book that sits on the opposite side of a brick wall? It’s just not going to work – and asking Google to read a website that hides behind a splash page is not much different. Your astonishing, psychedelic Java splash page may seem like the cool thing to do, but take my advice and don’t drink the Kool-Aid. The only thing you will accomplish with a splash page is the erection of a massive barrier between your website and search engines.

The reason Java splash pages create a barrier is because search engines can’t read Java. You’re basically creating a home page with no content or navigation. This will cause the homepage to be indexed improperly, stranding the rest of the website from proper indexation. If you absolutely must have a splash page, then add plenty of textual content and global navigation links in the body of the page. This is still a horrible idea, but at least it will give search engines something to read.

Building an All Java Site

Ever heard of the saying, “It’s like talking to a brick wall?” If you build an all Java website, search engines will be talking to a brick wall when trying to find out more about your website. When I explained the horrors of a splash page, I mentioned the fact that it creates a homepage with no content or navigation. Imagine an entire site with no content, no internal linking, and no real navigation. Basically, you have a piece of art, not a website.

On top of being completely SEO unfriendly, Java sites are annoying to use. Nobody wants to wait for pages to load. The worst Java sites are the ones where the applet is only 500×500 pixels – which seems to be a common trend with these types of sites. Here are some words of advice if you still think a Java site is a good idea. If people and search engines can’t read the tiny, Java-embedded text, navigation links, and have to wait 30 seconds for each page to load, then you will end up with a dead website.

Using Frames

Unlike the Nike commercials, just don’t do it. Any designer worth half their weight will also agree that frames are totally 1996. On top of being atrocious looking, frames will also make it extremely difficult for search engines to read your website. All that nicely written content you spent dozens of hours writing is now buried in the markup by the big bad frame monster that doesn’t want to let it be seen by Google.

Why does the frame monster keep Google away? Framed websites use three different html files to create the design. A normal website only uses one html file. This causes a major conflict with the indexation of the website, and only one of the files gets indexed properly. In fact, many framed websites won’t get indexed by search engines at all. It’s like taking all the internal linking on each of the three files, and throwing them in the ring for a Royal Rumble.

Using Images Improperly

Let me put this in very simple terms. Do not use images as your primary form of navigation. Google will get caught up admiring the vibrant colors in the pictures instead of trying to figure out what they are supposed to mean. I’m not saying to use pure text links for navigation. That would be a sin against modern web design. Utilizing text-over-image techniques with cascading style sheets is the best solution to the dilemma between SEO and design. Designers get their pretty, colorful images and SEOs get their juicy text links. Everybody is happy, right?

Aside from navigation, your website probably also uses images in the content area of most pages. While Bing is gazing at your glorious imagery, it will want to know more about the main images related to the page. You can make this very easy for her by optimizing the image. This practice will give words to the image without sacrificing the beauty of the design. Read my article on image optimization best practices for a complete guide on optimizing images.

Forgetting about Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are Nutritious for SEO

While hiking in the woods, you forgot to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Now you are hopelessly lost and can’t find your way back home. Does this sound like your website? Breadcrumbs not only help make the website more user-friendly, but they also helps search engines figure out the hierarchal navigation structure. They also reduce the need to overly expand the navigation bar with unnecessary categories.

If properly implemented, breadcrumbs create an internal linking matrix which will greatly improve search engine performance. Flashy Java-based breadcrumbs may look cool, but nothing performs better than good old-fashioned text links. Text links are easily read by search engines, and they allow for anchor text. Use one of your targeted keywords for the page as the anchor text for the breadcrumb. This will help search engines determine, “Oh hey, this page talks about respirator fit testing equipment.”

Using Images in Place of Content in Headers

Going back to the section about using images properly, don’t replace content with images. Using cool graphics with text for headers may look awesome, but it will hurt your SEO. The purpose of using header text is to emphasize the importance of keywords in the content to search engines. If you don’t use proper h1 tags, you will be depreciating the value of your content. This brings me to my next point about not using header text at all.

Not Using Header Text

Using header tags establishes the hierarchy of importance of content sections within a page, enabling search engines to determine the importance of text. The h1 tag tells Google that the text contained within is the most important, overlying idea of the page – which is why you will want to include a keyword in it. An h2 tag tells the search engine that this is a section describing the h1 tag. The h3 sections are read as sub-sections of the h2s. Any decent designer should be able to easily come up with a creative, eye-catching method of displaying header text.

Using Pop-ups

Pop-up windows are the most obnoxious design error a designer can make. Not only will most browsers block pop-ups, but most users will close the window immediately because it is annoying. That being said, search engines also find your pop-ups to be annoying. In fact, they won’t even index pop-ups as part of the website. Do you really want to infuriate visitors and Google? I think not! If it looks like spam, reads like spam, then it probably is spam.

Using Inconsistent Layouts on the Site

Even if you think a backpacking trip to the middle of the Mojave Desert without food or water sounds like fun, don’t do it to your website. Every website should implement global navigation and footer links on every page. A global navigation bar is the main navigation bar that is on each page. By adding this, your viewers and search engines will never get lost on the website. If you decide to omit this suggestion, take a gander at your analytics. The exit pages with the highest number will probably be the forgotten pages you stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Search engines will also look at this neglect as poor internal linking structure, which will impact your search engine rankings negatively.

Using Geo Redirecting

On multi-language sites, nothing is more convenient than adding in automatic geo redirecting to the correct language. Geo redirects read the geographic location and language of your computer to determine what language the website should be displayed in, and redirect you to the proper language-bearing website. If users are automatically being redirected away from the homepage, you will lose 50% of the link juice from your back-links. Most inbound links point at the homepage, so why would you want to tell Google and Bing to go somewhere else? Sure, it’s very convenient and makes perfect sense to automatically redirect, but it will hurt your SEO. The least inconvenient solution to this problem is to have a “pick your language” option on the homepage. By having users manually pick their language, you get the full strength of your inbound links. BMW does a good job at directing traffic to the correct geographic website with a drop-down menu. BMW also has a different domain and website for each country, and does their SEO separately for each site.

Embedding Videos Improperly

Videos are a great way to engage your audience in the subject matter. Custom pop-up media player scripts are an impressive way to capture the attention of viewers, but they won’t help your SEO. Again, custom media players are usually done with Java – making it impossible for search engines to read. It may sound a bit tacky, but embedding videos directly from YouTube will give your videos optimal search performance.

Using proper metadata, optimization, and embedding from YouTube will create a cinematographic atmosphere that Google can understand. Yes, YouTube does convert video files into Java, but Google acquired YouTube not too long ago, and has set up options to make the videos crawlable. Read my article on YouTube video optimization for a complete guide on how to do this properly.

Botching the 404 Error Page

Avoid an Error on Your Error Page

Implementing a custom 404 error page is a must-have for any website, but it must be done correctly. If you take the time to make a 404 error page, spend the extra few seconds it takes to add in links to return to the website. Forgetting this very simple task is like throwing someone over an electric fence then telling them to come back. Use our custom 404 page as an example. It’s humorous, has nice graphics, but also includes global navigation, footer links, and a button to return to the homepage. Don’t strand your audience or search engines. Having broken internal links depreciates the value of your internal linking structure, which search engines don’t like. If you don’t include links in your 404 page, Google will place more weight on broken links as being a website error during indexation.

Skipping the Footer Links

I’m sure I’ve beaten this one into the ground already, but proper internal linking structure with text links is mandatory if you want your site to perform well. Think of the footer links section as a secondary form of fully optimized navigation. This is the place where you can really smash in that juicy anchor text, and very few readers will notice it. This is also a place where you can include links to pages that you don’t want to place any emphasis on like the sitemap, terms of use, and privacy policy. If you can’t think of any better places to put social media links, this is also a great place to insert them.

Not Writing Optimized Content

Am I repeating myself? Am I repeating myself? Does this sound like the content on your website? Duplicate content is a huge no-no from an SEO standpoint. If Google, Bing, and Yahoo have to read the same content over and over, they will grab your website from their cupboard, throw it in a frying pan, and cook it up like the spam it appears to be. Write original content for each page on your website. Don’t scrape content from other sites either. It will not help your SEO. Also make sure you are optimizing the content properly so search engines and users read your content the way you want them to read it. Here’s a great article written by Straight North’s very own, Brad Shorr, on how to properly optimize content for SEO. Use that checklist to make sure you are getting the most out of your content.

Internet Marketing Strategy Requires Ongoing Attention

A Strategic Look at Marketing in 2012

Back in December I wrote a post suggesting that companies change gears too often on their marketing. The flip side of this problem, of course, is not changing gears often enough. How do you know when it’s time, as an old manager of mine used to say, to stop beating a dead horse?

SEO and Social Media

Certain aspects of Internet marketing need to be reviewed on a monthly basis, regardless of your results. In particular, I’m thinking about social media and SEO. Changes in these areas are occurring at lightening speed, and companies need to be extremely careful NOT to assume that just because something worked yesterday, it will work tomorrow. Questions that should be hotly discussed at this moment include:

• How should we adjust our social media and SEO activities in light of rising importance of Google+ in Google’s search results?
• What does the future of your Facebook marketing look like? Only a year ago, it looked like a slam-dunk winner. Now we see legitimate concerns that Facebook has peaked.
• Google is now hiding certain search data, making it more difficult to evaluate results. What adaptations need to be made in terms of strategy and metrics?
• As a larger SEO issue, two big factors are changing the very meaning of SEO. First, the line between SEO and social media continue to blur; second, personalized search threatens to render the traditional emphasis on pure ranking obsolete. Again, how do we adapt?

Six months from now, the key strategic questions might look completely different — which is further evidence of the need for continuous strategic review.

Mobile Marketing

Another area that merits frequent strategic attention is mobile marketing. Earlier we predicted that mobile marketing would be the big story of 2011. I think we were off by a year; although mobile was big in 2011, lots and lots of companies have only begun to formulate a mobile strategy, leaving a lot of room open for rapid development and deployment in 2012. These are some questions you ought to be discussing:

• How many of our customers are using mobile devices for business?
• How many of our customers plan to use mobile devices for business in the next 12-24 months?
• How are our customers using or planning to use mobile?
• Is our website mobile ready?
• Is there a role for QR codes in our mobile marketing?

Companies can quickly get outflanked by competitors on mobile, and playing catch-up will be costly and difficult. To avoid getting caught in that bind, start by surveying customers and prospects to understand where they are heading with mobile technology.

OVER TO YOU

What are your big strategic challenges for 2012? What’s changing quickly in your marketing world?

Contact us to talk marketing strategy: we’d love to lend a hand. We specialize in B2B and offer a complete suite of services, with clients in industries as diverse as credit card processing for small business and aluminum fabrication.

Let's Take The Confusion Out Of Font Selection

Why Font Selection Matters

Just like layout, organization, color scheme and photo selection, font can create a certain perception or feel of your site to visitors, as well as a certain emotional response. As Nick Harrison of Crain’s Chicago Business wrote recently, one of the keys to differentiating a company’s image is to “[b]e as consistent (color schema, logo, font, brand message, etc.) with all of your digital assets and communication” as possible. By using coherent font selections across marketing materials, you can enhance the sense of your brand and set your company apart.

Font also directly affects the reliability of how information is communicated to users, and that’s as true in the world of web design as it is in the realm of fonts outside the Internet—-where the poor readability of road signs has been known to lead to car accidents, for example. If a font is hard to read, it might not be able to communicate your message, or, even worse, it may annoy or frustrate visitors enough to send them away from your site completely. Easy-to-read fonts, on the other hand, enhance a user’s ability to understand your messaging and become engaged.

Readability of Different Fonts

The readability of a font is influenced by several factors, including style, size, spacing, alignment, font color, tint and background color. While less readable fonts may sometimes serve certain stylistic purposes, “in most cases, communication comes before style,” as Douglas Bonneville of Smashing Magazine says.

There are two main types of fonts available: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts are fonts with extra tails or embellishments on the letters, such as Times New Roman, Georgia and Garamond; sans serif are fonts without those additional details, such as Arial, Helvetica or Verdana. In print, serif fonts are traditionally more readable, but on the web, it’s the sans serif fonts that typically seem most legible through the pixels of computer monitors. As available technology continually increases the resolutions of computer screens, there may be less need for sans-serif web fonts; however, because of the familiarity users have developed with them on the web, they are likely to remain the preference of most designers.

When choosing a font for body copy, look for one that’s clean, legible, made to work well in large blocks of text. Fonts with decoration or detail work better as headers or small chunks of text.

General Qualities That Make for Easy-to-Read Fonts:

• Familiar style and shapes (which may explain the prevalence of Times New Roman in materials)
• Designed for the computer screen (such as Georgia or Verdana)
• Performs well on various operating systems
• High x-height (distance between baseline and top of lowercase “x”)
• Strong contrast between font color and background color
• Sufficient space between lines of text
• Sufficient space between letters
• Sufficient space between words

Beyond general readability, the type of font you select for a given web design should meet the particular needs of the project in terms of legibility, style and emotional response.

Size of Fonts

One of the most crucial aspects of font readability is size: font that is too small will be hard to read, but at the same time, font that is too big will waste space. So what size is the right size? Oliver Reichenstein of Information Architects makes a strong case for 100% font size for the body text of a web page (i.e., 16 pixels). “Initially it is more difficult to create a good layout with a big font size, but that difficulty will help you design a simpler, clearer site,” Reichenstein says. “[16 pixels] is not big. It’s the text size browsers display by default. It’s the text size browsers were intended to display … It looks big at first, but once you use it you quickly realize why all browser makers chose this as the default text size.”

Smashing Magazine agrees: “16-pixel text on a screen is about the same size as text printed in a book or magazine; this is accounting for reading distance.” Not only is 16 pixels a default size and a size comparable with typical print materials, but also, this larger-than-average text size particularly appeals to an older audience. Web visitors in their 40s work twice as hard to read as those in their 20s, Smashing Magazine reports, and those around 60 work four times as hard as that.

By choosing a 100% font size, you benefit the maximum number of readers—which means you market to the maximum number of potential customers.

Number of Fonts

When combining multiple fonts in one web design, it’s important to consider how they work together. Fonts should complement each other rather than confuse the reader: ideally they’ll have something in common but otherwise be totally different. In most cases, it’s best to use just a few. According to A List Apart, “One typeface can be enough to say what you need to say, and two is usually plenty. If you are using more than that, have a good reason–like trying to achieve a certain aesthetic–such as replicating the look of an old boxing, film or music poster, for example.”

The different fonts you choose should also be able to be easily distinguished from one another. “We don’t want to distract the viewer with the question, are these the same or not?” writes Smashing Magazine. “If we are going to throw another font into the pot along with Helvetica, much better if we use something like Bembo, a classic Old Style face.”

Incorporating easily readable, large, distinguishable fonts into a web design can greatly enhance web communication and effectiveness. Click here for more information on web design. Our agency specializes in B2B Internet marketing, with clients in businesses such as fire retardant clothing and welding gloves.

What's Your Take on LinkedIn?

To answer those questions, we took a look at what some social media thought leaders, various publications and other businesses have had to say about LinkedIn. Consider these opinions:

Perspective #1: LinkedIn Is Loaded with Potential.

“LinkedIn is the de facto online social network for business types. The thing is, lots of people are ‘on there’ but aren’t necessarily using it to the fullest.” Chris Brogan, ChrisBrogan.com

“Despite it being the third largest social network, LinkedIn still seems like that social network in the corner that people forget is there. That’s why having a LinkedIn company page is so crucial. Have your sales team send prospective customers to the page to check out new products and services. Add status updates in a location that few others are doing so. The best thing about LinkedIn is that there’s tons of uncharted territory, especially in the construction industry.” Carrie Ann, Industry Leaders Magazine

“Most people use LinkedIn to ‘get to someone’ in order to make a sale, form a partnership, or get a job. It works well for this because it is an online network of more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 130 industries. However, it is a tool that is under-utilized.”  Guy Kawasaki, How to Change the World

Perspective #2: LinkedIn Leads to New Connections & Business.

“Unlike the other social networks, people swarm to LinkedIn for one reason – to connect with others for business-related reasons. They’re looking for future vendors or job prospects or a way to build a resume they can cash in on later. Because the mindset of a typical LinkedIn user is much more focused than, say, that of a Twitter user, LinkedIn is the perfect platform to reach out and connect for business reasons. As a small business owner, you can use LinkedIn to find vendors you can outsource things to, connect with others in your industry you can partner with down the road, and more. People are on LinkedIn with the sole purpose of connecting for business reasons. Take advantage of it.” Lisa Barone, Small Business Trends

“With the dizzying number of social networking sites that have sprung up in recent years, trying to select the most worthwhile for your business can be a daunting task. However, there is one that stands out. Created in 2003, LinkedIn is the ONE social network that you, as an entrepreneur or business owner, should join. The goal for any business person joining LinkedIn is not to add friends and swap stories and pictures, but rather, to make new business connections.” Zeke Camusio, Startup Nation

“[LinkedIn] is actually one of the world’s best networking tools … The real value of LinkedIn is in using it to discover the hidden connections among my network and the rest of the world.” Jennifer Laycock, Search Engine Guide

“Twitter and Facebook are both great places for B-2-C while LinkedIn can be a great way to go if you want to market to consumers and businesses. “Mary Rosenbaum, Fox Small Business Center

“I have seen people build their entire business, market a number of products and services, sell out their paid events, and become thought leaders in their niche all around a single LinkedIn group.” Lewis Howes, LewisHowes.com

Perspective #3: LinkedIn Is a Huge Waste of Time.

“Seven out of 10 journalists investigated in the Newswise study had user profiles on LinkedIn, and 42% of them responded to requests to connect via the social networking site. Among the journalists who replied to the survey, 75% confirmed that they use LinkedIn and gave detailed responses about their attitudes and perceptions of the value of social networking. In spite of this widespread participation, a majority of respondents indicated that the value of LinkedIn was unclear.” Newswise press release

“I’ve been a member of LinkedIn for almost two years now. I dutifully entered my credentials and kept them up to date. The only other interaction I’ve had with the service since then has been a continual stream of link requests. I’m selective about who I approve, limiting it to people I’ve only met in real life. And the net benefit of this selectivity? As far as I can tell, zilch. Nada. Nothing. I did get a cold call from a headhunter once based on my LinkedIn profile, but I don’t consider that a benefit.

Has this service ever been useful to anyone? I’m telling you, LinkedIn is the digital equivalent of a chain letter. If you really want to contact a friend of a friend (of a friend), just pick up the phone or send an email. If the only way you can reach someone is through this nutty online social pyramid scheme, you don’t deserve to be taken seriously. And I can guarantee that you won’t be.” Jeff Atwood, Coding Horror

“Based on all the people who have signed up with LinkedIn, there must be some demand for a professional social network, a place for networking, collaboration, brainstorming, idea-sharing, finding resources, and the like. But if the site is going to simply be a place where professionals get nothing but sales pitches, unsolicited job offers, and a Facebook-esque feed in exchange for their valuable data (and time), they have no reason to stick around.” Ted Samson, InfoWorld

“I’m sorry, I just don’t get it.  I’m sure it’s me and I’m just not making the most of LinkedIn, but before I spend any time and energy on a social networking site, I’ve gotta get something back from it, anything! The whole LinkedIn thing seems like a colossal waste of time.  Aside from some creepy people from my past, no one of value has reached out to me in over three years of having a profile.” Joshua M. Brown, The Faster Times

“Yesterday a business student interviewed me for his master thesis about the perceived trustworthiness within social networking sites. He wanted to know how I shaped my judgments about people on LinkedIn. His last question blew me away, although is was very simple. ‘How will LinkedIn be evolved in five years?’. I had never really thought about this. After a few minutes, I realized my LinkedIn network will be quite useless then. When we were discussing this devaluation, we both acknowledged it had two main reasons. We’re too friendly, and a lot of people go separate ways.” Ernst-Jan Pfauth, The Next Web

Perspective #4: It’s Not Magic, and It’s Not a Waste of Time. LinkedIn Is All about What You Put into It.

“Part of the reason our LinkedIn metrics are so high [is because of the fact that I am rather active in [a] group I founded and moderated which this weekend hit the 14,000 member mark. Still I think many underestimate the power of actively managing a brand via your network and groups on LinkedIn.” Tom Anderson, Smart Data Collective

“Like any social media tool, LinkedIn is about creating and nurturing relationships so make sure you put out the welcome mat. ‘It’s important to be known for being approachable, visible, and helpful in groups by sharing information, leading discussions, and contributing to the conversation,’ [Barbara] Rozgonyi [of WiredPRWorks] says. To achieve this, make a list of people you want to stay in touch with and follow their updates, leaving comments, and engaging in conversation. When you send your invitations, let people know why you want to connect and thank them for their consideration. And when you accept an invitation, offer to answer questions or exchange ideas about your area of expertise.  Ask them a question to get a conversation going, just as you would at a networking event.” Marla Tabaka, Inc. Magazine

“Although LinkedIn has been great for job seekers during the most recent economic cycle, it is much much more than that.  Individuals and companies are achieving more professional goals than imaginable on LinkedIn.  For example, LinkedIn can help you:

• Sell products
• Find new clients or employees
• Generate leads
• Receive funding for your company
• Obtain sponsorships
• Sell hundreds of tickets to your professional event
• Get national and local press coverage
• And last but not least, drive massive traffic to your blog

Achieving these goals on LinkedIn [doesn’t] come naturally.  You’ve gotta work the system on LinkedIn and experiment with different methods.” Lewis Howes, ProBlogger

Among all these opinions, one thing is certain: LinkedIn is a social network with millions of users. Whether or not that fact alone makes it a valuable marketing tool is still uncertain: as these perspectives reveal, the jury’s still out. In the months and years to come, will LinkedIn become more valuable? Less?

To learn more about social media marketing from Straight North, click here. Our agency specializes in B2B marketing, with clients in industries such as packaging solutions and restaurant credit card processing.