Wittmania Marketing » Design Philosophy http://www.wittmania.com Every small business has a story. Let's work together to tell yours. I can help you create a marketing presence that engages your customers. Don't just tell them what you sell. Tell them how you can change their lives. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:04:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Sitemaps, Part 1 http://www.wittmania.com/sitemaps-part-1/ http://www.wittmania.com/sitemaps-part-1/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 14:35:51 +0000 Mike Wittmann http://www.wittmania.com/?p=46 Most small business websites are small enough that visitors can find what they are looking for very quickly. For example, the CS Kitchen and Bath Studio site only has four pages. You can get to any of them with one click using the navigation menu at the top of each page. For a site like this, the key is to have a prominent, visually distinct navigation area to help visitors get where they’re going.

But what if your site is larger or more complex? While you may be able to quickly find the page you’re looking for (after all, it is your site), it may be tough for a first-time visitor to find the content they’re after. While the value of an intuitive and well thought out site structure can’t be overstated, you can do your website visitors a tremendous favor by providing a sitemap.

Let’s consider the Keating, O’Gara, Nedved & Peter website. Their site has nearly 50 static pages and an ever-increasing number of blog posts. While all of this information is valuable and serves a purpose, it is useless if visitors can’t get to it. That’s where their sitemap page comes in.

First, the page lists every page from the site in one place. If I came to their site because I need to contact Jeff Downing, I can quickly jump to his page. If I’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, I know exactly where to go.

Second, the sitemap gives me a visual understanding of how the site is organized. I can quickly ascertain that the site has been organized into 7 parent pages, many of which have child (and even grand-child) pages beneath them. This level of detail can help a visitor know where to start, even if they don’t see a page that is exactly what they are looking for. You can “go the extra mile” by providing your visitors with a search form. Between the sitemap and the search functionality, your visitors should be able to find exactly what they are looking for.

]]> http://www.wittmania.com/sitemaps-part-1/feed/ 0 Typography http://www.wittmania.com/typography/ http://www.wittmania.com/typography/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:30:03 +0000 Mike Wittmann http://www.wittmania.com/?p=42 It’s not just what you say. It’s how you say it. That’s the gist of a recent Smashing Magazine article:

Readability is one of the more important aspects of Web design usability. Readable text affects how users process the information in the content. Poor readability scares readers away from the content. On the other hand, done correctly, readability allows users to efficiently read and take in the information in the text. You want users to be able to read your content and absorb it easily.

A good designer will consider the following elements when designing the look and feel of a site’s text:

  1. User-Friendly Headers
  2. Scannable Text
  3. White Space
  4. Consistency
  5. Density of Text
  6. Emphasis of Important Elements
  7. Organization of Information
  8. Clean Graphical Implementation
  9. Use of Separators
  10. Good Margins

We’ve all seen sites where one or more of these elements is out of balance. The result can be down right painful. This is just one of many reasons why the “do it yourself” approach might not be the best idea for your small business website. If you’re ready to enlist some professional help with your site, let me know. I’d be glad to help.

]]> http://www.wittmania.com/typography/feed/ 1 What’s the point? http://www.wittmania.com/whats-the-point/ http://www.wittmania.com/whats-the-point/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:58:44 +0000 Mike Wittmann http://www.wittmania.com/?p=35 I see it all the time. A small business owner buys some website design software, sets up a hosting account, and then throws anything and everything he can think of up on his website. When a visitor drops by to find the phone number or address of the business, they don’t even know where to start.

You’ve heard the old saying that “less is more”. This can definitely be applied to a small business website. When you set out to create or redesign a site, you should start with one question in mind:

What do I want visitors to do when they visit my site?

Do you want them to contact you? Make your contact information highly visible and easy to find. Do you want them to tell their friends about your business? Include a “tell a friend” form on every page. Do you want them to buy your products? Maybe an online store is the solution.

If you are looking to build (or upgrade) your small business website, it might be a good idea to work with an expert. Contact me today to discuss your ideas for your site and I’ll help you get started.

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