Blackwave Creative Blog

Bing in the New Year

careysessoms — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Bing.com is a new search engine that’s gaining attention in the web development world. While our marketing blog will discuss this in more detail, I’d like to discuss how the “decision engine” is helping us focus on clean, precise website design to exceed common usability standards.

Website design gurus have always told us not to make people think. Steve Krug wrote a book about it a few years back. Today, Bing.com wants to help people find what they’re looking for, faster. That means websites with visitor-friendly forms and key information on top get top results.

What does that mean to you, your business and our website design team at Blackwave Creative?

We must continually focus our attention on the target market. What do they hope to find? How can we help them find it quickly. Whether it’s a map to your store or a number to dial, we must incorporate that above the fold and find new ways to deliver exactly what your visitors want.

To design your website to Bing in 2010, contact Blackwave Creative for your FREE quote.

Print Logo vs. Website Design

careysessoms — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Logos are at the helm of your online business. They steer your creative marketing solutions into exciting new directions. But sometimes logos won’t work well online. We must tweak them.

As a full-service online branding agency, Blackwave Creative always places consistency above anything else, because that’s what helps your clients or customers remember your business.

Send us your original vector files, and we’ll show you how we can carefully update your logo.

While website design doesn’t come with rigid guidelines—and we’re known for breaking out of the box with multi-textured website designs—we want to make sure your logo looks its best.

To learn more about what we can do for your business online, give us a call at (888) 764-0394.

Designed for Today’s Leads

careysessoms — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

When are lead generation landing and upsell pages going to embrace today’s creative technology?

Website design has come a long way during the past ten years. The past ten minutes, too. I’ve noticed, however, that many lead generation website designs still cling to the tried-and-true methods of 1999. They cling to them because they convert. Can we design better power pages?

We ask these questions every time we take on lead generation work. You want leads. You prefer the methods that have generated results. While respecting signup form placement and eye tracking studies, we look to find new ways to express these tested techniques—for today’s leads.

If you’re an online business driven by leads, we’d like to talk to you about your landing pages.

Website Design Revisions

careysessoms — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

“This all looks fantastic, but…”

We get this. It’s OK. In the website design world—in any creative business—it’s impossible to get every single page element right the first time. Sometimes we do, but sometimes we spend a round or two fine-tuning your home on the web to make it feel more like home.

As we revise your website design, keep in mind that your target audience may not look at your website the same way you do. Be open to your website designer’s insight. Ask your customers for honest feedback. You may want to send out surveys, or simply ask those you trust.

When you and your website designer are open to new ideas, you work together to transform an online business into something exciting and genuinely unique. It takes a lot of work to keep focused and open to new ideas, especially when they don’t match our own. The payoff is great.

Ready to design your website?

Think Outside the Hero Box

careysessoms — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Other than key navigation and a focused hero box, what else should you include on your home page? You must include an appropriate visual and written introduction to your online business.

The visual introduction is what your website design team creates. Previous branding materials—including logo and key color schemes—are used to inspire your final website design.

Any text you include here must be as brand-specific as your logo and colors. No detours or details. Just a clear, concise introduction, plus an enticement to learn more (and keep clicking).

Many times clients want to include everything on their home pages. This isn’t necessary. You wouldn’t crowd an intro just as you wouldn’t oversell when shaking hands with your prospects.

Create a welcoming space on your home page. Do it well, and your visitors will follow.

Think Inside the Hero Box

careysessoms — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

The first image you see. The first text you read. These elements are usually found in the hero box.

A hero box is the focal point of your home page. Everything your business is, was and might become is represented by this image-focused space. How do you make your hero box count?

To create a focused hero box, connect your online business focus with your target audience.

Images provoke. Taglines entice. Combining them can create a great hero box for your website. What motivates your market? What line of text brings your readers closer? Think about it.

To see how we create hero boxes, view our website design portfolio, and check out our hero box.

The Fee for Quality Work

careysessoms — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Website design fees vary greatly from one web development firm to another. So much so that it becomes terribly frustrating to figure out what you need to pay for high-quality work.

A $1,500 website design fee may get you a nice WordPress theme at one web development agency. A $4,500 website design fee at another firm can launch a focused e-commerce site.

At Blackwave Creative, we realize that whatever you pay, you always expect quality website design and optimum functionality. We work closely with you to create your website.

While we’re not the cheapest website designers on the block, we’ve often been called the “most reliable web team” and “best creative guys in the business.” Try our services. You’ll see.

What Do Your Visitors Want?

careysessoms — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

When your website design is in the throws of development, it’s hard not to focus on the finest details. From navigation button placement to how your privacy policy sounds with all that legal banter, these finite elements can take you away from the big picture—where it all comes together.

As a seasoned web designer who has worked one-on-one with all walks of life with all sorts of tastes, I always conduct a thorough intake—even before selling you my website design service—so that we may discover your visitors’ preferences first. This ensures a web design they’ll dig.

During the web development process, it’s critical that you and I keep your market in mind. Instead of diving into the latest website design trends for the sake of being innovative or asserting last-minute ideas for the sake of argument, we must always ask, “What do your visitors want?”

To answer that all-important question, we ask them. If you have an established client list, you may want to survey them. Phone up your key brand ambassadors. Ask them what they want to see on your website. This is hands-down the best way to reach your visitors through design.

At Blackwave Creative, we can help you understand your target audience before we put our imaginations to work for you. To learn more about our visitor-centered approach, visit our site.

Legible Website Designs

careysessoms — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:00:24 +0000

Your new website design can quickly become the cornerstone of new online business ventures and Internet marketing strategy. It looks good, but how does it sound? That is, how does your target market interpret the visual layout, key navigation and, most importantly, the on-page text?

Page text is an essential part of website design. Beyond consistent themes and intuitive navigation, each page of your website must flow. How it reads when in front of the faces of your target market is critical to how well you perform in a highly competitive marketplace.

If you already have a website, read the text aloud to someone you trust. How does it sound? If text doesn’t match design, you need to either revise on-page text or get a website designer who listens.

Be clear. Be concise. You’ve likely heard these tips before. Many website designers and web developers take all this to heart. But there are still quite a few web professionals that place greater emphasis on color schemes and image consistency than a clean, precise on-page point.

At Blackwave Creative, our website designers and copywriters work together—just like those traditional advert partnerships on the Mad Men TV series (AMC)—to give you a powerful online presentation that doesn’t just look its best, it sounds good, too. When it’s easy to read, it sells more.

Key Navigation Placement

careysessoms — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Key navigation for your website. Designers usually put essential navigation buttons at the top of each page, but sometimes important navigation appears after the header or in another spot.

Left-side navigation is a common placement for some websites. NYTimes.com and MSNBC both use stacked navigation below breaking news and to the left of top news stories.

Less common navigation button placement can include right-side lists or bottom-of-page navigation bars, although both of these placements are experimental and less user-friendly.

Why would your website design and layout move key navigation anywhere else but the top of each page? It all depends on what your page focus is all about. Does content trump navigation?

Website designers at Blackwave Creative can help you determine the best placement for key navigation. To learn more about our approach, review our portfolio of website designs.