Here's my regular newsletter for October. I've got a bunch of great links about web design and site optimisation, plus an offer to join an exclusive internet marketing club you won't want to miss (scroll right down).
As you'll have gathered from recent posts, I'm currently championing "conversion rate optimisation" - the practice of improving your design & content to help as many visitors as possible complete the goal you intend for them.
Here's an interesting article by Brian Eisenberg (one of the authors of "Call to Action" - a cornerstone book in this area & highly recommended):
Here's a case in point of how to tweak visual design to impact user behaviour. TechCrunch reports on YouTube moving the search box from the nav bar to floating alongside the logo (increasing noticeability in Save the Pixel terms):
(If you use a wide screen, you may also have noticed that Google search has moved the sponsored ads closer to the search results, instead of all the way over on the right. It must be for the same reason, and you can bet it's been thoroughly tested & proven to increase revenue.)
A great set of accessible & creative charts showing complex data beautifully:
So you know I'm a huge fan of direct communication. Here's another great article from Jeff Sexton on FutureNow, making the case for really "showing your wares":
Here's a complete message from a Save the Pixel reader, Kenneth Bonnici, who's implemented the art of simple web design to great effect! Check out his site...
Dear Ben,
Around a year ago I decided that I owed it to myself to learn how to develop a website. I figured that the immense opportunity that the Internet has to offer to allow people like me to communicate with the world is not something that I could continue to ignore.
I did not know the first thing about building a website and had no idea where to start. Furtunately the first thing I read was your 'Save the Pixel'. I was immediately hooked. Your principles echoed my views about report writing and communication in general and dispelled my notions about websites as something technical, complex and intimidating.
I then went on to read several books, notably ones by Sitepoint, watched every video tutorial out there and got myself a Dreamweaver bible. I never let Save the Pixel out of my sight while I was climbing the very steep (for me) learning curve. I had been toying with a webside idea for an MBA thesis I had done a couple of years ago.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, here is the finished product... www.propatalliance.com
Whether it takes off or not is another story, but the learning experience has been great.
I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration and for setting me off on the right track!
Best wishes
Kenneth Bonnici
I know it's really short notice, but I just found out that Mark Attwood is running one of his rare intensive seminars this Friday in the Manchester area.
If you don't already know Mark Attwood, in my opinion he's one of the very smartest people around in SEO and search engine marketing. You can spend just a few minutes with Mark and go away with enough brilliant marketing ideas to keep you going for months - I know, I've done it!
If you're a UK business owner, or you in any way make money via the Internet, and you would like to sky-rocket your earnings, then I strongly recommend you take a look at Marks' site.
If you're outside the UK, don't worry, because Mark also has a private members' area called the Inner Circle, which costs just £97 per month and gets you access to, basically, the best marketing intelligence you can find. Personally, I don't think you can invest that money any more wisely.
Finally, despite the fact that the use of "misnomer" here is in itself a misnomer (I think they just mean myth), this is a great quick read that makes a lot of sense:
Do you love our approach to crafting simple & effective web sites that just work for people?
We'd love to hear about your web strategy. Contact one of our team today!
Save the Pixel will change the way you design websites.Spencer Norman
Sign up for my regular newsletter to keep updated on everything I'm doing and thinking about in web design.
