Web design - it used to be an art of complicated jargons. Earlier websites designed were merely creative oriented. With the buzz of 2.0 resonating everywhere, we at Greenlemon get lots of requests in our day to day business life from companies ranging from small to medium to corporates, in need of web2.0 website redesign. So that just got me thinking into sharing with you some of the basic stuffs for building a good web2.0 website.

1. Simplicity

Simplicity is the key element of web2.0 website design. A website is one where the visitor should get easy access to what he wants. It must also throw a professional and appealing look to the visitor's eyes at the very first glance itself. Unnessasery visual elements are best avoided. If you look back at the website designs created some two to three years back, you will come across those "visual jargons" which are hard to find these days. 

    

2. Central Layout

Thriving in the web2.0 times, we're using less space to say more. We can feel more free and easy with the amount of space used, and pad out our contents with lots of lovely white space. The central layout of a website gets more importance which also helps avoid screen resoulution problems.

3. Fewer Columns

A few years back would see websites with three colums layout, while the preferred limit today is two with the maximum upper limit going to three. In the Web2.0 era, we are communicating less information with more clarity.


4. Separate Top Section

Separating the header part is an essential ingredient towards building a good web2.0 website. Header carries the information about the website and the main navigations, from where you understand the start of the web content. The top section should be visually distinct from the rest of the page content. The strongest way to differentiate this would be to use a bold, solid block of different colour or tone; however, alternatives are available and may be applied.

      

5. Simple Navigation

Web2.0 web design makes global navigation large, bold, clean and obvious. Target audience can clearly understand and achieve what they want.




6.Bold Logos

Make your first impression a lasting one. A clear, bolded and attractive brand projects the brand personality and speaks out directly what we are about. In the web2.0 web design, we are actually depicting what we are than blowing our own trumpet. An impressive brand logo can go a long way and be retained in the viewers' memory.

    

7. Bigger Text

Enlarged text captures the attention of the viewers and gives them ready access to the highlights of the content. Web 2.0 web design thus achieves usability of the content by making things noticeable to the people. Well, this effect has been largely used throughout the history of print design, on headings, title pages and headlines; so this method might seem very obvious.

    


8. Bold Text Introductions

Web2.0 websites should get things easily identifiable to the users. Bold text introduction enhances the visual impact of the web page. Text size could be varied to match the importance of the content.


9. Attractive Colours

Bright and attractive colours used in websites grab more attention than they do in black & white. Therefore, in web2.0 website designing, sectional navigations could be highlighted using strong background colours which may also help demarcate individual sections easily from one another. Well, such game play with colours is very well used as a marketing tactic too.

    


10. Rich Surfaces

Realistic surface effects like drop-shadows, shiny and glossy metallic finishing gradients and reflections help to make a visual interface feel more real, solid and the work of a perfectionist. It very much improves the look and feel of the website quality as well.



11. Gradients and Reflections

Gradients help to create mood and produce an illusion of distance. Shadow, glow, shiny or plastic effect, are all part of gradients. They help create a live effect to your web2.0 websites. Reflections are also a good tool for usage in web2.0 web designing for bringing in the real life effect to the webpages.


12. Cute Icons

Icons have an important role in web 2.0 website designs. They carry a message that are easily comprehended, and are loved for their cuteness. Icons point the users to their preferred destination; and can be of help in various ways.

 


Not all of these aforementioned design features are appropriate in all cases. There are always exceptions, and there are lots of bad examples of these features being used wrongly. Making a web page that works requires a lot of sensitivity to the various forces at work.

Tags: Web2.0 websites | Web2.0 Design | Web2.0 Design Concepts

Comments 3 | Hits: 1050 | Answer this post

There are a number of bloggers who post really worthy content, but when it comes to driving traffic these poor guys fall flat. Many are still to recognize the power of social bookmarking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon and Del.icio.us.

For a web content writer, the most valuable applauds are those he receives from the visitors who bookmark him. A bookmark shows the readers interest to return. Remember, repeat visitors are always precious; they've the potential to be loyal readers and may refer you to their friends. As time passes, this will build valuable links, traffic and increased brand awareness.

Essentials of bookmarkable content

Catchy Headline : Never hesitate to put some effort for finding a suitable headline.The reader should feel it's worth his time at a glance.

Meaningful description : The description can be slightly provocative one. That doesn't mean you have to exaggerate; whatever you claim here should be fact-based. Put a short, simple description( 100-150 words). Some social bookmarking sites limits description.

First paragraph : Once you caught attention, the first paragraph becomes instrumental. It should retain the reader's interest. At least, make sure it'll not force him for an abrupt exit.

Deliver the promise : There's no doubt that you should deliver whatever you promised in the headline. But being comprehensive doesn't mean cramming whatever you know into the article.

Really worthy and remarkable Content : There's no sense in discussing old news. Provide something fresh which is useful and interesting for the target audience. Besides, all those general rules of good writing is to be obeyed.

Using pictures : It is said a Picture is worth a lot of words. They also break up the monotonous flow of text. Flickr is of great help for finding out quality pictures.

Up to date : Don't forget to update.People always love the content that help them keep abreast of the latest developments.

The art of getting bookmarked

Your content has all remarkable characteristics for bookmarkable content; still, not getting enough bookmarks? The following tips can be of help.

Socialising is the watch word : Whether it is StumbleUpon, Digg or Delicious, many stories make it to the front page because of votes from friends and supporters. If you manage to get a considerable number of votes within an hour, it is more likely that other users will vote for you to the top page.

Initial Submission from you : In general, the first person to bookmark has to put some effort. So, initiate submission yourself.

Submit to the most apt category : There'll be several categories from which you've to choose wisely. Keep the targetted traffic in mind.

Make use of the tools : Make use of the available Widgets and plugins so that users can easily bookmark.

Optimise URLs : The article may need a simple URL to be shared around via email, forums, Twitter etc.

Spreading the word : To start with, seek the help of your friends ( if any!).Inform people who like to spread links. Sharing your links in Twitter is another option.

Interesting stuff from others : Posting links to interesting articles on other sites is vital for building a top-profile. Such a profile will get noticed and your own bookmarked stuff will gain much from it.

What you shouldn't do

Don't be in a hurry : Spend time for fine tuning the article.The better the final output the more benefit you will get. Moreover, consider posting when there's good traffic. It's crucial as many a site allows only 24 hours for a post to get into the front page.

Don't make spelling mistakes : Some sites don't allow editing posts . Misspellings in the title, the URL, or keywords are to be avoided.

Do not rely on automated submission : Active social bookmarkers have to spend considerable time for submitting links. The temptation will always be there to use an automated submitter. Often they've malware in them or are used for stealing passwords and such a thing may negatively affect your profile (even to the extent of a ban).

Don't over indulge in self-promotion : When your profile has links to only one site, suspicions spring up. Many social bookmarking sites frown when users submit their own content.

Don't be greedy :  After getting good traffic, people try to place ads with the content to be bookmarked.Often, The reader wouldn't like to be a tool for achieving your financial objectives

Don't put old wine in new bottle : All said, don't bookmark any trash , only because you wrote it. By posting junk, you may cheat the audience once. But,remember you're losing credibility and no one is to pay repetitive visits to such a user.

Tags: Social Media Marketing | Website Traffic | Social Bookmarking

Comments 1 | Hits: 646 | Answer this post

Not every site is setup to be friendly for social media marketing. In order to have a website be social media friendly, it has to be appealing to the "social media beings".



The first thing you may want to do is to have your site instilling the "desire" in people to want to link and keep coming back to it. At the heart of every such website is the WANT to become viral. Being social network friendly means a lot to the success of social media. Sites like Digg, Stumpleupon, Twitter are excellent sources of free website traffic and would be immensely rewarding if your website has an additional quality of being social media friendly.




Okay, so let's get into some ways of accomplishing a social media friendly website.





1. Social Media Friendly Design

A social media friendly design of the website should allow the visitor to read the content easily through ease of navigation of the website and lack of clutter. A good design grabs the attention of a social media user or any visitor for that matter, who may be encouraged to bookmark or subscribe to the website. Also remember to be "modern" in your web design. Your website is the face of your business.; therefore it must project the appeal and professionalism to suit the modern social age. 



2. Social Media Friendly Content

Much heard of, discussed and talked about - Content, yes. Content is king and great content could get you propelled to the extent you never imagined. So what makes the content social media friendly is just the same that one rather not expect to change: lists, tips, how-tos, guides, free resources, photo galleries, videos etc. The idea is to generate and retain visitors through good, interesting and engaging content of the like.





3. Bookmarking & Sharing Made Easy

Great content is perfectly fine. But you should also ensure that your social media friendly content is made easy to be shared by your users. Give your visitors a button to push. Get the social site buttons installed at the bottom of every article, blog, product page or any content that is deemed to be liked for sharing. AddThis and ShareThis offer small widgets that can be installed into a standard web page. Social media is all about interaction, therefore one should make sure that the regular readers have an opportunity of say, or vote for the content.





4. Catchy Headlines.

A catchy or intriguing headline could instill enthusiasm amongst the visitors to get reading even a mediocre article. Therefore the significance of a great headline in articles, blog posts, or any other content is not to be underestimated. Here is where you got to get yourself a little detached from the spiders. Remember not to just stuff keywords in the headlines in your zeal to entice the spiders, only to lose the charm of your great content. It's the real humans who are ultimately going to read them on whom is left the choice in entirety whether to read on or not. Strike a balance between the spiders and humans. Social media users aren't known to be patient; a bad headline will easily turn them away even if you are in possession of an outstanding content. Here goes an interesting article: How a Good Title and Description Can Make or Break Your Social Media Submission.





5. Eye-Grabbing Photos

Just like a great headline, a striking image in your write-up can also help grab attention. Images are best given prominence in the beginning of your article. This is because social media users often make the decision of bookmarking or voting up in the initial few seconds of seeing the content. This may not be appropriate all the time; however, an article is best complimented with a compelling image in a suitable place than left black and white.





6. Downplay Ads and Be Hospitable

Social media users don't like to see ads on the content they're reading. And if you still had to use, position them in a way that will not intrude a potential voter with the ease and comfort of reading the content. Don't force the readers to view more than one page in order to finish your article and avoid any sort of pop-ups or distractions. Be hospitable with your readers. Digg is a social media site known to be less favourable towards ads; and therefore the strategy adopted by many social media marketers is to submit the ad-free content to digg, and then put them back on the page either right after the content hits the home page or a week or two later after the demise of traffic and links.





7. Social Community Elements on Display

Having widgets like Facebook Connect, MySpace, MyBlogLog displayed on your site is a way of telling the people that you're active and involved in social communities which is a part of having a social media friendly website. It may not be as important as the other elements, but being a part of a community can actually fetch you social media success.




8. Prompt in Serving Visitors

Social media users are on the round to reading hundreds of articles each day, who cannot afford to spare time for a website so lousy. Therefore it is important that the web page loads the content as quickly as possible not to distract a possible vote or link. The speed by which your web page downloads becomes even more of an issue once your social media campaign becomes successful. Internet surfers are quite impatient, and if your web page takes more of their time than can be beared with, you are at the risk of directing your visitors to different destinations. Make sure your page is not loaded with too much of ads, images, javascripts etc so that the loading time is minimal.



9. A blog

Social media thrives on two way communications. It is all about interactions and conversations, and there's probably no better way to get them on your site than a blog. People are encouraged to participate and comment, especially if you prove to be a gem in your niche. Make sure to answer any questions that come up in your blog comment. A strong blog will become the hub of your social media efforts and can make your site social media friendly.




10. Don't Resemble a Spam

You may want to use the word "free" (especially in the keywords) to grab the visitors and their attention. But hang on. In social media, the word "free" has the likelihood of being associated with "spam". Avoid excessive usage of such terms, especially in the titles or headers (where keywords are most preferred) which gives you the mask of a spammer or advertisement. It may be a harmful idea in your way towards the accomplishment of a social media friendly website, so do away with it.





Above all, take time to identify and keep up with people who are actively contributing content to your website. Participate and engage in conversation wherever your users are. Make a mention of the people who send you ideas and information to post. Have a nice RSS button displayed for easy visibility and subscription. These are all essential factors of your website being considered a social media friendly one. The overall essence of having a social media friendly website is ultimately to leverage traffic and get maximum returns in the form of loyal visitors.





In the world of social media, one must listen, learn and contribute. Please feel free to share if you got any more ideas on the subject.

Tags: Social Media Friendly Website | Social Networking | Social Media Marketing | Social Media

Comments 1 | Hits: 764 | Answer this post