Is your website design current?Some niggly but critical bits you may not have previously

considered…

What I hope to cover…

• On page SEO– Alt tags, navigation, text etc

• Accessibility & Compliance– Cross platform usability, how not to get sued,

simple bits you can do yourself

• Graphical elements of website design– The integration of marketing into design

An Introduction…• I’m John

– I work in the Web Design team at Generate UK

– I have previously built newsletters, blogs, websites, posters and much more

– I understand the effect of marketing on design

On-page SEO

Making pages search engine friendly

• Ensure all of you pages are linked!

– If the user cannot find it, neither will the search engines

– Navigation must be easy to use

– Drop down menus and Flash: BAD

On-page SEO

Making pages search engine friendly

• Alt-tags

– Images might mean 1000 words to you or I

– In image free browsers, slow Internet connections #-images are of no use.

– Good for Search Engines

– Good for text readers

– Has further accessibility implications

On-page SEO

Making pages search engine friendly

• Web standards

– The W3C, for a universally accessible resource

– Site has not been updated recently?

you can be left behind

– Implications for SEO and accessibility

– Free W3C validator!

On-page SEO

Making pages search engine friendly

• Accessibility

– Website accessibility is a legal requirement. • ramada.com, priceline.com and the Australian Olympic

committee were sued

– Up to 48% of your audience could be affected.

– Cater for Lynx, Screen readers, screen magnifiers, differing resolutions, slow connections, flash, java, alt-tags for images as well as including subtitles where necessary

Graphics & Design

• Is it current?

– Does it look a little basic? Grainy? Boring?

– Visual representation of your business

– It needs to WOW the user

– No visible effort? Why should they go to the trouble of buying it?

Graphics & Design

• How can I improve on this?

– Refresh your website, updated

– Interactivity -social media, blogs etc

– Includes videos, audio, animations

– Adds a dynamic feel

Create a list of key factors your site must achieve

For example:

1) Promote the brand

2) Highlight our biggest product

3) Capture details through enquiries

4) Promote secondary products

5) Encourage direct contact

Designing a Structure

Site Structure Example

1

2

3

5

4

6

7

Layout Options

What is this and what are the options?

• Fixed Width - restricted for larger screens

• Flexible Width - width expands to browser width

• Expanding Width - site increases in all dimensionsto allow growth of text

Branding

Best use of your Corporate Identity

• Is your corporate ID well represented?

• How much space does it require?

• Corporate colours are key to visual integration

Does your banner carry the right message?

• How big should your banner be?

• What will the content be?

• Should it be static or dynamic?

• Should it be minimal or more dramatic?

Banner

Teasers / Call To Action

• Retain / Interest

• Left / Right columns are the best locations

• Best incorporated on the home page

• Minimised throughout the site

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Tying it all together– Before building your pages,

consider the on-page SEO

– Ensure the design and multimedia is accessible

– Make sure you stand out