by: Fort Myers Web Design

In the early years of the World Wide Web, most of its users belonged to the geek crowd: technology savvy, computer obsessed, relatively young people. Then it spread to the general populations of university campuses and business offices. Today, with the far-reaching influence of the Internet phenomenon, anyone from six-year-old children playing games on the Disney website to 76-year-old grandparents using Facebook to stay in touch with distant loved ones can be found online. As website designers, we must constantly evaluate our work to make sure that it remains user-friendly and accessible to the wide range of modern consumers.

Remember: No matter how pleased you are with the aesthetics of your design, it won’t help the average user unless he can also find his way around your site. Use this article as a guide to keeping your website accessible to your target demographic.

Keep in mind that the majority of consumers will not have the same expertise and technological sophistication that you have as a designer. Make sure that you design the website from their perspective, not yours.

When conceptualizing a website, focus on the purpose that it serves for the average user. Why is he there? What does he need from the site? How long, on average, is he going to stay? Whether for information, entertainment, or socializing, the needs of your target market should be one of your foremost considerations. If he enjoys his experience and feels at home with the website, chances are high that he’ll stay longer, and even return.

I’m sure you worked very hard on the text you put on your front page, choosing each word carefully. But most consumers with hundreds of options at their fingertips will not spend time reading everything they see; they’ll just scan. If they don’t find what they need immediately, it’s on to the next website on the search results page.

With these in mind, ask yourself: How can I give the viewer what he needs at just a glance? A clean, organized layout, bold headings, and readable fonts will help in achieving this. Several well-chosen, attention-grabbing titles placed strategically will catch your reader’s attention and hold it long enough to encourage him to read the rest.

Occam’s Razor, or the law of economy, states that “entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity”. In design, this means not using two or more elements when just one would serve the purpose adequately.

Simplicity is one of the characteristics of a user-friendly, navigable interface. Too much clutter, and your viewer will have to struggle to find what he needs from all the buttons, widgets, and links on the site. This can get annoying, and will turn the user off to find a more neatly organized resource.

I’m not saying the website should be completely bare and unadorned. The important thing is to keep it uncomplicated enough for your demographic to use. To apply Occam’s Razor, evaluate every element on the site: Is it absolutely necessary? Can its purpose be served by something else that’s already there? By keeping the interface uncluttered, you’re making sure that your viewer can focus on the content and leave satisfied.

User interactivity on your website is mostly accomplished through hyperlinks. The rest of the content is usually static, but the presence of hyperlinks invite the user to take action: to click or not to click?

As a designer, you must alert the consumer to these options. Hyperlinks are portals to other pages on the site or to external websites, so they must look significantly different from ordinary text. Hover effects, such as color or font changes, can accomplish this. Don’t get so funky with your effects that it’s no longer recognizable for what it is. This might seem obvious to a designer, but it never hurts to reinforce the basics.

As a website designer, your job is to structure the site into a format that has a natural, organized flow that will make visitors feel relaxed and at home. Keep honing your skills and seeking feedback, and remember that no one can make the “perfect” web page, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try.

The Definitive Guide to Principles of Web Design Accessibility by Naples Web Design is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

Designers and developers often work in vastly different ways, with the former following the artistic impulse and the latter focusing on logic. A lot of projects, however, may require that they work together and adjust to each other’s different styles. When doing this, it is important to remember that both sides of the partnership are equally important. Designers and developers alike play essential and indispensable roles in the creation of a website, and a harmonious, symbiotic relationship between them is crucial to the project’s success. Here are a few pointers to help make the adjustment smoother and easier.

Portrayal of Ideas

One way to bridge the gap between these separate but interdependent fields is by sharing ideas with each other. This will help make sure that you’re all on the same page, with common goals and a clear idea of what the final outcome should be.

Communication enables the entire team to work cohesively, and it will propel you faster toward your objective. Designers are used to making visual presentations of what’s going on inside their imaginations, but it can be much harder for developers, who are working with codes and markup language that non-technicians may find difficult to understand. One way to get around this roadblock is for programmers to use flowcharts and diagrams to help the designers get a better grasp of the developers’ vision for the website. That way everyone can align their efforts with each other and avoid the frustrations of miscommunication.

Carefully Plan Deadlines

Deadlines seem to have an unpleasant reputation as a source of pressure and stress. But with the right attitude, deadlines can be your friend and not your enemy. When you know just how much time you have to work with, you can prioritize your tasks and avoid cramming, thus making sure that you’ll have enough time to polish the results.

Deadlines are especially important when you’re working with somebody else. If one person is late in accomplishing the task assigned to him, it affects the group’s over-all schedule. Not only that — it decreases the work performance as well, because everyone would have to rush to make up for lost time. Staying on schedule shows that you respect your colleagues, and it gives your clients a good impression as well, thus increasing the likelihood that they will hire you again.

Group Morale!

Whenever you bring two different groups of people together, there is a tendency for the “them versus us” mentality to develop. For a team composed of developers and designers to work together in harmony, this attitude must be avoided at all costs.

In forging a partnership between designers and programmers, it is important for each group to appreciate the value of the other’s contribution. An easy camaraderie in the workplace will create an atmosphere of openness where each one feels he or she can make suggestions or ask questions without being seen as silly or dumb. This will pay off in increased motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm for the job at hand. On the other hand, blame games and attitudes of superiority and selfishness will slow down the work and hinder the group from achieving excellence.

Ask Questions

A lot of misunderstandings can be avoided if only people asked for clarifications instead of blithely assuming that they already know the answer. Whether you’re working with just one partner or in a large group, keep in mind that the best and simplest way to get answers you need is to ask for them.

People sometimes hesitate to ask questions out of pride, shyness, or perhaps a reluctance to bother others. But remember — open communication dispels confusion and keeps the project moving at the right pace. How often have you experienced having to redo an entire stage of a project just because of a misunderstanding? This kind of snags helps no one, and can easily be avoided if things had only been cleared up from the start. So ask questions — ask your client, ask your coworkers, your consumers. You’ll be glad you did.

Be Respectful of Workspace Time

Each individual has his or her own preferred pace while working. Some would like to get started early and finish quickly, others start at a good speed then eventually slow down, while still others want to let their ideas simmer first before beginning the job. As long as they are able to complete the task by the agreed deadline, it is important to allow everyone, designers and developers alike, the proper amount of time to do their work.

Respecting your colleague’s workspace time means not hurrying him or her with her job just so you can start on your task. Remember to treat every part of the team with utmost professionalism, and when in doubt, it is better to err on the side of tact and diplomacy. An attitude of consideration shows that you value your colleague’s contribution to the project.

Fort Myers Web Design: Tips on Bridging Gaps Between Designers and Developers is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

My friend is a web designer. He tells me that he gets a different kind of rush when he see a blank white box on his computer screen. “I keep on imagining what this white box could turn into. I can see people visiting my site and getting the information they need while being awed by the sophistication and easy navigation of my design. This vision is my driving force.” Creativity, the mouse, and the keyboard are the tools of his trade.

Web design is also a form of artistry. It brings the same kind of joy as any beautiful piece of artwork, because that is what a website is a web designers art. If you are like my friend who has so much passion for web design ( He would even design a website for free!), then surely it must be a joy to make a living out of it.

There is however, one thing you should know when you get into any kind of business. It’s different when your doing something as a hobby and it’s different when you are working for somebody else. Before getting into the web business you have to be sure that you are in the right mindset and you bring a process into your work. You have to keep in mind that you are not only creating for yourself, now you have somebody else to please.

The Pitfalls of Getting into Business

Just like any business, the web design business also has a set of pitfalls that at one time or another, a web designer will inevitably meet. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Pitfall #1 “Failing Website” or the case of the website that fails to function properly

This is a web designers’ worst fear. You were able to come up with a winning design, unfortunately your client hates it. This happens when you create a design that is aesthetically pleasing but is a failure when it comes to function, meaning it doesn’t provide support for the client’s goal or the message he wants to send. Failing design lies in lack of communication or lack of understanding. Fortunately, it is something you can avoid (although not completely) by paying attention to the client’s needs.

Pitfall #2 “Designing without a Process” or the case of the jumbled process of web design

This supports the stereotype of the undisciplined artist. If you’re still new to the business, you may not have had the chance to develop an efficient working process. Read my lips: working with a process is a direct path to failure. The process of design is supposed to be like this:

Step 1: Planning

You need to plan. The Bible has a scripture to support this process. Luke 14:28 reads “For example, who of you that wants to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense, to see if he has enough to complete it?” If the greatest Creator has a planning process, then so should you. Know about your client’s concerns. Find the answers to the important concerns.

You need to know the answers to these:

• What is your goal with this site?
• Who are your site’s visitors?
• What do you want your visitors to do?
• Why should they do it

Step 2: Content Building

After forming a plan, you can start building the content of your site. This means you should know what the content is and where to put it.

Step 3: Designing

Now you can start designing the website. This is where you can let your creativity flow but you still have to leave Photoshop alone for a bit. Build multiple layout so you can have an idea of what the finished product would look like.

Have you heard about the 10-3-1 rule? It works like this: First, you have to come up with 10 good designs for either a product or a site. Second, eliminate 7 of these designs until you come up with the best 3. Finally, eliminate 2 of these designs until you are left with just 1 powerful design.

Step 4: Development

This is the final step. When you have come up with a design, you will have to start coding and doing the backend stuff. You will have to turn it into XHTML/CSS/PHP/MySOL or into whatever it is you need for the site. Some designers choose to work with a partner or hire someone to do the coding of a site.

What have you noticed in the process of web design? Yes, designing comes in the latter part. By following this simple and easy process, you can avoid failing designs. This is why it is important to know and have a process in web design. Now that you know all about it, you can start marketing yourself as the efficient professional web designer that you are.

Article written by Naples Website Design Company

Naples Website Design Company is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

As professional web designers, you may or may not have an idea about the process of web design. The process of web design involves careful planning, where you find out about your client’s concerns; content building, where you think of what information should be in the site and where to put it; designing, where you let your creative juices flow in an organized manner by drafting multiply layouts and applying the Apple inspired 10-3-1 rule (also known as the elimination process); and finally, developing, where you start coding and doing the back end stuff.

But did you know that web design and web development are sometimes confused with the other? This means that some people think that web designers and web developers are one and the same.

Although some web designers are knowledgeable about web developing, most actually choose to work with or hire a web developer. While design involves the look and feel of a website (what the visitor sees), development involves how the site’s operates.

There is actually a big difference between the disciplines of web design and web development. Let’s find out about these differences, shall we?

There are several distinct aspects of a web site, and these are:

• The graphics, color scheme, navigation elements, and anything that deals with the look and feel of the site.
• The information, the product, and everything that the site contains.
• The interactive features that the site provides for the visitor and requires infrastructure needed for the sites functionality.
• The program interactions, navigation, usefulness, and all those from the visitor’s perspective is all about the sites usability.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these aspects.

Look and Feel

A graphic designers has command on the overall look and feel of the website. The designer decides on what colors and fonts to use and how to layout each of the sites pages. This means that a good appreciation for aesthetics and feeling for combination and imagery projected on the site is of utmost importance.

Content

The texts found on the website, the privacy policy, the facts, the about page¾

These are all part of the content. This is where a content writer and a good copy editor comes in handy.

Functionality

Programmers create all the functions, which include all the interactive aspects, and animation, of a web site. With the use of different web programming languages that work either on a web server or a web browser, programmers are able top create better functionality on a website.
Graphics are animated through flash. Sophisticated and dynamic web pages come to life with Perl, PHP, and Java. Although these pages can work independently , they mostly need a database to create all the features we have come to expect from a website. To create a lot of cool effects such as swapping images when a mouse moves over an image, “ticker tapes,” links changing colors, and others, JavaScript is utilized. It works in the user web’s browser rather than on the web server.

Form processing, content management, and other administration programs are “backend” applications that make it possible for non-programmers to maintain control over some website data. All of these require integration into HTML codes.
Usability

Usability is the website viewed from the user’s point of view and involves mostly testing things like:

• Portraying of proper image
• User friendly navigation
• Links validity
• Browser compatibility
• Working applications

Overlap in Web Design and Web Development

Content creation and usability testing creates room for overlap and integration between web design and web development. Usually, content creation and the look and feel of the site is done by the web designer, while functionality and usability testing is the responsibility of the web developer.

Proficiency with graphic design tools like Photoshop and Picasa are needed by the web designer. Animation and layout of the site’s content are also a part of the web designer’s responsibility. However, they also need to know HTML codes so they can implement their designs. And, although site owners usually provide content for the website, a web designer still needs to be able to edit and even rewrite the content if necessary. They also do usability testing for navigation and site loading speed.
Functionality of the website, however, lies on web development programmers. The functionality must then be integrated into HTML pages on the site. Web developers also do usability testing, so they also need HTML knowledge as well.

This is why web designers and web developers usually work together. This is to assure the web owner that the web site does everything as requested.

Here’s the catch. Few companies can afford to hire separate experts in graphic design, content creation, programming, and usability testing. This is why sometimes a web designer also acts as the web developer and vice versa.

Article by TM web design company and Naples Web Design Company

Naples Web Design Company is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

When you think of marketing what comes to mind? Do you think about TV commercials for products like Pepsi or Coke? Maybe you think about billboards along the interstate? There are all sorts of ways to get your company or brand noticed both online and offline.

Did you know that last month, for the first time ever, online advertising overtook traditional marketing and advertising?

“Online advertising overtakes TV advertising for first time. The poor economy in the U.S. has caused hardships for many different companies from technology firms to the publishing industry. Ad revenues fell sharply in the print publishing industry leading to several publications being forced to close up shop or transition to a digital medium.“

The U.S. isn’t alone in its struggles against the poor economy; the same war rages in the UK as well. BBC News reports that online advertising spending has now overtaken television ad spends for the first time ever. Online ad spends grew 4.6% to $1.752 billion while TV ad spends shrank 16.1% to $1.639 billion for the first half of 2009.

You read that correctly, traditional print advertising and even TV marketing are taken a hit in recent times which has given way to online advertising and marketing. In a lot of ways online advertising beats traditional advertising hands down because it allows the advertiser to very specifically target their audience.

For example let’s say you’re selling a product to people who like to watching boxing, MMA, and other combat sports. With traditional marketing you would have to run a very expensive ad during a boxing match or some other event. Unless you have the huge amount of money it takes to run your ad during a major event you will be stuck running ads on a lightly watched show and you probably won’t see any return on your investment. You could have taken that $5,000 or however much you spent on that one TV ad which got you nothing in return and run ads on a major MMA or boxing website for days or even weeks.

I’ll put it this way, RT Design has done both TV ads and online ads. TV ads, without a doubt, perform at about 10% of what online ads perform at. Dollar for dollar, online advertising and marketing beats the hell out of traditional advertising. From newspapers and magazines to TV and cable, there is no comparison. We don’t see this trend dying down anytime soon, as more newspapers close up shop and go out of business the online world is where people will continue to turn. The question is, are you ready? Is your company ready? If you plan on having an online presence now is the time to start before your competitors get too much of a head start on you. Call us today to see what we can do for you.

Naples Marketing is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

click image for larger view

NaplesWebDesign.net will break 1000 visitors today, finally. is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

Anyway, as of now, RT Design holds #1 and #2.

RT Design moves to #2 for “Naples Web Design” in Google is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

SEO is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

Many individuals or business owners do not understand the difference between a custom website or a template website.

When trying to find out if you want to go with a custom web design or a template web design remember that you want to stand out from the rest of the crowd. And really give your customers something to remember.

Either way, I should mention tho, you will have to do some work to get up in the search engine results. Remember that having a website is only one part of it. You will have to research certain phrases that target your audience and what they would use in a search box to find you and then use those words in the content of your pages.

To maintain or build a website yourself you will have to invest time and money into all that there is to know.

Many people think that having a custom web page is too expensive. I seem to think that you get alot more of an advantage using or hiring a web designer then using a free or low cost web template. With a custom web site you will have a unique design versus a across the board look.With a custom web design you will have it created just for your business or profession. The backend of your custom site will also be coded to help your search engine results.

With a website template you will create an across the board look. If you are working on very low budget or just need something up quick then these might work for you. You can expect a ton of other people using your web template. You will be limited on the customization of your site. I also am pretty sure that some web templates are not search engine user friendly.

At RT Design Group we feel that using a Custom Website versus a template website…..Well there really is no comparison. I mean if you are looking to really separate yourself from the crowd and really give your company that over the top branding that i think every new or old business owner should look to achieve that unique look.

Custom Web Design or Template Web Design? is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design

The process is called search engine optimization or “SEO”. The good thing about SEO is that it’s the gift that keeps on giving. With many advertising methods such as banner or PPC, you have to pay every time someone views your ad, or every time someone clicks on it. With SEO, once you pay a company like us to get you your rank, that’s all there is, now just sit back and collect the traffic to your site.

So you’re probably wondering how much such a service costs right? It’s hard to give a price over a website without knowing what keywords you’re specifically going for. Lots of different factors will determine your price, some of these factors maybe geo-location you wish to target, competition for that term, what niche you’re in, if you have a website and how old it is, how your website is formatted, and many other things. If you would like more information on this service please call 239.450.1407 for a free quote.

So, you want to advertise? is a post from: Fort Myers Web Design