Archive for the 'Web Design' Category

Hi there!
Sorry for being idle for weeks here. The truth is there’s so many things i have to do recently. With freelance works, designing things etc…
But now, i have something to ask you to do a favor for me.
For your information my main blog (InternetGecko) is now in the top 10 finalists in the Best Design category of omy’s Singapore Blog Awards 2008. So, i think you can guess what i want you to do for me. Here you are: I just want you to spare me a minute to VOTE for my Tech Blog.
That’s all!

You also will stand a chance to win a prize as voters. Who knows you might win something by voting me this time. So, what are you waiting for, VOTE NOW for InternetGecko.com!

Here’s a part of the email that i’ve received yesterday.

Congratulations!

Your blog is one of the top ten finalists in the Best Design category of omy?s Singapore Blog Awards 2008!

Voting for Singapore Blog Awards 2008

From 30/06/2008 to 31/07/2008, we will be opening the voting for the Singapore Blog Awards 2008. Hence you can start rallying for votes now by publicising this on your blog, friendster, facebook, forums or any other avenues you can think of.

To thank voters for helping us crown our winning bloggers, voters also stand to win travel packages to Bangkok, Vietnam and a luxurious resort accommodation package in Phuket ? something you may want to highlight to your friends when rallying for votes.

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.

1) Do not use splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. In fact, they are just that — pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the “back” button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don’t know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “abandon ship”!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they’re not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it — volume or muting controls would work fine.

That’s all for today, hope this tips will help you towards a good website design!