Here's Your Chance... Ask CWS

We receive emails all the time asking about various topics. Should I register a .com domain with a hyphen in it or should I go with a .net one? What is more important for SEO... on-page optimization or my PageRank? How many projects do you work on at a time? The list could go on and on.

In fact, we receive so many questions it was one of our reasons for joining the Post Bulletin's Ask An Expert program. We enjoy answering questions and educating users about the Internet and it's one of the ways we "give back" to the local community.

So, we've decided to promote this topic as part of our blog. Do you have a burning question about one of our designs? Are you wondering what we think about your website design? Here is your chance to ask... anything goes! We'll do our best to answer your question(s) and post them here on a regular basis.

Have a question for us?
Got a question about design, business, marketing, etc? We would be honored to provide some insight into how we'd tackle the issue. Send an email to support [at] cws dot net with the subject "Ask CWS".

Is Your Website Confusing?

When planning for a new website your design team should spend considerable effort in analyzing the navigation structure. A common mistake is to organize the website into general categories instead of your customer's needs.

For example, most navigation structures are organized in ways that seem logical to you and your company - by "products," "services," "solutions," etc. But if your prospect doesn't already know what your product or service names mean, they're not likely to find what they need. Guide your readers by using rubrics based on customer challenges, pains or desires, such as "Planning for Retirement" and "Reducing Taxes," for a financial planner. In short, think like a customer.

A good example of end-user navigation can be found on the Bigelow Homes website where we categorized the navigation based on homebuyer needs (finding a lot, floor plan options, etc). If you're not sure you "have it right", show your navigation structure to someone unfamiliar with your business. Based on their reactions, you'll be able to tell right away if they are confused about where to go.

Source: www.marketingprofs.com

Snap Previews- Flashy vs. Functional?

You may have noticed a new feature that we've implemented on a very limited basis. The free service is called "Snap Previews" and it allows you to create dynamic links with a pop-up preview of the link. Seting up the feature on your website is a snap (no pun intended), only requiring the addition of a few lines of code.

As designers, we're torn whether this feature is a good idea. On one hand, it's kind of flashy and cool. On the other hand, the large preview window can be a distraction, clunky to use and not very functional. If you're a designer, you understand striving for a balance between functional and cool.

We first displayed Snap Previews earlier this month and have used it very sparingly ever since. In retrospect, this must mean that we've subconciously concluded that the "coolness" factor didn't outweigh the loss in functionality. Either that... or we've been too lazy to add the extra line of code. :)

The flashy vs. functional debate of "Snap Preview" has me torn. To add to my confusion, I continue to see other popular blogs heavily using Snap Preview on nearly all links. So, the question must be asked... is this feature just flashy or is it really functional?