I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving!  In between the turkey and the football games I also hope you have time to enjoy these five articles:

12 Top Online Entrepreneurs Share How Hard They Work -  We’ve all seen get rich schemes for making money online.  “Work just one hour a day. You too can live the dream by getting rich with a website.”  Right.  Just how different is the reality?  Take a look at the work habits of twelve people who make a living online.

Ten Important Things I’ve Learned About Blogging – The Pioneer Woman is a phenomenon.  She’s written a cookbook.  She’s on TV.  She’s writing a book.  They’re making a movie.  And behind that is one woman writing about her life as she sees it.  Here are her pointers for fellow bloggers.

What is a Good Bounce Rate? – Have you wondered  if the bounce rate on your Google Analytics report is good or bad?  This article takes away some of the mystery.

8 Critical Questions You Should Ask Yourself as a Blogger – Is your blog going nowhere fast?  Asking yourself these eight questions should shed some light on the situation.

FeelGooder: the Backstory Behind My Newest Blog – Now’s your chance to get a behind the scenes look at a blogging expert starting a new blog.

It’s great to keep up with the latest trends and new technologies. At the same time, it’s not a good idea to spend money for needless website features. In addition to wasted funds, it can  dilute your website’s primary focus.

How do you tell the difference?

List your organization’s goals. Are you trying to make sales? Is your goal to raise money for a charity or to raise awareness of a medical condition? Make a list of your organization’s top three goals.

Ask yourself how each proposed feature will help you with your goals. Will it make money or save time?  Will it improve customer relationships?  Will it increase your group’s influence?   Will it help with marketing?  If the proposed feature doesn’t help you reach a goal then it’s not for you.

Remember that your website is all about you and your company or organization.  It needs to support your  activities and goals.   This is one case where it really is all about you.  Enjoy it!

The Problem – Appearance

The two issues to consider here are the design’s appearance and the underlying code. We’ll deal with the website appearance first. Let’s take a look at the Charles Dickens website again. Here it is as it normally looks on my monitor:

And here’s how it would appear on a larger screen.

Do you see how the website is designed to flex in the middle section? The website title is centered while the areas on either side expand. The main section of the body expands also while the sidebars stay the same size. A lot of planning went into how this website would look no matter what the screen size.

Here’s one of my favorite examples of a flexible design. My company helped STS Recruiting with a new website design. Here’s how the site looks on my monitor:

And here’s the “flexed” view:

The background in the top right area repeats. No matter what the screen size it looks fine because of the nature of the design. Below the header area (that’s a website term for the top area of the website) the left-hand column stays the same width while the rest of the site expands.

Let’s take another look at the fixed width website, Washington Winemaker:

It’s a beautiful website. But there’s really no way to “flex” the design. The photo is a fixed size and it would lose its impact if there were more white space on either side. This design isn’t built to expand.

The Problem – Code

Now let’s consider the HTML code that is the basis for all websites. I try not to write a lot about HTML as that can freak people out. If you’d like to see HTML click here. If you’d rather pass on that just think of HTML as something like computer code. That code has to be written differently for the different types of designs. I could tell you more but your eyes would start to glaze over and you’d require emergency coffee. It’s boring and it’s technical and just trust me on this one – the code for these two types of designs is a lot different.

What this means is that you’ve got to build either type of site from the ground up.

Making the Switch

What if you still want to make the switch? That’s no problem but it does mean that you’ll need a new website design.

If you have a blog then you pick a new template that has a flexible design. If you have a standard website or a custom blog template then you have your website developer (that would be me) develop a new design.

And all of that is OK. It’s not unusual for websites to get a new design every year or so. This website is on it’s fourth design. (And I’m planning the fifth version now.) Things change.  Businesses grow.   Websites need a new design every few years.  It’s a normal cycle.

1 – What is the purpose of your website?  Some websites:

• sell things online
• provide contact information for your customers
• show examples of your work
• educate customers
• provide needed forms and information to customers
• share lists of upcoming events
• collect potential client information

This is just a partial list of the ways a website can support you and your business. 

2 – What are 3 websites in your industry that you like?  

You can get great ideas from what your competition.  Do they have features that you like?  Do they present information in an interesting way?  How do you feel after visiting their website?  Find three websites in your industry and make notes on what exactly you like about them.  Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. 

3 – How do you differ from your competitors?  What sets you apart from everyone else?

Your website should reflect your likes, dislikes and your unique personality.  The website should reflect your strengths.

There are many other items to consider but answering these three questions is a great start!