Where Is Your Money Going?

Web Advertising Passed Newspapers in 2010! Where is your money going?

Web advertising in the U.S. resumed double-digit growth in 2010, outpacing traditional media and surpassing newspaper ad revenue for the first time, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau.

In an annual report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the industry group said total Web ad revenue in the U.S. rose 15% to $26 billion last year, rebounding from a 3% decline in 2009 caused by an economic recession. However, last year’s growth rate is roughly half the growth the Web was posting before the global financial crisis of 2008.

Nonetheless, the rebound will likely build confidence in the digital media business, as consumers embrace Web services like Facebook Inc. and Netflix Inc. with enthusiasm even while the media industry has struggled to forge solid business models from online content.

“Online advertising has reached a level of maturity comparable to other mediums that have been deemed as significant ad platforms,” said Sherrill Mane, a senior vice president at IAB. “The fact that it’s still able to post double-digit growth speaks to the power of the Internet at a time when the economy is still struggling.”

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703551304576261092386405686.html#ixzz1JQw1sMt6

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703551304576261092386405686.html

IE Losing Market Share

As a leading Denver, Colorado web design company we are always testing different internet browsers and keeping our finger on the pulse of what web surfers use. The leader has been Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and it is still the market leader. Recently however, in an article posted by StatCounter, the IE giant is still losing ground and market share to Firefox and Google’s Chrome.

This is a pretty significant change since just two years ago IE had about 67% of the market. The good news is that it doesn’t affect search engine optimization or any other aspect of the website other than usability.

What does this mean? For eye9 Design it really doesn’t mean a lot since we test all of our sites using IE, Firefox and Opera browsers anyway (were cool like that). But what it means is that more people with be seeing web pages as they were intended. This isn’t a shot at Microsoft it is simply a comment on our 10+ years of web programming experience and the constant tweaking & bugs presented by IE users.

This also means that less and less people are using ActiveX and/or native IIS (Microsoft) based applications. Certainly Microsoft’s SharePoint has its well defined niche in the corporate world but this signifies a trend. PHP rules when it comes to web surfing.

Check out the full article on StatsCounter.com by clicking here.

eye9 Design is a Colorado website design company, specializing in web and graphic design, web development, and seo optimization. Denver, CO.

Watch Out – Google TV Is Coming

Google TV is coming and it promises, as do most of Google’s products, to be very cool, user friendly and cutting edge. Quality video and quality content is quickly becoming the king of the internet. What is Google TV? Google TV is a new product that will combine your TV, DVR and the internet. Simply put, it will turn your TV into a giant computer screen allowing you to access videos (and the internet) from all over the world!

Here are a few things to know about creating a website optimized for Google TV. Many of these are great things to keep in mind when creating a website for any delivery method. The section on perceived vs. actual performance is spot on.

This information is provided by Google at http://www.google.com/tv/developer/ if you would like to read more about it.

Designing for TV: A Primer

Here are a few tips for those who haven’t designed for TV before. In a television environment, you must:

Understand that content is king.
Remember that TV is social. – Offer ways for individuals to use your site or apps in social settings.
Learn the pros and cons of TV screens and audio.
Make it easy.

Simplicity above all

Successful TV interfaces are simple in both concept and design. Very simple. Here are some ways to achieve an interface that is easy to understand and to use:

Identify the vital parts of your interface before you start work. – Group content, controls and interactions by priority.
Stick with one visible mode of navigation or one information hierarchy.
Make the primary action reachable in one click.
Avoid the temptation to use abstract icons.
Limit vertical scrolling.

Navigation is critical

Getting the navigation right is essential for success. Users will quickly abandon a screen whose navigation frustrates them.

Remote controls, arrow keys, and directional pads

All input devices for Google TV will have QWERTY keyboards, but users will often navigate using a directional pad. Like remote controls, these limit the navigation model to up, down, left, right, and enter.

Users need interactions that are fast and easy to do—at a distance, with one hand, in the dark. When designing a navigation scheme:

Mouse navigation

On a TV screen, the mouse moves a pointer that is small and far away from the user. Mouse control is difficult.

To assist your users:

Make each click target (link, button, and the like) large with ample padding for an expanded target area.
Add a hover state to links and buttons to highlight when the pointer has hit its target.

A new kind of screen

TV screens and computer screens differ in canvas size, aspect ratio, safe areas, resolution, cropping, and pixel shape.

When designing for TV screens, you should:

Avoid highly saturated and very bright colors.
Make UI elements slightly larger, specifically:
Make buttons and other click targets larger.
Take advantage of the wide screen.
Design for 1280×720 and 1920×1080 resolutions.
1280×720 resolution. Recommended width is 1152×648.
1920×1080 resolution. Recommended width is 1728×972.

If you must choose one resolution, design for 720p resolution and Google TV will scale it up on 1080p resolution.

You can specify a property that controls the width of the page in your CSS.

Color

TV screens have higher contrast and saturation levels than computer monitors. Follow these guidelines when working with solid colors:

Use pure white (#FFFFFF) sparingly. Pure whites cause vibrancy or image ghosting in TV displays. Instead use #F1F1F1 or 240/240/240 (RGB).
Bright whites, reds, and oranges cause particularly bad distortion.

Even TV needs text

For TV, avoid lightweight fonts or fonts with both very narrow and broad strokes. Use simply constructed sans serif fonts and apply anti-aliasing to increase readability.

Limit each paragraph to no more than 90 words.
Break text into small chunks that can be read at a glance.
Keep line length at about 5–7 words per line. Never go shorter than 3 or longer than 12.
Remember that light text on a dark background is slightly easier to read on TV (compared to dark text on a light background).
Target body text to be around 21pt on 720p and 28pt on 1080p.
Don’t use any text smaller than 18pt on 720p and 24pt on 1080p.
Add more leading (larger line spacing) for onscreen text than print text.

Sound matters

Google TV will often be connected to the best speakers in the household. Sound is not disruptive on TV (as it often is on a computer), So think about ways to use sound in your interface.

Keep in mind:

Sounds should be appropriate to the living room environment.
By default, the volume should be low.
Some users will be listening to music from a player application running in the background. Provide a simple way to mute your website or application, and don’t make interactions entirely dependent on audio cues.

Flash on Google TV

Google TV is capable of playing 720p and 1080p Flash videos. For best performance:

Avoid adding continuous-playing, Flash-based banner or sidebar ads on a page that includes a video. If you cannot avoid such ads, unload or stop them when a user starts watching the primary video or goes to full screen.
To ensure a smooth video-watching experience, make sure your content uses only one instance of the media player at a time.
Handle errors or crashes gracefully with proper recovery messaging.

Perceived vs. actual performance

Users are the ultimate judges of whether your application performs well. Developers may measure application performance in terms of how long certain operations take or how many instances of objects are created. However, those metrics aren’t important to end users. Sometimes users measure performance by different criteria. For example, does the application operate quickly and smoothly, and respond quickly to input? Does it have a negative effect on the performance of the system as a whole?

Ask yourself the following questions to measure perceived performance:

Are animations smooth or choppy?
Does video content look smooth or choppy?
Do audio clips play continuously, or do they pause and resume?
Does the window flicker or turn blank during long operations?
When you type, does the text input keep up or lag behind?
If you click, does something happen immediately, or is there a delay?
Do other applications respond poorly when the application is running?

The distinction between perceived performance and actual performance is important. The way to achieve the best perceived performance isn’t always the same as the way to get the absolute fastest performance. Make sure your application never executes So much code that the runtime isn’t able to frequently update the screen and gather user input. In some cases, achieving this balance involves dividing up a program task into parts So that, between parts, the runtime updates the screen.

eye9 Design…Your Denver Web Design Company!

HTML sites…Dying On The Vine

HTML is sooooo 1990’s. The days of having your website online, with the same content, images, thoughts and videos are over. Making website changes, being fluid to your business’ changes and creating your brand has everything to do with a dynamic website, not boring HTML. Our Denver Web Design customers know, as do our out of state and international customers, CMS is the only way to roll.

OK…so we are overdramatizing it, we know. The fact is, to be “in the game” on the internet and to compete in your markets you have to have a dynamic website; enter the CMS (content management system). Anyone who can use facebook or type a word document can update a website. A properly built CMS like WordPress, Joomla or FireAnt can empower you to be your own webmaster.

CMS websites are the best choice for businesses that require lot of changes. We also believe if your site has more than 5-7 pages you should consider using a CMS. Don’t all websites have more than 5-7 pages? Yep…and why we rarely build HTML only sites.

Add, remove and edit web pages
Easily upload images and videos
Host Fascinating Web Design Blogs =)
Sell products
Clean the house (wishful thinking)
Easy-t0-use
Make changes at 2am in your PJs
The list goes on and on!

When should I use HTML? Well it is the exception to the rule for sure. 99% of eye9 Design’s websites are CMS or ecommerce websites. HTML sites are valuable for quick micro sites that serve a very specific brand or advertising purpose. HTML websites are really a thing of the past and before long will hold their place in history next to the rotary phone.

eye9 Design is a leading Denver Web Design Firm providing web development and Colorado SEO.

Personal Branding in 2010 and how we can help

Personal Branding has become a very popular, and much needed, marketing strategy for many companies and business professionals. William Arruda, a personal branding consultant and founder of reach personal branding, recently came out with his hot trends for 2010 in the realm of Personal Branding http://bit.ly/c4vpUz . Not all 10 of these may apply to your business but the below trends are trains we feel every business should be ready to hop on.

Video, Video, Video
Thanks to greater bandwidth, cheaper storage, and a proliferation of products and services that make shooting, storing, viewing, and sharing video easy video will be king in 2010”

Unified and Video Search
Combined search – tools will become more common while Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines will combine traditional search results with real-time content (from tools such as Twitter) and video results—making searching easier and more accurate. Those who are building their personal brands will need to use various tools to ensure their visibility is positive and pervasive.”

Branded Partners
Often more traditional in their approach to marketing and delivering their services, professional-services firms (accounting, law, consulting, etc.) are going to jump on the “brandwagon” with reckless abandon in 2010.

Digital Dirt Elimination
As Google results affect more aspects of our lives (getting a job, a loan, a date, etc.), people will engage firms such as ReputationDefender, Defend My Name, and Online Reputation Manager to eliminate digital dirt.

At eye9 we understand that now more than ever, your online presence is more than just your site, it is about every aspect of your digital presence. When we work with our clients our goal is to ensure your company’s message (brand) reaches your customers, no matter what online avenue they are using. If these are areas you are interested in learning more about or you just have a general site question feel free to give us a call or drop us a line, and we would be more than happy to sit down and talk with you.

eye9 Design is a leading Denver website development company .

Catching Conversions with PPC

If you’ve been following our apple analogy, you know that SEO is the juicy story for 2009. But don’t be fooled. Good marketing is holistic, and thoughtful PPC advertising can complement your SEO efforts in a targeted, immediate way.

Whether you’re new to PPC or just reinventing your marketing strategy, check out our tips for creating benefit-driven ads that will improve your conversions—and increase your profits.

Communicate your core attributes.

Take an in-depth look at your products and services to determine why Joe-consumer should choose your business over a growing sea of competitors. Is it your cheap deals? Your lightning fast shipping? Premium product offerings? Articulate these distinguishing features in each of your ads.

Write to your keywords.

After you’ve done the research to determine which search phrases convert, it’s time to turn that research into tightly written, keyword-dense copy. And remember to be specific. Consider expanding “Web Design” to “Funky Web Design” when you’re trying to reach that off-beat audience segment.

Craft an arresting headline.

Content is king, and that goes double for your headlines. Pique your audience’s interest. Ask them a compelling question. Wow them with your benefits, but don’t forget the keywords. With a 25-character max, you have very little space to appease both users and the search engines.

Lure users with instant, tangible benefits.

You’re probably saying, “Duh,” but you’d be surprised how many advertisers don’t include promotions, discounts or other enticing offers in their PPCs.

Follow through with your stated benefits.

The easiest way to do this is to create a landing page that’s specific to your ad. Taking this step won’t help your CTR, but it will build valuable rapport with your users. If your ad promises 50 percent off and the landing page doesn’t elaborate, users will run for the “back” button and conversions will plummet.

Test the waters.

It’s unlikely you’ll strike paydirt with your first round of PPC copy. As you update keyword research and narrow down your audience needs, it’s important to try different headline, ad copy, anchor text and call-to-action iterations. Tracking your ad success will help justify your investment—and apply what you’ve learned to future ad groups.

Contact us today to get a free PPC analysis of your website! We provide you with a detailed report for your business with a complete budget forecast.

eye9 Design is a Colorado website design company, specializing in web and graphic design, web development, and seo optimization. Denver, CO.

Buy an apple or plant an apple tree: why SEO is the best investment for 2009

If you want the crispy juiciness of a good apple, you can head to your local supermarket and satisfy your craving. On the other hand, if you plant an apple tree you will have a harvest of apples every year for years to come.

Traditional marketing is like purchasing an apple. Good for the quick hit, but when you stop paying for the direct mail, billboard, or call center, that marketing effort ceases to exist.

With search engine optimization, you gain rankings that produce fruit for years to come. When your SEO campaign ends, your rankings are still there. Not only that, but you product a harvest of work that far exceeds your initial investment. Here is what one of our Denver SEO clients had to say:

We’ve noticed more phone traffic via web inquiries. Keep up the great work! I am happy to be working with you all, I think this investment is paying for itself.

One of the pillars eye9 has built our entire business around is SEO. It is not just an add-on, it is a central marketing strategy. Look at just a few of the 40 rankings we’ve achieved in the TOP 5 at Google!

2009 is great opportunity to gain market share, contact us today about an SEO campaign for your website and you will reap the benefits for years to come!

Easy keyword research with Google Search-based Keyword Tool

In this video podcast, Brian covers:

Why keyword research is foundational to SEO (search engine optimization)
How the free Google Search-based Keyword Tool can be used in keyword research

Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Why should you invest in good design?

As a business owner, I know it is essential that we examine all of our expenditures. This is even more important in a down economy. As you approach your upcoming website design or graphic design project, why should you invest in good design?

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with media (web, print advertising); good design allows you to stand out or at a minimum hold a strong placement against your competitors
Good design can create a bond (association) between you and and your target demographic.
Good design clearly portrays your brand and ideals to potential clients/customers; for example, a green company emphasizing their commitment to the environment
Good design elevates the perceived quality of services by demonstrating your commitment to excellence in everything, including your collateral

USER INTERFACE DESIGN (behind the scene) – Also known as: Information Architecture

Good design must include excellent User Interface Design. UID is summarized in the question: “how difficult (or easy) is the website to use”

When applied to designing websites, UID refers to the structure and flow of a site. If a site is difficult to navigate, making it hard to find what you are looking for, the user most likely will not contact the site owner or purchase a product.
Well structured websites have a natural information flow that most users will find comfortable. Comfort on the web is beneficial as there is no knowledgeable salesperson at your visitor’s side to guide them. The web is a self-service environment, with no instruction manual or training. Good UID ensures your user can find what they need, and guides them to your conversion pages
A good user experience forms positive impressions of your product/service offerings, allowing visitors to intuitively access the information they need. This will be a primary factor in whether or not they come back!

eye9 Design is a leading Denver Design Firm providing web development and Colorado SEO.
Thanks to Bret Glassett, our Senior Web Designer, for his significant contribution to this article.

Google’s seismic shift on dynamic URL’s

In this weeks installment of “why you need a SEO company in your corner,” Google overturns a half decade of conventional wisdom. In the debate of dynamic URL’s versus static URL’s , SEO professionals believed that static URL’s were superior for several reasons:

Search engines can index them easier without all the odd characters: & ? =
They are easier to read in Google’s search engine results pages, and keywords from the users search terms are made bold
Static URL’s are easier to use in marketing materials
They are simpler to give out when obtaining backlinks

Number one was by far the most important factor, as it was assumed that static URL’s improved your rankings. The other factors, while still relevant, related to appearance only.

However, Google has now turned all this on its head, releasing an official blog post that they prefer dynamic URL’s. In that article, they say

While static URLs might have a slight advantage in terms of clickthrough rates because users can easily read the urls, the decision to use database-driven websites does not imply a significant disadvantage in terms of indexing and ranking. Providing search engines with dynamic URLs should be favored over hiding parameters to make them look static.

Google regularly makes changes to how it ranks websites, though they are usually not this dramatic and far-reaching. This illustrates the importance of having a SEO optimization firm in your corner that can help keep you up to date with these important developments!

Where Is Your Money Going?

IE Losing Market Share

Watch Out – Google TV Is Coming

Designing for TV: A Primer

Simplicity above all

Navigation is critical

Remote controls, arrow keys, and directional pads

Mouse navigation

A new kind of screen

Color

Even TV needs text

Sound matters

Flash on Google TV

Perceived vs. actual performance

Related Posts

HTML sites…Dying On The Vine

Personal Branding in 2010 and how we can help

Catching Conversions with PPC

Communicate your core attributes.

Write to your keywords.

Craft an arresting headline.

Lure users with instant, tangible benefits.

Follow through with your stated benefits.

Test the waters.

Buy an apple or plant an apple tree: why SEO is the best investment for 2009

Easy keyword research with Google Search-based Keyword Tool

Related Posts

Why should you invest in good design?

Related Posts

Google’s seismic shift on dynamic URL’s

Recent Posts

Categories

Subscribe

Designing for TV: A Primer

Simplicity above all

Navigation is critical

Remote controls, arrow keys, and directional pads

Mouse navigation

A new kind of screen

Color

Even TV needs text

Sound matters

Flash on Google TV

Perceived vs. actual performance

Related Posts

Communicate your core attributes.

Write to your keywords.

Craft an arresting headline.

Lure users with instant, tangible benefits.

Follow through with your stated benefits.

Test the waters.

Related Posts

Related Posts

Recent Posts

Categories

Tags

Subscribe