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Add Sharing Options with Weebly

10/3/2013

How to provide more sharing options and increase your site's traffic

Whether you are hosting a website or running a blog using Weebly you are probably going to want to gain greater numbers of traffic for your site. If you create a blog page on your site you will have the option upon creating a new post whether to have the sharing options on or off. However, Weebly only provides you with the Facebook and twitter sharing options. In order to broaden your horizon and increase your chances of new traffic you are going to want to provide a larger array of sharing options for your web pages or your blog posts. In order to achieve this just follow the steps below and you will allow your visitors an easily accessible way of sharing your site on countless platforms.

Step 1

Select "website"
Go to www.sharethis.com. Select the button that says get sharing. You will now have the option of selecting various website platforms and content management systems. For Weebly users you want to select the website option. Once selected, click next.

Select your design
Now pick your preffered design. You can choose from buttons, bars, or featured options. Once you have selected your chosen design you can click next and move on to customization.

Customize sharing options
Now scroll through the many different social media platforms and drag them from their location on to the "selected services" area. Once you have established your list of different sharing options you can click on "finished: get the code" to move on.

Step 2

Multi or Direct
Now choose multi post or direct post. Multi post will display a widget on your site and direct post will lead the user to the selected social media platform they choose to share your content on.

<body> embed
Now select all the code from the top window and copy it. Go into your Weebly builder and drag a "embed code" (Custom HTML) into your site wherever you want the sharing options to appear.

Tip: If you want the sharing options to appear on all pages of your blog instead of placing them manually every time you create a blog post then place the custom HTML on the right panel where your "archives" and "author" section are. Now the sharing options will appear on every blog article you create as well as the lead blog page.

<head> embed
now select the second piece of code and copy it. Go to your weebly builder and select "settings from the top menu. Now go to the "SEO" section and paste the code at the bottom of the "header code" window. Click "save" and you are almost done.

Step 3

Now when you publish your site the additional sharing options will appear on your selected pages and blog posts. Now your visitors will have many additional ways of sharing your content. Now all you have to do is create content worth sharing and your site's traffic will increase tremendously.

Note: The icons will not appear in the Weebly builder. Only once you publish your site will you see them appear.

Good luck and if you enjoyed this content feel free to share it among the social media platforms I have provided as sharing options.

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101 Websites Using Large Background Images

10/3/2013

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A collection of websites using large images as backgrounds

Using large background images has become a common tool for websites trying to make lasting powerful impressions. Using large images as backgrounds has the unique ability of making a powerful first impression without having to put in a lot of design work. Below is a collection of 101 websites who are using large background images to make an impression. Use this as a guide to inspire you when designing your site.

If your website is using a large image as a background leave a link in the comments and I will add it to our next list.

Vann Visuals

Hiut Denim

Kerem Suer

Guns n' Roses

H-art

Cayena Agency

Design House Stockholm

Martin Costa

Davida Interior

August

Daniel Filler

Whitmans

Tim Roussilhe

Tag Interactive

Anna Safroncik

DOJO Studio

Encandle

CreativePeople

Twelve Restaurant

de Certeau & Associates

Medis Food & Bar

Yan Studios

Blind Barber

Reflexion Weddings

CGRendering

Shelley Sandzer

Marcus Thomas

Biamar 2012

Inzeit

Blitz SF

Au Petit Panisse

Ringve Media

Shaw and Shaw Photography

Werkstette

Salt Surf

Pablo González

David Mullett

Moxie Sozo

David Nolan

Flaek

Pizzaza

500 Watt

FAmuily l

Dolphins Communication

Top Dollar Photographers

Top Dollar Models

Rebecca Barry

Healing Histories

Goliath Sportswear

Onside Sports Agency

Jason Miller

Display Creative

Ines Papert

Airwalk

Hasse Bronten

Ines Maria Gamler

Killer Brigade

35mm Design

Spring/Summer

Sandlewood Homes

Matt Porterfield

ASAA Architecture

AyerViernes

ah asociados

Ghost

Breakthrough Design Group

Life & Thyme

The Paper Mill

Aspect Photography

Welikesmall

Locals Apparel

The Kitchen Community

Regenerate Music Co.

A Book of Beards

Diehl Group Architects

Studio AIRPORT

Colossal Media

Buffalo Outdoor Clothing

Springtime Tennessee

Epic Discovery

Louis Gubitosi

Page/Park Architects

Elisabetta Canalis

La Porte Sainte Claire

Chris Dimond Architect

Deepend

Cost of Loving Index

Northlandscapes

Eldorado Stone

Utah.gov

Modern Green Home

GEO fun

Osborn Barr

Rosebud

Let’s Travel Somewhere

Starmatic

Jansport

Beg Bicycles

The Old Barber Shop

Brooklyn Soap Company

Public Art Fund

Insomnia Coffee Company

Karma

Worth & Worth

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Giving Your Website a Unique Brand

9/29/2013

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Stand out and be Branded

What is branding? Simply put, a brand is a combination of many factors coming together harmoniously to form one singular image. To put it even simpler: Brand = Image (the image you are presenting to the world). Therefore, putting emphasis on brand can help you tremendously in getting your message and purpose across clearly.
Designing your website with a unique brand is what will help your visitors remember your site, and recognize it when stumbling upon it in the future. This gives them a feeling of familiarity, which in turn helps you overturn stumbling visitors to fan based members. Simply said, you will gain more traffic and build a following more easily if you are recognizable at a glance, and memorable to new users, especially stumblers. Having a brand, which is unique and easily recognizable, also allows other sites to link to you more easily, as well as increase chances of viral recognition. Many factors play a role in branding your site, but what is most important is to remain consistent throughout. This allows the user to get a clear picture of what you are about and how you are best represented. To demonstrate, all you have to do is look at these icons leading to our social media presence.

These three icons are instantly and globally recognized all throughout the web. Facebook's lower cased "F" in white and blue, Twitter's tweeting bird, And Youtube's red and white colors. All of these minor factors represent a larger picture of each site's overall brand. Let's go ahead and break down some of the factors involved in website branding, and get a clearer picture of how to best approach each site's initial design.

Domain

Choose a domain name which is easy to remember and easy to spell. This may come off as extremely obvious and yet is surprisingly neglected over and over again. We're not saying it has to be short, although that does help the user remember you more easily. We're mostly saying it shouldn't be too complicated to pronounce, and more importantly it should be easy to spell. Having a complicated domain name only leads to users forgetting how to get to you, and on how to share your site with others offline. Don't forget that offline marketing still plays a huge role in your website's overall level of exposure. So choose a domain name wisely. Make it catchy and relevant to the site's content. Our site is easily told over by saying it's Design and Marceting spelled with a C instead of a K. Not only is it easy to remember, but is also extremely relevant to the site's content, and also gives the user a story with the name, which helps with short term memory loss.

Style

The style of your site's design, the style of the logo, and the style of writing all fall under this category. Choose what style best represents your product or service, and build your site's overall style based upon that. Is your site about the diamond industry? is the style you want an elegant one? What emotion are you trying to impress upon your audience? All styles have the ability to invoke some feeling within their viewer, so choose wisely. If your website was a house how would you decorate it?

Most importantly, however, is to remain consistent throughout. This refers to both onsite and offsite. This will only strengthen your brand's recognition and embed the memory of you in your targeted audience's memory bank.

Colors

Color is a major factor in a site's overall brand. This is the key identifier along with shape and font type. By recognizing your color scheme, the user will be able to identify no matter which page they may be on, whether they are on your website or not. So give your site a palette of chosen colors. Make sure they work together, as this adds harmony to your site's overall brand. If you want to get into the psychology of the effects colors have on their viewer, be my guest. We can, however, easily test and see what emotion certain colors invoke within us without getting too deep into it. We, for example have chosen light and simple colors to add a feeling of simplicity and calm to our visitors. This is entirely up to you. Just remember to stay consistent throughout your site. If you assign a certain color to an element, make sure you keep that color throughout. Assign colors respectively so the viewer isn't confused and can easily identify what is what, and what it has to offer.

Logo

Your logo is the essence of your brand. It represents you in one single image. This is what will be used throughout when marketing and advertising your site. It's important that it contains your site's main color scheme and is consistent with the style of your site. It should be unique and easily remembered. It is definitely a bonus if you get clever with the design and embed some hidden messages (because why not?). This, once discovered will always make a big impression and never be forgotten. Take the Fedex arrow, for example. Some go years without realizing it, but once they become aware, they never forget it.

Also consider an abbreviated version of your logo. This is important if your logo fits well into a square. The reason is that many sites who might want to embed your signature brand on to their sites, don't want to allocate an entire rectangular area for you, but would prefer rather to have an icon representing you. It will also be handy when dealing with membership account's profile pictures. Having a recognizable icon logo that matches the previously mentioned features is definitely a huge plus. Consider Facebook's logo and their lower case f icon. They both represent Facebook's color and are both easily distinguishable as being Facebook.

Layout

The subject of your site's layout has been broken down into two parts. The first part is the structural layout and positioning of page elements, and the second is the order and choice of pages. First let's talk about page structure. This includes the position of your logo, navigation menu, main body text, footer, search bar, and any other elements you may include. It is important to make sure each page is composed in an artistically functioning manner, giving the pages an easily flowing structure and not creating confusion for the visitor. This includes making the navigation easy to comprehend, making sure the logo is recognized for what it is and most importantly to remain consistent throughout the entire website. The overall layout will obviously change from page to page but it is important to keep a consistent overall flow to each website, so the visitor can easily comprehend the site's functionality and navigation. If the visitor cannot understand where things are located and how to navigate, don't expect them to stay for too long. Make it easy and artistically attractive and the visitors will come back for more.

The second factor of layout is the choice of pages, and their order of appearance. Consider this as important as having you enter into a hallway as opposed to your bedroom when entering your house. You may have a bedroom and that may even be the place you intend to end up, but you need to make introductions in the hallway or living room at first. The same goes for the order of your web pages. Don't have the domain home page be your contact page, or your list of services. You may include those, but they should not be the entrance. You want an introductory. A synopsis of what the site is about and links leading towards the bedroom, with descriptions enticing the user to follow them. Also make sure your navigation menu presents your website's pages according to hierarchy. If you have many different services, maybe create a drop down menu and place them under the label "services". Look at our menu above as an example. Although "services" is a page in it of itself it also drops down to sub categories which have their own sub categories as well. Categorize and organize accordingly to give the visitor an easy experience. You want them to feel comfortable. Entice them towards the bedroom, don't force them. Remember, foreplay is just as important as the main act.

Slogan

A slogan can add a lot to a brand's recognition. Nike's famous just do it is a prime example of a slogan, which is used throughout many societies, and is recognizable as their brand's signature. Just make sure it is relevant to your website's main purpose. This will give your visitor a preview of what your site is about without having to discover it themselves. Having one that is catchy and easy to remember will only help to embed your website into the visitor's memory, and help you become a familiar site to them.

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The power of facebook in a graphic

9/23/2013

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Navigate Israel

9/3/2013

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About the company
Navigate Israel is a company providing solutions for anglo speaking citizens or visitors in Israel who may be struggling in getting acclimated to life in Israel. They offer consultations and will do much of the work for you to take the weight off your shoulders and have you set up in no time. Their services range from explaining the way the tax system works to getting your visas approved and much more. You can check out their different package options at www.navigateisrael.com/packages.
I know personally as someone who has been living in Israel for the past 5 years that it could be extremely difficult to figure out how things work here. How to go about getting an apartment, what the rental price includes and excludes, how taxes work, which bank and what type of bank account to obtain. The list goes on. I was lucky enough to have friends who have lived here for years and by constantly asking them endless amounts of questions, I have come to understand a small percentage of what Navigate Israel offers. For the time being it's enough for me and I'm sure as time goes by and things come up I will learn some more about the Israeli economic and rural systems. However, if I was to do it over again I would definitely use their service to ease the complications and make life much simpler.

The Design
This site was designed with the intention of having a clean and efficient look to it, much like the trend of style that is so popular in the industry today. It's very simple and easy to navigate, and learn about the companies range of services. We first redesigned their logo to fit a more clean and friendly look. We then based the site's design upon the color scheme of green and blue, both very friendly and efficient colors.
The background image was created as a way of presenting the companies client profile being Jewish people from all walks of life coming together and starting a new life in Israel as represented by the Israeli flag in the back.
Everybody loves stickers so we chose to have the list of services represented by graphic stickers. Each service has a corresponding sticker giving the company a branding representation of graphics which they can use anywhere and will be recognized as being of their company.
By using this custom design we both gave them a clean and efficient look and at the same time gave them a brand by which they can advertise and get recognition. We wish them the best of luck and hope you will check them out. Your life could be so much simpler, it's worth taking a moment to see how at www.navigateisrael.com
We always appreciate feedback and are always striving to become better programmers, designers, and promoters. Perfection is never reached, but striving is.

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WEB DESIGN WITH EMOTION.

3/10/2013

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Web design is such a limitless field of exploration. From the design of the logo itself, all the way to the color of the smallest character, thought and deliberation must be applied. The entire website must be like a symphony, with every detail working in sync towards the bigger picture. The bigger picture is the first impression the website portrays. Whatever you are trying to present, it must be carefully thought out exactly what emotions you want your audience to experience. Just like a symphony entertains your mind through the ears, web design must entertain the mind through the eyes. But what if I want to dig deeper into the mind of my audience. What are some tools I am able to use to get greater reactionary responses from the audience.

To truly capture the attention of your audience you have to make sure that whatever the first thing they see will subconsciously force them to want to see more. I say subconsciously because many sites will try too hard to capture their audiences attention and will in turn drive them away. Nobody likes the feeling of being forced into something, so don't force your audience into anything. At least not consciously. Don't have the first thing be a members sign up page. At least don't allow that to be the first thing your audience sees. First get them interested and only then offer them exclusive membership. Before achieving this we must understand the different ways of capturing someone's attention.
  Visual:
The moment a person lands on your page they should be impressed. This means many things. To begin, it means having your page load fast. Anyone searching the web for a specific topic is not going to keep your page open if it takes a long time to load. The attention span of today's population is less than 5 seconds so let's use that as a maximum time for your page to load. This doesn't mean that your entire page must load by then, but you should have the main attributes ready by 5 seconds. This includes your background, navigation, and main body of text or images (depending on what you are trying to present), Having your page load fast starts the relationship with your viewer off on the right foot. Everybody appreciates quick service, even if it's only a difference of a millisecond.  Once your page is loaded, ask yourself what is the first thought you want your audience to have. Whatever it is, make sure that thought is highlighted above the others. This can be achieved through header text, images, videos, slideshow, or even to go back a few steps, your domain name and homepage title. You also want to make sure that the first thought implanted into the viewer's mind is exactly what he is looking for. This is done through keyword research and research into the category you fit into. Now that you have them on your page for more than 5 seconds, lets keep them for another 5 seconds. Here is a list I have compiled, which I believe is crucial to uphold if you want them to stay longer.
{1} Composition: Treat you website like a photograph. Composition is a enormously important factor which many people ignore. Keep
your entire page composed according to the rules of composition.
{2} Color Scheme: Before designing you site, find a palette of colors all of which work well and compliment each other. These colors will
come into play when dealing with font colors, link colors, interactivity colors, and obviously, background colors.
{3} Ease-of-use: This is something many designer overlook yet has a huge impact on how long a user will stick around on your site.
Majority of the population is not going to stick around your page trying to figure out how things work. Don't create hidden
navigational menus or a complicated layout. I understand that the mission here is to think outside the box and create things anew
and not stick to the old fashion I understand that more than most since that is what I try to do with my designs. However, you can
create and design very unique creations and still stick within the rules allowing the user to navigate and experience your site in an
easy fashion Don't make it over complicated. People don't like complications. Simple. Sleek. Easy. These are your best friends when
it comes to layout and design.
{4} Simplicity: Keeping things simple goes a long way. Sometimes this is more difficult to achieve, especially if your dealing with a lot of
content. Still, there is always a way to keep the page looking simple. This means that if you have to clutter: organize the clutter.
Categorize your content. Keeping things simple is easy on the viewers eyes and allows them to find what they are looking for
quicker and thereby creating an attraction for them to come back and even bookmark your site.
{5} Originality: This topic is too broad to get into now. However, what I'm referring to specifically is creating a design which will make
the viewer want to explore your site and move beyond the page they came to see.
{6} Name-brand: Create a name brand for your site. Even if you aren't selling anything, that doesn't mean you don't people to
recognize your site just from a single glance. This allows you to imprint your site into the viewer's mind. This is especially true if you
want to market your site throughout the internet. (e.g. facebook's light blue colors are recognizable to everyone as being facebook
colors).
{7} Variation of Presentation: Everyone has a different preference of how they would like to receive information. Some would prefer to
sit and watch a video, while others just want an overview description. Then there are others who prefer every detail written out
simple enough for them to understand. There are many different varieties of presentation. In order to reach every type of person
visiting you site, create different varieties of presenting you site. Remember that at first you want to give them a simple and short
overview. Too much initial information is never a good idea. First summarize. This will capture the attention of your audience. Then
go into detail. Once they are interested, give them as much as you can. Remember not to get distracted and go on to a tangent.
{8} Interactivity: Allowing your viewers to interact with your site creates a relationship between them which, if executed correctly, will
have them wanting more and coming back.
{9} Compatibility: This is the most obvious of the list. Make sure your website is compatible with all web browsers and since we do live
in the 21st century, your website should be compatible and just as presentable on all devices capable of viewing your site.
{10} Clarity: This may be the most important point on the list. Make sure it's clear from the start what your page is about. Nobody
wants to search through your site to find out if they are in the correct place. BE CLEAR!.

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