With technological advances, and templates galore available on the Web, it’s a wonder the average person hasn’t become a web designing guru by now. You’ve got a blog, you’ve got iWeb, and you know how to copy and paste from a source page, so what more do you need, right?

Webcopyplus is here to let you in on some secrets. There’s a lot more to good web design than you might think.

Here are some reasons why you’ve convinced yourself you can design your own website:

1. Almost Anyone Can Design Thanks to Modern Technology

Programs like iWeb are really neat because they empower the average user to build websites without the need to hire a professional. You can watch the tutorial, choose your template design, and even adjust the design to your liking by deleting certain elements and adding others. You can easily add your own photos, and even add widgets that allow you to incorporate YouTube videos and Google Maps, for example. Then, you simply publish your new site to the Web using whatever hosting arrangement you choose, and voila! You’re on the Web with the best of ‘em, right?

Wrong. The iWeb method of ‘web design’ (if you can call it that) might be fine for a kid who wants to share his fishing photos with the world, or a food blogger who wants to share their recipes, but it just doesn’t cut it when you’re building a website for a business with needs that can be far more complex. If you want to fully leverage the power of the many website features available, like e-commerce systems, for example, a professional web designer can help you achieve this by creating a design that supports this functionality.

Additionally, using a template doesn’t exactly paint your business in a favourable light. Anyone can use a template. Wouldn’t you rather have an original design for your website that shows how your business stands out from the rest?

2. You Can Just Use Facebook

In his article on Marketing Profs Daily Fix, titled With Facebook Pages, Who Needs a Website?, Paul Danay argues just that. He outlines all the amazing features that come with setting up a page for your business on Facebook, including:

• It’s totally free, including hosting
• It’s public, and indexable on search engines
• You can create unique URLs for individual landing pages, customized for ‘fans’ and ‘non-fans’ (a.k.a. people who have officially declared their support for your business on Facebook — which has since changed to ‘liking’ your page, rather than ‘becoming a fan’)
• You can host all your videos (as long as they’re under 10MB)
• You can upload your entire product catalogue, with descriptions
• You can post events
• You can add custom applications like Slideshare, for example
• You can run contests and surveys
• You can host a blog and connect your status updates with your Twitter account
• You can send messages to your page members for free
• You can buy targeted ads

Seems pretty ideal, no? Before you abandon your plans to build a website for your business in favour of all of these great things a Facebook page can do, you should consider a few great points made by web professionals who commented on Danay’s article. Here are just a few:

Not Everyone Is On Facebook

Sure, it may have surpassed Yahoo as the second most popular site in the United States in January 2010 (source: compete.com), while being hot on Google’s trail, but that doesn’t mean that all of your current or potential customers are using it. Remember that Facebook is more popular with certain demographics than others. Also, even though your page might still be viewable to people who do not have Facebook accounts, they won’t be able to participate in all of the elements you’ve created to engage the members of your page (including discussions, contests, and messages).

Facebook Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle

One commenter pointed out that in order to maximize your presence on the Web, you should not only have social media presence, but also a website. This is because you can connect all of your accounts, and take advantage of exposure to every possible prospect on the Web according to how he or she chooses to use it. By having a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a YouTube account, and a website, you can interconnect everything and expand your exposure across the Web, allowing you to reach a larger number of people.

Social Media Popularity Is Unpredictable

Just like technology, social media is constantly changing. New sites and experiences are being created every day, and it’s impossible to know which will be around for the long run. For example, Twitter and Facebook have all but obliterated MySpace. Who is to say that Facebook might go the same route as soon as a better option is created? Heck, there are rumours that Google is going to go face to face with Facebook. It’s best not to put all your eggs in one social media basket, and to invest in a well-designed, independent web presence that will stand the test of the changing social media landscape.

While Facebook is a popular site, and setting up a page for your business seems quite simple, it is possible to have a website that does all of the amazing things a Facebook page can. How? Seasoned web professionals can help you design and build your ideal website, incorporating all of the above outlined benefits, and much more, with options available for every budget. Plus, you’ll be able to maintain full control over your content and your site, something that is not entirely possible on Facebook.

3. I Know How to Blog, and Can Make One For My Business

WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr have a ton of nice looking themes that you could easily plug your content into. And, like iWeb, you have the ability to add widgets and other applications customized to your liking. You could even purchase a domain name that points to your blog, almost like you have a real, grown-up website!

There are certain limitations that come along with building your business website on a blogging platform. As with iWeb, using a template could easily mean that there is another business or blogger out there who has a blog that uses the exact same template as yours. Also, unless you are particularly Web savvy, you may find it challenging to install widgets and applications on your blog that meet your business needs.

If you like the simplicity of updating your content yourself through a blogging platform, there are web designers out there who can create a custom design for you that can be built on that very platform. This way, you can enjoy the individuality of a custom designed site, while still enjoying the simple content management available on blogging platforms like WordPress.

4. I Know How to Cut and Paste Code

I know of a person who is considered a ‘web expert’ throughout her office because she knows how to build websites by cutting and pasting elements from the source code of existing sites she likes, and incorporating them into a new site using iWeb. Her coworkers are blown away by her skills not knowing that she hasn’t really created anything on her own, but merely created a Frankenstein of websites by mashing different elements together, without really understanding the code, or knowing whether these elements will remain compatible in the long run.

This might be okay if you’re not interested in customized features and literally looking cookie cutter, but it could cause problems down the road if you want to make changes. Her coworkers may not know this, but she is constantly screaming obscenities at her computer screen when one small error in the code prevents the site from uploading altogether. In her own words: “It’s a nightmare!”

When you hire professionals to design your website, you can rest assured that it will look like a website for your business, and no one else’s. Also, professional web designers — the good ones at least — know how their designs will translate in terms of functionality, therefore making future changes less susceptible to formatting nightmares.

5. Designers Are Wishy-Washy People With No Sense of Time

Chances are, if you don’t have the budget to work with an online marketing agency, you’ll need to hire a freelance web designer. Freelancers have the luxury of setting their own deadlines, and working whenever they feel like it. How are you supposed to know that they’re not spending the day at the beach, while telling you that they’re swamped and unable to complete your project according to your deadline?

Please try to hold in your 9-to-5 rage when thinking of web designers in this regard. Just like you, they need to get a paycheck. Just because they have the ability to work when they please, does not mean they lack integrity. If anything, freelancers need to be even more disciplined in their work since they’re in control of if and when they will get paid according to their work ethic.

If you find a qualified professional with references and examples of their work that you like, there’s no reason for you to not trust their discipline to get your job done. Plus, most contracts are built so that you don’t have to pay the remaining balance until you are satisfied with the job, meaning that they have to get cracking, and do quality work, if they want to get paid.

Additionally, unless you are well versed in the work that goes into good web design, you can’t make assumptions about the amount of time required to complete a quality web design job. If you’re concerned about being left in the dark about timelines, ensure that your contract specifically outlines the project schedule, so you can remain informed and confident the work is being done.

Investing in a professionally designed website is a great marketing strategy for any business. Doing it yourself might seem like a money-saving option, however, you could end up wasting precious hours or days — time that could be much better spent on your business, rather than trying to get your DIY website to represent you the way it really should.

Website visitors are demanding fast-loading sites, just like they did in the 90s. But are they getting it? Despite faster Internet connections, users complain websites are still too slow, suggest tests conducted by usability specialist Jakob Nielsen.

The culprits, which used to be large images and Flash intros, are now fancy page widgets. Just try going to social media site Digg to get a taste for yourself.

Speed for Humans

According to Nielsen, speed matters for two reasons:

• Human limitations, especially in the areas of memory and attention. Nielsen noted: “We simply don’t perform as well if we have to wait and suffer the inevitable decay of information stored in short-term memory.”
• Human aspirations. “We like to feel in control of our destiny rather than subjugated to a computer’s whims,” added Nielsen. “Also, when companies make us wait instead of providing responsive service, they seem either arrogant or incompetent.”

Nielsen insists a “snappy” user experience beats a “glamorous” one because people engage more with a website when they can move freely and focus on the content instead of on the wait.

Webcopyplus’ own studies support this theory. For instance, in a 2009 online poll, more than 50% of participants noted that getting their information promptly on the Web is a top concern.

Speed for Spiders

While website loading speed is integral for visitors, it has also gained significance with search engine rankings. This is especially the case with Google, which introduced a new search architecture earlier this year called Google Caffeine.

Google Caffeine is considered faster, and brings users social media updates in real time. Additionally, it injects a new ranking factor into the algorithm — website speed. Consequently, Google is pushing faster websites higher in the search results, whereas slower websites find it harder to rank.

Response Time Limits

Nielsen outlined the following response time limits for websites:

• 0.1 seconds gives the feeling of instantaneous response — that is, the outcome feels like it was caused by the user, not the computer. This level of responsiveness is essential to support the feeling of direct manipulation (direct manipulation is one of the key GUI techniques to increase user engagement and control).
• 1 second keeps the user’s flow of thought seamless. Users can sense a delay, and thus know the computer is generating the outcome, but they still feel in control of the overall experience and that they’re moving freely rather than waiting on the computer. This degree of responsiveness is needed for good navigation.
• From 1–10 seconds, users definitely feel at the mercy of the computer and wish it was faster, but they can handle it. After 10 seconds, they start thinking about other things, making it harder to get their brains back on track once the computer finally does respond.

How Fast is Your Website?

Okay, so we know faster is better. There are several website speed tests you can use to find out how fast your website loads, including the one on iWeb.

We benchmarked our site, Webcopyplus.com, against Google and did fairly well. Our home page took .42 seconds to load, versus Google, which is renowned for speed, and clocked in at .11 seconds.

Take a moment to test your website speed. Is it too slow? Perhaps you need to optimize the page or move to a faster server. For more on website performance, check out an insightful article at Smashing Magazine, called Website Performance: What To Know and What You Can Do.

Kudos to Marca, the premiere sports news source in Spain, which designed a superb calendar for 2010 FIFA World Cup fans. Beautiful, clean and functional — the Spaniards know a thing or two about soccer and good design.

Enjoy the Marca soccer calendar here.

The popular online marketing slogan ‘content is king’ not only refers to the importance of writing engaging copy that also speaks to search engines. It also refers to the broader idea of understanding your medium and how your audience consumes content, including video, music, and images, within that medium.

This is especially the case when part of a new gadget’s hype is built around the groundbreaking ways it enhances our content consumption. After all, what is a nifty piece of technology without the amazing things that it can show us, customized for our specific interests?

Medium as Role Model

History has proven that people don’t like being told what content they can and can’t consume through their own pieces of technology (look at the recording industry decline, for example), unless of course they are trying to control what their children are looking at online.

Apple’s recent actions to censor content come apparently in response to complaints from parents and women in general about pornographic material available in the iTunes store. But should Apple really take on that responsibility? Should parents rely on TV, video games, and other media to raise their kids? The answer to this age-old debate seems quite obvious.

This censorship of pornographic content has morphed into a sweeping ban of all content deemed by Apple to be adult in nature, including everything from games that have scantily clad female characters, to fashion photography and art containing nudity.

For example, someone who has paid for a subscription to Vice Magazine on his or her iPad, will receive a censored version of the magazine, which, let’s face it, completely removes the allure of such a publication. This just doesn’t make any sense for a product that is supposed to offer an exciting new way to consume magazine content, thus breathing new life into the ailing industry.

Another reason Apple is prohibiting the use of certain programs on its devices is simply to prevent other companies from cashing in on income that might otherwise be diverted to the iTunes store. But will the banning of certain content send consumers to the competition anyway?

How Long Will We Put Up With It?

With Apple’s recent acts to censor content on its products, in addition to banning certain types of code altogether, they’re demonstrating a retreat from the ‘content is king’ mantra. They are making the arbitrary decision to limit what content you can consume through their products while using morality and competition as their crutches.

Of course, you can’t blame a business for wanting to remain competitive, but at what cost? What constitutes as too far? How long will people be seduced by sexy new gadgets until they get fed up with the fact that they’re not allowed to use them to consume their preferred content, even content they’ve rightfully paid for?

Picking Up The Slack

Apple’s censorship of applications, including wiping out those featuring adult content, regurgitated website feeds, and geo-location based ads, has prompted the competition to pick up the slack. Google’s open Android OS, for example, allows all of the above.

And the amount of people interested in purchasing the Android is skyrocketing. According to PC World, at the end of 2009, the number of people who saw an Android in their future had surpassed that of BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Palm. In fact, according to Market Watch, NPD Group reported that Android market share surpassed that of the iPhone in the first quarter of 2010.

If Google cashes in on the mobile porn market, Apple could be in trouble. With 43% of Internet users consuming online porn (one out of three being female), you better believe it’s going to be a huge market for the increasing mobile content world. This figure doesn’t include the content that is being censored under the debatable blanket ‘adult content’ category.

Time will tell if the Apple is shooting itself in the foot, or if slick design and functionality can dethrone the almighty content overlord.

If you work in the web industry, chances are you’ve debated the coolness factor surrounding geeks, nerds, dorks and dweebs. The following diagram cleverly outlines who’s who, so you can finally label yourself and get on with your life.

While we can’t confirm it, this seems to be the original source.

30. Geeks are good with their fingers

They tinker with computers and gadgets all day, so you won’t be disappointed when they tinker with your gadget.

29. Geeks love to role-play

You’ll be screaming ‘WoW’ while they make your bedroom Final Fantasy come true.

28. Geeks make better lovers

It’s a proven fact! A study of 2000 people in the UK found that computer geeks make the best lovers out of all other professions.

27. Geeks have soft hands

They’re not into hard labour so you can enjoy their gentle, callous-free caress.

26. Geeks take romance to the next level

Anyone can buy flowers, but a geek will serenade you with a Youtube video or a pop-up love note on your computer screen. Romance 2.0! Swoon.

25. Geeks aren’t bar stars

Most geeks shrivel in social settings, so you’ll never have to worry about him creeping on other girls at the bar.

24. Geeks rake in the dough

Do you know how much IT guys get paid per hour?! Cha-ching.

23. Geeks invent stuff all the cool kids want

Who do you think invented the iPhone?  Again, refer to number 25.

22. Geeks are good with their light sabers

We dare you to keep your clothes on after watching this video.

21. Geeks know how to party

Ain’t no party like a LAN party. They can last for days!

20. Geeks aren’t afraid to break the rules

They’ll get you illegal copies of the hottest Hollywood blockbusters just released in theatres.

19. Geeks are good at remembering numbers

They’ll never forget important dates like birthdays or anniversaries.

18. Geeks aim to please

They don’t get much attention from women, so when they do, they’ll do everything in their power to keep it.

17. Geeks won’t try to be prettier than you

You’ll never have to worry about them using all your hair products or displaying other metrosexual tendencies.

16. Geeks are thoughtful

As skilled researchers, geeks will go to the ends of the earth to learn about what makes you tick.

15. Geeks will be your superheroes

You’ll never have to pay someone to fix your crashed computer again.  Geek to the rescue!

14. Geeks like to play with toys

They’re no strangers to electronic devices, and that includes the ones hidden in your bedside drawer.

13. Geeks aren’t shallow

They spent their high school years developing their mental muscle while the jocks were distracted by parties and pretty girls.

12. Geeks collect toys, not girlfriends

They’re more interested in collecting Star Wars action figures than phone numbers.

11. Geeks aren’t cookie cutter

Their interests tend to be a bit more intriguing than the typical ones listed on every online dating profile. ‘Camping, hockey, beer, cars…’ Yawn!

10. Geeks let you have the remote

You won’t have to worry about a geek commandeering the TV for Sunday football.

9.  Geeks love sexy tattoos

Check out the ‘interactive tramp stamp’.

8.  Geeks aren’t meatheads

They’ll never have that unfortunate problem where their lats are so big they can’t put their arms down, or the one where their necks are the same width as their heads.

7.  Geeks know when to play games

They play them on the computer, not with your head.

6.  Geeks are cheap drunks

They don’t go out much, but when they do, it’s always epic!

5.  Geeks are in fashion

They’re built for skinny jeans, and everyone knows glasses are hot!

4.  Geeks will keep you laughing

There’s a reason why movies like ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ are legendary, and TV shows like ‘Big Bang Theory’ win Golden Globes.

3.  Geeks can make anything sexy

Sure, statistics can be sexy!  Only a geek could come up with this.

2.  Geeks love lingerie

Especially when it’s this kind of lingerie.

1.   Last but not least, geeks are into kinky stuff

They’re familiar with every kinky subculture on the Internet.  So you’re not going to shock them when you tell them about your furry fetish.

An SEO writer, or SEO copywriter, is basically a writer who develops keyword-rich website content.

Well-researched, keyword-rich content is a highly effective online marketing tool savvy businesses use to gain high search engine rankings, and generate leads and sales.

Accordingly, it’s the job of the SEO writer to effectively optimize website content with keywords that align with popular search terms.

Catering to two masters

The term SEO writer is also interchangeable with web content writer, web copywriter, website writer — the list goes on. Call them what you will, a web writer’s effectiveness should be gauged on to two main factors:

Traffic: A good SEO writer tactfully integrates keywords into website content so it ranks optimally on search engines. Weak SEO writers merely “keyword stuff,” meaning they randomly squeeze keywords into content wherever they can fit them. Lack of an effective keyword strategy results in missed opportunities.

Conversions: The experienced SEO writer also writes effective website content to engage visitors and promote conversions. That’s critical; you can have thousands of visitors monthly, but if no one is willing to invest in your offerings, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.

Such was the case for UBC, a globally known university in Canada that hired an SEO firm to improve their website’s search engine rankings. The SEO company did, but neglected the visitor. The content read so poorly that their bounce rates were dreadfully high.

Our SEO writers further optimized the client’s content, but also minded their visitors. Descriptive, useful information is now featured. As a result, the conference and accommodation website now generates both traffics and bookings.

At the end of the day, that’s what makes an effective SEO writer; one who writes for search engines and visitors.