How Websites Should Be Built
The interactive feature in the July, 2013 issue of HOW Magazine is an article I wrote about the web development process. It's called How Websites Should Be Built... Also, cool illustrations and charts by Luke Bott...
Rethinking the Case Study
Over the past year, we've been carefully studying the stages of the buying cycle, getting better acquainted with our audience, and thinking deeply about how they inform our content strategy. As a result, we've emerged at the other side with the strong opinion that the case study is uniquely suited to speak powerfully to the most discerning prospects' concerns, and should be among the most important content we create. And yet, it's often the most ignored. Chris Butler thinks it's time we changed that, and in this article, offers a plan you can put in place today to write great, sales-focused case studies...
Sourcing the Right Image
You've just launched your new website. Now you're faced with the task of continually generating new content to keep your readers informed and engaged. You're on top of the written content, no problem. But visual content is a challenge. Where are you going to come up with an image to accompany the 2,500 word newsletter you just put the finishing touches on? Or that series of blog posts you have scheduled for next month?
Advice for young developers
I recently passed my 15-year (!) anniversary here at Newfangled. At 17, right out of high school, I was remarkably lucky to land an internship where I could learn this, um, newfangled web technology.
Time and Experience Are Your Editors
The most important thing your homepage contains is a clear and succinct explanation of your expertise — who you are, what you do, and for whom. It's your positioning statement. If your positioning is clear, writing that explanation should be pretty simple. We're only talking about a sentence here...
Finding Design in the Process
The last year has brought about many adjustments to our process and each one has only strengthened our conviction that design is as important and central to this business as ever. In this month's newsletter, Chris Butler goes deep into what design for the web is all about, how we demonstrate it, and how it is distributed throughout the entire process...
Five Tips for Effective Lead Scoring
The ability to score your new leads is a key piece in the marketing automation puzzle. I've complied 5 tips to get you started in determining which of your leads are the most sales-ready and start marketing to them appropriately.
Resourcing Your Content Strategy
When we work with clients to develop content strategies, our conversations typically begin with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. With all the potential rewards of content marketing--improved SEO, more and better-quality site traffic, and the prospect of numerous content-related conversion opportunities--it's easy to get excited, and the impulse is often to dream big. That’s especially true in the prototyping phase of the web development process, which can sometimes feel a bit like the buffet at your favorite Indian restaurant. That’s why it’s so important to pause and take an unblinking look at the resourcing requirements of your chosen content strategy.
Info First, Design Next
When we talk about design, there are really two different things happening: information design, and visual design. For a knockout user experience, it's crucial that these two things work together, and that can really only happen by figuring out the information design first.
Forget the Fold, Part 2
Last month I wrote about "the fold" and how it has been misinterpreted and incorrectly applied when it comes to prioritizing a web page's content. Drawing an imaginary line across the page and placing a majority of your content above it really misses the goal, which is to expose users to important content and site features in a timely and clear fashion. In this post, I'll show you some example sites that get it right and others that need some help.