Mikey Mioduski is a creative designer at Compendium Blogware, designing stuff and blogging about it. He sometimes writes about stuff that others have designed, wishing he'd designed it. He sometimes writes in third person. Enjoy!Mikey Mioduski is a creative designer at Compendium Blogware, designing stuff and blogging about it. He sometimes writes about stuff that others have designed, wishing he'd designed it. He sometimes writes in third person. Enjoy!I might continue this series actually, because I have a ton more bookmarks than I thought. These are all blogs, sites, and hybrids therebetween that really help me think about what good design is, or perhaps help me achieve it.
IDEO is an agency I believe who really has a slick design for their blog/site. While you might say it has a lot going on visually, the grid based setup is really helpful in readability throughout, and the company implements usability through and through, with a super cool Breadcrumb technique, the site is easy to get around. Great content, they have a lot of interesting stuff to say on design in general.
PSDTUTS is another solid tutorial site for designers focused on Photoshop (hence the PSD) so it might not be for everybody. Even if you arent yourself a designer, however, you might find some serious visual inspiration as the site has been around for awhile and has also extended to include other programs, like Flash, and Vector based programs in their network of tuts...
In sum...
Again, if you want your blog to convert, look to some of these examples to see what they're doing to boost their own conversion on their blogs. Remember, even though they're giving away lots of awesome content, they too are seeking conversion, so see what these designers are doing next time you're considering your business blog conversion rates.
Again, to recap on the theme of this series, business blogging is probably more deserving of good blog design and aesthetics than we might think. While a business blog should reflect the brand and maintain graphic standards, it should be a doorway for the visitor to ACT... CONVERT... get to the site. Good design is important, again, It's more than just eye candy!
IDEO is an agency I believe who really has a slick design for their blog/site. While you might say it has a lot going on visually, the grid based setup is really helpful in readability throughout, and the company implements usability through and through, with a super cool Breadcrumb technique, the site is easy to get around. Great content, they have a lot of interesting stuff to say on design in general.
PSDTUTS is another solid tutorial site for designers focused on Photoshop (hence the PSD) so it might not be for everybody. Even if you arent yourself a designer, however, you might find some serious visual inspiration as the site has been around for awhile and has also extended to include other programs, like Flash, and Vector based programs in their network of tuts...
In sum...
Again, if you want your blog to convert, look to some of these examples to see what they're doing to boost their own conversion on their blogs. Remember, even though they're giving away lots of awesome content, they too are seeking conversion, so see what these designers are doing next time you're considering your business blog conversion rates.
Continuing our good blog design hunt for inspiration, I want to keep in mind that good blog design is a must for business blogs, because conversion is the goal. While we use blogging as a tool for SEO, the reader must have a clear idea of "what to do next" when they find your business blog, and a good design will help you comminicate this, from the layout right down to the CTAs.
Go Media is one of my favorite design blogs because they are generous with the freebies. Not only are the tutorials and goodies really handy to designers, you should also note that they make a visible attempt to boost their own conversion, with a sidebar packed with goodies and points of conversion. I really like their tabbed/widgetized sidebars, its a great way to provide a lot of choices without taking up a ton of valuable real estate. Beauty design too.
CSS Tricks, the site of web designer Chris Coyier is so helpful for aspiring web designers of all levels-- from beginner, ahem, to pro. The newly added forums is picking up in polularity, and I think Chris does a fantastic job of walking you through his tutorials in a clear and understandable way.
Go Media is one of my favorite design blogs because they are generous with the freebies. Not only are the tutorials and goodies really handy to designers, you should also note that they make a visible attempt to boost their own conversion, with a sidebar packed with goodies and points of conversion. I really like their tabbed/widgetized sidebars, its a great way to provide a lot of choices without taking up a ton of valuable real estate. Beauty design too.
CSS Tricks, the site of web designer Chris Coyier is so helpful for aspiring web designers of all levels-- from beginner, ahem, to pro. The newly added forums is picking up in polularity, and I think Chris does a fantastic job of walking you through his tutorials in a clear and understandable way.
We all have a few favorite sites that we go to for inspiration and guidance. These are some of mine that I think really either have good design, or teach us how to attain it.
As I said in a previous post, good blog design is something that shouldn't be limited to the recreational bloggers, or the design blogs! Business bloggers should embrace good design as a part of their blogging goals to help their visitors convert. It's more than just eye candy!
Spending lots of time thinking about our own blog's design and how it relates to our goals of turning visitors into leads, I spend a lot of time looking at lots of really beautifully designed blogs, sites and hybrids somewhere between. These consist of design tutorial blogs, content offerings and others with some freebies which keep us coming back for more. In my mind, these sites are some of my favorites as a designer
Jason Santa Maria is a Brooklyn based designer and uses his site/blog hybrid "represents an experiment in art direction online." Each page has a layout based around the content, making it dynamic in its actual layout which is something very progressive. Very interesting content and beautiful work.
Vectips is a great tutorial blog for illustrators of the digital realm. While I learn a ton from the tutorials and tips/tricks, my favorite part of the site are the "inspiration" posts--- talk about some of the most inspiring poster design and illustration design around. Really opens you up to a lot of different artists.
As I said in a previous post, good blog design is something that shouldn't be limited to the recreational bloggers, or the design blogs! Business bloggers should embrace good design as a part of their blogging goals to help their visitors convert. It's more than just eye candy!
Spending lots of time thinking about our own blog's design and how it relates to our goals of turning visitors into leads, I spend a lot of time looking at lots of really beautifully designed blogs, sites and hybrids somewhere between. These consist of design tutorial blogs, content offerings and others with some freebies which keep us coming back for more. In my mind, these sites are some of my favorites as a designer
Jason Santa Maria is a Brooklyn based designer and uses his site/blog hybrid "represents an experiment in art direction online." Each page has a layout based around the content, making it dynamic in its actual layout which is something very progressive. Very interesting content and beautiful work.
Vectips is a great tutorial blog for illustrators of the digital realm. While I learn a ton from the tutorials and tips/tricks, my favorite part of the site are the "inspiration" posts--- talk about some of the most inspiring poster design and illustration design around. Really opens you up to a lot of different artists.
We've got yet another exciting opportunity for anyone looking to learn the benefits of integrating a blogging strategy into your marketing plan. Compendium CEO and Co-Founder Chris Baggott who is currently blogging really hard this afternoon, so he should have some really interesting stuff to talk about.
To accomodate more guests on different coasts, this webinar will take place two times on the 24th, at 11am and 4pm EST, for about one hour each. Each session is Live and Chris will field a Question and Answer session afterwards, and he will probably blog a lot about it the following week, especially if there is an internal incentive going on.
Sign up for the webinar here!
To accomodate more guests on different coasts, this webinar will take place two times on the 24th, at 11am and 4pm EST, for about one hour each. Each session is Live and Chris will field a Question and Answer session afterwards, and he will probably blog a lot about it the following week, especially if there is an internal incentive going on.
Sign up for the webinar here!
We know that business blogging has a different set of goals than recreational blogs. The type of business blogging that we promote for our clients is to use blogging as a tool for SEO. In other words, to create lots of content through the blog that will help you get found in search, and sell your product or service.
While it is easy to get caught up with the analytics, and the numbers, and the keywords, I feel it is my duty to encourage business bloggers especially to realize the power of a good looking blog design. This goes from the general layout to the Call to action buttons, or points of conversion. Once you get your readers to your blog, you want them to do something after they read your post. Actually, you want them to do something even if they dont get past the first sentence. This is where good design should come into your blogging goals.
Doug Karr and Chantelle Flannery on our Compendium Team have put together some really good webinars on specifics behind what makes a good Call to Action button, and if you have a chance, check a few out here.
If you doubt the power of great aesthetics, check out this article at A List Apart, by Stephen P. Anderson, "In Defense of Eye Candy." I know the web 2.0 look is finally seeing lots of resistance in the design community as the shiny gradient vectorized look has been used and abused, butsurely every good design trend sees resistance eventually simply due to its popularity (see Helvetica). There is something to say about the look and feel of this 2.0 design trend that made it so popular. It is clean, somewhat friendly, and as Anderson points out, it provides certain functionality just with its aesthetics. You know a good button when you see it, because it might actually resemble a real button with the highlighting and the bevel, etc. I'm not making a case for the design trend, just for the idea that good design can do more than just look nice, it can help the user ultimately.
This idea of good design shouldn't be limited to the design blogs and websites, but should extend to business blogging. I'm not saying our corporate blog design is a beacon of great design, I'm just saying we've made a continued attempt to incorporate good blog design and aesthetics into our blogging goals, in hopes of better conversion.
While it is easy to get caught up with the analytics, and the numbers, and the keywords, I feel it is my duty to encourage business bloggers especially to realize the power of a good looking blog design. This goes from the general layout to the Call to action buttons, or points of conversion. Once you get your readers to your blog, you want them to do something after they read your post. Actually, you want them to do something even if they dont get past the first sentence. This is where good design should come into your blogging goals.
Doug Karr and Chantelle Flannery on our Compendium Team have put together some really good webinars on specifics behind what makes a good Call to Action button, and if you have a chance, check a few out here.
If you doubt the power of great aesthetics, check out this article at A List Apart, by Stephen P. Anderson, "In Defense of Eye Candy." I know the web 2.0 look is finally seeing lots of resistance in the design community as the shiny gradient vectorized look has been used and abused, butsurely every good design trend sees resistance eventually simply due to its popularity (see Helvetica). There is something to say about the look and feel of this 2.0 design trend that made it so popular. It is clean, somewhat friendly, and as Anderson points out, it provides certain functionality just with its aesthetics. You know a good button when you see it, because it might actually resemble a real button with the highlighting and the bevel, etc. I'm not making a case for the design trend, just for the idea that good design can do more than just look nice, it can help the user ultimately.
This idea of good design shouldn't be limited to the design blogs and websites, but should extend to business blogging. I'm not saying our corporate blog design is a beacon of great design, I'm just saying we've made a continued attempt to incorporate good blog design and aesthetics into our blogging goals, in hopes of better conversion.
I knew I had heard the name GK before, my little sis was a gymnast and now it's all coming together. GK Elite Sportswear L.P. is a Compendium client and is featured in our newest Case Study due to the simple fact that they've seen awesome return on their business blogging strategy.
The company, GK from Elite Sportswear, L.P. is the most "recognized manufacturer of gymnastics apparel around the world." If you tuned into the olympics you will see the GK mark worn on literally the best in the world.
Some astounding numbers making a true case for our software as a service blogging solution. Within 6 months of active blogging, GK has seen over 14,000 unique visitors, and a revenue increase of 40%. To learn the nitty gritty of this business blogging poster child, checkout their case study here, or sign up for a demo and we'll divulge.
The company, GK from Elite Sportswear, L.P. is the most "recognized manufacturer of gymnastics apparel around the world." If you tuned into the olympics you will see the GK mark worn on literally the best in the world.
Some astounding numbers making a true case for our software as a service blogging solution. Within 6 months of active blogging, GK has seen over 14,000 unique visitors, and a revenue increase of 40%. To learn the nitty gritty of this business blogging poster child, checkout their case study here, or sign up for a demo and we'll divulge.
That's right, this post is blatant self promotion for the exclusive Business Blogging Survival Kit, our latest, greatest, most densely packed business blogging resource to date. What's included?1. Compendium Client Case Studies x2: The case studies selected offer a good glimpse of the diversity in our clientele, from Fairytale Brownies success increasing their online sales to Dr. Clue, a B-to-B client, who is driving 49% month-over-month traffic growth in just over 6 months of blogging.
2. Blogging ROI Whitepaper: Newly updated and packaged to articulate the very measurable Return on Investment of a business blogging strategy.
3. iMedia Article: "10 Ways to Boost the Value of your Corporate Blog."
4. Getting Started Checklist: As this Survival Kit is really for anybody considering a corporate blog, or who may not know how to start a business blog, this checklist gives a tangible list of steps to consider.
Online marketing is such a rapidly growing market, and the demand to climb the organic search ranks is only going to grow in importance as more and more catch on. Getting on the ladder with a smart blogging strategy before your competitors not only gives you a significant head start (it takes time to start ranking!!!!!!), you will begin building relationships and opening new doors that you otherwise would not have found with traditional marketing tactics.
So for those considering blogging as a tool for SEO, download the Survival Kit today.
So go with a Software as a Service blogging solution.
There is some real dirty work* involved with starting and running a succesful business blogging strategy. You must articulate your blogging goals, keep up with blogging best practices, create and implement compelling Call to Action buttons, stay within your brand, administer content... Oh, you also need to write the content. Frequently.
Business blogging ain't easy. Organizations today are well aware of blogging's serious benefits as a way to communicate a message affordably while climbing the ranks in organic searchl; yet, how many of us have the spare time to take on more work than we already have on our plates?
Compendium does the dirty work. We research the keywords for each client's individual needs, help them target individual goals, evaluate, analyze and provide tips along the way. We have a team of hard core developers working round the clock making our software better every day. You don't need to worry about the latest versions, downloading new plugins or worrying about coding.
Sure business blogging can be a lot of hard work, but as Bob Saget, Norm MacDonald, Chris Farley and Shooter McGaven reminded us in 1998, you can always hire people to do your dirty work for you. So all you need to do is login and get start posting.
"You just pressed G8."
There is some real dirty work* involved with starting and running a succesful business blogging strategy. You must articulate your blogging goals, keep up with blogging best practices, create and implement compelling Call to Action buttons, stay within your brand, administer content... Oh, you also need to write the content. Frequently.
Business blogging ain't easy. Organizations today are well aware of blogging's serious benefits as a way to communicate a message affordably while climbing the ranks in organic searchl; yet, how many of us have the spare time to take on more work than we already have on our plates?
Compendium does the dirty work. We research the keywords for each client's individual needs, help them target individual goals, evaluate, analyze and provide tips along the way. We have a team of hard core developers working round the clock making our software better every day. You don't need to worry about the latest versions, downloading new plugins or worrying about coding.
Sure business blogging can be a lot of hard work, but as Bob Saget, Norm MacDonald, Chris Farley and Shooter McGaven reminded us in 1998, you can always hire people to do your dirty work for you. So all you need to do is login and get start posting.
"You just pressed G8."
this one time someone said something along these lines: "if you don't set your blogging goals, you'll probably stop blogging after a few months." if nobody's said that, you can quote me on that.
I've seen it quite a bit, and I would bet that most blogs out there today are inactive. I personally have started a few blogs that I just sort of got bored with, forgot about, lost interest, couldn't remember the password, went too long without updating... Tons of excuses. The real reason is that I didn't have a real agenda or purpose.
There's some Technorati figure about the number of blogs started every day... It's mind blowing, thousands and thousands. I would wager that within a year, or even a month, the initial excitement wears off, and the blog enters its state of neglect. As marketers many of us are guilty of jumping onto the trendiest new technologies out there, because everyone else is doing it and we don't want to fall behind. But when we start implementing tactics just for the sake of using them-- like adding your company to Facebook, or Twitter without really asking ourselves, "why", we could be wasting our time.
That said, for a business looking to start a blog, I encourage you to ask yourself... what for? Set your blogging goals before you implement your blog and the outcome will be not only more meaningful, it will be easier to maintain and easy to track your results.
There are many valuable reasons to start a corporate blog, from search engine optimization to generating leads and humanizing your marketing, but if you're doing it just to do it, you're missing the point and the blog is likely to putter out before you ever see the results that are very real and very attainable with a strong blogging strategy.
I've seen it quite a bit, and I would bet that most blogs out there today are inactive. I personally have started a few blogs that I just sort of got bored with, forgot about, lost interest, couldn't remember the password, went too long without updating... Tons of excuses. The real reason is that I didn't have a real agenda or purpose.
There's some Technorati figure about the number of blogs started every day... It's mind blowing, thousands and thousands. I would wager that within a year, or even a month, the initial excitement wears off, and the blog enters its state of neglect. As marketers many of us are guilty of jumping onto the trendiest new technologies out there, because everyone else is doing it and we don't want to fall behind. But when we start implementing tactics just for the sake of using them-- like adding your company to Facebook, or Twitter without really asking ourselves, "why", we could be wasting our time.
That said, for a business looking to start a blog, I encourage you to ask yourself... what for? Set your blogging goals before you implement your blog and the outcome will be not only more meaningful, it will be easier to maintain and easy to track your results.
There are many valuable reasons to start a corporate blog, from search engine optimization to generating leads and humanizing your marketing, but if you're doing it just to do it, you're missing the point and the blog is likely to putter out before you ever see the results that are very real and very attainable with a strong blogging strategy.
As Meghan said in her recent post, we're going to be talking about some of what we have seen to be business blogging best practices and one area that I would like to explore is that of blog design.
The best graphic designers in the world are typography freaks, the idea being that you can say more with your content by choosing a typeface (they also get pissed if you call it a font), and manipulating it on your page in a way that conveys what the content might already be saying... Make sense? Basically, typographers live to make content as easy to read as possible.
There are some differences in traditional print type and web type that are important to understand (not saying I fully understand, because I don't, but hopefully these links will help us all!). Let us learn
Resolution resolved.
With cool new technologies on the horizon like font embedding, we are likely to see a whole lot more options down the road for the fonts we can utilize online, but the fact remains that some were meant for print, others for web. The reason web type to date has been limited to a handful of fonts is because most typefaces were designed for high resolution printing, to withhold their intricate detail at very large sizes. When shrunk down to a screen with a resolution of 72dpi (as opposed to 300dpi for good printing) these traditional print types are out of their element, not that they're not still awesome. Some fonts were made for computer screens specifically, and probably should refrain from wandering their way into print for that matter.
Not all computers are created equally.
We generally see a limited number of fonts online for usability's sake-- these are the fonts that generally all computers have. We know them as Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Trebuchet, Georgia, Courier, Lucida, to name a few. Here's a good link. http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html
Projected vs. Reflected Light.
The difference is not only the resolution, but also the type of light. Ultimately, our eyes tire much quicker with a projected (computer screen) light, whereas with print, the light is bounced off of the page and much easier on the ojos. Here's a simple article describing the difference. http://writingfortheweb.org/article/8/online-format-reflected-vs-projected-light
Here, try these.
These links will give you a good start on finding expertise to gain a good understanding of basics and much more of making type look beautiful and readable online. Go get em.
http://ilovetypography.com/2008/02/28/a-guide-to-web-typography/
http://www.typographer.org/2009/04/web-font-embedding-points-missing.html
http://24ways.org/2006/compose-to-a-vertical-rhythm
http://fontfeed.com/archives/category/type-tips/
The best graphic designers in the world are typography freaks, the idea being that you can say more with your content by choosing a typeface (they also get pissed if you call it a font), and manipulating it on your page in a way that conveys what the content might already be saying... Make sense? Basically, typographers live to make content as easy to read as possible.
There are some differences in traditional print type and web type that are important to understand (not saying I fully understand, because I don't, but hopefully these links will help us all!). Let us learn
Resolution resolved.
With cool new technologies on the horizon like font embedding, we are likely to see a whole lot more options down the road for the fonts we can utilize online, but the fact remains that some were meant for print, others for web. The reason web type to date has been limited to a handful of fonts is because most typefaces were designed for high resolution printing, to withhold their intricate detail at very large sizes. When shrunk down to a screen with a resolution of 72dpi (as opposed to 300dpi for good printing) these traditional print types are out of their element, not that they're not still awesome. Some fonts were made for computer screens specifically, and probably should refrain from wandering their way into print for that matter.
Not all computers are created equally.
We generally see a limited number of fonts online for usability's sake-- these are the fonts that generally all computers have. We know them as Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Trebuchet, Georgia, Courier, Lucida, to name a few. Here's a good link. http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html
Projected vs. Reflected Light.
The difference is not only the resolution, but also the type of light. Ultimately, our eyes tire much quicker with a projected (computer screen) light, whereas with print, the light is bounced off of the page and much easier on the ojos. Here's a simple article describing the difference. http://writingfortheweb.org/article/8/online-format-reflected-vs-projected-light
Here, try these.
These links will give you a good start on finding expertise to gain a good understanding of basics and much more of making type look beautiful and readable online. Go get em.
http://ilovetypography.com/2008/02/28/a-guide-to-web-typography/
http://www.typographer.org/2009/04/web-font-embedding-points-missing.html
http://24ways.org/2006/compose-to-a-vertical-rhythm
http://fontfeed.com/archives/category/type-tips/
I just saw a link that a good friend of mine posted on facebook for the legendary recording studio he works at http://www.shangrilamalibu.com/ I think they just relaunched their new website. if you take a look through the site you will notice the place has some amazing history behind it... It was built to the exact specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band and hosted a huge spectrum of legendary artists ever since. Martin Scorsese used the studio in rehearsal and in his making of The Band's Last Waltz (which I just finally watched and can't believe i've lived 26 years without it).
First I want to congratulate my friend Mickey Midas for getting in at such an amazing studio. Second, i want to go out on a limb here and wager 10,000 brown m&m's that recording studios like Shangri-la probably have probably some of the coolest stories to tell... ever. And, again, I may be a little biased, but I believe a blog is the best way to share these stories with people who really want to read them. And if these studios benefit at all from ranking higher in search, a multi-user platform blogging platform (like Compendium Blogware) is the perfect tool to solve get these stories out and traffic in.
Man I'm jealous. Do work Mike!
First I want to congratulate my friend Mickey Midas for getting in at such an amazing studio. Second, i want to go out on a limb here and wager 10,000 brown m&m's that recording studios like Shangri-la probably have probably some of the coolest stories to tell... ever. And, again, I may be a little biased, but I believe a blog is the best way to share these stories with people who really want to read them. And if these studios benefit at all from ranking higher in search, a multi-user platform blogging platform (like Compendium Blogware) is the perfect tool to solve get these stories out and traffic in.Man I'm jealous. Do work Mike!
Is it? I haven't written a post in like a month now, and I have to admit, after a certain period of neglecting my Compendium business blog, I have this little voice in my head that tells me i'm at this point of no return. It's too late man, just give it up.
So, is it too late for me to start blogging again? I'm doing it right now, so I guess you could say, uh no. We blog on Compendium as an SEO (search engine optimization) tool, meaning, we generate content about our software as a service so that those looking for a corporate blogging solution will find us, because our frequent and relevant content will take us higher for select search terms.
The frequency might be the issue, but I am sure just about every serious blogger-- both business and recreational-- have gone through a bit of a hiatus. Fortunately, with gadgets like RSS feeds, your followers will be alerted when you get back on the horse. For me, since I am well aware that the vast majority of my blog readers are first time readers who found my post in a search, they couldn't care less if I had previously taken a break, so long as they found some information that answered their questions-- their reason for searching in the first place.
So what do we do when we fall of the horse? I don't know, I'm not a gymnast, but I have a feeling it involves blogging.
So, is it too late for me to start blogging again? I'm doing it right now, so I guess you could say, uh no. We blog on Compendium as an SEO (search engine optimization) tool, meaning, we generate content about our software as a service so that those looking for a corporate blogging solution will find us, because our frequent and relevant content will take us higher for select search terms.
The frequency might be the issue, but I am sure just about every serious blogger-- both business and recreational-- have gone through a bit of a hiatus. Fortunately, with gadgets like RSS feeds, your followers will be alerted when you get back on the horse. For me, since I am well aware that the vast majority of my blog readers are first time readers who found my post in a search, they couldn't care less if I had previously taken a break, so long as they found some information that answered their questions-- their reason for searching in the first place.
So what do we do when we fall of the horse? I don't know, I'm not a gymnast, but I have a feeling it involves blogging.
This is a new addition to the sasquatch-- our really big footer. Although we emphasize the importance of our keyword-driven blogs as a means of leveraging your content further in search... sometimes we take a liking to certain blog authors.
Until now, it's been kind of tough to find our individual bloggers, short of digging through our blogs or googling the persons name. And that can be just plain creepy.
So now, if you want to read the latest from Jenni Edwards, Chris Baggott, Ali Sales, Meghan Peters... Just scroll down to our footer and click on their smiling face.
Remember, the beauty of business blogging with Compendium is that your employees can tell your story for you. Seeing this cluster of bloggers is not only handy, it's impressive to know that these are all employees blogging to get our company found in search.
Our goal here? Easier navigation to give our visitors what they are looking for. Okay, lower bounce rates and increase conversion rates, but the easy navigation thing is cool too.
Before.
And after...
We're still missing a few bloggers. I'm emailing their mothers since they didn't supply me with a picture yet. Hayo!
Until now, it's been kind of tough to find our individual bloggers, short of digging through our blogs or googling the persons name. And that can be just plain creepy.
So now, if you want to read the latest from Jenni Edwards, Chris Baggott, Ali Sales, Meghan Peters... Just scroll down to our footer and click on their smiling face.
Remember, the beauty of business blogging with Compendium is that your employees can tell your story for you. Seeing this cluster of bloggers is not only handy, it's impressive to know that these are all employees blogging to get our company found in search.
Our goal here? Easier navigation to give our visitors what they are looking for. Okay, lower bounce rates and increase conversion rates, but the easy navigation thing is cool too.
Before.
And after...
We're still missing a few bloggers. I'm emailing their mothers since they didn't supply me with a picture yet. Hayo!
What should a business blog look like? Well let me ask you this, what do you want it to look like?
I think a lot of times we go with what we we've seen, and that is okay, but it can also be very limiting. I would say most business blogs have a very professional, clean, business blog look. That's ok.
But your blog should reflect your brand, your ness. So don't be afraid to be expressive. Think about things that you personally like when you see other blogs. If you think your brand or your blog would benefit from a little makeover, or a new feature here and there, then go for it.
I'm going to start writing about these bits of inspiration-- blog design elements that work and that we might want to consider implementing ourselves.
The first element of blog design inspiration is the use of fatty images. Big honkin' images, that have uniform dimensions or widths give a really clean, polished, but bold look.
Take this ISO50 Blog, of graphic designer, Scott Hansen. What I really like is the simplicity in design from top to bottom.
The blog is engaging because he uses tons of full-sized images. And, being an incredibly talented designer (check out the dude's portfolio for crying out loud! enviable!), he keeps a very consistent look and feel throughout. I mean immaculate. The images are all the same width, which makes for an easy read, especially if you're more of an... ahem... visual reader.
The beauty of our Compendium image uploader, is that it has a max width, and if an image is larger, it will automatically scale it down to that width-- 640px in our particular case.
In summary, use big images if that works for your business blogging purposes, because they look awesome and some of us don't like to read.
I think a lot of times we go with what we we've seen, and that is okay, but it can also be very limiting. I would say most business blogs have a very professional, clean, business blog look. That's ok.
But your blog should reflect your brand, your ness. So don't be afraid to be expressive. Think about things that you personally like when you see other blogs. If you think your brand or your blog would benefit from a little makeover, or a new feature here and there, then go for it.
I'm going to start writing about these bits of inspiration-- blog design elements that work and that we might want to consider implementing ourselves.
The first element of blog design inspiration is the use of fatty images. Big honkin' images, that have uniform dimensions or widths give a really clean, polished, but bold look.
Take this ISO50 Blog, of graphic designer, Scott Hansen. What I really like is the simplicity in design from top to bottom.
The blog is engaging because he uses tons of full-sized images. And, being an incredibly talented designer (check out the dude's portfolio for crying out loud! enviable!), he keeps a very consistent look and feel throughout. I mean immaculate. The images are all the same width, which makes for an easy read, especially if you're more of an... ahem... visual reader.
The beauty of our Compendium image uploader, is that it has a max width, and if an image is larger, it will automatically scale it down to that width-- 640px in our particular case.
In summary, use big images if that works for your business blogging purposes, because they look awesome and some of us don't like to read.
Saw this press release from pr.com about Jody Gabourie's new eBook, "Ready Made Marketing Plan."
As the press release, "Smart Business Owners Know That a Blog is Essential to Build Their List and Gain Credibility in the Over-Crowded Online World" says, Gabourie is a marketing coach and says a lot of small business owners know they need to blog, they just don't know how or where to start.
That's where Compendium-- a blogging software-as-a-service solution really differentiates itself from the traditional blogging platforms. I've dealt first hand with the majority of them, and unless you know a bit about design, or have some time to really learn a new software, figure out how to tweak it and design it to your liking, then I don't recommend them for the faint of heart.
With a software as a service blogging solution (Compendium) you have a client success manager who takes care of the setup for you. Our team of developers worry about the functionality of your blog, so you don't have to.
Not to mention, the reason you're blogging for business is that you want your prospects to find you on that first page of Google when they type in a keyword phrase. Compendium's focus is on SEO, optimizing your content to rank as high as possible in search.
Again, most small business owners don't have time to sit down and learn a new program, or software and I think that's what keeps them from "setting up a blog." So if your a business, and you want to blog, it makes sense to look into a business blogging software, as opposed to the traditional do-it-yourself or individual based platforms.
As the press release, "Smart Business Owners Know That a Blog is Essential to Build Their List and Gain Credibility in the Over-Crowded Online World" says, Gabourie is a marketing coach and says a lot of small business owners know they need to blog, they just don't know how or where to start.
That's where Compendium-- a blogging software-as-a-service solution really differentiates itself from the traditional blogging platforms. I've dealt first hand with the majority of them, and unless you know a bit about design, or have some time to really learn a new software, figure out how to tweak it and design it to your liking, then I don't recommend them for the faint of heart.
With a software as a service blogging solution (Compendium) you have a client success manager who takes care of the setup for you. Our team of developers worry about the functionality of your blog, so you don't have to.
Not to mention, the reason you're blogging for business is that you want your prospects to find you on that first page of Google when they type in a keyword phrase. Compendium's focus is on SEO, optimizing your content to rank as high as possible in search.
Again, most small business owners don't have time to sit down and learn a new program, or software and I think that's what keeps them from "setting up a blog." So if your a business, and you want to blog, it makes sense to look into a business blogging software, as opposed to the traditional do-it-yourself or individual based platforms.
Have you ever gotten to a blog, or a site, and it seemed like a relevant link, and it probably is... But when you get to the blog, your head just felt like exploding? Mine almost did a few minutes ago, so I clicked a red "x."
This was a great article, I think. It's called, "E-Commerce Site Design: Setting Up Blogs for Business."
The site is clearly heavily trafficked, which is probably why there is just sooo much information on the page. At a certain point, it's probably just really hard to, you know, find a place for all of it.
For a business blog, (and I think it was Doug Karr who broke this down for me one day) the design emphasis should be placed on the actual content area, making it as legible as possible, to give searchers what they're looking. And anyone please correct me if I'm totally wrong...
From there, give them some options, some reasons to stick around, or even better, some compelling calls to action to convert on. But first, give them what they were looking for in the first place. Instead of thinking about how many ads you can fit on your blog, think about how helpful you can make your blog to visitors. This will hopefully help you out in the long run.
This was a great article, I think. It's called, "E-Commerce Site Design: Setting Up Blogs for Business."
The site is clearly heavily trafficked, which is probably why there is just sooo much information on the page. At a certain point, it's probably just really hard to, you know, find a place for all of it.
For a business blog, (and I think it was Doug Karr who broke this down for me one day) the design emphasis should be placed on the actual content area, making it as legible as possible, to give searchers what they're looking. And anyone please correct me if I'm totally wrong...
From there, give them some options, some reasons to stick around, or even better, some compelling calls to action to convert on. But first, give them what they were looking for in the first place. Instead of thinking about how many ads you can fit on your blog, think about how helpful you can make your blog to visitors. This will hopefully help you out in the long run.
I'd like to introduce Sasquatch, our really big footer.
The goal of our footer is, let's face it, to increase conversion. But really, it's about usability, giving our visitors more options to find what they're really after. The longer someone can spend on our blog, the longer we can show them that we're experts, and that our blog software is the best search acquisition tool for the buck.
"Project Sasquatch" is one of our continuations in a big focus on-- and experiment with-- our points of conversion on our company blog. We started to notice that more and more progressive sites and blogs have really chunky footers, with lots of helpful info, like links to helpful posts, news updates, a little info about the site... general "goods."
And why not?!
Our blog is not only a place for us to talk about business blogging, but let's face it, compendium's blog is used as a customer acquisition tool, through search. So if someone is looking for general information on "business blog software," we want to provide them with what they're looking for. The more options we give, throughout the blog, with attention to usability and hierarchy etc, the more chance they will have of finding exactly what they were looking for.
I genuinely hope it helps.
So, please, stay awhile.
The goal of our footer is, let's face it, to increase conversion. But really, it's about usability, giving our visitors more options to find what they're really after. The longer someone can spend on our blog, the longer we can show them that we're experts, and that our blog software is the best search acquisition tool for the buck.
"Project Sasquatch" is one of our continuations in a big focus on-- and experiment with-- our points of conversion on our company blog. We started to notice that more and more progressive sites and blogs have really chunky footers, with lots of helpful info, like links to helpful posts, news updates, a little info about the site... general "goods."
And why not?!
Our blog is not only a place for us to talk about business blogging, but let's face it, compendium's blog is used as a customer acquisition tool, through search. So if someone is looking for general information on "business blog software," we want to provide them with what they're looking for. The more options we give, throughout the blog, with attention to usability and hierarchy etc, the more chance they will have of finding exactly what they were looking for.
I genuinely hope it helps.
So, please, stay awhile.
Our intern Jason has just requested that you, the Mayor, put wireless on the Monument Circle. Then on sunny days like this, the city of Indianapolis could go do work, out on the circle, basking in the sun, laptops on their laps, with glorious beams of invisible wireless internet right there ripe for the taking.
I think Jason is on to something.
Talk about stimulating the economy. With our old Monument Circle all wired up, smart companies can start blogging for business after a bite to eat at one of our many great downtown restaurants, or just to take a break for some fresh air. Indianapolis ventures big and small can then start to see the benefits of blogging, as they'll begin ranking higher in search engines. Content and traffic work together like that.
Not only that, they'll be telling their stories, humanizing their marketing, putting voices and faces to their companies. In today's world where buzzwords like "transparency" and "authenticity" are given so much importance, there's nothing like empowering your employees to tell your story for you. That's honesty.
I know Compendium would take full advantage of this new addition to the already awesome Circle. And our intern would really appreciate it too.
Thanks.
I think Jason is on to something.
Talk about stimulating the economy. With our old Monument Circle all wired up, smart companies can start blogging for business after a bite to eat at one of our many great downtown restaurants, or just to take a break for some fresh air. Indianapolis ventures big and small can then start to see the benefits of blogging, as they'll begin ranking higher in search engines. Content and traffic work together like that.
Not only that, they'll be telling their stories, humanizing their marketing, putting voices and faces to their companies. In today's world where buzzwords like "transparency" and "authenticity" are given so much importance, there's nothing like empowering your employees to tell your story for you. That's honesty.
I know Compendium would take full advantage of this new addition to the already awesome Circle. And our intern would really appreciate it too.
Thanks.
It's about to get real y'all.
The beauty of our simple blogging software is that you have a venue to test your messaging, your calls to action. We track ours through Sales Force and Google Analytics. Basically, we count the number of people that came through on our CTA's, divide it by overall traffic, and whammy --- we got us a conversion rate.
Your calls to action botones are your points of conversion, where a reader turns into a prospect, or a lead. If you glance to the right, we have a few that say something like "Blogging & Email Whitepaper" or "get $50 iTunes when you view a demo" Or if you scroll up, there's one with a very curious woman who looks like she's considering something.
Businesses can blog to get found through search. We have lots of first-hand documentation showing that content and traffic are directly related. That might be how you found this post. Once found, visitors will do one of a few things. And here they are:
1. Bounce. I also call this "Nope." As far as websites go, we judge books by their covers all the time, and if the design looks cheap, generic, spammy, lame, stupid, sick in the bad way or just unflattering as a whole, a quick exit is only one click away. If a visitor found you through a search that turned out to be irrelevant, this means you weren't really what they were looking for. Don't be sad.
2. Read. And then bounce. So maybe your post was what your visitor was looking for, but the search itself was haphazard. Our casual visitor may glance through your post, but in the end, they're "just not looking for anything too serious." Blogging experts probably refer to this as a one-post stand.
3. Read. And then read some more. Yep. Maybe they really like your post, and your blog. Impressed with your thoughts, your insights, your general knowledge of the key differences between 3-season tents and 4-season tents, they decide to poke around, maybe see what you think about ground tarps. They might even say something to themselves out-loud, like "yep, uh huh, yep." They might even comment on your post. They are fully engaged. What else are they gonna do at work?
4. Read, and take action! In the industry, we refer to this as a conversion. Everytime Compendium gets a conversion from our blog, I like to get up and walk to the water cooler. I think it's important to exercise some sort of tradition after a victory like this, no matter what how small. Conversions, after all, are where we win the bread, where we turn visitors into leads.
So. Ask yourself, do I want to walk to the water cooler today?
If you said "yes," and if you said it outloud, then you you are probably getting some weird looks right now from your coworkers. And I think that's awesome.
The beauty of our simple blogging software is that you have a venue to test your messaging, your calls to action. We track ours through Sales Force and Google Analytics. Basically, we count the number of people that came through on our CTA's, divide it by overall traffic, and whammy --- we got us a conversion rate.
Your calls to action botones are your points of conversion, where a reader turns into a prospect, or a lead. If you glance to the right, we have a few that say something like "Blogging & Email Whitepaper" or "get $50 iTunes when you view a demo" Or if you scroll up, there's one with a very curious woman who looks like she's considering something.
Businesses can blog to get found through search. We have lots of first-hand documentation showing that content and traffic are directly related. That might be how you found this post. Once found, visitors will do one of a few things. And here they are:
1. Bounce. I also call this "Nope." As far as websites go, we judge books by their covers all the time, and if the design looks cheap, generic, spammy, lame, stupid, sick in the bad way or just unflattering as a whole, a quick exit is only one click away. If a visitor found you through a search that turned out to be irrelevant, this means you weren't really what they were looking for. Don't be sad.
2. Read. And then bounce. So maybe your post was what your visitor was looking for, but the search itself was haphazard. Our casual visitor may glance through your post, but in the end, they're "just not looking for anything too serious." Blogging experts probably refer to this as a one-post stand.
3. Read. And then read some more. Yep. Maybe they really like your post, and your blog. Impressed with your thoughts, your insights, your general knowledge of the key differences between 3-season tents and 4-season tents, they decide to poke around, maybe see what you think about ground tarps. They might even say something to themselves out-loud, like "yep, uh huh, yep." They might even comment on your post. They are fully engaged. What else are they gonna do at work?
4. Read, and take action! In the industry, we refer to this as a conversion. Everytime Compendium gets a conversion from our blog, I like to get up and walk to the water cooler. I think it's important to exercise some sort of tradition after a victory like this, no matter what how small. Conversions, after all, are where we win the bread, where we turn visitors into leads.
So. Ask yourself, do I want to walk to the water cooler today?
If you said "yes," and if you said it outloud, then you you are probably getting some weird looks right now from your coworkers. And I think that's awesome.
