This was going to happen sooner rather than later. Google algorithmic updates have all focused on helping visitors find high quality websites, and the latest update is a step in the same direction. This one is going to have a marked effect on the layout of the web page.  Google has acted on user’s complaints about difficulty in coming across content on a particular website if it is packed to the brim with advertisements and design elements.

Users aren’t too happy about scrolling down a webpage to look at the content that they are interested in seeing. For them, this is a waste of time and Google, in a bid to ensuring that website visitors are promised the best user experience design that allows them to find the actual content easily as soon as they land on the website, has come up with an update. According to this update, if a website doesn’t have sufficient amount of content "above the fold" on the website, its ranking might be affected.

What this means is that if the space "above the fold" is populated by a slew of ads, it does not make for very good user experience and this is what Google wants to make right. The phrase "above the fold" refers to the upper half of the web page, or to put it more specifically, that part of the web page that a user can easily access without scrolling.

Now, placing advertisements "above the fold" is a common occurrence on most websites, this is because a website owners’ prime concern is to make their sites more profitable, and ads placed in prominent positions encourage monetization. But, excessive placement of such ads means the real content of the website is difficult to find. This update will have no impact on those websites that place ads "above the fold" in normal amounts.  This is the kind of amount that does not push the website content "below the fold".

This update will only impact those websites that display so many ads "above the fold" that they push the content down, so much so that visitors will have to scroll the page in order to have a look at it. Google estimated that less than 1% of searches will be impacted by this change. If a website’s rankings have been affected by this change, webmasters can relook their layout and make the necessary changes on the necessary webpage to ensure that the content on the page can be found immediately. Any change made, will be automatically reflected in the results on the search page. But, it’s important to remember that any layout update or its reorder will take some time to reflect on the SERPs and is dependent on various factors including the amount of webpages updated and also the crawlability of the content.

So, a great idea would be to fashion a website that gives a lot of importance to user experience so that this update doesn’t affect your website’s rankings adversely. Good user experience results in better conversions and reduces bounce rates and this is reason enough to focus on it.

A word of advice – Google has made no bones about the fact that its focus of attention is always on ensuring a better experience for website visitors. So, instead of making changes to your website, whenever Google comes up with an update in its algorithm, it is always better to give due importance to enhancing the user experience of your website, as much as possible.

Successful web design is always emphatic in the message that it is trying to deliver through the use of various design elements.  The concept of ‘emphasis’ is in marked contrast to that of ‘unity’ another important concept that contributes towards custom web design success. While the former involves designers ensures that a particular web design element stands out and draws the attention of viewers, the latter asks designers to ensure that all elements used for website design, come together to make an impression on the viewer.

Here we are going to talk about how you can emphasize certain elements of website design. Let’s take a look at 4 ways that will help make this possible.

The Art of Proper Placement

When you view a website what is the portion of the website that you look at first? Typically, it’s the center of the composition. So, what this means is that if you want to provide emphasis, you must place the design element right at the center of the layout. This is where it has the strongest possible chance of getting noticed. But, you could also think about using the top left corner of the web page to provide emphasis. This is yet another significant portion of the web page that garners a lot of attention.

Maintain Proper Flow

The idea behind maintaining a continuing flow with respect to design elements is to ensure that a viewer’s eyes move in one direction alone. At the end of this visual path that you have determined for the viewer, you can place the dominant feature. Such features will definitely catch the viewer’s eye and create a marked impression. Take for example the use of the common ‘arrow’ when you place an object at the end of the arrow, this object assumes tremendous importance.

Emphasis through Isolation

Proximity helps create unity, while isolation provides emphasis. Think of the Sahara with its endless sand dunes and an oasis in the middle of these sand dunes. Doesn’t the oasis create an impact? Well, the same brand of thinking works for website design as well. If you place an element in isolation, it is bound to stand out.  Your eyes and anybody else’s for that matter will be attracted to a design element that is surrounded by plenty of white space.

Contrast always comes to the rescue

Think about it, big and small, dark and bright, two colors that lie at the opposite ends of the color wheel etc. have helped provide emphasis, since time immemorial. The art of using two dramatically different graphic elements in a layout is bound to create an impression - More the difference, greater the element’s capacity to stand out. Disparate graphic elements are commonly used by web designers to provide emphasis.

These are just four ways of providing emphasis, and there are plenty more. It’s not absolutely necessary for you to follow these pointers for providing emphasis. All we have done is offer the most commonly used ways and the most easily incorporated of ideas that help provide emphasis. When it’s a matter of emphasis, you can get as creative as you like.

Your search for a software development company must diligently focus on the necessities and ignore the non-essentials. Once identified, you will need to draw up a legal contract with the company that exhaustively defines the nature of your working relationship with the company and the duties and responsibilities assigned to the said company. This is a process that requires attention to detail and a prime focus on mitigating any and every risk associated with working with a software development company and the process of software development in general.

Here are 4 ways of ensuring that the risks to software development are mitigated considerably.

Understand the Contract and then Sign on the Dotted Line

Typically, you will be presented with either a Fixed –Price or a Time and Material Contract. In the former, the risk related to cost overruns is assumed by the developer while in the latter, you are burdened with it. At first glance, you might think that there is no doubt that you must choose the ‘Fixed Price’ contract. But think about it for a second. Developers aren’t fools; they will ensure that they will take into consideration the prospect of cost overruns, while determining the fixed cost of the project development.  You are paying for it, but you just don’t realize it.  When it comes to a Time and Materials contract, you are going to pay the developer on an hourly basis, so there is a case where the developer might feel it’s worth his while to extend the period of the development to bill some more hours to you.

The bottom line is that both contracts have some risks linked to them. You will need to ensure that you are able to read between the lines of the contract and ensure that each and every deliverable related to the project, is stated explicitly. Otherwise, you are leaving space wide open for potential disputes.

Tweaking Advance Payments

Most software companies will ask for an upfront payment. This could be half of the total cost of the project, if it’s a major investment on the part of the client, or it could even by a full payment if the size and scope of the project is not really that big. But, the problem with such advance payments is that you are bearing the risk of the non-performance of the developer. This is a huge risk and you will need to mitigate it. This can be done by trying to work out a payment deal with the developer that has you making a payment that is time bound. This means you will pay for a week’s worth of development; once the week is out you can take a look at the work done, and then move forward for the next week’s payments.  When you are making advance payments, your focus should only be on minimizing the amount that you pay as much as possible.

Beware of Kill Switches

Oops!  If you forget about this risk, your software is in danger. One of the reasons why experts ask for due diligence before you choose any software developer to work on your project is because there are plenty of crooked developers out there. These are the kind of developers that won’t think twice about working a kill switch into the application that they are developing for you. In some circles, this switch is also known as an extortion switch. In the event there is a payment dispute between you and the unscrupulous developer you are working with, all they will do is press the switch and shut your application down, remotely. Do what you will, but you will have no other option but to pay up. One of the ways that you can get around this blackmail is that you have a contract that categorically makes mention of such practices and prohibits their use.

Beware of the Disappearing Act

The internet has paved the way for plenty of “enterprising” elements who are out to make a quick buck and fool gullible people who think something that’s said on the internet must and will be the absolute truth. There are plenty of people who call themselves freelance developers, playing the field on the World Wide Web. Their modus operandi is simplicity itself. They have a wonderful looking website, a fantastic portfolio, and they respond immediately to quote requests from potential clients. These quotes are often bottom of the barrel that anybody will find attractive. They ask for a limited upfront payment, which is also something that attracts potential clients. When the payments are made, there is no word from the developer. The developer and your money will have disappeared.

It’s very easy to avoid falling into such a trap. The first step is to choose a developer or a development company, that has a physical address and the second step, will be to visit that address and have a face- to-face conversation. At the cost of sounding repetitive, I want to say once again that the key is due diligence. Only work with a company or a freelance developer if you are absolutely sure about their credibility and reputation on the market.

There are plenty of other ways that help ensure, you minimize the risk associated with software development. But, these are enough to push you in the right direction. The important thing is to take all your decisions after a lot of forethought and by evaluating and analyzing everything that you think will go wrong.

What’s so hot about Pinterest, that it has even the traditionalist internet users, who shy away from trying something new, wanting to try it out? In a web space already cluttered with numerous social networks, and dominated by the BIG TWO, will a new social network really command enough attention?  Only time will tell if Pinterest will have the wherewithal to create its own space in what is increasingly looking like saturated social space on the World Wide Web.

But there is also no doubt that Pinterest has begun luring social media fans with its concept and the features that it has on offer. Let’s take a look at what this social media platform is all about and what we can make of its features.

Here we go.

Pinterest in a Nutshell

Pinterest takes its name from a pinup board. The team behind Pinterest has made a virtual pinup board that helps organize all those inspiring and interesting images that you find on the World Wide Web. As it’s a social media platform, you can even share these images with your friends. In Pinterest parlance these images are called ‘Pins’ that can be added to a ‘Board’ customized and themed to suit your needs and requirements. You can create a ‘board’ on any and every topic that you can think off, without any limitations.

Pinterest can be called a voyage of discovery through the use of images. You can browse the pinboards created by other users who share similar interests and passion as yours, which helps you discover new things about your shared passion.

What you can do with Pinterest?

This is the key question isn’t it? Users no longer are happy just with a presence on a social media platform. What they are looking for is a way to practically use it to improve their lives in some form or the other. And Pinterest does help them do that in many different ways. If you are a photographer, you can build a whole portfolio with the help of Pinterest. If you are an architect, you can create a Board that has pictures of your best work. If you are a housewife, you can create a shopping list of things that you need to buy for your home through the week. The options are literally endless. At the end of the day, if don’t really have any clear purpose in mind, just pinning pictures of the really interesting stuff that you come across, not only on the internet but also in your daily life, is reason enough to use Pinterest.

Using Pinterest

The purpose is all well and good, but is it usable? Two words – It is. Here’s how you can pin stuff in Pinterest. It offers you something called the ‘Pin It Button’, in the form of a ‘drag and drop’ browser extension. So, in your travels through the web, if you come across an image that you like, all you need to do is click on the button and choose the pictures that you want to add to your Board. You will also be able to add some interesting text describing the picture. What’s more, the image doesn’t necessarily have to be from the internet. You can click a picture and use the Pinterest iPhone app to add the image to your Boards.

Taking a cue from the ‘Retweets’, you can even ‘Repin’ images that other users have posted on their boards.

The Social Perspective

Ok, so what’s the social angle to Pinterest? Well, it works on the belief that if you do something together, it is more fun. If you are pinning something on your Pinterest board, you are a Pinner, and you can find different Pinners to comment on their Pins or Repin an image that you like onto your board. You could even follow a board that you find interesting and get any new updates on that board. If you want to follow somebody on Pinterest, you don’t need to take permission of the Pinner, as it’s an open network. Also, as a Pinner, who is also on Twitter and Facebook, you can share your pins with the friends and followers on your respective networks on these two social medial platforms.

It’s not only about Pictures

Yes, the focus is on pictures, but you can pin videos also. You can even buy gifts on Pinterest and it’s also a great way to promote your small business. If you own a small business, it makes perfect sense for you to try out different avenues to ensure better and highly effective branding. Much like other social media platforms, a presence on Pinterest, will help you get in touch with people, who are not only looking for the kind of products and services you are selling, but also share your interests. It’s a win-win situation for your business.

Has your ecommerce website witnessed an explosion in sales this holiday season? Why are we asking this question? Well, according to experts, compared to 2010, online sales, this holiday season, went up by more than 15%. If your website hasn’t been at the receiving end of the online shopper largesse this year, then maybe, just maybe, there is something wrong with it.

There must be something wrong with the design of your ecommerce website, which might be interfering with its potential to generate sales. Let’s take a look at how you can improve the sales of your ecommerce website.

Design Should Allow Shoppers to Find the Product

No, it’s not that shoppers find your products expensive, or don’t like the visual appeal or design of your website or that they don’t really want to buy your products in the first place that is the reason behind your website’s failure. You will be surprised to note that, one of the primary reasons why shoppers don’t purchase a product from a particular ecommerce website is that they are unable to find the product that they want. Does your website conveniently guide users to their desired products? Be honest with yourself.

If it doesn’t, you need to improve it. A simple, clear, and convenient navigation should be able to do the trick.

Design Should Cater to Different Kinds of Shoppers

Believe it or not, there are different types of shoppers that your ecommerce website design must cater to; it must be the one size fits all, kind of design. It must cater to the requirements of the power shopper, the recreational shopper and also the reluctant shopper. Let’s take the case of power shoppers first, the kind of shoppers who know what they want and don’t want to waste any time when they shop. For them, an intuitive search bar is a great idea as it will keep providing suggestions as they type. All, in all, for them, the design must be able to make shopping quick and convenient.

Now for the recreational shopper who has all the time in the world when it comes to shopping and has a tendency towards impulse buying. So, a series of featured products, great products visuals, and unbeatable discounts will go a long way in vowing them. And now for the most difficult kind of shoppers; the ones that are reluctant to buy anything only, because of various concerns. Your website design has a better chance of converting them into customers if their fears regarding privacy, security, customer services and trustworthiness of the products are dispelled.

Conversion through Product Details Page

If and when, your website attracts the attention of shoppers, it needs to hold their interest. This can be done through many different ways. One of these ways is using high quality photography to showcase the products on the product details page. Something else you can do is sweetening the whole prospect of buying the products, for the prospective shopper. Some early bird discounts or reward points will definitely attract prospective buyers. It will also be a good idea to make your site more engaging by offering reviews and ratings; this also makes your ecommerce website achieve credibility and forge a solid reputation.  These are just some of the many ways that can help you showcase your products, in a way that is sure to captivate and convert.

But, It Doesn’t End Here

With the tips given above you have not just attracted prospective customers to your site, but the shopper centric ecommerce website design has ensured that they have added a whole list of products to their shopping carts. But don’t pop the champagne just yet. They still need to take the shopping cart through the checkout process. This is when the deal will be sealed. The payment process of the shopping cycle must be quick and painless and one of the ways of doing this is by offering one page checkouts. A long drawn out checkout process is never enjoyable, so cutting down on those pages makes perfect sense. Another great idea would be to do away with the need for registration, if the shopper wants to buy products on the site.

Tips are easier to read and very difficult to incorporate. When it comes to the website design of your ecommerce site, the tips given above are not going to be a cakewalk, but they aren’t impossible to implement, either. If you are looking for ecommerce success, it makes sense to put in some efforts in website design. The dividends will be fantastic.