Dear Readers,

Wish all of you the joyful spirit of the NEW YEAR 2012 keeps glowing forever from all of us Quality Web Solution

For creating corporate identity design of a company, paying attention to logo design, visual vocabulary, colors, and fonts is important. Unfortunately, most articles offer information about logo, colors, and visual vocabulary, ignoring fonts. For this reason, we have decided to offer crucial information about fonts in today’s article.

Basic Information about Fonts

Font refers to text characters, available in various sizes and styles. These styles can include bold, italic, regular, and light. Fonts can also be classified into various groups, such as serif, sans serif, display, and script fonts. Read on to know more.

• Serif Fonts- These fonts usually assume an upright, narrow shape, with prominent serifs at bottom of the lines that create the letters. Examples of serif fonts can include Times and Garamond.
• Sans-Serif Fonts- Fonts that do not include serifs are known as sans-serif fonts. Examples can include Verdana, Arial, and Tahoma. As compared to serif fonts, they are neater and modern. They are usually used, while developing website design and content.
• Display Fonts- These fonts possess a decorative element. They are usually used in headers or logos.
• Script Fonts- These refer to cursive fonts. Examples can include Nuptial Script and Brush Script.

Apart from these four fonts, other fonts exist as well. However, these four fonts are extensively used in business branding activities.

We have discussed main types of fonts. Now, we will offer you few guidelines that will help you to utilize fonts correctly.

Guidelines for Utilizing Fonts

• Printed Materials- If you are planning to incorporate long blocks of text in printed materials, opt for serif fonts. It will increase readability of the materials.
• Websites/Blogs- Serif-fonts can be your best option for creating website/blog. They are clean, simple, and easy to read. Additionally, remember that you need to pick out an online font that is automatically installed on PCs of most people. Otherwise, your site will appear in the default font chosen by the browser.

Many people complain that it is difficult to control the size of online fonts. Font tags in HTML do not come with sizing control. This means that you need to use them various times throughout every HTML. This is a time consuming affair.

The best way to deal with this situation is to opt for CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for modifying the font size.

• Word Documents- For word documents, stick to fonts that are commonly installed in PCs. These can include Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, and Georgia.

A good way of retaining appearance of information is to convert all the documents into PDF files. They embed fonts into respective documents, and one can view them in their original fonts in any PC.

Technical Information regarding Font File Types

If you are planning to purchase fonts for incorporating in your computer, you may be provided with few options. These can include True Types, Open Type, and Post Script fonts. We discuss each of these options in brief.

• Most professional printers opt for Post Script fonts. One format of Post Script font is available in Windows PC and another available for Macintosh PCs.
• True Types fonts are available in Windows PCs. As compared to Post Script fonts, their print quality is poor.
• Open Type fonts are the latest fonts. Limited fonts are available in this particular format. However, these fonts are cross-platform compatible.

Hope you liked our discussion about fonts!

The main purpose of a call-to-action page is to urge visitors to act. Depending on purposes of the website, intended actions can vary. If you want to increase awareness about your company, for example, you may want readers to subscribe to your newsletter. Alternatively, if you have ecommerce solutions, you may want them to buy products directly from your site.

Designing a good call-to action page is important. Unfortunately, some web designers commit certain mistakes, which discourage people to act. We list some of these mistakes below.

Mistake 1- Using Excessive Images

Using images can be a good way to highlight your services/products. Unfortunately, if you incorporate excessive images in a limited space, it will create visual clutter.

The primary purpose of a call-to-action page is to guide a visitor’s eyes to a particular direction. If you use graphics in a cluttered way in the website design, it will confuse readers. They may not know where exactly to look.

For best results, use images smartly. Ensure that the content and graphics lead the visitor’s eyes towards the intended direction. If you are planning to hire a website designer, ask him/her to utilize the white space smartly and simplify the navigation experience.

Mistake 2- Opting for a Distracting Background

Many companies prefer to use their brand colors in the background of the site. This is a good marketing technique. However, if the background dominates other elements of the page, it can distract readers from observing the call-to-action statement.

For this reason, carefully designing background of the site is important. Ensure that the background supports your site, rather than dominating it.

Mistake 3- Not Using a Call-To-Action Button

Many people prefer to use text, instead of images, for urging people to act. Unfortunately, this is a wrong strategy. This is because of the fact that a simple call-to-action statement will be lost, amongst other information incorporated in the site.

To ensure that users actually act, opt for a call-to -action button. Use a color that is contrasting to the background (of course, the contrast should not hurt the eyes at the same time). Implement these strategies to increase your conversation rate.

Mistake 4- Using Excessive Links

Incorporating excessive links in the call-to-action page is a bad idea, because readers may find so many links overwhelming. This is true for informational sites (where readers need to click at the links for acquiring data) as well.

To make sure that readers navigate the call-to-action page easily, opt for the most crucial links. If you have an informational site, you can use a call-to-action button in the home page, stating ‘Acquire a Quote’. Thereafter, in the second page, you can arrange links neatly, thus offering users a unique experience.

Mistake 5- Ignoring the Button Size

Button size plays a critical role in attracting attention of the visitors. If your site contains larger images, for example, using a small button will not give you the desired result. Of course, this does not mean that you should opt for a huge button blindly. Remember that using a huge button does not always automatically result in higher conversations.

For achieving the desired result, use a button that distinguishes itself amongst other web design elements, without dominating them.

Avoid these mistakes to create a perfect call-to-action page.

Christmas was celebrated recently and most of us have already started planning for the New Year. There is an unmistakable festive cheer in the air. With holidays occupying minds of most of us now, we are busy planning gifts and arranging parties for our loved ones. For people associated with website design and development, holidays can be the perfect opportunity to increase profit rates.

Today, in this article, we will discuss the relationship between holidays and higher traffic. Thereafter, we will provide website designers with few techniques that will allow them to increase site traffic during the holidays.

Can Holidays Lead to Greater Traffic?

Yes, provided you take advantage of it correctly. However, we will discuss about this later. First, we will highlight why people prefer to visit websites, especially during the holidays.

• Lazy Lifestyle

During holidays, people get a break from their hectic schedules. They lead a relaxed life and have free time. This encourages them to explore various websites.

• Planning for Parties

Holidays represent the ideal time to meet friends and family. Parties are frequent, during Christmas and New Year. Many people, before planning a party, prefer researching online. The reason is that Internet offers information on various topics, ranging from decoration of the Christmas tree to baking that delicious pudding. This in turn, leads to higher traffic.

• Gifts

Parties and get-togethers involve exchange of gifts. Any person prefers to offer special gifts to loved ones. To research about gifts or find an online gift store, they may explore various sites. This also contributes to increased traffic.

Importance of Creating a Robust Plan

We highlighted few reasons that encourage people to explore websites during holidays. Now, to attract attention of these visitors, modifying your site is critical. To develop a robust plan, ask yourself these questions.

• Whom I am trying to attract during the holiday season? What are their preferences?
• What keywords should I use to target them?
• What type of information people want during the holiday season? How can I incorporate them in my site?

Answering these questions honestly will help you to modify your website.

Techniques to Enhance Site Traffic during Holidays

We offer few general techniques for increasing site traffic during the festive season. With creativity and imagination, you can tweak these techniques to suit purposes and products/services of your site.

• The simplest way to attract attention of current and potential customers is to offer discount on any product/service. This will encourage some visitors to opt for them.
• Opt for blog customization by sharing interesting facts about the upcoming holiday. You can also discuss your personal holiday experiences. This strategy will add warmth and fun to your site.
• You can tie-up with another company to promote a contest or give away gifts. With the help of this cross-promotional technique, both parties can enjoy higher traffic.
• You can also post a list, mentioning notable festive events going on at your area.

Consider these strategies to enhance traffic of your site during the joyful event.