Friday, December 10, 2010

Making the web design more accommodating and engaging

Lona takes an innovative multi-media approach to website design and has been ahead of his time for years. His designs not only make websites more engaging, it also makes it easier to use for people with disabilities.When Chris Lona looks at a website he sees potential potential for a better, more engaging and user-friendly website.Companies really do themselves a disservice by having a standard web presence,Lona said.He uses voice narration, music, large type, and visual stimulation. He approaches a website like a presentation. A friendly voice presents the website to visitor guiding the visitor from page to page. Full-page images and limited text keeps the pages simple and visually stimulating.

It’s an exercise on simplicity,said Lona.The narration can be turned off or the user can skip ahead or back at any giving moment. Lona said that visitors navigate through the pages without having to use the mouse which aids the visually impaired as well as quadriplegic people or people suffering from diseases like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.It accommodates people with disabilities and engages everyone else in a more stimulating way,said Lona, who himself wears an eye-patch as a result of a brain tumor and double vision when he was a senior in college.Lona said his designs are relevant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Lona is on currently on contract with Seattle City Light to update their website.

One day there was a blind man riding the bus so I mustered up my courage and asked him questions about being blind. I asked him if a website with audio prompts would help. He said ‘that would be nice’,Lona said.I eliminated the need for a voice reader that talks like a machine. A human voice works so much better.Lona has a background in architecture and graphic design and specializes in branding. One of his current branding clients is Ballard Licensing.While his designs benefit people with handicaps, Lona said his projects started of with the intend to make presentations more engaging and that his real niche is in tourism, travel, and spa and resort websites.

The whole intent of a resort or a cruise is to enhance the experience but where does the visit start? - a standard, template based site when it could start with an interactive, immersive experience,he said.There are just so many practical, pragmatic uses for this design.But Lona stated he’s been having a hard time getting his business off the ground.Frankly, it’s been really frustrating to get people to see the benefits of this, he said. Lona said that his designs are far from the template-form websites which means he spends a lot of time educating people on the design and its usage.The encouraging things is that whenever I show it to people, people never say ‘I don’t like it’,Lona said.Lona said he sees the internet moving towards full screen videos instead of text-based websites.The beauty of this project is that the still images only take a minute amount of bandwidth.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Web Content Development Services

Denver based SEO company, Volume 9 inc. recently expanded their product line, adding website content development services to their strategic search engine optimization offerings.Recent studies have revealed that content is a key element in maintaining high organic search results and gaining website visitors. Moreover, as the way that people access the internet expands and becomes more integrated, a broad range of content can increase accessibility,reports Chuck Aikens, Volume9 president.Content is king; but only when it is well written and well optimized, according an internet usage study conducted by internet marketing research company, ROI Research. The study offered insights on just how valuable content development across various channels has become. Most notably, the value users place on organic results and the number of times users will modify a search to get specific results.

This really highlights the importance of having and maintaining context-sensitive content that employs hearty structure of keywords and synonyms embedded in truly relevant supporting text. Searchers should be able to find you across various channels even when they modify searches. A thorough content development strategy can make that happen, Aikens explained.
Content generation is key to gaining search engine rankings and website visibility. A high quality piece of content placed on third party websites can build valuable links back to a domain, drive traffic and generate interest in products or services.

Volume 9 inc. now offers a complete set of content management solutions providing blog content development, website page development and domain acquisition and development.We are pleased to offer clients content development services, and provide the most effective tools available in search engine marketing,Aikens commented.Volume 9 was founded in 2006 and offers web content development services to their partners and clients. The internet marketing company provides strategic internet marketing solutions that include the provision of unique, keyword rich content for placement on blogs, websites and third party sites.