Hello. How can we help you with your website? Why don't you tell us!
06/03/10 19:18 Filed in: web design
We know what its like. You want a web site designed and we need more information to help you get there or give you an accurate estimate on how much we can do it for : )
Well, here comes the design questionnaire.
We have two flavours: the long one and the short one.
Both come in .pdf and .doc formats (take your pick) and either print, write by hand and then scan back to us; paste your answers in the body of an email; or edit and attach it and send back via email.
We hope it provides you with some stimulus to think about your business in relation to the web and get the most out of your web design project.
Well, here comes the design questionnaire.
We have two flavours: the long one and the short one.
The one for those who want to dig deep
The one for those in a rush
Both come in .pdf and .doc formats (take your pick) and either print, write by hand and then scan back to us; paste your answers in the body of an email; or edit and attach it and send back via email.
We hope it provides you with some stimulus to think about your business in relation to the web and get the most out of your web design project.
Good luck and hope to hear from you : )
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Banner Adverts
13/02/10 18:20 Filed in: marketing
It's always a good thing to raise your profile and get traffic and links from other sites. Here's ours. yuZool.com ads now displaying on sites across the internet.
Portfolio Additions
13/02/10 18:05 Filed in: new sites
Loads of additions to our portfolio over the past week that we are excited about.
We've added some latest completed sites & some testimonials from clients.Latest Work
A few latest sites that we helped to get up and online:NLP Trainings Japan
Japanfo
Bosworth Independent College Japan Site
Can-o-worms Japan
Outscape Osaka
Silent.
Testimonials
A couple of happy campers here:“We wanted to get our business message online in a simple, easy and cost-effective way. We came across yuzool.com and can say that we are really pleased with our finished site. It allows us to edit the content ourselves as we go along, it’s bilingual, it shows our youtube videos, it shows our Twitter updates and it even allows us to sell our composter product over the Internet. The site was put together quickly and we had every confidence in their abilities. We chose yuzool.com because it was an affordable way for us to get online and spread our payments - but also get the quality we needed for our website.”
James Kemp, Owner www.can-o-worms.jp
“We are really pleased with our finished site. It is very simple and shows off our portfolio very clearly. Always reachable, yuzool.com helped us to tweak things as we went until it was exactly as we wanted in very in very short time. The big plus for our site is that we can edit the content ourselves and add new products and news as our portfolio grows. Thank you yuzool.com”
Oliver Franz, Creative Director www.atelier-silent.com
We'd like to add you to this list so please get in touch with us!
How’s your website copy?
07/12/09 16:30 Filed in: web hints
Websites are not just about latest design or js-query plugins. Content is king on the internet and so is your copy and layout. Is it compelling? Does it instruct the reader to do anything? Is the layout attractive to read ? Will it keep people coming back for more or even get them to do what you want them to do (such as call you, sign up for your newsletter etc)?
A few ideas to kick-start killer copy for your websites:
Keep it web-safe or, if possible, sans-serif for the net. These are much more compatible across operating systems and browsers and sans-serif is much easier to read on the screen over big chunks of text.
Entice your reader but don’t give too much away. The headline draws them in and keeps their interest before they hit the back button. Headlines are often rushed but shouldn’t be overlooked. Try a question in the header or play on the reader’s needs or wants. For example, a header called “The best web designer software” is OK, but “Make great looking websites that get you sales” is much better and most people would certainly read on to see what the software is and if they can afford it. Regardless of the truth in this software example, it is more important to focus on the end result (something that the reader wants) rather than just what it is that you are talking about. Play on those emotions.
Breaking text up on the net is common sense for most but still it is possible to see sites with endless text. Use sub-headers to divide your text. Most readers skim read the text before deciding to fully read the content so if there is nothing standing out of interest (such as 3 or 4 great sub-headers) then they’ll close that browser down. Break up the text with bullets so that it is more manageable. The internet is a medium to be quickly digested like a newspaper or magazine; not War & Peace.
Are you telling the reader to do anything? Sure, sometimes you are giving information for free or to build your brand but what do you want people to do after reading your webpage? Do you want them to call for quotes? Share the information? Retweet it? Sign up for your newsletter? What is the purpose of your writing? You must have one and you must tell people what you want them to do. People like being told what to do and will often comply. If there’s no phone number or enticement to email and order (or even “buy now” button), or any call to action whatsoever, then they probably can’t work that out for themselves. They then won’t interact further with your copy other than just read the text and will probably just back out if uncertain.
Avoid “I” as much as possible. Write in the 3rd person if possible or just use “I” as sparingly as you can. 3rd person adds depth to your web business and an authority and “you” brings readers closer to your product and service. It absorbs them and personalises your copy.
Apart from playing to a reader’s wants and desires, you’ve got to not be afraid to offend. Be provocative. Remember, rocking the boat isn’t always a bad thing. We’re not talking about outright offending readers but just writing in a way that isn’t aligned with traditional thinking habits or reasoning. Stand out and write different. The best copy on websites gets attention by being provactive and interesting, being different. Don’t always say the same things everyone else does. “This is who we are, this is what we do, this is how we do it”. Is there a better way? Acting different will get you links, diggs, referrals and sales.
Check your spelings and grammer as much as possible. If you can’t spel properly then how can you build trust with your customers or readerz? Unfortunately, it’s a pedantic world we live in and you have to just make sure you get it wright.
Above all, make sure that you think about not only how you design a page but also want you put in it. All too often business owners just rehash their brochures or other printed materials and this often doesn’t match the web. Take your copy and spin it for the web. You’ll be creating your content different for each medium and will find the results more effective after that.
Any further ideas you know of? Please share below.
yuZool.com builds fresh funky websites and email marketing campaigns that are respectable, accessible, user-friendly, on time and on budget. Please contact us with more information on your latest design project needs.
A few ideas to kick-start killer copy for your websites:
Font
Keep it web-safe or, if possible, sans-serif for the net. These are much more compatible across operating systems and browsers and sans-serif is much easier to read on the screen over big chunks of text.
Headline
Entice your reader but don’t give too much away. The headline draws them in and keeps their interest before they hit the back button. Headlines are often rushed but shouldn’t be overlooked. Try a question in the header or play on the reader’s needs or wants. For example, a header called “The best web designer software” is OK, but “Make great looking websites that get you sales” is much better and most people would certainly read on to see what the software is and if they can afford it. Regardless of the truth in this software example, it is more important to focus on the end result (something that the reader wants) rather than just what it is that you are talking about. Play on those emotions.
Bullets and sub-headers
Breaking text up on the net is common sense for most but still it is possible to see sites with endless text. Use sub-headers to divide your text. Most readers skim read the text before deciding to fully read the content so if there is nothing standing out of interest (such as 3 or 4 great sub-headers) then they’ll close that browser down. Break up the text with bullets so that it is more manageable. The internet is a medium to be quickly digested like a newspaper or magazine; not War & Peace.
Calls to action
Are you telling the reader to do anything? Sure, sometimes you are giving information for free or to build your brand but what do you want people to do after reading your webpage? Do you want them to call for quotes? Share the information? Retweet it? Sign up for your newsletter? What is the purpose of your writing? You must have one and you must tell people what you want them to do. People like being told what to do and will often comply. If there’s no phone number or enticement to email and order (or even “buy now” button), or any call to action whatsoever, then they probably can’t work that out for themselves. They then won’t interact further with your copy other than just read the text and will probably just back out if uncertain.
The Is don’t have it
Avoid “I” as much as possible. Write in the 3rd person if possible or just use “I” as sparingly as you can. 3rd person adds depth to your web business and an authority and “you” brings readers closer to your product and service. It absorbs them and personalises your copy.
Don’t be afraid to offend
Apart from playing to a reader’s wants and desires, you’ve got to not be afraid to offend. Be provocative. Remember, rocking the boat isn’t always a bad thing. We’re not talking about outright offending readers but just writing in a way that isn’t aligned with traditional thinking habits or reasoning. Stand out and write different. The best copy on websites gets attention by being provactive and interesting, being different. Don’t always say the same things everyone else does. “This is who we are, this is what we do, this is how we do it”. Is there a better way? Acting different will get you links, diggs, referrals and sales.
Spelings
Check your spelings and grammer as much as possible. If you can’t spel properly then how can you build trust with your customers or readerz? Unfortunately, it’s a pedantic world we live in and you have to just make sure you get it wright.
Block quotes
Use the blockquote tag to bring out important sections of the text that you want readers to see and break up the text and add variety to the page. Your readers will thank you for it.
Above all, make sure that you think about not only how you design a page but also want you put in it. All too often business owners just rehash their brochures or other printed materials and this often doesn’t match the web. Take your copy and spin it for the web. You’ll be creating your content different for each medium and will find the results more effective after that.
Any further ideas you know of? Please share below.
yuZool.com builds fresh funky websites and email marketing campaigns that are respectable, accessible, user-friendly, on time and on budget. Please contact us with more information on your latest design project needs.
Portfolio Stream
27/06/09 01:42 Filed in: new sites
Following the success of our Spring Portfolio collection, we've added a "Portfolio Stream" section to yuzool.com.
This is a cool little way of displaying our most recent work in a series of different flash slideshows. We hope to grow this as much as we can and have a little fun in the process....
This is a cool little way of displaying our most recent work in a series of different flash slideshows. We hope to grow this as much as we can and have a little fun in the process....
New Site Update
27/06/09 00:20 Filed in: new sites
Everything is now on the homepage in a nice little "scrolling" menu. This keeps things tidy and all in one place (and looks cool too).
Other changes include:
- More portfolio links
- More info about services
- Easy way to contact us
We are also happy to be soon introducing latteperday.com to the world. That should be fun.
