Posts Tagged ‘website’

You’re sitting at your desk, viewing a website for your favorite brand. Just then, you have to run an errand where you’ll be sitting in a waiting room, and you want to view that same website on your mobile phone … but, can you? It all depends on the website.

With our on-the-go society, it’s a safe bet that many people not only have a desktop computer or a laptop but also have access to the Internet through an iPad or tablet device as well as some variety of smartphone. With all these devices and the constant desire for information, it is becoming more popular — and sometimes essential — to create a website that can be easily viewed on all devices.

“Having different versions of the same website makes it easier for the user to navigate the content no matter which device they are using,” says Kevin Moore, our multimedia designer here at Coles Marketing. “Without having different versions available, the user is limited in being able to view all content, such as video and images.”

For one of our clients, Dealer Services Corporation, Kevin has designed three different versions of their DSC Unplugged site — for the desktop, iPad and the mobile device. Certain content has to be designed specifically for each of those three versions. For example, the main difference between the desktop and the iPad version of DSC Unplugged is in places where Flash is used on the main site, still images are used on the iPad version because it doesn’t support Flash. And the mobile site is a significantly sized-down version of the main site, highlighting the core content from the site with little or light use of images.

What’s the best part? The site will detect which kind of device you are using and automatically take you to the particular version you need for the best view. I even tried it on my trusty BlackBerry, and sure enough, after typing in the main website address it took me straight to the mobile version of the site.

And with all the new devices and upgrades of older devices appearing at a quickening pace, it becomes a must to start considering the use of different versions of your brand’s website. Otherwise, you may not be reaching all possible consumers who are grabbing their phone or tablet and going on their way — without seeing your website. Need help with retooling your website and making it tablet and mobile-friendly? Let us know!

Today’s news atmosphere calls for up-to-the-second news, as soon as you can get it and as fast as you can post it. That includes social media such as Facebook and Twitter, but it also applies to websites. One essential way to keep your website as updated as possible is an online newsroom with fresh, new content that is constantly evolving.

David Henderson, author of “Making News in the Digital Era,” said, “Static newsrooms are the least-visited part of a website because most are just graveyards of old press releases. Your newsroom needs to present the spectrum of all the things that your company is doing within its industry, and hanging press releases there kills credibility.”

The core audience for an organization’s online newsroom is everyone from shareholders and business partners, to customers, donors, employees… and THEN the media. And because newsrooms are not only for the media, practitioners must use a writing style that draws interest in a way people can relate to.

“Nobody cares what your company does unless you tell them in a way that adds value,” Henderson said.

What are some elements to add value to your online newsroom?

• News articles (300-500 words)
• Short videos (HD for B-roll)
• Links to company facts and contacts
• Search capability

And if you use WordPress as your content management system, you’re not alone. Even The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal use it for their blog networks, said Ryan Zuk. There are over 22 million WordPress publishers as of February 2010: 10.6 million blogs hosted on WordPress.com plus 11.4 million active installations of the WordPress.org software. According to Quantcast, around 250 million people visit one or more WordPress.com blogs every month, and they view over two billion pages on those blogs.

So get reading, writing and online newsroom–ing.