The Elements of Web Design by Malcom Chakery

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

Your website is an extension of your company. Or, in some cases, it may be the primary location of your company. So, as the virtual representation of your business it is vital that your website be all it can be in order to build a successful business. So, if you are designing your own website, it is important that the final product contain 4 essential elements, so let’s get started.

Balance- A webpage should have visual interest. From colors and shapes to the sizes of your graphics and fonts, your website should encourage guests to interact without being distracting. This best accomplished by having a balanced appearance. You may chose a symmetrical plan in which elements of your site are evenly spaced (e.g. a graphic on the left with text on the right) or perhaps you will opt for an asymmetrical plan in which unlike items of equal weight are used. As you design your webpage, try several design layouts to find the one that encourages guests to stay.
Repetition- Sometimes referred to as rhythm, repetition is the use of a pattern that gives a consistency to your site. This rhythm makes it easier for your customers to understand. Having sudden changes in the patterns, size or spacing will create an exciting rhythm but may not impart the feeling you want for your company. Keep in mind the features of Gestalt-proximity, similarity, continuance, closure uniform correctness and 1+1=3 effects.
Emphasis- Often called dominance or the focal point, this is the element that lets people know who you are. Some ways it can be accomplished are through semantic markup, changing font sizes or images, the use of bold black type for headings, contrasting colors, putting important info in a text box or written on a curve or by using an unusual font for the most vital information.
Proximity or Unity- Be sure elements are placed in such a way that they belong together. Use visual cues to let readers know an article is a unit-item near each other are related; those far apart are not. Unity can be established by consistent fonts, repetition of shapes, color or texture and thematic visuals of similar colors, sizes or shapes.

Using the principles is a must for having a website design that attracts and retains guest to your site. Each of these elements work together to create a site that is sure to encourage guests to spend some time getting to know you.

About the author

Founder and President of Chakery Design, Malcom Chakery has extensive knowledge and experience in the workings of a web based business operations. Possessing great amounts of expertise in regard to marketing, seo, web design and development, Malcom is extremely comfortable handling all details regarding the day-to-day operations as well as the sales and support of his many high profile clients. With a clear plan in place regarding operational procedures, all aspects of website design, seo, and promotional activities are managed and overseen by Malcom before they are completed. As a stickler for detail, Malcom believes in providing greater than expected support, superior customer service, and innovative programs, making sure to go above and beyond customer expectations. To learn more about Malcom and his companies please visit www.chakery.comor www.chakeryseo.com.

Should Children be on Facebook

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

Today’s society is one that spends hours online-especially on social media sites like Facebook. However, what many people don’t know (or perhaps don’t care about) is that Facebook’s policy states that that its users must be 13 years old. However, this age limit is easily circumvented by merely lying about one’s year of birth.

A recent report shows that there are as many as 7.5 million children under the age of 13 (5 million of which are under the age of 10). Ironically, (and I must say a bit naively) Facebook spokesperson, Bret Taylor, appeared to be surprised to find that there were so many under-aged Facebook users. Taylor stated, “That’s actually news to me, we don’t allow people to have accounts under the age of 13.”

In addition, apparently, Facebook believes that 100 content supervisors are enough to meet the needs of the 600 million FB users. Now let’s be realistic. How are these 100 going to monitor all that is being posted-from inappropriate content like bullying or comments that have offensive language? Does FB they really think that 100 people is enough?

“So what is the big deal?” you may ask. Consider this: With minimal protection available for the average Facebook user, the preteens (as well as everyone else) are a predator’s playground. With just a few keystrokes and a basic understanding of geotags, a child molester, rapist, etcetera can learn where you live, what activities you enjoy, what school they go to, and many other pieces of personal information.

“Facebook was never intended for kids younger than 13,” she says. “Kids click on things. Which can be a problem, not just with friending people, but also the malware they pick up online.”

As it is not required that one use a real photo or legitimate name, your child may unwittingly interact/befriend a predator, thus bringing them into the safety of your home. More disconcerting, is that a recent poll showed that only 18% of parents had “friended” their children on Facebook, so they have no idea what type of online company or comments their children are exposed to.

Another reason that children should not be on Facebook, is the ads, the adult innuendos and other inappropriate comments that get made. Yes, these issues are a part of life (unfortunately) but that doesn’t mean young children should be exposed to them!

Facebook is a great tool with much potential. But like drinking requires one to be at least 21 and being responsible for yourself, FB should be only used by people who are of the appropriate age and maturity….hmmm, is 13 old enough? Let the comments begin..

About the author

Keeping Your Twitter Stream Exciting

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

The use of social media as a way to market your business has become common knowledge for most. After all, social media allows one to develop clientele all around the globe-even if you don’t have a passport. However, there is more to social media than simply having an account and posting the occasional comment. Plus, some sites are viewed as better than others for business use, so you want to be sure to do all you can to take advantage of this potential. As such, one of the best sites available for promoting your business is Twitter.

Given that Twitter has a global community with a billion tweets per week, you want to do all you can to post items that catch people’s attention and keep it focused on you. So, here are several things you can do to ensure that your Twitter account is being used to its full business potential.

Keep it Visual-A picture says a thousand words and since Twitter only allows 140 characters, using pictures on your Twitter stream adds a new level of interest and lets your followers have a glimpse into the world of your company.
Find inspiration-Follow tweets of other tweeters and when you have a day when the words just won’t come to you, retweet comments of others-especially those tweets that refer to your business. This retweeting will double as customer reviews and also empower followers by emphasizing their importance to you.
Get physical-Social media, for all its ability to connect people, can sometimes lack developing a real relationship, save that of the online persona. One of the best ways to use social media to connect with your clients is by responding to their tweets.
Get personal-Share stories about your company, lessons learned or even congratulatory comments when your customers share personal events or accomplishments.
Be smart- Be sure that in addition to pictures, retweets and stories that you post that you also give your followers a reason to follow. These incentives may be sneak peeks of new items, Twitter follower exclusives, special coupons, promos, contests or any other method that encourages followers.

Kick up your Twitter stream with these simple tips. You will be pleasantly pleased with how your business, as well as your number of Twitter followers, will grow.

About the author

Founder and President of Chakery Design, Malcom Chakery has extensive knowledge and experience in the workings of a web based business operations. Possessing great amounts of expertise in regard to marketing, seo, web design and development, Malcom is extremely comfortable handling all details regarding the day-to-day operations as well as the sales and support of his many high profile clients. With a clear plan in place regarding operational procedures, all aspects of web design, seo, and promotional activities are managed and overseen by Malcom before they are completed. As a stickler for detail, Malcom believes in providing greater than expected support, superior customer service, and innovative programs, making sure to go above and beyond customer expectations. To learn more about Malcom and his companies please visit www.chakery.com or www.chakeryseo.com.

Dealing with Disaster: When Your Website Gets Fired On

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

When it comes to show business, many would tell you that there is “no such thing, as bad media attention” because publicity is a good thing. However, in the world of the Internet, this is not always the case. Thanks to sites such as Yelp, RipOffReport.com and others, dissatisfied consumers, or perhaps former employees, are able to blast your business from the privacy of their homes. Before you know it, your business website may be at the top of a search list—just not for the reasons you would desire.

If this has happened to you, then you are likely looking for ways to overcome the problem. If you have not needed to deal with being blacklisted online, then count your blessings and file the following information away in case you should have to deal with a disgruntled former employee/customer later on.

If you have not already done this in building your brand, go to sites such as Yelp, Google Local, City Search and others and identify yourself as the official business owner. Be sure that the company profile, policies and resolution records are up to date. If possible, link to your BBB ranking or RatePoint status.
Be sure your profiles are current and that you have used keywords for your site in them. these keywords should be a part of your Title, Company Description and other elements listed.
Reach out to loyal customers, explain the situation and ask if they will help you by posting reviews on Yelp or Places.Google.com . You may even want to offer them a small gift or gift card in return for their support. You could even add a comment to your voice mail that says something like, “Post a review online and get a gift. Thanks for allowing us to serve you!”
Use social media sites to promote your product and to track what people are saying about it on Facebook, Twitter and others. There are many tools available to help you keep up with what is being said about your company.

As you begin to recapture your audience, you will soon find your company website ranking back where you were before the damage. In fact, it may even surpass its previous ranking, as now there have been so many additional reviews and comments left online.

About the author

Founder and President of Chakery Design, Malcom Chakery has extensive knowledge and experience in the workings of a web based business operations. Possessing great amounts of expertise in regard to marketing, seo, web design and development, Malcom is extremely comfortable handling all details regarding the day-to-day operations as well as the sales and support of his many high profile clients. With a clear plan in place regarding operational procedures, all aspects of web design, seo, and promotional activities are managed and overseen by Malcom before they are completed. As a stickler for detail, Malcom believes in providing greater than expected support, superior customer service, and innovative programs, making sure to go above and beyond customer expectations. To learn more about Malcom and his companies please visit www.chakery.com or www.chakeryseo.com.

Do You Know the Code?

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

If you have paid much attention to packages, magazines and even billboards these days, chances are you have seen a few QR codes. The QR code, standing for quick response, is a square shaped black and white symbol that in many ways is not much more than a kicked up barcode. However, thanks to their design, they can do more than simply identify what and how much and item is.

A QR code, unlike a barcode, can be used to encode information in a 2-dimensional space that can be read both horizontally and vertically in a tiny grid of squares. This difference offers a great deal of potential to anyone looking to market their business using a more advanced technology. Some of the ways you can a QR code are:

Contact info for an individual or company
Phone numbers that are embedded can be dialed automatically
URLs are immediately connected
View a calendar event with full details
Coupons
Sign-up forms
GPS/physical address
Product information
Customer Support information

This information is accessed when consumers use their mobile phone to decode the QRs. This ease of access makes the QR code one of the most beneficial tools available for promoting a business. But even better than the multiple uses of a QR code is that it is free. If you are considering a QR code for your business, then you can check sites like:

Once you have created a QR code for your business or event, then you will be able to include it on items such as invoices, event tickets, assorted signage, email signature lines, on your website and on virtually any item that can be printed. In addition, when you use a QR on your website you are showing search engines that your web pages have changed and they will index it accordingly.

So, if you are looking for a way to update your website as well as promote your business, check out one of the preceding sites and design a QR code of your own! With just a few minutes of your time, you can have a QR code that can promote your business anywhere you want.

About the author

Founder and President of Chakery Design, Malcom Chakery has extensive knowledge and experience in the workings of a web based business operations. Possessing great amounts of expertise in regard to marketing, seo, web design and development, Malcom is extremely comfortable handling all details regarding the day-to-day operations as well as the sales and support of his many high profile clients. With a clear plan in place regarding operational procedures, all aspects of web design, seo, and promotional activities are managed and overseen by Malcom before they are completed. As a stickler for detail, Malcom believes in providing greater than expected support, superior customer service, and innovative programs, making sure to go above and beyond customer expectations. To learn more about Malcom and his companies please visit www.chakery.com or www.chakeryseo.com.

How Google Search Is Changing

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Malcom Chakery

Have you been posting articles on your favorite sites, or writing blog post but have not seen any increases in revenue, site guests or SERPs in the past few weeks? If so, don’t despair. At the end of February, Google changed their algorithm, which affected websites of every type and size. This algorithm, dubbed by many as Farmer, is designed to weed out sites where there is an abundance of duplicate and less than stellar quality content. As a result, many site owners saw a significant downslide in revenue and a lowering in page rank.

When asked, Amit Singhal of Google, explained that the weeding determinations were made by sending questionnaires to testers and asking them to rate sites based on questions such as “ Would they be willing to share their credit card ?”, “Did they feel there were more ads than content?” and “Do you feel that this site is authoritative?” Once they had their answers, Google made changes.

To fail to do so, will mean one’s site(s) will rank low. If you are one of the 1,000’s who were affected, you may be wondering how to climb back up the page rank ladder. Here are several steps to help you recover:

Trash any web content that does not add site value.
Protect what is yours. If you run across content that was unique to your site on another page, run a WHOIS search to locate the site host is, then firmly request that your material be removed from the site.
Be creative! While imitation may be the highest form of flattery this not so on the web. Write original articles and blog posts so that your site will stand out from the crowd-not blend in at the bottom of the list.

By making just a few changes in your style, before you know it, you can soon be back where you were before the “Farmer” weeded the Web.

About the author

Founder and President of Chakery Design, Malcom Chakery has extensive knowledge and experience in the workings of a web based business operations. Possessing great amounts of expertise in regard to marketing, seo, web design and development, Malcom is extremely comfortable handling all details regarding the day-to-day operations as well as the sales and support of his many high profile clients. With a clear plan in place regarding operational procedures, all aspects of web design, seo, and promotional activities are managed and overseen by Malcom before they are completed. As a stickler for detail, Malcom believes in providing greater than expected support, superior customer service, and innovative programs, making sure to go above and beyond customer expectations. To learn more about Malcom and his companies please visit www.chakery.com or www.chakeryseo.com.

Making Websites Friendly for Mobile Carriers

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Malcom Chakery

The internet has become something that you can not only access from a computer, now, but also through cell phones and other devices that can link up to mobile carriers. If you have a website and you’re looking to bring in more traffic, chances are pretty high that you’re going to eventually have a client or customer try to access your site from their mobile phone or other mobile electronic device, which is why it is very important that you learn, or hire someone, who knows how to make your website look great no matter whether it’s going to be viewed online or through a mobile device.

Getting a website primped and looking marvelous for a mobile device can be tricky, because you first need to know about how the different devices work and what types of software they run. For instance the iPhone has a different platform than Windows Mobile as well as for Android platform. Knowing the software information is definitely key. Most website often need to be simplified as well, to make them look great on the small screen. The entire thing can be a bit of a hassle, which is why many businesses opt to hire a website design company to do the work for them. Is your website ready to for the Android, Iphone, Windows, and Blackberry market?

Malcom Chakery
Chakery Design, President

Selling Online

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Malcom Chakery

I have found that even before the holidays that shoppers have been shopping online because it is very convenient in some situations to simply sit down point and click and within days have that product delivered to your home or business. Let’s face it.. businesses have already been doing this for years for a numbers of products from things such as computers, toner, paper products, water, and other office supplies and equipment. But now with the help of Google, Bing, and Yahoo you can now price comparison shop and see where you can find the best price for that product you are looking for.

If you are a business and would like to know what you would have to do in order to be able to sell online it’s pretty simple. First you would need to have a domain name for your business which is will cost from $10 – $25. Than you will need a hosting account which will run about $10 – $30 per month. Next your going to need someone to design your website. This is a very important segment of the process, and I would suggest doing a local search for your area such as “dallas web design” or if you feel comfortable working with a web designer anywhere in the country simply do a search for “website design” You want to make sure that you get someone familiar with shopping carts and e-commerce as well as search engine optimization or seo. This is very key as you want to make sure that once your site is built that people will be able to find it.

It is very important for you to understand that you should be working on marketing yourself from using Twitter, Facebook, and any other sites that you can use to help market your site. I would suggest setting up a blog depending on your business. Discuss this with your web designer when you speak with him or her. Once you have worked with your developer and your site is ready to go public be patient as it is not always an instant thing. You can send out an email blast and pass out business cards but things do take time but it will take off.

You have made a big first step and you are on your way to becoming your own boss and congratulations to you for taking the risk that not everyone is prepared to take.

Malcom Chakery
Chakery Design, President

Using Facebook for Social Marketing

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Malcom Chakery

Facebook is one of the most widely used social programs on the internet today, and while it’s great for reconnecting to old friends, or staying in touch with family members, it also has another great use – as the perfect social marketing tool. If you use Facebook correctly, you can not only connect with your current clients or customers, you can also attract new ones.

All About Connection

One of the number one rules in business is that you need to connect with the people you’re doing business with in order to be successful. Many years ago this was easy, as the only way people could do business was in person. Now, however, it’s not as easy, as the internet has made it possible to purchase almost anything online, getting rid of the connection factor entirely, and making it difficult to not only get new clients, but to get repeat ones. Facebook can help you to connect with people in a way that was not possible online before.

Getting Started

In order to get started, you need to have a few Facebook accounts. You should have one for you and a fan page for your business. The page about you allows your readers to know exactly who you are and what you’re all about, and the fan page allows them to come together to discuss your company.

The fan page should be clean and uncluttered, but filled with useful information, including the company’s website address, your Facebook address, and other contact information. For the profile pictures you should include a logo that represents your business. It is also a good idea to put your company’s real location on the page as well. For the personal page, however, you can get a bit more relaxed. Include a photo of yourself on your page as well as some fun and interesting facts about you under the bio section.

Building

Now it’s time to build your site. Connecting with friends and clients is fairly easy, and experts say that one of the most important things that you can do on Facebook to keep your account relevant and interesting is to have an opinion. Don’t just sign up for an account and let it go stale. Instead, sign up for the account and be social! Get into discussions that are going on and make statements about not only your company but about yourself. This will allow you to connect with others, which is exactly the point of Facebook.

Have a creative day,

Malcom Chakery
President, Chakery Design LLC
Twitter: @chakery
Website Design | Search Engine Optimization | Logo Design

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