Category Archives: Design
We all know that one of the main benefits of using WordPress is that it has a fantastic community of developers and a vast amount of plugins to fit every need. With the total number of plugins eeking ever closer to twenty-thousand, there is sure to be a plugin or sidebar widget to out there to do what is it that you want done.
However, sometimes you want more features, more flair, and something a little more unique in your site’s sidebar. That is why I have put together this list of great premium sidebar widgets. The are all relatively inexpensive and can add a more custom feel to your website or blog. As always, please feel free to share any other widgets that I may have overlooked in the comments sections.
Who’s Online?
Who’s online is a great sidebar widget to display to your readers exactly how many other people are on the site. Many popular blogs like Business Insider use similar tools to show the same information. You can also use it on your admin section for a quick current traffic reference. It is basically a much cheaper, with less features albiet, option to ChartBeat.
Cost: $5
Sometimes you want to add an additional navigational bar on to your website or blog, but many CMS and themes only support one menu. In my case the SEOhatch blog has a vertical menu which we use for our post categories, but I wanted to add a small additional menu for consulting inquiries without cluttering the main menu.
There is not a easy plugin to install (at least none that I am aware of) that can accomplish the task of adding the horizontal menu. All you have to do is first enter this code into your header.php file:
Whether you are looking to increase your conversion rate on your Google Adwords campaign, or grow the amount of inbound inquiries to your site, landing page design is key. The page that users are sent to following a click of an advertisement or from a search engine page result much be simple, to-the-point, and carve a clear path for customers to follow. If not, users will leave quickly, your bounce rate will increase, and your advertising dollars will be wasted.
Websites have about half of a second to make a good impression on potential customers. In this short amount of time, they subconsciously decide on the credibility of your site, the company, and if the product or service is something that they would possibly purchase. Each of these elements of the landing page template builds on each other and increases users trust and likelihood to follow through with purchasing from your website:
99designs is a relatively inexpensive way to get profession logo design, website design, and branding for your company. You choose how much you are willing to pay, describe what you are looking for, and guide the designers through the course of the contest as they compete to be the winning design and the prize money.
We just finished running a 99designs logo contest for a client and are pretty happy with the results. The finished product was a polished, professional looking logo. The process took a lot more time to monitor than we expected, though. Below are some quick tips that I have for those of you looking to run a contest in the future.