Like most of you guys, I too am always on the look-out for that leg up needed to give me that essential competitive edge to stay in the web design & development game. With that in mind, I thought I'd share with you what I've managed to learn about web design & development, SEO & SEM as well as web standards & accessibility in the hope that what I know is of use to someone else.



Words that walk the fine line

The first thing that the keen eyed amongst you will notice is the littering of emboldened keywords & key phrases scattered throughout the first paragraph, most of which linking back to specific service pages my company website .. look! I did it again!

There's a fine line between being 'spammy', damaging legibility and then just plain putting people off. However, the plus sides are, you're presenting some of the things that search engines want to see.

Top tips for web designers & developers

So without further ado, here's my top tips for giving your website or specific web pages a lift and infusing them with some of the good stuff!

Sound like your dad: be an authority

Authority is essential. You need to speak (well, write) with an air of authority. Talk about your chosen topic in a manor that draws upon your knowledge & experience. Be passionate, too. People will pick up on this and feel compelled to read on. But don't try too hard. No one likes a zealot!

Engage, don't bore: keep the reader happy

Sometimes, a given topic can be a little dry, a little dusty, a little staid.

If you must, get yourself a copywriter. If you must, dig deep and spend money on getting someone involved who knows how to write engaging, lively copy (that means text.)

Entitled to everything: make the titles stand out!

When you're building your copy, build a hierarchy into your pages by using the titles. Make sure that you use your titles well. Using the right keywords & key phrases is essential.

Highlights: pick out the text that matters

Much like I've been doing throughout this document, embolden those words that convey something very special. This highlighting of words means added emphasis and the search engines will look to make the most of this special marking.

More to come!

This list will grow and grow and grow.

And good luck!