| LED Digest 2682: Designing for Higher Response |
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The LED Digest
Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom http://www.AudetteMedia.com : the LED's Publisher The Internet Marketing Boutique: SEO, SEM, Social Media http://www.SEOToolSet.com/training/ : the LED's Premier Sponsor Bruce Clay's Search Engine Optimization Training & Certification ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. July 17, 2008 Issue no. 2682 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ====================== --== Domain Name Scam from China ==-- ~ Eva Rosenberg "So just a double warning..." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== White or Dark Backgrounds? ==-- ~ Kathy Burger-Johnson "I was 'scolded' by my shopping cart tech for having a soft nautical background..." ~ Michael Linehan "'Like' or even 'Love' is not answering the right question." ~ Malcolm Fitzgerald "...you can have the best of both worlds, if you place a light background into a dark frame." ~ David Chapman "...this site is NOT about sales but your points were well taken." ========= NEW ===================================== From: Eva Rosenberg Subject: Post - Domain Name Scam Hi LEDers, Yesterday, I got this odd e-mail: ------------------ Dear Sir/Madam, We are Beijing Erimart Network Service Co, Ltd which is the domain name register center in China. We received a formal application from a company who is applying to register "taxmama" as their domain name and Internet keyword on July13, 2008. Because this involves your company name or trade mark so we inform you in no time. If you consider these domain names and internet keyword are important to you and it is necessary to protect them by registering them first, contact us soon. Kind Regardss, Email: [delted] Beijing Erimart Network Service Co, Ltd www.erimart.com ------------------ Visiting their site, being curious about their fees, I couldn't quite get their domain search page to work. So I looked up the master China registrar. This company was not on their list of approved registrars. Running their e-mail URL through Google led me to a discussion about Chinese domain scams - http://successfulsoftware.net/2008/04/19/chinese-domain-scam/ Just thought you might want to watch out for this. Some people seem to have been getting these messages for a while. This is my first one. It appears they are scouring the US Trademark files. So just a double warning: 1) Beware 2) Don't waste your precious time - just file it under scams. Once upon a time, your Humble Guide, Eva Rosenberg, EA & TaxNerd www.taxmama.com www.homebusinesstaxcuts.com ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Kathy Burger-Johnson Subject: Backgrounds > I re-designed 64picks.com site back in > April and it now has a black background. > However, 12% of visitors have complained > that it is a strain on their eyes to go > back to sites that have a white background > (the majority of sites). - David Chapman, LED 2680 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/2095/190/ Honestly, the white background for some sites is necessary, but when you are working with the content you have, it looks right. I was "scolded" by my shopping cart tech for having a soft nautical background on my site -- but my site deals with lighthouses, so it fits. Kathy Burger-Johnson http://www.accentslights.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Backgrounds > A Black or White Background? Hi David, There will always be some people who will like anything. You could probably find a few who like huge embossed buttons and some others who like Flash splash pages. So that fact that some people like your dark background is, by itself, irrelevant. "Like" or even "Love" is not answering the right question. Everything I have read on the topic says that dark print on a light background is much better for marketing, in the measurement that most ultimately matters - higher response (buy, phone, subscribe... whatever 'response' might be, for a given site). For ongoing service delivery, the dark on light ease of use is also a critical factor. For most people most of the time, dark on light is easier to read - therefore they read more - therefore they get more of your vital marketing information - and they want to use your site more - and they want to recommend it more. For what it's worth, with this sample of one whose eyesight is good, I'm looking at your site now, and I won't even try to read it. It is waaaay too much strain. I think studies show there are many more people like me than like those who love this design. One would think that Apple, Tiffany and Aston Martin have *some* idea what they are doing in using dark on light. Michael Linehan, Marketing Alchemy www.marketing-alchemy.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Malcolm Fitzgerald Subject: Backgrounds Hi David, The use of a dark background gives the site a lot of impact BUT ITS A BIT LIKE TYPING IN ALL CAPS. My feeling is that your site content would be easier to read if it were on a white background. However, you can have the best of both worlds. if you place a light background into a dark frame, so you get the impact of the dark background and the easy to read of black on white. Here's an example from one of your competitors: http://www.abc.net.au/news. > My question is should I provide a different > version of the site for marketing purposes? > My target audience range is 18 - 55 year > olds and surprisingly, persons over 40 > loved the design as it "easy on the eyes!" The cones in their eyeballs are dying. They'll be wearing beige and putting bright coloured highlights into their hair too. However, this is good information. Why don't you provide several different style sheets and let them choose the one that suits them. That way everyone wins. There are plenty of stylesheet switcher scripts on the the net. Malcolm Fitzgerald -------- new post - same topic -------- From: David Chapman Subject: Backgrounds Hi Rob Tillett & Martyn Gay, Thanks for your input and replies! Please bear in ming that over 100,000 people used the site (www.64picks.com) this past year and that 12% wanted a change. After reading your thoughts Dark -vs- light, I noticed how often you all mentioned sales. Please understand that this site is NOT about sales but your points were well taken. Concerning redesigning the site color scheme... The site is 100% CSS based so I created (and still testing) a feature that lets each visitor the ability to pick their own color scheme (like google adsense does) and display their choice upon their next visit. I took much interest in your comment about the grey on black contrast although my visitors elected to have grey instead of white. (We have surveys running all the time.) During the next couple of months I will read and test "Ogilvy on Advertising" theories and post back user comments. A google search turned up a lot of sites and I also suggest that the Leon Simmons's of the "this is what we learned and did back in the 1960s" pull up a chair and read. Leon Simmons is from the U.K., mainly writes furniture articles, and actually does not own nor develop web sites so how would I expect him to advice on a "American based NCAA" site. The only two sites like this one are yahoo, CBS and ESPN. (They do not provide the features I have built and I doubt they will.) I am MAINLY a programmer (20 years) and have been web designing since '96. One really should understand that this type of site is unique as the majority of the site will ONLY be used for 6 weeks out of the year (March and April). The remainder of the year will be visitors and members that love and support their school and university by blogging about it. The photo gallery and soon to debut "facebook" and "youtube" like sections / features will also help to keep the site "sticky"... David Chapman (c) Copyright 1995-2008 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me." - Emo Philips |
