| LED Digest 2203: Fixed vs Fluid Designs |
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List Moderator: Published by:
Adam Audette LED Digest
adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com
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July 14, 2006 Issue no. 2203
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.....IN THIS DIGEST.....
==== CONTINUING =================
--== Fixed Width vs Fluid Designs ==--
~ Kathy Wilson
"Why not a combination of both, which is what
I find works best..."
~ Shari Thurow
"A fixed-width layout is one way to control how
a page is displayed..."
~ Beth Earle
"Most of our clients are B2B on a budget, and
they want something straightforward..."
--== Anchor Text and Rankings ==--
~ Dirk Johnson
"...all of the methods that allow sites to get
links are abused..."
--== Site Surveys ==--
~ Kythera Ann
"Less people fill [surveys] out than even sign
guest books..."
~ John Smart
"...limit it to only a few questions per page..."
==== BILLBOARD ===================
--== Web Hosting Newbie ==--
~ Paul Harris
~ Susie Redfern
~ Reg Charie
======== CONTINUING ===============================
From: Kathy Wilson
Subject: Fixed width
Our moderator wrote,
> I received an email from an LEDer... wondering why
> anyone would want a fixed width site, especially when
> CSS and XHMTL allow for such clever fluid designs.
Why either / or? Why not a combination of both, which is what I find
works best when trying to appease all the various sizes of monitors
on which my websites and those of my clients will be viewed.
I use fixed width for the outside columns as well as any columns in
the header and footer which may have need for specific placement,
and variable width for the center column with the content.
By the way, while CSS and XHMTL may offer "clever fluid designs", I
find that often the components in these designs overlap each other,
making the text impossible to read. This doesn't happen using the
old-fashioned method of tables and plain vanilla HTML.
Love,
Kathy Wilson
Life Purpose Coaching ~ Spiritual Teaching ~ Vibrational Healing
-------- new post - same topic --------
From: Shari Thurow
Subject: Fixed vs. fluid width designs
Hi Adam-
I am going to go out on a limb here and give some reasons for using
fixed-width designs.
One of the main reasons I use them (usually at a client's request)
is for placement reasons. With A/B and multivariate testing,
placement of important elements on a page, such as the primary
call-to-action, can make or break an ROI of a landing page. With a
fluid-width design, measurements are not nearly as accurate as with
fixed-width designs.
Another reason, believe it or not, is Web site usability. I find it
highly amusing that usability professionals and CSS zealots commonly
tout fluid-width layouts as the best layout. In reality, when it
comes to ease of reading (number of words per line), fluid-width
layouts do not necessarily make reading easier. Then again, it
depends on the type of Web page one is creating (news, reference,
commerce, etc.) Nonetheless, ease of reading is one reason that
fixed-width can be more effective.
Branding is also another reason. Many corporations consider their
brands (and the visual representation of their brands) to be of the
utmost importance. Although no Web developer / designer can
completely control how a Web page is displayed on a browser, there
are some things we can do to limit how a page is displayed. A
fixed-width layout is one way to control how a page is displayed to
support a brand.
Web design is all about balance. If a fixed-width layout gives a
slightly longer download time but a better ROI, then I'll use the
fixed-width layout. I don't implement a design strategy merely
because a CSS zealot or usability professional recommends it. I am
going to measure and test with my clients' target audience.
On a different note, in response to Mekhong Kurt's post in LED
#2202, my apologies for using the word "whining." If it was
perceived as being too harsh and personal, it was not my intent. My
intent was to demonstrate that (in general) many wannabe speakers
complain about wanting things without really working hard for them.
It was not meant as a personal attack, and I apologize if I came off
that way.
I saved a separate post for book publishers. That is another area
where people complain without understanding the amount of work that
it takes to pitch a book and to get it published. Another topic,
another time.
Sincerely,
Shari Thurow, Webmaster/Marketing Director
Grantastic Designs, Inc.
~ For Free design and marketing tips, visit us at:
-------- new post - same topic --------
From: Beth Ann Earle
Subject: Fixed width
Why fixed?
On a very basic (and somewhat flip) level, because that's what our
creative director recommends, and we trust her implicitly (that
part's not flip -- she is absolutely the real deal).
Also, we're really not looking for clever, fluid designs: Most of
our clients are b2b on a budget, and they want something
straightforward that conveys their value message, makes them look
like a brand leader and increases the prospect's trust in them.
We've had a lot of success in delivering just that with fixed-width
sites.
Fixed width, obviously, isn't the only solution, and fluid works
well for all sorts of sites with all sorts of different target
audiences and goals. My only point is that, for the time being, we
lean toward fixed widths for the sites we develop because it seems
to suit our purposes and, most importantly, our clients' needs.
With warm wishes to all LED'ers (those with both fixed and fluid widths),
Beth Earle
-------- new post - new topic --------
From: Dirk Johnson
Subject: Anchor text
> Link spam is so prevalent now that reciprocal linking,
> once a favored technique in the 'Net community and powerful
> because of it, has eroded to a game clowns play... there
> is still legitimate reciprocal linking happening online - I
> don't doubt that. Doing it correctly still works...
- Nathan Holley, LED 2202
Nathan, you are entitled to your opinion, but your reference to the
thousands of site owners who reciprocate responsibly as "a game
clowns play" is the equivalent of calling anyone who sends a
legitimate email newsletter a spammer. It's your perception, but it
is not really a fair characterization of a lot of legitimate,
ordinary small business owners, which are the kinds of sites that we
encounter daily in out work here.
Sure, there are scammers in reciprocal linking who will try to link
any site to any other site, and play other games. But there is a
considerable level of "self-policing" out here among sites that
reciprocate responsibly. The demand for subject relevance is quite
high, as well as requirements that sites be more than just "shells".
The scammers tend to hit that wall, and are rejected. The
reciprocation scammers have to operate on the fringe.
Second, link spam is far more prevalent among the "paid links"
crowd. It's easier to do, easier to manage, and nobody has to meet
any criteria at all with their sites. Just pay your money and get
thousands of links, instantly. In fact, all of the methods that
allow sites to get links are abused, including press releases,
article submissions, guestbook submissions, forum and blog postings,
and more.
So, I am not sure why you singled out reciprocation. Link spam
happens across the spectrum.
Best regards,
Dirk Johnson, Partner - Operations
DomainDrivers LLC
-------- new post - new topic --------
From: Kythera Ann
Subject: Surveys
LED's moderator asked,
> I'm wondering what site survey software or services you've
> used, your experiences with them, and your recommendations.
I've done mail form based surveys on my web site. Less people fill
them out than even sign guest books, guest books are signed maybe 1
person for 1000 visits... surveys are more like 1 person in 5000.
Hope that helps.
Kind Regards,
Kythera Ann
-------- new post - same topic --------
From: John Smart
Subject: Surveys
I played with the PHPNuke software once, and that had a pretty good
survey tool built in but that was one question with a number of
options. The results were displayed in a pie chart.
For what you are doing, you will (I think) need something more
involved. As someone who has been surveyed the best model to use
is:
Start the page with "You are on page x of y" next line "Estimated
time to completion X minutes"
Then limit to only a few questions per page avoid having to scroll
if possible. lots of white space, and use CSS, make those checks
oversized! That looks so much nicer imo.
The code to carry form results over multiple pages is very easy (I
do not mean to patronize I have no idea how much knowledge you
have) and I would be happy to help with the code if needed.
Kindest regards
John Smart
InternetDesign.com - A Human Touch in a Digital World
==== BILLBOARD ===================================
From: Paul Harris
Subject: Hosting newbie
Being in UK I used to use Easyspace , but 2 years ago they were
bought out by IOMART with the result that to transfer away is over
£40 per domain , not sure if this is legal but that's what they have
done . I now register domains with UKreg , their prices are very
good together the options they offer
Paul Harris
-------- new post - same topic --------
From: Susie Redfern
Subject: Hosting newbie
My website (http://www.metroprofiles.com) is hosted at addr.com
(http://www.addr.com). The cost is $9.95 month, and I have been
satisfied with their service, in general (occasionally down for
maintenance, but they have a toll free number and tech assistance).
The website does have an extra cost for domain registration, and
mine's set up for me to be both the administrative & technical
contact, which gives me full ownership of your site (and will you
when you set it up that way as well). I believe GoDaddy.com also has
web hosting where you can have your URL without their name being
first.
Hope this helps.
Susie Redfern
-------- new post - same topic --------
From: Reg Charie
Subject: Hosting newbie
Hi Pepper,
Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of website development.
As a site developer of many years my advice to you is: If you are
doing a professional website, use a professional site design
program. This could be programs like DreamWeaver, FrontPage or even
a free program like NVU (http://www.nvu.com/index.php)
You ARE going to have to learn to do a bit of coding, that is the
nature of the beast. Don't expect the "one button" type of design
programs to give you professional results.
When researching hosts, look for reviews of their service and see if
anything turns up from a negative viewpoint. Send them a "test
support question" to judge their response time. If you are doing a
business site, register your own domain. This gives you total
control over it. Do not get "held for ransom" by a service that
supplies the domain name "free".
When looking for hosting, look at what is offered in the package.
cPanel administration, stats packages, extras, are all important and
can contribute to the success of your site. Look to see if the
package you are getting is upgradeable. Should your site catch on
and traffic increase substantially you will want this feature.
Don't worry too much about server space and bandwidth. Most plans
are overkill for a new site. Don't be seduced with offers of tons
of space. We offer 250 megs space when a normal site, such as you
describe planning, rarely runs over 30 meg, (if that). The same
follows for bandwidth. Sites rarely come near their quota.
Good luck building your site.
Thank You,
Reg Charie
http://www.0grief.com hosting.
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